ad info




CNN.com
 MAIN PAGE
 WORLD
 U.S.
 LOCAL
 POLITICS
 WEATHER
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 TECHNOLOGY
 SPACE
 HEALTH
 ENTERTAINMENT
 BOOKS
 TRAVEL
 FOOD
 ARTS & STYLE
 NATURE
 IN-DEPTH
 ANALYSIS
 myCNN

 Headline News brief
 news quiz
 daily almanac

  MULTIMEDIA:
 video
 video archive
 audio
 multimedia showcase
 more services

  E-MAIL:
Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists.
Enter your address:
Or:
Get a free e-mail account

 DISCUSSION:
 message boards
 chat
 feedback

  CNN WEB SITES:
CNN Websites
 AsiaNow
 En Español
 Em Português
 Svenska
 Norge
 Danmark
 Italian

 FASTER ACCESS:
 europe
 japan

 TIME INC. SITES:
 CNN NETWORKS:
Networks image
 more networks
 transcripts

 SITE INFO:
 help
 contents
 search
 ad info
 jobs

 WEB SERVICES:

  Transcripts

Morning News

Call to Arms: NATO Military Commanders Request Reinforcements for Kosovo Peacekeeping Mission

Aired February 24, 2000 - 10:35 a.m. ET

THIS 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

  ArrowCLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S TOPICS AND GUESTS
ArrowCLICK HERE FOR CNN PROGRAM SCHEDULES
SEARCH CNN.com
Enter keyword(s)   go    help

Back to the top   © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.