Major Yugo news, 6/15/99


Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit


BBC Reports - June 15, 1999

KLA: Demilitarised but not disarmed 
(a distinction without a difference!)

KLA troops see the Serbian withdrawal as their moment of victory 

By Defence Correspondent Jonathan Marcus 

As Yugoslav troops and police withdraw from Kosovo, the fighters of the
Kosovo Liberation Army - or KLA - are coming down from the hills to savour
what they see as their moment of victory.

Inevitably, incidents have occurred as individuals seek retribution against
local Serbs.

As Yugoslav forces withdrew, an incident where British paratroops arrested a
number of KLA men who shot a Serb illustrated K-For's desire to be seen as
even-handed.

It also highlights the problems that may lie ahead.

Kosovo, like so much of the Balkan region, is awash with weaponry and small
arms. A forced disarming of the KLA is simply not an option as rifles can
easily be hidden rather than turned in.

This is one reason why the annexe to the UN Security Council resolution that
provides the mandate for K-For, speaks more generally about a
demilitarisation of the KLA.

Kosovo police force?

K-For's aim is to be the sole provider of security and stability, backed up
by a closely-monitored local police force that may well incorporate some
elements of the KLA.

But once K-For is established and the Yugoslav withdrawal is complete, Nato
troops are unlikely to tolerate the casual carrying of weapons or any
dispays of organised military activity.

It is hoped that once the initial excitement at the Serbs departure
subsides, many of the KLA's amateur fighters will simply drift back to their
homes.

What is not clear is how the core elements of the organisation will respond.

Many KLA officers support an independent Kosovo; some even back a greater
Albania, taking in parts of neighbouring countries.

Nato's hope is that the task of rebuilding and establishing new civil
institutions will concentrate minds on the immediate task in hand.

source - BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/ - June 15, 1999

                               *

War Against Yugoslavia, http://www.inet.co.yu, reports on June 15th
that: General Dragoljub Ojdanic, chief of FRY Army Generalstaff,
announced Combat Air force and Air Defence units downed 61 NATO
airplane, 30 pilotless aircraft, 7 helicopters and 238 cruise missiles.

                               *

http://www.stratfor.com - newsbriefs 6/15-6/16


2340 GMT, 990615 - The Russian Defense Ministry announced it will conduct a
weeklong military exercise that will simulate defense tactics against a
hypothetical attack from the West. West-99, as the exercise has been named,
will place almost all units in Western Russian on high alert and will
involve units in Belarus as well.

2330 GMT, 990615 - ANSA news agency reported that Italian KFOR troops
discovered a mass grave in the village of Korenica, near Pec, containing 120
bodies.

2315 GMT, 990615 - UPI news agency reports that the Russian resupply convoy
has reached Russian troops deployed at the airport in Pristina.

2250 GMT, 990615 - CNN reports that Clinton administration officials say
substantial progress has been made with Russia on the subject of Russian
peacekeeping participation in Kosovo. U.S. officials told CNN that Russia
accepts the fact that KFOR commander Lieutenant General Michael Jackson will
retain overall command of KFOR operations, including Russian troops.
However, there are a few details that have yet to be worked out. Among them
are how many Russian troops will participate in KFOR and where they will be
deployed. Most importantly the exact command structure has yet to be
determined. NATO has considered a scenario in which the Russians will report
to an intermediate officer who then in turn reports to Jackson.

2240 GMT, 990615 - The head of the Federal Security Service and secretary of
Russia's Security Council, Vladimir Putin, told U.S. National Security
Advisor Sandy Berger that the Kosovo Liberation Army poses a serious threat
to civilians in Kosovo.

2225 GMT, 990615 - Tanjug news agency reported that Serbian President Milan
Milutinovic refused to accept the resignation of 15 government ministers of
the ultra-nationalist Radical Party (SRS) of Vojislav Seselj.

2205 GMT, 990615 - According to the Russian Defense Ministry, members and
equipment of the Pskov 76th air-borne division are ready for transport to
Kosovo.

2200 GMT, 990615 - British paratroopers from the 1st Battalion Parachute
Regiment were ordered to back down from a confrontation with Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA) rebels who refused to disarm. No reason was given why
the British troops were ordered to allow the KLA rebels to keep their
weapons.

2155 GMT, 990615 - Serbian sources report that the Kosovo Liberation Army
(KLA) attacked targets in the city of Slovinje at 1130 GMT, injuring several
people.

2145 GMT, 990615 - Pentagon and other government officials stated they have
no problem with Russia resupplying troops located at the airport in
Pristina. Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said 11 vehicles and 29 people
were carrying food and water to troops deployed in Pristina. "It's
appropriate for them to resupply their troops," he told reporters. White
House spokesman P.J. Crowley said, "We understand that once you deploy
troops they need to be resupplied so we can certainly understand the need
for Russia to bring food and water to their troops and we have no quarrel
with that."

2130 GMT, 990615 - Members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) set fire to
Serb homes in the Pristina suburb of Kosovo Polje after Serb forces withdrew
today.

2115 GMT, 990615 - Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic announced his
country would "open itself to the whole world" while speaking in Aleksinac,
in southern Serbia. Tanjug news agency reported that Milosevic said
Yugoslavia would repair damage done to the nation as a result of Operation
Allied Force, and integrate with the rest of Europe.

2045 GMT, 990615 - Vladimir Putin, head of the Federal Security Service and
secretary of Russia's Security Council announced that President Boris
Yeltsin knew Russian troops were on their way to Pristina on June 11 ahead
of NATO troops. "The supreme commander-in-chief knew about everything that
was planned and approved...the strategic plan of developments," Putin said
in regards to the deployment of Russian troops to Pristina last week.

2035 GMT, 990615 - In a follow-up to a previous report, Hashim Thaci
cancelled a speech in Washington, D.C., today after the organizers of a
conference on Balkan reconstruction confirmed he would speak. According to
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) spokesmen, Thaci never left Kosovo, citing
"difficult changes of the situation" as a reason for skipping the
conference.

2030 GMT, 990615 - Russian news agencies quoted a senior defense official as
saying the dilemma of coordinating Russian peacekeeping operations in Kosovo
with those of NATO can be solved by including Russian representatives on the
general staff of the international peace force. Vladimir Putin, head of the
FSB, successor to the KGB, and secretary of the Russian Security Council
reportedly made this proposal to U.S. National Security Advisor Sandy
Berger. Putin's proposal calls for "a unified command staff with a
representative from the Russian armed forces. The Russian representative is
informed of all actions decided by the staff and he alone can give orders to
the Russian troops."

2010 GMT, 990615 - AP reports that thousands of Serb troops and police left
Pristina today, jeering at NATO troops as they left. Civilian Serbs were
also seen in the convoy of police and military transports headed out of
Pristina.

2000 GMT, 990615 - The Czech parliament voted today to increase its troop
commitment to KFOR operations in Kosovo. The parliament voted to send up to
800 troops instead of the 150 proposed earlier by the cabinet. The
parliament has yet to vote on a funding measure for the larger contingent of
troops.

1950 GMT, 990615 - Serb residents of Gnijlane asked NATO to provide them
protection from ethnic Albanians. "Just a minute ago, a car full of
Albanians came past and threw stones at us. They fired shots in the air,''
one resident told reporters.

1940 GMT, 990615 - In a follow-up to a previous report, it now appears that
a total of 13 people were injured by a grenade in Gnjilane today.
Eyewitnesses said the incident took place at 1530 GMT, and the grenade was
thrown out of a black Mercedes automobile driven by a Serbian paramilitary
man.

1925 GMT, 990615 - Kosovo Liberation Army political leader Hashim Thaci
visited Washington D.C. today to deliver a speech. Thaci was expected to
attend a conference on Balkan reconstruction where he would speak. It is
unknown if he will meet with any government officials during his stay in the
United States.

1920 GMT, 990615 - Andrea Angeli, spokesman for the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said more than 2,000 ethnic
Albanian refugees have returned to Kosovo from Albania today. Angeli said
men left first in order to ascertain the security of the area.

1910 GMT, 990615 - Borislav Milosevic, Yugoslav ambassador to Russia, said
10,000 Russian troops is an "indispensable minimum" for peacekeeping
operations. Milosevic, the Yugoslav president's older brother, added, "We
feel that Russia should have a massive presence in Kosovo equivalent to the
others. The Russian troops should have their own commandment. (sic)"

1855 GMT, 990615 - The Hungarian Foreign Ministry announced it would give up
compensation for damages incurred as a result of Operation Allied Force in
return for being awarded contracts in connection with rebuilding Yugoslavia.
"Instead of cash, the international community may compensate Hungary by
guaranteeing its involvement in the reconstruction of Yugoslavia, including
Kosovo, " Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi told the daily Magyar Hirlap.

1845 GMT, 990615 - Serbian opposition leader Vuk Draskovic said Yugoslavia
should restore diplomatic ties with Britain, France, Germany and the United
States, and cancel the state of war that was imposed in March. "We are not
at war any more, but we still have a state of war. It should be suspended
immediately," said Draskovic, head of the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO).

1835 GMT, 990615 - Indicted war criminal Zeljko Raznatovic, or "Arkan"
denied reports that he and men belonging to his Serb paramilitary "Tigers"
massacred civilians in Kosovo. NATO found the charred bodies of 20 ethnic
Albanians in Velika Krusa, near the southern city of Prizren. Eyewitnesses
claim that Arkan and his men were responsible for burning the ethnic
Albanians alive. "We didn't kill innocent civilians. We did kill the
soldiers in a fair fight. It's a big difference," Arkan said.

1825 GMT, 990615 - KFOR commander British Lieutenant General Michael Jackson
urged Serb residents of Kosovo not to leave the province. Jackson promised
that NATO would disarm the Kosovo Liberation Army "in due course." "I do
appeal to the Serb population in Kosovo to remain in their homes, not to
think that they have to leave because of this situation," Jackson said. "I
made it clear to my soldiers that they have to do everything they can by
their physical presence, by their actions, to reduce as far as we possibly
can such a feeling of insecurity," Jackson added.

1820 GMT, 990615 - Five children were injured after a grenade was tossed
from a vehicle in Gnjilane. Eyewitnesses said a Serb paramilitary man drove
the car in question.

1756 GMT, 990615 --In a statement released on Tuesday, The Serbian Orthodox
Church officially called for the dismissal of Slobodan Milosevic. The
statement called for Milosevic "and his government to resign in the interest
of the people and their salvation." This is the first official public
statement of the Church since the opening of hostilities between Serbia and
NATO.

1705 GMT, 990615 -- According to a British government minister, "western
allies" are currently negotiating an agreement to disarm the KLA. Despite
reports of KLA leadership refusal of this plan, the British government
official stated that "there has been some good collaboration," and that "an
agreement is being negotiated and will be put into place."

1649 GMT, 990615 -- Alexei Mitrofanov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee
for Geopolitical Questions, has called for the "immediate build-up of the
Russian peacemaking contingent in Kosovo." Mitrofanov fears that delays in
deploying peacekeepers could result in "wild ethnic cleansingagainst the
peaceful Serb civilians." Russia has begun the process of training an
additional 2200 paratroopers southeast of Moscow who will be ready for entry
into Kosovo by August 15.

1633 GMT, 990615 -- The Beta News Agency published a statement by Serbia's
Orthodox Church calling for the resignation of Slobodan Milosevic and his
cabinet. The release read, "We demand that the Federal President and his
government resign in the interest and the salvation of the people so that
new officials acceptable at home and abroad can take responsibility for the
people and their future as a National Salvation government." The Church
joins a growing list of institutions standing in opposition to Milosevic's
regime.

1619 GMT, 990615 - There may be a delay in the deployment of more Russian
troops to Kosovo. According to a "well-informed source" to ITAR-TASS,
Russian troops cannot enter Kosovo as a peacekeeping contingent before
Russia's Federation Council (FC) reaches a decision. The next scheduled
meeting of the FC is set for June 29 or 30. At present, the question of a
Russian peacekeeping force has not been placed on the FC's agenda.

1614 GMT, 990615 -- NATO command representative Robin Clifford has confirmed
the pullout of nearly 20,000 Yugoslav Army troops from Kosovo. He says this
indicates almost half of the total Yugoslav forces present at the conclusion
of NATO airstrikes have left or are leaving the province.

1606 GMT, 990615 - Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev and Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov will meet on June 17 behind closed doors with State
Duma speaker Gennady Seleznyov to discuss Yugoslavia.

1548 GMT, 990615 - According to the Associated Press, NATO troops in Kosovo,
as of June 14, totaled about 14,000, including 1,000 U.S. Army soldiers and
900 U.S. Marines. U.S. forces are expected to rise to 7,000.

1546 GMT, 990615 -- The United States has announced it will contribute 750
officers to an international police force designed to bring stability to
Kosovo after peacekeepers leave. The commitment comes after yesterday's
presentation of a United Nations plan allowing for the replacement of the
peacekeepers by a force of 3000 police officers.

1541 GMT, 990615 - White House officials said they are satisfied with
Yugoslavia's efforts at meeting the June 15 deadline to remove soldiers and
police from Kosovo, even though the Serbs face some difficulty. ''The roads
are jammed, so they're having a hard time getting them out,'' said a White
House spokesman. ''But we basically see a strong effort to try to comply.''
Still, the White House also affirmed airstrikes could resume should there be
significant delays in Yugoslav troop withdrawal.

1532 GMT, 990615 - Argentine Defense Minister Jorge Dominguez told UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan on June 14 that Argentina is ready to aid NATO
operations in Kosovo with both military and civilian support. Currently,
some 687 Argentine soldiers operate under UN command around the world,
placing Argentina as the seventh largest contributor to UN peacekeeping
missions.

1520 GMT, 990615 - ITAR-TASS reports on June 15 that Latvia is ready to send
12 to 14 engineer troops and police to Kosovo. The decision comes as Baltic
defense ministers met to affirm their responsibility to NATO operations.

1503 GMT, 990615 -- The Chairman of the Duma Committee for Affairs of
Nationalities, Vladimir Zorin, told ITAR-TASS today that NATO's continued
tolerance of KLA action may be a tragic mistake. He said, "NATO ideologists
erroneously believe that the main threat comes from Serb military
formations. In this connection, the problem of the disarmament of the
so-called Liberation Army of Kosovo' has been underestimated." Speaking
today in Slovakia, the Italian Prime Minister made similar demands that the
KLA disband, saying the exodus of noncombatant Serbs is an extremely
negative fact.

1446 GMT, 990615 -- Tanjug reports that Yugoslav 3rd Army Commander, Gen.
Nebojsa Pavkovic has threatened to send troops back into Kosovo. He stated
that his forces are just five kilometers outside the border and could return
if international forces are not deployed in a manner consistent with UN
mandates. He also said, "We have fully preserved the war potential and
ability to continue waging extensive combat actions in all conditions."

1431 GMT, 990615 -- The Alliance of Serbian Democratic Parties issued a
statement at a meeting in Kragujevac today, calling for the resignation of
Slobodan Milosevic. It said, "The situation in Serbia can only deteriorate
further with Slobodan Milosevic at the helm, and this is clear to most of
its citizens today. In an effort to express their feelings and hopes, the
Alliance of Democratic Parties has launched an initiative aimed at securing
the resignation of Slobodan Milosevic."

1412 GMT, 990615 -- President Clinton will leave tonight for Europe. Stops
will be made in Geneva, Paris, and Cologne where he will join with allies in
kicking off a rebuilding plan for Kosovo and other nations.

1356 GMT, 990615 -- Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin announced that
President Yeltsin approved agreements reached at the meeting of the Russian
Security Council. The agreements state that the Foreign Ministry will
coordinate all of Russia's future Kosovo activities with other government
offices. Stepashin said, "Synchronisation of the performance of the Foreign
Ministry, the military, and the government is the rigid algorithm whose
performance started today."

1342 GMT, 990615 -- German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping alluded on
Tuesday that Russian troops may serve in the German sector of Kosovo. When
questioned on the sufficiency of 8,500 German troops for the mission, he
said, "The contingent will be enough, above all, because there is a firm
agreement that troops from the Netherlands and Austria will serve in the
German sector and NATO must, by the way, still make a few agreements with
the Russians." He also made similar comments to Russian Prime Minister
Stepashin, saying, "I have reason to believe this issue will be resolved by
the end of the week."

1324 GMT, 990615 -- Dutch troops found the remains of 20 charred bodies
inside a house located at the southern Kosovo town of Velika Krusa today. A
witness said those killed were ethnic Albanian men who had been burned alive
by Serb troops and were discovered by the KLA three weeks ago. Investigators
for the International War Crimes Tribunal are en route to the site while it
is being secured by KFOR.

1313 GMT, 990615 -- Sali Mustafa, the KLA commander in Pristina, told the
Daily Telegraph on Tuesday that those Serb soldiers who do not leave by
midnight will be executed. Mustafa declared, "Every soldier and paramilitary
that steps out of line will be shot -- by us or by NATO." The newspaper
writes, "With every hour that passes, the arbitrary power of the KLA is
growing in Kosovo, and NATO seems momentarily clueless how to deal with it."

1301 GMT, 990615 -- Rustem Mustafer, commander of the KLA, told the Financial
Times on Tuesday that he rejects a UN resolution calling on his fighters to
disarm, and indicated his guerrillas will not surrender their weapons. He
said, "There will be a reconstruction of the KLA and we will keep our
weapons and hope NATO will help us in this. The KLA's goal is to become the
army of an independent state of Kosovo."

1253 GMT, 990615 -- Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin announced Tuesday
that Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev will
fly to Helsinki on Wednesday to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline
Albright and Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Stepashin said of the
Russian role in Kosovo, "I am convinced that all misunderstandings which
have come up will be solved by the end of the week." He went on to comment,
"However, there is one very important principal questionwithout a doubt,
the UN resolution to disarm the KLA must be carried out."

1244 GMT, 990615 -- According to a KLA official, the southern city of Prizren
in Kosovo is "almost 100 percent under the control of the Kosovo Liberation
Army in coordination with KFOR." On Monday, after entering the area, the KLA
checked the homes and vehicles owned by Serb civilians and military. KLA
Brig. Cmdr. Beqir Ahmetas claims that the KLA will take over central Prizren
"when the order is given, and after the go-ahead by the KFOR."

1231 GMT, 990615 -- A rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the airport in
Pristina last night. Early reports do not specify whether the rocket came
down within the British sector to the south or somewhere else on the
Russian-controlled airfield. No injuries were reported.

1223 GMT, 990615 -- British paratroopers came under fire on Tuesday by what
they believed to be members of the KLA. The NATO force had surrounded a
house in Pristina where four men and a woman who were suspected of killing a
Serb were hiding. The group soon surrendered to the British forces and no
injuries were reported on either side.

1205 GMT, 990615 -- AFP reports that a convoy of Russian troops and supplies
headed for Kosovo today. The convoy, composed of 11 vehicles and 29 men, is
traveling to Pristina to resupply Russian troops stationed at Slatina
Airport. The small force, already carrying fuel, water, and food, will buy
more supplies in the capital before arriving at the airport late Tuesday.

0250 GMT, 990615 - Louise Frechette, deputy secretary-general of the UN told
reporters the UN is initiating a "new type of mission" in Kosovo. "This is a
new type of mission for the UN. first of all, the military has its own
reporting chain of command, which distinguishes that from other type of
missions we've had in the past. Secondly, this is the really quite
innovative feature, this mission is the delivery of the civilian mandate,
given to the secretary-general by the Security Council, will be done through
both UN agencies and non-UN agencies," she said. "In the past, every aspect
of the mission was carried out by the United Nations personnel," she said,
"This time around, we have been asked by the Security Council to work out
the implementation of the civilian part of the mandate with the assistance
of other organizations. Therefore, we will have to have assistance on the
ground," she said.

0230 GMT, 990615 - At least 480 ethnic Albanian refugees crossed the
Macedonian border checkpoint of Blace today headed for Kosovo.

0225 GMT, 990615 - Serb politicians visited Kosovo to appeal to the Serb
populace to remain in the province. Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) President
Vuk Draskovic said, "There will be no Kosovo if there are no Serbs in it. In
the name of future generations, despite all the risks, I appeal to Serbian
people to stay in Kosovo."

0210 GMT, 990615 - UN Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette announced
she will meet with European officials in Geneva on June 15-16 to organize
the civilian mission to Kosovo. Frechette said it has yet to be determined
"who pays for what, how do we organize ourselves,(and) who supports what."

0145 GMT, 990615 - The Austrian foreign ministry announced it will host a
meeting to discuss the reconstruction of Yugoslavia on June 18. The meeting
will be attended by special UN Balkans envoy Carl Bildt, Montenegrin Foreign
Minister Branko Perovic, the leader of Serbia's opposition Democratic Party,
Zoran Djindjic, and former Yugoslav Prime Minister Milan Panic.

0135 GMT, 990615 - Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jim Wright said a
deal between NATO and Russia on the role of Russian peacekeepers in Kosovo
is close at hand. Wright added that the deal will allow "full Russian
participation" in peacekeeping operations.

0125 GMT, 990615 - The U.S. announced that $1.6 million has been allocated
for clearing mines in Kosovo. The money is sufficient to pay fund four
months worth of mine clearing operations. The U.S. State Department said a
total of 75 bomb experts, medics, handlers, guards and support personnel,
and 12 mine-sniffing dogs will de deployed to Kosovo.

0110 GMT, 990615 - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) paid a $12.9
million loan to Albania on June 14, and said it was increasing the credits
available to Albania from $13.1 million to $60.6 million.

0040 GMT, 990615 - NATO Secretary General Javier Solana said the Serb
withdrawal from Kosovo is proceeding as planned, as is the deployment of
KFOR troops in the region.

0025 GMT, 990615 - UPI news agency reported that Yugoslavia has still not
turned over maps and coordinates of minefields to NATO. Pentagon spokesman
Ken Bacon said it is believed that there are between 3 and 5 million
landmines in Kosovo.

0005 GMT, 990615 - Serb civilians trying to leave Kosovo found themselves in
a traffic jam outside the city of Urosevac as Serb military vehicles crowded
the road. Commenting on the Serb withdrawal, Major Alistair Deas, of the 4th
and 5th Brigades of the British army, said, "It's going slightly slower than
it's supposed to."

                                  *

stratfor news 6/16/99

0210 GMT, 990616 - French army spokesman Major Arnaud Bellynck told
reporters that approximately 200 Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) rebels refused
to turn over their weapons after encountering French KFOR troops. ``At the
beginning it was a little tense, but we gave them food and water and then
they went back. They looked famished. They didn't want to give up their
weapons,'' said Major Bellynck.

0155 GMT, 990616 - The Hungarian parliament voted on June 15 to contribute
350 troops to KFOR. The parliament also voted to allow foreign peacekeeping
troops to cross Hungarian territory and to allow them to be stationed in
Hungary in support of KFOR operations.

0140 GMT, 990616 - AP quoted Brigadier General Bantz Johnson ''John''
Craddock as saying NATO is negotiating with the Kosovo Liberation Army to
determine whether and when KLA rebels must disarm. Craddock said he expects
a formal agreement between NATO sometime on June 16 or 17 that will lay out
guidelines governing the surrender of weapons by the KLA. One KLA leader
said his troops will surrender their heavy weapons, but will not surrender
small arms willingly. According to AP, NATO officials said the KLA agreed to
be demilitarized, but not disarmed.

0105 GMT, 990616 - The UN reported that more than 3,000 refugees returned to
Kosovo from Albania and Macedonia on June 15. According to Fred Eckhard, it
is estimated that 2,000 ethnic Albanians left Macedonia today, while more
than 1,200 left Albania.

0040 GMT, 990616 - The Boston-based Physicians for Human Rights group
released a report detailing Serb atrocities in Kosovo. The group conducted a
survey of approximately 1,200 ethnic Albanians that it says confirms refugee
claims of torture, rape, and other abuse. ''What our study clearly speaks to
was this was part of a wide-scale, methodical, brutal pattern of abuse,''
said Dr. Allen Keller, one of the study's authors and director of the Center
for Health and Human Rights at the New York University School of Medicine.

0030 GMT, 990616 - UPI reports that the deadline for Serb troop withdrawal
from Pristina has passed, but not all troops have left the city. However,
NATO seems to have backed off its insistence that all Serb troops be out of
Pristina by the deadline due to traffic jams and Yugoslav equipment trouble.
According to eyewitnesses, Serb tanks remain stationed around Army
headquarters in downtown Pristina.

0010 GMT, 990616 - The Pentagon reports that approximately 24 people have
been killed in a total of 25-30 "skirmishes" since KFOR entered Kosovo.
"They're have been about probably two dozen people killed in the course of
these skirmishes over the last several days," Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon
said, saying the incidents were "episodic and isolated." Bacon went on to
say, "Some have involved attacks against NATO. Some have involved attacks
against reporters," but added "the bulk of them have involved skirmishes
between the VJ (Yugoslav army) and the Kosovar Liberation Army (KLA)."

                                  *
 
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