ITALY: NATO'S MEDITERRENEAN STANDING NAVAL FORCE ON 48-HOUR ALERT IN BARI TO LAUNCH MILITARY ACTION AGAINST YUGOSLAV MILITARY TARGETS IF PEACE DEMANDS GO UNHEEDED

Record ID: 858762

  • Title: ITALY: NATO'S MEDITERRENEAN STANDING NAVAL FORCE ON 48-HOUR ALERT IN BARI TO LAUNCH MILITARY ACTION AGAINST YUGOSLAV MILITARY TARGETS IF PEACE DEMANDS GO UNHEEDED
  • Date: 27th January 1999
  • Summary: BARI, ITALY (JANUARY 27, 1999) (RTN - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE VIEW OF GREEK DESTROYER HS KIMON AND TURKISH FRIGATE TCG MUAVENET 0.04 2. VARIOUS VIEWS OF GERMAN FRIGATE FGS RHEINLAND PFALZ - HEAVY WEAPONS ONBOARD (9 SHOTS) 0.43 3. SCU COMMANDER OF FLEET, ADMIRAL DAVID STONE SAYING (ENGLISH) 'our message that we want to send is that NATO is present in the Adriatic and to demonstrate cohesiveness of the members in the Kosovo crisis.' 1.07 4. VARIOUS AMERICAN DESTROYER AND FLAGSHIP USS THORN/SAILORS ON DECK (4 SHOTS) 1.24 5. VARIOUS BRITISH FRIGATE HMS IRON DUKE/ ARMED GUARDS IN MILITARY FATIGUES ONBOARD (4 SHOTS) 1.42 6. VARIOUS SPANISH FRIGATE SPS NUMANCIA/ SPANISH SAILORS GREASING A MULTI-PURPOSE GUN/MORTAR (6 SHOTS) 2.10 7. SCU CAPTAIN JUAN ANTONIO MORENO SUSANNA SAYING (SPANISH) 'This boat belongs to the immediate reaction force of NATO and its mission consists in partly to show the cohesive nature among members' 2.34 8. VARIOUS VIEW OF FLEET (4 SHOTS) 2.56 OTRANTO, ITALY (JANUARY 27, 1999) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 9. VARIOUS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS (MOSTLY KOSOVANS AND ALBANIANS) PICKED UP BY ITALIAN CUSTOMS POLICE (13 SHOTS) 4.07 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 11th February 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BARI AND OTRANTO, ITALY
  • City:
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics:
  • Reuters ID: LVAE2A83ZBJYOFJFW55T6PEHC7MZ
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Nato's Mediterrenean Standing Naval Force
    (STANAVFORMED) currently docked at a southern Italian port is
    on 48-hour alert to launch military action against Yugoslav
    military targets if peace demands go unheeded.

    As Serb artillery pounded rebel positions in northern
    Kosovo, the eight vessel NATO fleet remains docked at the port
    of Bari on Italy's southern coast.STANAVFORMED, headed by
    American
    destroyer and flagship USS Thorn includes ships from Turkey,
    Italy, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, The Netherlands and
    Greece.

    The fleet could play an important role in the Adriatic sea
    if NATO consensus to strike Serbia is attained.

    Commander of the fleet Admiral David Stone said the
    message he wanted to send is clear, that NATO is present in
    the Adriatic and united in its resovle to deal with the Kosovo
    crisis.

    NATO is the likely vehicle for any application of force
    used to persuade Serbian and pro-independence Kosovar
    Albanians to come to the negotiating table.

    A U.S.official briefing reporters on Secretary of State
    Madeleine Albright's plane to Cairo said NATO was close to
    consensus on warning Serbia of military action if it did not
    agree within weeks to give Kosovo maximum autonomy.

    Meanwhile some 261 clandestine immigrants, mostly Kosovans
    and Albanians, were picked up on southeast Italian beaches in
    the early hours of Wednesday.Boatloads of clandestine
    immigrants land nearly every night in Italy after being
    ferried across the Otranto channel by Albanian traffickers.

    Many of the immigrants are Kosovan Albanians fleeing their
    homes after Serb offensives.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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