Troops on standby for Macedonia deployment

Nato was expected to give the go-ahead today for the full deployment of a British-led force to disarm ethnic Albanian rebels in Macedonia.

As long as none of the 19 alliance members objected before 11am (Irish time), the green light would be given for the 3,500-strong force to start heading for the region.

The move comes after the supreme alliance commander in Europe, US General Joseph Ralston, briefed Nato ambassadors in Brussels on the latest situation in the volatile Balkan state.

Major Barrie Johnson, Nato’s spokesman in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, said the operation to start collecting weapons from the rebel Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) could be up and running in a matter of days.

‘‘Should there be an approval, then we expect troops to be able to move in here very rapidly, within a matter of days, and have the capability to start collecting weapons soon after that, although the entire force to come in could take a matter of 10 days to two weeks,’’ he said.

The speed of the deployment reflects the anxiety of Nato General Secretary Lord Robertson to capitalise on the political momentum established following the signing of an agreement last week between the NLA and the Macedonian Government.

A 400-strong advance guard, drawn mainly from the British 16th Air Assault Brigade, has been in Macedonia since the weekend assessing whether the current ceasefire will hold and the rebels hand over their arms.

Britain will also provide the biggest component of the main force, with more than 1,000 troops from the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment - while France, Germany and the Czech Republic were also expected to contribute.

British defence sources have emphasised that the lightly-armed force will not be equipped for a wider peace-keeping role and will simply be there for a 30-day operation to collect rebel arms.