[Source: Tanjug]

CONVOY OF RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPERS ARRIVES IN PRISTINA
PRISTINA - A convoy of Russian troops participating in a U.N. peacekeeping force arrived in central Pristina, chief city of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province, at around 1.30 a.m. local time on Saturday.
The convoy, including a dozen armoured personnel carriers, some thirty trucks with troops and equipment and a number of Jeeps, headed on to Kosovo Polje and Slatina airport where it should be stationed.
Thousands of Pristina residents, who had been waiting for the convoy at the city's central square since Friday evening, greeted it with loud cheers, shots fired in the air and shouts 'Russia, Russia' and 'Serbia, Russia.'
Passing through the city, the convoy slowed down, after which a number of residents climbed the vehicles and started waving Yugoslav flags.
The convoy headed on to Slatina airport accompanied by scores of cars with city residents and the sound of car horns.

RUSSIAN TROOP DEPLOYMENT USHERS IN PHASE OF SECURITY - MINISTER MATIC
PRISTINA - A Yugoslav minister said early on Saturday that the arrival of Russian peacekeepers in Kosovo-Metohija removed doubts about a consistent implementation of the U.N. resolution and military accord on peace for the province.
"For the people of this province (of Yugoslavia's republic of Serbia), Russian troops' arrival ushers in a phase of security, trust and application of the agreed that will speed up restoration, both financial and social," Minister Goran Matic said.
Matic told TANJUG that the people's enthusiastic greeting of the Russians and cheers to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic best showed how the first step in implementing the U.N. resolution and the Kumanovo accord had been received.
"On the strength of this initial confidence, it is to be expected that the accord will take root and that the people of Kosovo-Metohija, primarily Serbs and Montenegrins, will make their full contribution to its implementation," he said.

FIRST BATCH OF BRITISH, FRENCH TROOPS ENTER KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
BLACE - The first batch of British troops participating in the U.N. peacekeeping mission to Kosovo and Metohija (KFOR) entered Serbia's southern province from Macedonia soon after 5 a.m. local time on Saturday.
The border was first crossed at Blace by British paratroopers and Gurkha troops in six transport helicopters.
A convoy of British and French army vehicles crossed into the province soon after, international news agencies reported.
A convoy of Russian troops participating in KFOR arrived in Kosovo and Metohija's chief city of Pristina at around 1.30 a.m.
Thousands of Pristina residents welcomed with loud cheers the convoy including a dozen armoured personnel carriers and some thirty trucks.

PRISTINA RESIDENTS FEEL RELIEVED AFTER RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPERS' ARRIVAL
PRISTINA - The arrival of Russian troops participating in a U.N. peacekeeping mission has allayed the feeling of unease among residents of Pristina, chief city of Kosovo and Metohija, caused by the pullout of Yugoslav army and Serbian police troops from Serbia's southern province.
Serbs, Montenegrins and members of other ethnic communities in the city regard the peacekeepers' arrival as an additional factor of safety in the area, stressing unanimously that this is a reason more not to leave the province after the state security forces' withdrawal.
The fact that a number of Serbian and Yugoslav officials welcomed the Russian convoy to the city has helped strengthen confidence in an agreement on a peaceful settlement for Kosovo and Metohija that was recently reached.
In addition to Chairman of Kosovo and Metohija's provisional executive council Zoran Andjelkovic, Serbian ministers Branislav Ivkovic, Zeljko Simic and Jovo Todorovic, Yugoslav minister Goran Matic and newly-appointed head of the Yugoslav commission for cooperation with the U.N. mission Nebojsa Vujovic also welcomed the convoy.

[Source: BBC News]

Russians enter Kosovo: the arrival of Russian forces took Nato by surprise

Saturday, June 12, 1999 Published at 00:25 GMT 01:25 UK

A convoy of Russian soldiers has arrived in the Kosovan capital, Pristina, in the early hours of Saturday, to a cheering crowd. There was shouting and fireworks as thousands of people crowded the main street of the city to greet the soldiers, who arrived aboard trucks and troop transports. They arrived as British and French Nato troops waited in Macedonia on Kosovo's southern border to enter as part of an international peacekeeping force authorised by the United Nations. Earlier, Nato said it had received assurances from Moscow that it would not attempt to deploy troops in the Serbian province before western forces. British paratroopers were put on stand-by to fly to Pristina, on Friday, to head off a possible Russian attempt to take control of the airport there. They were later stood down during a day of confusion about the column of Russian troops and military vehicles heading through Yugoslavia for the Kosovo border. There were also reports that Russia was preparing to fly in paratroopers. The first troops of the international intervention force - K-For - are to cross the border from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia at 0500 local time (0300 GMT). Meanwhile Serbian forces have been continuing to withdraw in large numbers, along with many Serb civilians who are taking all their belongings with them.

Russian troops pictured
June 11th near Belgrade.
[Tanjugfoto]

[Source: ANSA]

KOSOVO: TRUPPE RUSSE ENTRANO A PRISTINA TRA GLI APPLAUSI

(ANSA) - WASHINGTON, 11 GIU - Una colonna corrazzatta russa ha fatto il suo ingresso trionfale a Pristina, salutata dagli applausi della folla. Lo riferisce il corrispondente della tv Usa 'Cnn'. I russi, che fanno parte della forza di pace Onu 'Kfor', hanno 'bruciato' sul tempo i francesi e gli inglesi, che attendono ancora al confine tra la Macedonia del Nord e il Kosovo. La 'Cnn' riferisce di fuochi d' artificio, spari in aria e altre manifestazioni di gioia da parte degli abitanti di Pristina. Un gran numero di persone si e' ammassato nella strada principale della citta' per dare il benvenuto ai soldati inviati da Mosca, da sempre alleata della Serbia. (ANSA).

BZ 12-06-1999 01:57