(17 Jun 1999) Natural Sound
Serb forces returning from Kosovo received a warm welcome in the town of Kraljevo - about 50 kilometres from Belgrade - early Thursday morning.
People lined the streets to great the soldiers who waved flags and shot rifles from the tops of their tanks and lorries.
About 26,000 soldiers out of 40,000 are thought so far to have left Kosovo.
The Serb forces returning from Kosovo had all the air of a victorious army.
Crowds lining the streets cheered and reached out to touch the soldiers' hands, while the troops waved flags and called out to the crowds.
This group is part of 26,000 Serbian troops who have returned to Serbia so far.
About 14,000 are still in the process of leaving Kosovo.
The deadline for complete Serb withdrawal from Kosovo is Sunday evening.
The troops have been accompanied by many Serbian residents of Kosovo who say they do not feel safe under NATO protection.
Many civilians are afraid that Kosovo Liberation Army rebels and ethnic Albanians want to take revenge for the months of terror they endured under the Serbs.
A senior general in Belgrade said that the Yugoslav air force and anti-aircraft units have completed their withdrawal on time according to last week's peace agreement.
A few Serb troops have been allowed to stay behind to repair their vehicles and coordinate troop movements.
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