NATO Begins Operation to Collect Weapons in MacedoniaNATO troops began on Monday morning to collect weapons from ethnic Albanian rebels in the so- called Operation Essential Harvest, said reports from Skopje, capital of Macedonia.NATO officials said that the British and French troops had set up a weapons collecting center in Kumanove, in the northern region of Macedonia, and started to collect weapons from the National Liberation Army (NLA). Major General Gunnar Lange, the commander of the NATO operation, said Sunday that the ethnic Albanian rebels had promised to surrender 3,300 small weapons, including more than 2,950 assault rifles, 210 machine guns, 130 mortars and anti-tank weapons, six air defense systems, two tanks and two armored personnel carriers. British and French forces will fly in by helicopter to an as- yet-undisclosed location on Monday to set up a one-day collection point as part of the operation. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |