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Morning NewsCall to Arms: NATO Military Commanders Request Reinforcements for Kosovo Peacekeeping MissionAired February 24, 2000 - 10:35 a.m. ETTHIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: More U.S. soldiers could soon be on the way to Kosovo. NATO's military commanders have requested reinforcements for that peacekeeping mission. France has already answered the call. The Pentagon may soon follow suit as well. CNN military affairs correspondent Jamie McIntyre now with more from the Pentagon. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): NATO's top commander, Gen. Wesley Clark, has requested nearly 2,000 reinforcements for the troubled Kosovo city of Mitrovica, including possibly several hundred U.S. Marines. U.S. soldiers were rushed to Mitrovica over the weekend to temporarily shore up an undermanned peacekeeping force in the French sector, which was struggling to contain rising violence. France is already dispatching an additional battalion of 600 to 700 troops. ALAIN RICHARD, FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTER: We have a component in the strategic reserve, and we are open to devoting it to this target. MESERVE: Other NATO countries will be asked to send in reinforcements from troops held in reserve. For the United States, that could mean a short-term deployment of U.S. Marines, based on nearby ships, as a quick-reaction force. U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen said a robust reinforcement of NATO forces in Kosovo is intended to send a strong signal. WILLIAM COHEN, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It should be clear to both the Serbs and the Kosovar Albanians that they will not achieve their goals by opposing KFOR or by fighting with each other. MESERVE: NATO troops have been pelted with rocks by angry Serbs in Mitrovica, which is divided into Serb and ethnic Albanian enclaves. Two American soldiers were injured, and earlier two French peacekeepers were wounded by gunfire. (on camera): The United States already has some 6,000 troops in Kosovo, roughly one-fifth of the NATO force. The Pentagon would prefer to keep its troops in the U.S. sector, and is hoping other NATO allies will pick up the slack. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon. (END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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