The following is a translation of the statement issued by the Serbian Army. The text was translated by the Associated Press from the Serbian language.

The Yugoslav Army Supreme Command on Monday issued the following announcement:

1. Considering that the activities against the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army in Kosovo have been concluded, the Supreme Command ordered the beginning of the withdrawal from Kosovo parts of army and police units effective as of May 9 at 2200.

2. At the same time it was concluded that as soon as an agreement with the United Nations is reached regarding the deployment of a UN mission to Kosovo by which the external danger to the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia will cease, it will be possible to realize a plan reducing the military and police forces in Kosovo to the peacetime level before (NATO) aggression.

3. In the condition of a well-secured state border disabling infiltration of terrorist gangs from Albania and Macedonia, peacetime police and army levels would, according to the competent estimates of military and police experts, guarantee the security of citizens and property throughout Kosovo. Individual terrorist attacks of small groups of the dispersed KLA cannot be excluded but would fall within the domain of the activities of regular units.

The U.S. State Department has announced that NATO will halt air strikes against Yugoslavia only after the start of a total withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo under terms agreed by Belgrade is verified.