The Yugoslav government has warned neighbouring Macedonia that it would cause long-term damage to their relations if NATO is allowed to use Macedonian territory as a base for possible military action against Yugoslavia.

Under an American-brokered deal two-thousand international monitors will oversee a cease-fire in the Serbian province of Kosovo, and NATO wants to station a rapid reaction force in Macedonia as a back up for their security.

Belgrade dismissed this as a pretext to create a force for possible incursions into Yugoslavia.