Skopje - Reports that five Macedonian waiters beat up 22 British soldiers have filled many with pride in the former Yugoslav republic, where about 10,000 NATO troops are viewed with increasing mistrust.
NATO sources said the incident was little more than a bar brawl involving drunken soldiers just over a week ago, but it has dominated talk at cafes across the capital, Skopje.
Mr Sasa Kainovski, the owner of the bar where the incident happened, blamed the British soldiers at a news conference in Belgrade yesterday. "There were only five of us, but we beat the living hell out of them. We grabbed some microphone stands and floored the NATO commandos," said Mr Kainovski, quoted by state news agency Tanjug.
A British military spokesman said just one soldier was taken to hospital after the incident, declining to give any further details.