British soldier killed in Macedonia

Nato forces have moved in to weapons collection sites

A British soldier serving with the Nato force in Macedonia has been killed near the capital, Skopje - the first casualty among the 3,500-strong force which has been streaming into the country.

Nato sources say a group of youths threw a lump of concrete at the soldier's vehicle, which crashed.

The incident happened on Sunday evening as the soldier - Sapper Ian Collins of the 9th Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers - drove the military vehicle along the main road towards Skopje from the airport.

Weapons handover to include:

Two tanks

Two armoured personnel carriers

Six anti-tank weapons

130 mortars and 210 machine guns

Hours after his death, Nato troops began collecting weapons handed in by ethnic Albanian rebels, insisting that the mission would go ahead despite what officials called a "disgraceful" attack.

A statement from the Ministry of Defence in London said: "A piece of concrete or similar object came through the windscreen and hit a soldier on the head.

He was treated at a military medical unit and transferred to the neurological unit at Skopje hospital and unfortunately died."

The BBC's Nick Thorpe in Skopje says many Macedonians from the majority population resent Nato's arrival, accusing the forces of being biased towards the ethnic Albanian rebels - but he says there is no indication as to who carried out the attack.

We have begun the operation and collections are actively in progress

Nato Major Barry Johnson

Sapper Collins, 22, was taken to hospital, but died in the early hours of Monday morning. A second soldier was in the vehicle with him.

Hours later, the first weapons were picked up by Nato troops from collection points agreed with the rebels.

"We have begun the operation and collections are actively in progress," said Nato spokesman Major Barry Johnson.

At one site, the village of Otlja near Kumanovo, rebels handed over 350 Kalashnikovs as well as other guns.

Rebels have handed over hundreds of guns

Nato were said to be satisfied with the progress of the operation.

But questions remain over how effective the weapons collection will be.

Nato commanders say the operation will result in a meaningful reduction in weapons and is an important step towards disbanding the guerrillas.

Arsenal row

Nationalist elements within the Macedonian Government, however, have dismissed Nato's planned collection of 3,300 weapons, alleging that the rebels possess an arsenal of at least 70,000 arms.

Nationalist Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski has described the Nato numbers as "laughable and humiliating for Macedonia."

Nato's most senior commander in Macedonia has rejected accusations that it is a cosmetic exercise, although the alliance has conceded that the National Liberation Army (NLA) rebels could re-arm themselves at any time.

Major General Gunnar Lange insisted that there was no alternative to the plan, except war.

Gunnar Lange: "Not just a gesture"

"The turning in of 3,300 weapons plus an additional serious amount of other deadly armaments is not just a gesture," he said.

"It is a very real and substantial effort to remove the combat effectiveness of the so-called NLA."

The collection of weapons is a key part of an agreement designed to end months of conflict in the Balkan state.

In return, the Macedonian Government has agreed to various amendments to the constitution that will benefit the country's ethnic Albanian minority.

New demands

Albanian will be made an official language in some areas, and more jobs will be created in the police force and in the public sector for minority groups.

However, hours before the operation got under way, the government put forward a new set of demands.

An adviser to Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski told the BBC that security forces expected to be in a position to re-occupy territory held by ethnic Albanian rebels by the end of the operation.

The government also wants to see the swift return of up to 50,000 Macedonians forcibly displaced from their homes, and the release of all prisoners held by the NLA.

Peace efforts threatened

Nato's peace-building efforts have also been overshadowed by two bomb blasts on Sunday.

Two deaths in a hotel blast have cast a shadow over the operation

Two Macedonians died in the first explosion, in a hotel near the mainly-ethnic Albanian town of Tetovo.

A second blast outside the Albanian embassy in Skopje on Sunday night is not thought to have claimed any casualties.

State-run radio also reported exchanges of gunfire between security forces and rebels north-east of the capital, Skopje.

However, the peace process received a boost with the release by rebels of eight prisoners - two soldiers and six civilians, including an American.