(11 Jun 1999) Russian/Nat
Russian and U-S officials have been grappling with the sticky question of Moscow's precise role in the peacekeeping operation for Kosovo.
Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott headed a delegation trying to forge a compromise on how Russian troops will work with NATO forces to secure peace in the Yugoslav province.
Russia continues to insist on the formation of a Russian-led "sector" in the Yugoslav province and has said it is willing to deploy five-thousand to ten-thousand soldiers.
Talbott has said the prospect of a purely Russian peace-keeping sector is out of the question.
With NATO and Russian troops preparing to enter the Kosovo province imminently, questions remain over how those forces will carry out their operation.
U-S Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott was again in Moscow - as he has been many times in recent weeks - trying to answer those questions.
Russia plans to contribute up to ten-thousand troops for the K-FOR peacekeeping mission, but does not want them under NATO orders.
Whilst Ivanov and Talbott met, Russian and U-S military chiefs also continued to hammer out an agreement on Russia's contribution to the Kosovo peacekeeping force.
The head of the Russian delegation said Russia would be forced to declare the creation of a Russian sector unilaterally if no compromise could be found on the issue.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"If we do not reach an agreement then Russia has the same right as NATO, particularly in view of the decisive role she played in the regulation and cessation of hostilities, and we will declare a sector, in agreement with the Yugoslav side, which will answer to both our interests and we will act accordingly."
SUPER CAPTION: General Leonid Ivashov
It's thought U-S-Russian talks would not only clear up current confusion about the joint role, but would also help spell out the basis for future cooperation between Russia and NATO.
In Kosovo, NATO says its forces will make up the core, but Russia still maintains it will not place troops under the alliance's command.
No breakthroughs were announced after Talbott's meetings - but Ivanov acquiesced that current difficulties had been foreseen.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"We all admitted at the G-8 meeting that the realisation of the civilian part of the international operation in Kosovo will be even more complicated than the military part."
SUPER CAPTION: Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov
Russian President Boris Yeltsin is due to meet Ivanov later on Friday to discuss Moscow's next moves.
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