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NATO

• The leader of Russia’s Communist party said Saturday that the lingering presence of NATO forces in Central Asia for anti-terror operations pose a security threat to Russia. Gennady Zyuganov singled out Kyrgyzstan, where U.S. troops are preparing facilities at an air base that will eventually house 3,000 soldiers. He dismissed claims of the need for the new base in the Afghan campaign, telling Interfax news agency that "none of the attempts to cloak this as an action against international terrorism hold up." The new forces in Central Asia mark "a penetration of a strategic region that undermines the security not only of Russia, but also China and a number of Arab countries," Zyuganov said in St. Petersburg.(AP 091910 Feb 02 GMT)

BALKANS

• NATO has been formally asked to stay on in Macedonia (sic) and will likely agree to extend its present mission by three months, the head of the trans-Atlantic military alliance said Friday. "I am confident that the NATO council will respond positively to Macedonia’s (sic) request," NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson told reporters. Detailing its request in a letter cited by Robertson, the government asked NATO to prolong its mandate by three months past March 26, when its present mission ends. The letter also asked for the possibility of further extension of another three months, "provided there is mutual agreement."(AP 081731 Feb 02 GMT)

• A Macedonian (sic) man triggered a booby trap set in a home in a suburb of the capital Sunday, touching off an explosion that killed him and seriously wounded another person. Monitors for the OSCE were investigating the attack. A representative of the German-led NATO mission, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the explosion was caused by a booby trap. No one claimed responsibility for the blast.(AP 101643 Feb 02 GMT)

• EU foreign ministers expressed broad support on Friday for the 15-nation bloc eventually taking over a peacekeeping mission in Macedonia (sic) from NATO, but took no decision on when this might happen. The 15 ministers, focusing on Balkan issues at the start of a two-day meeting in this picturesque Spanish town, also laid the ground for the EU to take command of an international police force in Bosnia currently under United Nations’ auspices. "The ministers back in principle the idea of the EU taking charge of the peacekeepers in Macedonia (sic) but we still have to deal with practical problems. The ministers did not discuss the timing of this project," said one EU diplomat. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the EU would not take over the peacekeeping in Macedonia (sic) before the summer, adding that he hoped stability would soon take root in the tiny Balkan state, which was racked by inter-ethnic feuding last year. "We are ready to do it (take over), we are able to do it... but let's hope it is not necessary. Let’s hope that Macedonia (sic) moves in the right direction, that we have elections and that they are stable afterwards," said Solana. Macedonia (sic) is expected to hold elections later this year.(Reuters 1826 080202 GMT Feb 02)