The New York Times

Saturday, June 19, 1999

Russia's Military Role in Kosovo

Provided no new hitches develop, the weeklong crisis over Russian participation in the NATO-led peacekeeping operation in Kosovo now appears satisfactorily resolved.

Negotiations between top American officials and their Russian counterparts have produced an agreement that defines the zones where Russian troops will operate, the channels through which they will report to NATO's

commander and their role at Pristina's airport.

The sudden arrival of 200 Russian troops at that airport last Friday was unnerving. But the talks that followed have been useful and gave both sides what they needed.

NATO blocked creation of a separate, Russian-controlled sector that could have split Kosovo into Serbian and ethnic Albanian zones and preserved overall command of peacekeeping operations. Russia secured the respectful treatment for its forces it needs to maintain domestic support for joining in the NATO-led mission.

The agreement provides that the Russian troops will operate within the American, French and German sectors of Kosovo, plus Pristina's airport in the British sector. With no separate Russian sector, there will be no obvious geographic basis for partition. Russian troops will serve under Russian commanders, who will in turn report to the top NATO officers of their sectors. This parallel structure allows Moscow to say that Russian troops are not under direct NATO command, but leaves NATO fully in charge of all peacekeeping forces. At the Pristina airport, the Russians will share responsibility but

British forces will direct air traffic.

Potential problems include the possibility that Russian soldiers, many of whom sympathize with the Serbs, might

intimidate returning Kosovar Albanians or tolerate Serbian violence. There is also a risk that Russian officers might try to bypass NATO command structures.

That is essentially last week when some Russian troops broke off cooperation with NATO peacekeeper in

Bosnia and rushed to Pristina. Military relations

between NATO and Russia have been troubled in recent

months.

The agreement will only work as planned if the Russians carry it out in good faith and maintain professional discipline.

Russia remains an important European power, and its role in Kosovo should reflect that status.

Regrettably, during most of NATO's 11-week air campaign against Yugoslavia, Moscow stood sullenly on the

sidelines. But in the last weeks, constructive Russian

diplomacy was crucial to avoiding a bloody ground war and securing a just peace. The participation of Russian troops, on the terms now agreed, can strengthen that peace.