YUGOSLAVIA/MACEDONIA: CEASEFIRE MAINTAINED AS YUGOSLAV TROOPS MOVE INTO BUFFER ZONE.
Record ID:
647794
YUGOSLAVIA/MACEDONIA: CEASEFIRE MAINTAINED AS YUGOSLAV TROOPS MOVE INTO BUFFER ZONE.
- Title: YUGOSLAVIA/MACEDONIA: CEASEFIRE MAINTAINED AS YUGOSLAV TROOPS MOVE INTO BUFFER ZONE.
- Date: 13th March 2001
- Summary: MACEDONIA-KOSOVO-SERBIA BORDER AREA (MARCH 13, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/MV/LV: NORWEGIAN K-FOR TROOPS VIEWING HILLS IN THE DISTANCE/ DISTANT VIEW OF YUGOSLAV FORCES MOVING INTO AREA (3 SHOTS) 0.14 2. GV/LV: VARIOUS OF NORWEGIAN K-FOR TROOPS ON PATROL (2 SHOTS) 0.29 3. GV/CU: VEHICLE AND BOUNDARY SIGN 0.34 4. CU: BOUNDARY SIGN IN ALBANIAN AND SERBIAN WARNING THAT THE KOSOVO BOUNDARY HAS BEEN REACHED. NOTE THE SIGN REFERS TO "BORDER" AND NOT "BOUNDARY" 0.39 5. GV/LV: VARIOUS OF NORWEGIAN K-FOR TROOPS EXAMINING AREA/ LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS/ VIEW OF YUGOSLAV SOLDIER IN THE DISTANCE (3 SHOTS) 1.07 MUCIBABA, SERBIA (MARCH 13, 2001)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 6. GV/MV/CU: VARIOUS OF UCPMB ROADBLOCK, SOME 600 METRES INSIDE SERBIA FROM KOSOVO/ UCPMB 'MILITARY POLICEMAN' CHECKING CARS AND DOCUMENTS OF SERBIAN DRIVER (6 SHOTS) 1.57 7. CU: (SOUNDBITE)(Albanian) UNIDENTIFIED UCPMB MEMBER, SAYING: "We are here to check the civilians and the people in uniform. Now, as you could see yourselves, there were some Serbs from Vitina municipality who passed through here without any problem. Although we do not harass them or commit any injustice, they keep insulting us." 2.25 SKOPJE, MACEDONIA (MARCH 13, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 8. LV/GV/MV: CROWD OF PRO-PEACE SUPPORTERS GATHERED ON BRIDGE/ VARIOUS OF RALLY/ PEOPLE WAVING FLAGS AND BANNERS (4 SHOTS) 2.44 9. VARIOUS: VARIOUS PRO-PEACE SUPPORTERS WALKING THROUGH THE STREETS (8 SHOTS) 3.28 10. GV: PRESS CONFERENCE/ MEDIA (2 SHOTS) 3.37 11. CU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) ARBEN JHAFERI, LEADER OF DPA SPEAKING, SAYING: "The main cities of the Albanians and the main areas of the Albanians do not support this (the National Liberation Army)." 3.45 KOSOVO-MACEDONIAN BORDER (MARCH 13, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 12. GV/MV/CU: BELGIAN K-FOR CHECKPOINT/ BELGIAN K-FOR TROOPS (4 SHOTS) 4.04 13. GV/MV: MACEDONIAN SPECIAL FORCES OVERLOOKING VEHICLE (2 SHOTS) 4,14 14. GV: VARIOUS MACEDONIAN SOLDIERS RETURNING FROM MOUNTAIN BORDER (3 SHOTS) 4.41 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 28th March 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MACEDONIA-KOSOVO-SERBIA BORDER AREA / MUCIBABA, SERBIA / SKOPJE, MACEDONIA / KOSOVO-MACEDONIA BORDER
- City:
- Country: Yugoslavia
- Reuters ID: LVA1TC17WCD8DX0JGZPMIH6V2FG2
- Story Text: A ceasefire between ethnic Albanian guerrillas and
state security forces has been maintained in Serbia's volatile
Presevo Valley region bordering Kosovo and Macedonia.
Meanwhile, Yugoslav troops have begun moving into part
of the buffer zone running along the border with Macedonia
following an accord between NATO and Belgrade.
And in Macedonia, crowds of people gathered to take part
in a march promoting future peace talks between the
conflicting sides.
The ceasefire, the first step in a multi-track
international bid to end violence on several fronts, came into
force one minute after midnight.
A government spokesman described the signing of the
agreement between ethnic Albanian guerrillas and state
security forces as an historic moment, adding that Tuesday
(March 13) itself was historic due to the fact that the region
was without incident overnight.
The ceasefire, which follows one in December that lasted
until February, is meant to lead to talks between ethnic
Albanians and Serbs to resolve their grievances.
The rebels say they are fighting for more rights for local
ethnic Albanian minorities. The governments of Serbia and
Macedonia say they are terrorists whose only aim is to merge
border areas with ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo province.
More than 30 people have been killed in or near that part
of the NATO-ordained buffer zone between Kosovo and Serbia
proper, which runs through the Presevo Valley.
A separate accord between NATO and Belgrade signed on
Monday (March 12) will allow the Yugoslav army back into a 25
square km (9.6 sq mile) part of the buffer zone running along
the border with Macedonia to help stop supplies reaching the
guerrillas there.
Yugoslav Defence Minister Slobodan Krapovic said the
timing for the deployment had not yet been set.
But preparatory work appeared to have started on Tuesday
(March 13)
From the Kosovo side of the boundary with the zone where
it meets the Macedonian border, about a dozen Yugoslav forces
personnel could be seen on a hill inside the zone.
Norwegian peacekeepers putting up notices along the
boundary said the Yugoslavs had been allowed in at 1 p.m.
(1200 GMT).
The notices said "Kosovo-Serbian border" in both Serbian
and Albanian and warned people they could be arrested for
crossing outside official points.
They also said Yugoslav forces could not pass that point.
Earlier Yugoslav Defence Minister Slobodan Krapovic said
the timing for full deployment had not yet been set.
The return of a limited army contingent to patrol the
border area is designed to help Macedonia to isolate
guerrillas there.
Violence between ethnic Albanian guerrillas and the
security forces has also erupted in Macedonia over the past
few weeks.
Leader of the Democratic Party of Albania (DPA), Arben
Jhaferi, said on Tuesday most Albanians did not support the
activities of the self-styled National Liberation Army and the
recent surge in violence.
"The main cities of the Albanians and the main areas of
the Albanians do not support this (the National Liberation
Army)", Jhaferi told a news conference in the capital Skopje.
Jhaferi earlier led his party - the largest Albanian
political party in Macedonia - and thousands of other
Albanians - through the streets of the city in a demonstration
for peace.
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