NATO and Pentagon officials have grown increasingly worried about the potential for renewed fighting in Kosovo, particularly by Kosovo Albanian fighters using the relative security of NATO's peacekeeping zones to carry out strikes against Serbs in Serbia, just across the southeastern border of Kosovo.
While the United States has only about 80 civilian police officers in East Timor, many more American soldiers and civilians have served on United Nations peacekeeping missions in conflict zones from Bosnia to Somalia.
For example, Canada purchased tactical vests, which store ammo with four ammo pouches, that were perfect for peacekeeping tours in safer zones.
A United Nations UNN) peacekeeping force established a buffer zone between the two armies.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said: "The proposed deployment of a peacekeeping force in the conflict zone is one of the pressing issues that the group will discuss".
Hashim Thaci, the young KLA man who is the declared prime minister of a provisional Kosovo government, instantly sniffed a sell-out when it emerged from the talks in Belgrade that Russian and western peacekeeping forces might occupy different zones in the province.On the ground, within and beyond Kosovo, the political reality has already changed.
"Look closely," said Captain Burt, a British Army officer with the United Nations peacekeeping force that patrols the buffer zone separating Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
Clashes between Mr. Assad's forces and insurgents have spilled over the borders of Syria's neighbors, including the disputed Golan Heights region with Israel, where a United Nations peacekeeping force has patrolled a buffer zone for nearly 40 years.
Under the terms of the agreement, which was completed Monday and is expected to be signed Tuesday after nearly two weeks of difficult negotiations in the eastern city of Goma, the government and the rebel troops will withdraw from some of their positions and United Nations peacekeeping forces will establish a buffer zone.
Since 1974, Cyprus has been divided, and United Nations peacekeeping forces have maintained a buffer zone between the two sides.
