UK troops to boost Macedonian security

More than 3,000 UK troops are serving in Kosovo

Britain is sending an extra 120 troops to Kosovo to help the authorities in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia overcome Albanian rebels.

The move, announced by Prime Minister Tony Blair in the Commons, came as the Macedonians said they had successfully completed their military operation against rebels near the city of Tetovo.

The single greatest danger is that what we prevented in Kosovo then happens elsewhere

Tony Blair

The government said the rebels had been driven across the border into Kosovo.

Mr Blair told MPs British troops already based in Kosovo would form a new 400-strong battle group alongside Scandinavian soldiers to strengthen the border zone with Macedonia.

The aim is to prevent the rebels returning across the border and stepping up the insurgency.

From next month the battle group will be enhanced with a unit of British unmanned Phoenix reconnaissance 'drones', with 120 soldiers, to improve intelligence gathering capabilities.

Mr Blair made the announcement during a Commons statement on the European Union summit in Stockholm, which issued a statement backing the Macedonian government's actions so far.

Kosovo warning

He told MPs that "armed Albanian extremists" must not be allowed to succeed in their aim of destabilising the Macedonian state.

"Macedonian has started to build a multi-ethnic society and it is in all our interests that the country succeeds and doesn't polarise into separate Slav and Albanian communities."

Failure to protect Macedonia's borders could result in a carbon copy of the Kosovo situation, Mr Blair warned.

Earlier Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said: "I now hope that the message will get across to the terrorists that there is no support anywhere in Europe for any attempt to re-draw boundaries in blood."

But he stressed that the response of the Macedonian government must be "proportionate" to the terrorist threat.

Opposition backing

Opposition leader William Hague welcomed the announcement and said he backed the government's measures.

Iain Duncan Smith, who speaks for the Tories on defence, warned that the current situation in Macedonia presented the "real test for the West".

"There is a serious plan among Albanian separatists to create what appears to be a sort of greater Albania out of the bits of various countries around them."

He said Nato had "no other option" than the current course it was pursuing.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs and defence spokesman Menzies Campbell said the operation was an opportunity for Europe to prove it was "serious" about taking more responsibility for its own security.

But he warned that if it failed it would "undermine the argument that Europe is capable of effective operations without the US presence".

Deployment details

The new battle group, which will be commanded by a British officer, will mount "interdiction operations" along the border, with the aim of intercepting rebel Albanian reinforcements and supplies.

Troops from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment and the 1st Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment, are expected to start moving into position from Tuesday.

The Phoenix drones, operated by the Royal Artillery regiment, will use thermal imaging cameras to send back 'real time' pictures of movements around the border zone to commanders on the ground.