[ALBSA-Info] Macedonia closes all border crossings with Kosovo

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Macedonia closes all border crossings with Kosovo

SKOPJE, March 4 (Reuters) - Macedonia said on Sunday it had closed all border 
crossings with Kosovo after three soldiers were killed near a border village 
occupied by ethnic Albanian guerrillas. 

"We've closed all border checkpoints with Kosovo to tighten security and 
isolate the region," Interior Ministry spokesman Stevo Pendarevski told 
Reuters. 

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said earlier it would 
support reasonable use of force by the Macedonian security forces against the 
guerrillas, adding that it hoped Skopje would act in cooperation with KFOR 
peacekeeping forces in Kosovo. 

A spokeswoman for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo said U.N. police and 
the NATO-led peacekeeping force had reported that the Macedonians closed the 
border at 1 p.m. (1200 GMT).