(22 Aug 2001)

1. Navy ship, Siroco, at the dock
2. French flag flying on Siroco
3. Various of French Foreign Legion soldiers on the dock
4. Various of regimental badges
5. Soldiers waiting next to kit bags
6. Line of soldiers carrying belongings to gangway
7. Soldiers putting papers in counting box
8. Various of soldiers walking up the gangway
9. Soldier walking through door
10. More of soldiers boarding ship
11. Soldier carrying target board and other possessions onto ship
12. Set up shot of Captain Alain Walter, 2nd Regiment of French Legionnaires, Nimes
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Alain Walter, 2nd Regiment of French Legionnaires, Nimes
"Our mission there will be to collect the armament of the NLA (National Liberation Army). The disarmament will be voluntarily given by the NLA. We don't have to take it, they will give it if they want."
Q: Do you feel this is a dangerous mission, a risky mission?
"Not especially."
Q: Can you elaborate why this isn't a very dangerous mission?
"Well, we don't know. We will see. At the beginning we will only get the weapons they will give voluntarily, that they want to give. So it shouldn't be a dangerous mission."
14. More of soldiers boarding ship
15. Soldiers standing on deck looking over rail

STORYLINE:

Three hundred and twenty five French Foreign Legion soldiers were ready on Wednesday morning to depart for Macedonia to help disarm ethnic-Albanian rebel fighters - the National Liberation Army (NLA).

Their preparations come as NATO announced that it has authorized the deployment of 3-thousand 500 troops to Macedonia.

The 2nd Regiment of French Legionnaires based in Nimes, along with an engineering crew, drivers and gendarmes boarded the amphibious ship Siroco at Toulon.

Captain Alain Walter said they did not feel it was a dangerous mission.

Another 100 French soldiers are ready to leave on a smaller amphibious ship.

It will take four days to sail to Thessalonika in Greece, the closest they can get to the theatre of operations.

From there the soldiers will make their way to Macedonia and meet up with a contingent of British soldiers and French reconnaissance troops.

A further 100 French soldiers and officers could leave in two military planes from Istres military base early this afternoon if necessary.

The total French contingent for Macedonia numbers over five hundred.

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