Washington, 17 March 2000 (RFE/RL) - NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said NATO was in control of the situation in Kosovo but that the alliance is prepared to commit more troops to the province if necessary. Robertson is due to meet with Balkan leaders today in Budapest.
Leaders from Hungary, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia and Romania are expected to attend.
The United States says it does not believe NATO forces in Kosovo are headed toward conflict with ethnic Albanian militants. But State Department spokesman James Rubin repeated warnings that U.S. forces will not tolerate the use of Kosovo as a base to organize attacks on Serbs across Kosovo's border with the rest of Serbia. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan accused ethnic Albanian extremists of being responsible for recent provocations in southern Serbia, particularly in the Presevo region.
The United States says it does not believe NATO forces in Kosovo are headed toward conflict with ethnic Albanian militants. But State Department spokesman James Rubin repeated warnings that U.S. forces will not tolerate the use of Kosovo as a base to organize attacks on Serbs across Kosovo's border with the rest of Serbia. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan accused ethnic Albanian extremists of being responsible for recent provocations in southern Serbia, particularly in the Presevo region.