NATO Reiterates Support for Territorial Integrity of MacedoniaNATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson reiterated here on Tuesday that NATO supports security, stability and territorial integrity of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).Lord Robertson is here at the U.N. headquarters in New York to discuss the latest situation along the border between FYROM and Kosovo with U.N. Secretary-general Kofi Annan and the 15-member Security Council. Speaking to the press, Robertson said that NATO is considering allowing Yugoslav soldiers into the troubled zone to help put down the violent activities launched by Albanian extremists. He said NATO is determined that the buffer zone along Yugoslavia's Serbia border would not be used as a safe heaven for Albanian extremists to launch attacks and use violence against others. Expressing deep concern over the recent upsurge of violence, Robertson said that NATO supports all the demands of the Macedonians regarding its security, stability and territorial integrity. Tensions have been rising for several months in the border area of FYROM because armed Albanian extremists started harassing FYROM 's border troops and residents. According to reports reaching here, three Macedonian soldiers were killed on Sunday in the latest outburst of violence. FYROM's Foreign Minister Srdjan Kerim is scheduled to attend an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council late Tuesday to discuss the looming crisis. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |