Skopje - Some 3,000 protesters, mainly of Serb origin, vowed yesterday to stop some 10,000 NATO troops on standby in Macedonia from deploying in neighbouring Kosovo.
Responding to a call from local Serb and communist parties, the demonstrators waved Yugoslav and Macedonian flags, as speakers denounced NATO as an "occupying force."
Growing numbers of NATO troops and material are being gathered in Macedonia, with plans to deploy in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo if a peace accord is signed.