Yugoslav police are forced to leave by KFOR troops
MILITARY PLAN: RELATED VIDEO CNN's Richard Blystone looks at KFOR's efforts to disarm Kosovo rebels (June 19) Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Richard Blystone reports from Novosela, Yugoslavia on the aftermath of the Kosovo conflict (June 19) Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Mike Boettcher reports some guerrillas laughed at calls to put away their weapons -- until they were led away to a police station (June 19) Windows Media 28K 80K  ALSO: Cohen receives warm welcome from Kosovar Albanians G-8 leaders balk at aid for Serbia with Milosevic in power U.N. wants 2 weeks before Kosovar refugees return  MESSAGE BOARD: Crisis in Kosovo  IN-DEPTH SPECIAL: Focus on Kosovo

June 19, 1999
Web posted at: 8:42 p.m. EDT (0042 GMT)

In this story: Russian surprise Returning Albanians face mine hazards RELATED STORIES, SITES

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- NATO expects Yugoslavia to beat its Sunday deadline for a troop withdrawal from Kosovo, possibly by as much as 12 hours, a spokesman said Saturday.

The pullout of Yugoslav troops appeared to accelerate after Russia and the United States agreed on a plan to integrate Russian troops into Kosovo's peacekeeping force, a NATO spokesman said.

"The deadline is tomorrow at midnight (2200 GMT, 6 p.m. EDT)," NATO spokesman Col. Robin Clifford said. "We do expect, however, that this will be completed ahead of schedule."

Clifford said it was "not unreasonable" to expect the withdrawal to be finished by noon (1000 GMT, 6 a.m. EDT) on Sunday. He said about 3,000 to 5,000 Yugoslav troops remained in the province Saturday, and none of those were in formed brigades or units.

Under the agreement signed in Helsinki, Finland, by Russian and U.S. leaders, Russian troops will serve in three of Kosovo's five NATO-designed sectors. The Russians will be deployed in the German, French and American sectors.

Russian troops will also have "a key role" in administering the airfield at Kosovo's capital Pristina, in the British sector, Clifford said. The airfield, which has been closed since the beginning of NATO's air campaign against Yugoslavia, is expected to reopen in a few days.

Russian surprise

Russia surprised NATO last week when 200 troops dashed across the Serbian province ahead of the alliance's peacekeepers and took control of the airfield. The deployment threw a wrinkle into the peace plan, and prompted three days of meetings in Helsinki to iron out an agreement.

While the talks went on, Yugoslav troops began pulling out, and NATO troops entered Kosovo.

But the departure of the Yugoslavs unnerved Kosovo's Serb population, who feared reprisals from returning ethnic Albanians and the pro-independence Kosovo Liberation Army. Between 25,000 and 40,000 Serbs may have fled the region behind the army.

NATO leaders hope the presence of the Russian troops will reassure Serbs that they are safe in Kosovo.

Russia's participation will help "establish and maintain peace for all peoples of Kosovo," Clifford said, "Serbs, Muslims, Albanians and Christians. KFOR is there for everybody."

Ethnic Albanians return to their homes

NATO is charged with disarming the KLA, and is reportedly near an agreement with the guerrillas. But indications are that not all of the guerrillas will abide by an agreement: At least one KLA commander told CNN that his forces would "never disarm."

The guerrillas, CNN has learned, are willing to drop their military activities, but want to hold onto their weapons.

German Brig. Gen. Fritz von Korff said he hopes an accord is reached Saturday so that he will have a legal basis for disarming KLA soldiers in his sector. Currently, German soldiers disarm the KLA only if they are hindering peacekeeping operations.

Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin told the Itar-Tass news agency that his country would be "most actively and directly involved" in Kosovo, including disarming "illegal groups" -- a reference to the KLA, which Russia and Yugoslavia consider a terrorist organization.

Returning Albanians face mine hazards

British peacekeepers carry boxes of weapons taken mostly from KLA rebels

Tens of thousands of refugees have crossed back into Kosovo, but that is only a fraction of the estimated 1 million ethnic Albanians who fled the province as NATO bombed Yugoslav forces it accused of carrying out a government-sanctioned "ethnic cleansing" policy. But relief agencies are pleading for the refugees to wait until their safety can be assured.

"The refugees should stay where they are until NATO and the UNHCR and other organizations say it's safe," said NATO spokesman Capt. Wolfgang Greven.

National Security Adviser Samuel Berger said Sunday that negotiators for NATO and the KLA had reached an agreement that would give KLA members 30 days to put into storage any weapon larger than a handgun or a hunting rifle. NATO and KLA leaders must now approve the pact.

Correspondents Richard Blystone, Jim Clancy and Andrea Koppel contributed to this report.

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