Russia's special envoy to the Balkans, Victor Chernomyrdin, says President Milosevic HAS agreed to the deployment of foreign military troops in Kosovo.

Mr Chernomyrdin was speaking to journalists in Moscow about the results of his visit to Belgrade earlier this week.

Reports quoting Yugoslav officials had said President Milosevic had rejected the idea of a foreign military force.

Mr Chernomyrdin said he was planning to put the proposal formally to the NATO leadership.

But the British prime minister, Tony Blair said the Russian envoy should work more on persuading president Milosevic to accept NATO's peace proposals.