- Title: VARIOUS: 6,000-STRONG PEACEKEEPING FORCE DUE IN ALBANIA
- Date: 14th April 1997
- Summary: DURRES, ALBANIA (APRIL 14, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV ITALIAN MINESWEEPERS DOCKED IN HARBOUR 0.03 2. LAS SOLDIER ON SHIP 0.07 3. SLV FRENCH SOLDIERS AT BASE STAND BY LINE OF VEHICLES/SODLIERS ON BASE (5 SHOTS) 0.27 4. SCU FRENCH COMMANDER MAJOR HERVE GOURMELON SAYING THEY ARE PREPARING FOR THE MAIN FORCE WHICH WILL
- Embargoed: 29th April 1997 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: DURRES, ALBANIA/ ROME, ITALY
- City:
- Country: EUROPE Italy Albania
- Reuters ID: LVA6BOM5GYVPKOVS8CLDIIMNO9KZ
- Story Text: - INTRO: French and Italian troops in Albania are preparing for a 6,000-strong international force due to arrive early this week. Their mission received a boost when the Danish Foreign Minister committed his country to sending soldiers.
A team of French troops that arrived on Sunday (April 13) camped at an abandoned holiday resort for Albanian officers on the beach outside the port of Durres.
They began readying the camp ahead of the arrival of the bulk of French troops on Tuesday (April 15). Major Herve Gourmelon said the soldiers were getting facilities ready for the main group of officers who would be responsible for making sure the port was ready for deliveries of food aid.
He said the main force would first have to secure Durres and then the road from Durres to Tirana.
But his troops would not be distributing the aid, the major stressed. He also said that if threatened, the troops could return fire, but they had not been given any mandate to disarm any of the locals.
Two Italian minesweepers, the Rimini and the Pantelleria, docked in Durres port in readiness for the expected arrival of the first batch of 500 Italian soldiers.
The United Nations (U.N.)-backed security force of troops from Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, Greece and Romania aims to secure key harbours and the main airport, and protect the delivery of emergency food and medical supplies.
At a meeting on Monday (April 14) with his Italian counterpart Lamberto Dini, Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helvig Petersen announced Dennmark's intention to join the international force. The Italian Foreign Minister praised Petersen after their meeting. He said: I am very grateful for minister Petersen's visit to Rome today." Petersen said that his proposal would have to be put to the members of the Danish parliament, but it was expected the mission would go ahead.
Dini said the size of the Danish contingent was less important that the fact that Denmark had decided to join the multinational force.
The Italian Foreign Ministry also hosted a high level political meeting between the Albanian government and countries involved in the troop deployment.
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