France and Britain Get Tough on Kosovo

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac say they are prepared to put troops in Kosovo to underpin any peace deal between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian rebels, saying they are determined to prevent the crisis from destabilizing the Balkans. NATO said it is increasing its military preparedness in response to the Kosovo crisis and warned the warring parties that they must agree to peace proposals to be issued by the six-nation Contact Group. The organization, made up of Russia, Italy, Germany, France, Britain and the U.S., meets today in London. Meanwhile, three Kosovo guerrillas were killed and two Serbian police officers were wounded when the army intercepted rebels smuggling arms into the province from Albania, Serbian sources said in Pristina.