MACEDONIA: FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION TROOPS ARRIVE IN SKOPJE AS PART OF A NATO FORCE CHARGED WITH COLLECTING WEAPONS FROM ETHNIC ALBANIANS

Record ID: 584862

  • Title: MACEDONIA: FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION TROOPS ARRIVE IN SKOPJE AS PART OF A NATO FORCE CHARGED WITH COLLECTING WEAPONS FROM ETHNIC ALBANIANS
  • Date: 22nd August 2001
  • Summary: (U6)SKOPJE, MACEDONIA (AUGUST 22, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV'S: FRENCH PLANE ARRIVES AND TAXIS ON RUNWAY (2 SHOTS) 0.29 2. GV: HELICOPTER IN SKY; PAN DOWN TO PLANE TAXIING 0.37 3. LV/SCU: PLANE ON TARMAC (2 SHOTS) 0.52 4. SV: ENGINEERS ON TARMAC 0.55 5. SV OF PLANE ON TARMAC 1.01 6. VARIOUS TRUCKS WITH EQUIPMENT/ EQUIPMENT UNLOADED FROM PLANE (8 SHOTS) 2.00 7. VARIOUS OF TROOPS DISEMBARKING (5 SHOTS) 2.29 (U6)SIPKOVICA, MACEDONIA (AUGUST 22, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 8. LV: PEOPLE AND NLA SOLDIERS IN STREET 2.34 9. NLA SOLDIERS WITH GUNS 2.40 10. PAN: NLA SOLDIERS IN CAR DRIVING THROUGH TOWN 2.49 11. MV: NLA FLAG ON HOUSE 2.54 12. SV: NLA OFFICERS IN HEADQUARTERS 2.59 13. SCU: SOUNDBITE (Albanian) QELA, NLA HQ COMMANDER, SAYING: "We have received the news today on the arrival of NATO troops and we are happy about that. Even the presence of the international monitors here prevented incidents, but there was only a small number of them. Now, with a larger force in place, hopefully, all incidents will stop." 3.36 14. MV: CHILDREN ON HORSES IN STREET 3.41 15. MV: GROUP OF PEOPLE IN FRONT OF MOSQUE 3.47 16. SCU: SOUNDBITE (Albanian) ADEM BAVCARI, SAYING: "With NATO here, we will feel much safer, but I think they should stay much longer and not only two or three months, as the Macedonian government has announced." 4.05 17. SV: GROUP OF ELDERLY PEOPLE WALKING IN FRONT OF MOSQUE, AUDIO OF PRAYER 4.12 18. CU OF BULLET ON NECKLACE, ZOOM OUT ONTO LITTLE BOY 4.21 19. SV: NATO VEHICLE DRIVING THROUGH VILLAGE 4.37 (U6)SKOPJE, MACEDONIA (AUGUST 22, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 20. LV: NEWS CONFERENCE BY GENERAL GUNNAR LANGE, OVERALL COMMANDER OF NATO MISSION IN MACEDONIA: 4.42 21. SCU/SV: SOUNDBITE (English) GUNNAR LANGE, SAYING: "Forces will continue to arrive over the next several days as we prepare for our mission of collecting arms and ammunition from the so- called NLA. We will be capable of establishing the initiial weapon collection sites early next week. Although no decision has been made on when exactly the collections will actually begin, they will begin next week." (2 SHOTS) 5.04 22. SV: JOURNALISTS 5.10 23. SV/SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) LANGE SAYING: "If we will be shot at, we will use force in self protection. If a fight starts whereby we will not be able to execute our misision in a benign or abrasively permissive environment, then I do not have an alternative solution, then we will go back to the concentration area and await further instructions from NATOs general command." (2 SHOTS) 5.37 24. WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE 5.38 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 6th September 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SKOPJE AND SIPKOVICA, MACEDONIA
  • Country: Macedonia
  • Reuters ID: LVA4HOWV2AYOWEJWZORUSPG2RMX6
  • Story Text: French Foreign Legion troops arrived in the Macedonian
    capital Skopje on Wednesday, the first contingent of a NATO
    force of 3,500 charged with collecting weapons from ethnic
    Albanian rebels.

    Meanwhile, NLA and NATO representatives in Macedonia have
    been reacting to the NATO decision to send more troops.



    One hundred and thirty-six troops from the Second
    Foreign Infantry Regiment began arriving in Skopje on
    Wednesday (August 22) evening to take part in Operation
    Essential Harvest.

    The French battalion will be based until the end of the
    week at a base called 'Pipe Camp' five kilometres northwest of
    Skopje before they are able to begin collecting and destroying
    the weapons of the ethnic Albanian rebels.

    An aircraft carrying the soldiers arrived at 5.30 p.m.

    (1530GMT) at Skopje airport, signalling the beginning of the
    main deployment.

    Around 400 alliance troops are already in the tiny Balkan
    state as a vanguard to the main force, which got the go-ahead
    to deploy from NATO ambassadors in Brussels earlier on
    Wednesday.

    Britain will be contributing 1,800 soldiers to the mission
    and France around 530.

    In the Macedonian town of Sipkovica on Wednesday, an NLA
    commander called Qela gave his reaction to the deployment of
    NATO troops.

    "We have received the news today on the arrival of NATO
    troops and we are happy about that. Even the presence of the
    international monitors here prevented incidents, but there was
    only a small number of them. Now, with a larger force in
    place, hopefully, all incidents will stop."
    A resident of Sipkovica, Adem Bavcari, said, "With NATO
    here, we will feel much safer, but I think they should stay
    much longer and not only two or three months, as the
    Macedonian government has announced."
    Back in Skopje, the Commander of the NATO mission in
    Macedonia, Gunnar Lange, told journalists at a news conference
    on Wednesday that more troops would continue to arrive in
    Skopje over the next few days to prepare for their mission to
    collect arms and ammunitions from the ethnic Albanian rebels.

    Lange said NATO troops were prepared to defend themselves
    if they come under attack.

    "If we will be shot at, we will use force in self
    protection. If a fight starts whereby we will not be able to
    execute our misision in a benign or abrasively permissive
    environment, then I do not have an alternative solution, then
    we will go back to the concentration area and await further
    instructions from NATO's general command," he said.

    Lange added that the early collection sites would be
    established early next week, although no decision had yet been
    made on exactly when the collections would begin.
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