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Sunday Morning News

Bush Administration Lends Moral Support to Macedonia

Aired March 25, 2001 - 8:08 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush administration is lending moral support to the Macedonian government and promising to send U.S. surveillance technology and support personnel to the region.

CNN's Kelly Wallace is at the White House this morning with more on the evolving U.S. policy toward Macedonia -- good morning, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Kyra.

We do not have any reaction yet this morning from the White House to Macedonian government forces launching an offensive against the ethnic Albanian rebels. We do know, though, over the past few days the U.S. has definitely expressed support for the Macedonian government's efforts to uphold the rule of law, although, at the same time, U.S. officials have called on the Macedonian government to exercise restraint. U.S. diplomatic efforts, though, have definitely been intensifying with the White House concerns that the situation in Macedonia can grow into something even bigger.

Secretary of State Colin Powell telephoned Macedonia's president Saturday morning and said that NATO is doing all that it could along the border between Kosovo and Macedonia. Secretary Powell also said that the U.S. and its allies would be ready to assist in improving their military capabilities where necessary and supporting their efforts to bolster democracy in a multi-ethnic state. That's according to a State Department spokeswoman.

Powell made a number of other calls yesterday, as well, speaking to the president's defense secretary and his national security adviser. He also reached out and spoke to NATO's secretary general, as well as the supreme Allied commander in Europe.

Meantime, while the U.S. is already providing surveillance information to the Macedonian government, it is also now sending several small, unmanned spy planes, also known as Predators, to the region.

Now, Predators are equipped with small cameras that provide real time video surveillance of people and equipment on the ground. The Pentagon announced this move last week on Thursday and President Bush repeated it in a statement Friday night. The Pentagon saying about 80 U.S. troops would be sent to the region to operate these unmanned spy planes. Now, as for Mr. Bush, he is attending church services this morning. White House officials say he is monitoring the situation in Macedonia very closely. He issued his first comprehensive statement on the situation Friday evening. In that statement he said, "The United States joins its allies and the United Nations in strongly condemning the violence perpetrated by a small group of extremists determined to destabilize the democratic, multi-ethnic government of Macedonia."

He also encouraged those who may be fighting to bring about political change to work through the democratic process to bring about change, not through violence.

Now, there has been some criticism coming from the region of the United States, saying that it's playing too limited of a role in trying to ease tensions. White House officials are saying they are doing everything they possibly can diplomatically. They also say that the president's statement makes clear that he absolutely does not support what the ethnic Albanian rebels are doing, in the words of one White House aide, to destabilize Macedonia -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right, Kelly Wallace live from the White House, thank you.

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