YUGOSLAVIA: KOSOVO: PRISTINA: RUSSIANS BLOCK ACCESS TO AIRPORT

(19 Jun 1999) English/Nat

After almost a week in position at Pristina airport, Russian K-FOR troops continue to block the road to the landing strip and buildings which NATO had planned to use as a headquarters in the Kosovo capital.

Saturday saw the Russians again refusing NATO soldiers entry to the facility, despite Friday's agreement in Helsinki, in which both Moscow and the allies announced they had solved the dispute.

Russia continued to refuse other K-FOR troops access to Pristina's airport on Saturday despite the agreement brokered between NATO and the Russians on Friday.

British K-FOR troops were patrolling around the airfield making sure the area remained safe.

But the Russians would not let them past the checkpoints on the airport road which have been in place since last weekend.

The British officer in charge of the patrol played down the incident saying that contact between his men and the Russians was cordial, but even so, the road block remained in place.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Our intentions here obviously are just to cooperate with them. We have just liaised with them as you have just seen, they are very friendly in liaison. We are now going to move our vehicles back further down looking out for protection of this area in all directions, which is our general policy in this area. Okay, there is nothing more to it than that, and we continue to cooperate. We are in the initial stages with Russian K-FOR and they now know that we are approachable in our area and we can continue this cooperation."
SUPER CAPTION: Captain Adam Fartula, British K-FOR

The agreement established that the airport will be under Russian administration but with NATO in charge of air traffic.

In Pristina itself, a NATO spokesman outlined what the Helsinki plan would mean for the airfield.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The agreement also guarantees a K-FOR-run airfield, managed under the direct supervision of the K-FOR commander and it gives Russia a key role in administering that airfield. The overall management of the airfield and the Kosovar air space will be directed by the director of Kosovo air operations who will work directly for (British) General (Mike) Jackson."
SUPER CAPTION:Lieutenant Colonel Robin Clifford, NATO Spokesman

But it seems that Friday's agreement is taking some time to reach implementation.

NATO said that they expect the plan to be in force by midday on Sunday.

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