|
NATO and Albanians Set Weapons Target
SKOPJE, Aug 24 (News Agencies) - NATO and Albanian activists in Macedonia have agreed on the number of weapons to be collected by alliance troops, but they will have to convince the Macedonian government Friday that the figures are realistic.
While he did not specify the number of weapons involved, NATO General Gunnar Lange said Friday that the Albanians had given a figure and that "the numbers are credible now and close to our own assessment."
Stressing NATO's conviction that the figures are correct, Lange said that the number of weapons "they have declared they will hand over is the number I am going to collect." The collection operation is set to last 30 days.
Meanwhile, NATO sources admitted the number would be slightly more than the lowest figure given until now, which equals roughly 2,300 arms. On Thursday, Skopje said the Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) was in possession of at least 60,000 weapons.
Lange said the Macedonian president and government would be briefed on the agreed number of weapons later Friday.
NATO admits that the quality of the arms is still an important factor, but Lange said the alliance mission, known as Operation Essential Harvest, still plans to collect one third of them by the end of next week.
The NLA has continued to hamper the operation by moving weapons in and out of Macedonia via the Kosovo border.
NATO spokesman Major Barry Johnson said the alliance-led force in Kosovo was still seizing arms, and that NATO had reinforced troop numbers to try to secure the border.
One of the keys to the success of the mission, which is a vital part of a peace process aimed at ending six months of conflict, is that the shaky ceasefire agreed on July 5 holds.
Lange said NATO teams had identified potential hotspots in north and northwest Macedonia and were monitoring the truce there. He also went on to say that the NLA was beginning to comply with it.
He stated that the Macedonian army would begin withdrawing heavy weapons from the area on Friday and then start returning to its barracks, thus decreasing the dangers of any ceasefire violations.
However, the dangers posed by mines laid in the area remains a possible trap for the mission.
British NATO commanders said that reports have come in of mine-laying activities in the region by both Albanians and government troops, but that his team had not been able to verify those reports.
Meanwhile, troops taking part in the 3,500-strong contingent continued to pour into Macedonia on Friday.
More than 700 soldiers from five nations were due to join the mission by Friday, so far bringing the tally to some 1,280 military personnel. In addition, more than 350 troops were set to fly in from Britain, which will lead the operation.
Three convoys carrying 174 Greek troops crossed Greece's border with Macedonia and were traveling to the central town of Krivolak, where NATO plans to destroy explosives and ammunition collected from the Albanians.
The arms themselves will be transported back to Greece for destruction at a weapons factory.
Other soldiers from the 12 countries taking part in the operation will be deployed in the volatile regions around Tetovo, Kumanovo and Debar, where 10 to 15 collection points will be set up in a five zone arc across the top of Macedonia.
NATO, Western monitors, and government representatives continued to examine potential sites on Friday.
Macedonian army spokesman Blagoja Markovski said officials from NATO, Europe's security body, the OSCE, European Union monitors, and Macedonian government and defense representatives had toured locations around Kumanovo and Tetovo.
Albanian activists not wanted for war crimes will be given a amnesty by the government upon submission of their weapons. NATO confirmed on Friday that those surrendering their arms would not be named or registered.
|
