HAMPSHIRE troops are today on standby to keep the peace in Kosovo.

They will join a multi-national peacekeeping force after Serb generals put their names to the agreement which should end the 11-week conflict.

As Serbian troops were reported today to be rolling out of Kosovo, members of the Winchester-based King's Royal Hussars were preparing to advance into the region.

More than 650 troops from the regiment were this morning packing up their camps on the Macedonian border waiting for the go-ahead to move into Kosovo.

Major Tim David, spokesman for the Hussars, said: ''Peace is here at last but, as you can imagine, things are now moving very fast.

"Today is planned with meetings to thrash out the logistics of the push forward but the King's Royal Hussars are packing up and moving to play a vital role in the push.

''First of all, there are mountains between Macedonia and Kosovo and we will have to maintain position there with light equipment because, of the high ground. That is where we come in.''

The regiment has been aiding many thousands of refugees in Macedonia as they streamed over the border.

Early today 17,500 troops of the eventual 48,000 strong peacekeeping force which will monitor the Serb exodus were already in Macedonia, with another 800 expected to arrive tomorrow.

They include other Hampshire personnel including 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment including Gurkhas, based at Aldershot, and six helicopters based at RAF Odiham. Others set to leave their bases imminently include the Light Gun Troop of the 7th Royal Horse Artillery, and the Field Troop of the 9th Parachute Squadron of the Royal Engineers, both based in Aldershot.

There are also three Portsmouth-based Royal Navy vessels off the Balkans coastline including the frigates HMS Grafton and HMS Iron Duke.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.