Starving Out the Russians?


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


[Note: Hours after this commentary was posted on Stratfor, NATO actually
escorted a small Russian resupply convoy to the gates of the airport.The
russians have announced imminent major wargames called West-99. Closer
relations with China are apparent, and with India.  Russian officials are
predicting all the confusion will be cleared up by the end of the week. It's
unlikely the Russians will be starved out, unless NATO's ready to take major
risks, which so far they haven't been.

Is anyone on Planet NATO worried yet? Has anyone gotten the message?
Finally, there is someone standing up to the all-powerful all-ignorant
ever-arrogant NATO. Besides the Cubans. Actually, it's nice to see someone
standing beside the Cubans standing up to NATO. Is anyone wondering if
there are more surprises to come? -- NY Transfer]


http://www.stratfor.com/crisis/kosovo/

Stratfor Commentary
June 15, 1999 00:19 GMT

Starving Out the Russians

NATO has adopted an interesting strategy for dealing with the unwelcome
presence of Russian troops at Slatina airbase in Kosovo. It is ignoring
them. Certainly, high level talks are continuing, but without any apparent
urgency on NATO's part. Rather, NATO has successfully closed off the routes
for Russian resupply and reinforcement and has declared that it didn't
really want the airport, anyway. Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria have all
refused overflight rights to Russian transport aircraft, at least until
Russia and NATO reach a final agreement on Russia's role in KFOR. And KFOR
commander Lieutenant General Sir Michael Jackson told reporters that, after
surveying the area, he was happy to leave the airport to the Russians.
"Frankly, now I've seen the grounds, it is too far out of town, I was a bit
concerned about unexploded ordnance, so I'm very happy to leave the airfield
in Russian hands," said Jackson.

So NATO is going to try to starve the Russians out. Moscow's 200 troops can
sit on the tarmac and watch the grass grow through the cracks while NATO
troops secure the rest of Kosovo. This is a clever negotiating ploy, but not
necessarily a solution. First, as Yugoslavia sees the guardians of its
interests in Kosovo continue to be marginalized, Belgrade may attempt to
come to the Russians' aid. The airport is not without stockpiled resources,
and Russian "tourists" could filter into Yugoslavia, be armed and even
reinforced by the Serbs, and make another overland trek into Kosovo. Second,
NATO's utter disregard for Russian interests drove Moscow to generate the
current standoff at Slatina. Continued marginalization of Russia will only
further damage relations between NATO and Russia, not only in Kosovo but
throughout Russia's former and current spheres of interest and influence as
well. NATO's prize for winning this battle may be a revived cold war.

 
=================================================================
  NY Transfer News Collective   *   A Service of Blythe Systems 
           Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us          
              339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012             
  http://www.blythe.org                  e-mail: nyt@blythe.org 
=================================================================
 
nyteeu-06.16.99-05:49:05-31540