Yugoslav troops enter border zone

Serbian special police were the first to enter the buffer zone

MUHOVAC, Yugoslavia -- Yugoslav troops have begun moving into a demilitarised zone along Serbia's border with Kosovo, despite the threat of violent clashes.

The first of 4,000 Yugoslav army and police troops are moving in from the north and south on Thursday.

Operation Action Bravo is aimed at taking over the 5 km (three mile) wide zone from ethnic Albanian guerrillas.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic said up to five times that number of troops are ready to be deployed if the forces meet resistance.

But Belgrade says it expects scant resistance to the return of Serb forces under the NATO-approved operation, after ethnic Albanian leaders pledged to disband their fighters earlier this week.

AUDIO CNN's Chris Burns: Some rebels will continue resistance 493K/45.secs. AIFF or WAV sound Journalist Steve Crawshaw: Buffer zone for new era 990K/91.secs. AIFF or WAV sound    VIDEO CNN's Chris Burns reports, the threat of violence still lingers despite disarmament agreement with rebels (May 23) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     QUICKVOTE Can Yugoslav troops pacify the Kosovo buffer zone Yes Yes but only with other forces No View Results

Dozens of rebels have also surrendered to peacekeepers, but have been warned any trouble will be dealt with swiftly.

The Yugoslav forces will begin taking over the central part of the sector next week, where the guerrillas main bases were situated.

The buffer zone was set up after NATO's Kosovo campaign -- fought to end Yugoslav repression of ethnic Albanians in the province -- as a means of keeping Yugoslav forces out of Kosovo.

Ethnic Albanian rebels began using the zone as a safe haven for launching attacks on Serbs in the area in their fight for greater Albanian rights in southern Serbia.

Under an agreement reached with the rebels, the Yugoslav government agreed to take over the central section of the buffer zone -- about 35 kilometres (22 miles) long by 5 kilometres (three miles) wide.

The section, named Sector B, is considered the most sensitive in the buffer zone between Serbia and Kosovo because of the rebels' presence.

The agreement also calls for the rebels to disband and give up their weapons within a week's time.

More than 300 rebels have already given themselves up to KFOR -- the United Nations-sponsored force in Kosovo -- under an amnesty plan.

CNN's Chris Burns said it is thought there may be some rebels remaining that intend to show resistance to the troop movements, but the threat is thought to be minimal and a gradual transition is expected within five to six days.

KFOR closed three border crossings on Wednesday to prevent any further rebel movements.

NATO-led peacekeepers beefed up their presence along Kosovo's eastern periphery on Wednesday in preparation for the Yugoslav move.

The commander of Yugoslav forces in southern Serbia, General Ninoslav Krstic, told the Yugoslav state news agency Tanjug: "I don't think the extremists have the support or strength for any serious actions, or to significantly alter the situation on the ground."

Troops patrol in the Kosovo buffer zone

Over the past two months, the Yugoslav army has already been deployed in much of the zone as part of an agreement between the Belgrade government and NATO.

As in neighbouring Macedonia, the rebels say they are fighting for more rights.

The governments in both countries accuse the rebels of seeking to grab territory and attach it to Kosovo as part of plans for ultimate independence.

The zone was created in mid-1999 after 78 days of NATO bombing forced an end to a bloody crackdown on Kosovo's Albanians ordered by former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

NATO began to allow the Yugoslav army to gradually return to the buffer zone after Milosevic was forced from office last October.