English/Nat Russian soldiers have turned back British and French NATO troops from Pristina on the second day of their occupation of the city's airport. NATO troops had hoped to use the strategic airfield as its headquarters. Despite the standoff, NATO Supreme Commander General Wesley Clark has insisted the airport is not crucial and that K-FOR was never going to use it for any deployment purposes. The standoff at Pristina airport has entered its second day with Russian troops turning back NATO forces early on Sunday morning. Russian troops blocked a road near the airport in the Kosovar capital to British K-FOR tanks and soldiers late on Saturday night. As daylight broke the impasse continued with the Russians allowing local traffic through their makeshift checkpoint, but refusing K-FOR troops access along the road to their local headquarters and to the airport. Reporters at the scene said that there was at least one more Russian A-P-C further along the road. Russian and Serb troops are still showing no signs of allowing the troops into the airfield. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Our mission was to deploy a tactical fuel depot here at Pristina airport, but when we arrived half an hour ago Russians and Serbians told us that it was impossible to enter into the airport." SUPER CAPTION: French Commander Despite the difficulties at the Pristina airport, British troops have busily fanned out around the perimeter of Pristina, taking up positions along main roads. Soldiers are reconnoitering the area, searching for helicopter landing sites and setting up field headquarters. The NATO security force was initially expected to set up its command centre at the airport, but that facility's status now remains unclear. NATO and Russian commanders met face-to-face on Saturday to discuss control of the airport, which the Russians took over after arriving unexpectedly in Pristina early on Saturday. At least 100 additional Russian troops are expected to move soon into Kosovo from nearby Bosnia. Russia had been expected to take part in the peacekeeping force, but U-S Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott has failed in negotiations so far to resolve differences with Moscow over who would command the Russians and where they would be based. You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/6c428d03be21f0b160a8a33e0c90667d Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

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