BOSNIA: US TROOPS PREPARE TUZLA AIR BASE FOR NATO PEACEKEEPERS скачать в хорошем качестве

BOSNIA: US TROOPS PREPARE TUZLA AIR BASE FOR NATO PEACEKEEPERS

(7 Dec 1995) English/Nat American troops in Bosnia are getting ready for the arrival of the NATO peacekeeping force. They are taking over the United Nations air base at Tuzla and getting ready for the thousands of tons of equipment which the peace keepers will bring with them. The troops' commander said his only worry was whether there will be enough space at the airport to store everything. The United Nations is handing over its air base at Tuzla to incoming NATO forces. The base has been home to soldiers from Scandinavia during most of the war in Bosnia - but now it will become the headquarters to the American peacekeepers controlling the northern sector of Bosnia. But before they can arrive Tuzla has to be made ready for the thousands of troops and tonnes of stores that will pass through it. On Thursday troops of the 37th Air Lift Squadron began to set up the communications equipment which will coordinate the massive logistics effort. The Americans have flown in satellite dishes and other high tech hardware to supplement the basic facilities at Tuzla. Twenty thousand U-S troops are expected to arrive in Bosnia to implement the peace deal reached in Dayton, Ohio last month. The agreement will be formally signed in Paris next Thursday (Dec 14) and large numbers of troops will be in Bosnia four days later. With the peace process moving ahead the U-S forces say they aren't expecting any security problems. The commander of the preparation team was asked if he was worried about attacks on American forces. SOUNDBITE: (English) (Question) Are you worried about mines or hostile actions?) "It's all a concern but as an airman - and working at the air man's portion of this issue - obviously the aircraft flow is my biggest concern." SUPER CAPTION: Colonel Neal Patton, 37th Air Lift Squadron The commander has only one major worry - whether Tuzla will be able to cope with the vast influx of supplies. SOUNDBITE: (English) "The maximum aircraft flow will not be dependent so much on us getting the airplanes in here and landing them - it's going to be how fast we can get the airplanes unloaded and if you walk around the base - you know it's a very small base and we have to have a place to put all these things that we take off the airplane." SUPER CAPTION: Colonel Neal Patton, 37th Air Lift Squadron The clock is ticking. U-S commanders think it will take about 60 days to refurbish the air base and its facilities. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...