Excerpts of briefing on NATO mission

Описание: (16 Aug 2001)

1. Brigadier Barney White-Spunner
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Brigadier Barney White-Spunner, Commander, 16 Air Assault Brigade
"Over the weekend, about 400 people from this headquarters will be coming into Skopje. What we are doing is going to see if the conditions are right so that we can advise NATO on whether to deploy this force to run the weapons collection operation. And I stress that. We are going to see whether the conditions are right, and we are going to advise NATO. There is not some great juggernaut rolling, which some people seem to be under the impression that it is. NATO has yet to take the decision to deploy its forces and that is a key point."
3. White-Spunner
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Brigadier Barney White-Spunner, Commander, 16 Air Assault Brigade:
"We're going to be looking for the ceasefire being enduring and being able to last. We're looking for readiness on the parties to abide by the agreement and in particular we are looking for commitment on the part of all the Albanian armed groups to abide by that agreement. If those conditions are met, then the advice will go back, and it's a NATO decision, a decision for the North Atlantic Council to take as to whether to proceed with the weapons collection operation."
5. White-Spunner
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Brigadier Barney White-Spunner, Commander, 16 Air Assault Brigade:
"We are not a disarmament mission. We are not a disarmament mission. We are not a peacekeeping mission. We are not setting up some sort of green line and we're not going to provide security for one or other party. We are there very simply to collect weapons which are going to be voluntarily given up by the ethnic Albanian armed groups. And please remember also that we are part of a much wider political agreement."
7. Reporters around White-Spunner
8. Overhead shot White-Spunner with press
9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Brigadier Barney White-Spunner, Commander, 16 Air Assault Brigade:
"If we are fired on, we will protect ourselves, and we will do so robustly, we are not going to sit there and be shot at. But we will not intervene in other conflicts. We will not come in between other parties to a conflict. But we will most certainly defend ourselves, yes."
10. Line of army jeeps
11. White-Spunner walks away
12. White-Spunner walks back into base

STORYLINE:

The commander of the 400 British troops on their way to Macedonia on Thursday ruled out any question that soldiers under his leadership would serve as a peace keeping force.

Speaking at his unit's garrison in Colchester, England, Brigadier Barney White-Spunner said the troops would act as an advance deployment and would assess the conditions in Macedonia and report back to NATO.

Only on their advice would NATO commanders then decide whether to send in a full 35-hundred strong mission to collect weapons handed over by ethnic Albanian rebels.

White-Spunner also brushed aside fears for the troops' safety - he said they would retaliate strongly if fired on.

An advance party of about 40 personnel from the British 16 Air Assault Brigade, including White-Spunner himself, is expected to be on the ground in Macedonia on Friday.

The second, larger contingent, is due to depart over the weekend.

Just how long the ceasefire in Macedonia will last is unclear.

A Macedonian policeman was reported shot dead on Thursday by ethnic Albanians, which could threaten the fledgling peace agreement.

And a Macedonian army spokesman on Thursday accused the insurgents of violating the agreement by shooting at army troops overnight in the northwestern city of Tetovo.


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