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Wednesday, Feb. 24, 1999, 12:00 PM.
Yugoslavia May Be Planning A Final Push To Eradicate
Guerrillas
Reuters 24-FEB-99
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Yugoslavia could be preparing for a final military push to eradicate
guerrillas in Kosova before a March 15 deadline for a new round of peace talks, a senior
NATO military official said Wednesday.
The official, who declined to be identified, said NATO was "greatly concerned by a
very substantial buildup of Serb forces including heavy armor, artillery, infantry,
special forces, the planting of mines, and demolition preparations."
Asked to comment on rumors in Kosova that Belgrade may plan to partition the province, the
official said the army movements "could indicate some preparation to provide a
defense for parts of Kosova or Serbia itself."
"Or more ominously," he said, "they could be preparations for a final
military push to eradicate opposition in Kosova either in conjunction with a failure of
the (March 15) talks or as a prelude to a resumption of the talks."
The Yugoslav and Serbian governments and Kosova Albanian representatives reached a partial
agreement on autonomy for the province after 17 days of talks in Rambouillet, France which
ended Tuesday. They made a commitment to resume negotiations on March 15 on a military
implementation accord for a peace deal.
Belgrade has so far firmly resisted plans for NATO to head a 28,000-strong peacekeeping
force for Kosova, where the rate and intensity of cease-fire violations has increased
markedly since late December. The alliance insists that its order authorizing air strikes
to coerce compliance by Yugoslavia remains in effect.
The Yugoslav army has in recent days concentrated forces both in northern Kosova and
beyond its internal border toward central Serbia with units coming from the eastern town
of Nis which Belgrade promised in an October deal with NATO would be kept in their
barracks.
Troop movements have also been reported this week in the extreme south of the province
next to the border with Macedonia, where a NATO force of 6,000 troops is being assembled
to act as the vanguard for a Kosova peacekeeping mission should it be agreed next month.
NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana and alliance Supreme Commander Gen. Wesley Clark have
both underlined that NATO has the authority to take military action if Serbian forces
violated their Oct. 25 promises of restraint in Kosova or their obligations under United
Nations' Security Council resolutions.
The chief requirement is for a cease-fire by both sides.
However, William Walker, head of the Kosova Verification Mission, has said that the
cease-fire is "a bit of a joke" and that there was more non-compliance than
compliance with NATO and U.N. military demands.
The Contact Group of five major Western powers and Russia originally set a Feb. 13
deadline for the Rambouillet talks to deliver a comprehensive peace accord including
binding commitments to a NATO-led peacekeeping force.
This was later extended to Feb. 20 and then prolonged for another three days until
Tuesday's outcome which some analysts said had salvaged a minimum and preserved the
negotiating process.
However, a further extension of at least three weeks -- since there is apparently no
commitment to deliver an accord on military implementation on March 15 -- leaves the
warring parties in Kosova able to reposition, reinforce and reengage their forces should
they wish.
Analysts are concerned that with the threat of NATO air strikes now less credible than in
October there may be little the international community can do in practical terms to
prevent a return to all-out conflict.
Many Albanian residents displaced from the villages of Vushtrri
(Radio21)
As a result of the fighting many residents of villages of Vushtrri fled their homes and
went in the direction of villages of Northern Drenica, KLA's News Agency "Kosova
Press" informed. It is said that in the villages Lubovec, Galicë and Dubofc are
sheltered many displaced people.
In Lubovec village expect in houses, people are also settled in the village school,
whereas in Galica village is said that there are so many people, that in one house more
than 50 persons are sheltered.
OSCE verifiers have visited the displaced and promised to bring material aids.
More than 9000 Albanian were displaced from their homes during the last days
The UNHCR made known that because of renewal of the conflicts in Kosova about 9000 persons
were displaced from their homes.
A correspondence from Ferizaj Disappearance and efforts to abduct Albanians continue in
this town
Our correspondent in Ferizaj, Nijazi Ejupi informed that Sadik Leskovci, at age 25 from
Fshati i Vjetër village of this town lost without a trace last night. It is said that
Sadik from Ferizaj was going to this village. Leskovc family informed the OSCE mission in
Ferizaj, the police, but until now there is no information on his whereabouts. The
Information Council of LDK in this town informed on two efforts of abduction these last
two days in Ferizaj. In the exit of Rahovicë-Ferizaj roadway unknown persons tried to
abduct Islam Luma, at age 41 from Ferizaj.
Four armed civilians tried to abduct two Albanian youths Fatmir Lipovica and Enver Ndrecaj
from this town, in both cases the attacked managed to get away, LDK sources informed.
Our correspondent also informed that Xhevat Ahmeti was released from detention last night.
He was arrested on February 17, regarding the explosive device placed in market of Ferizaj
on February 6. Xhevat said that he was physically ill-treated. According to OSCE verifiers
the explosive device in the sack of potatoes weighted more than one kilogram, informed our
correspondent Nijazi Ejupi.
A correspondence from Mitrovica Grave situation in this town
Our correspondent in Mitrovica, Selatin Kaçaniku informed that Serb police from a convoy
shot upon Enver Sahit Gashi, his daughter Liridona and Nusret Arif Peci, at the locality
called "Shelgjet e Zhagës", on Mitrovica-Leposavic roadway. But fortunately
they suffered no consequences.
Our correspondent also informed that the hospital in this town was under strict police
blockade. It is said that this blockade was to bring and secure the wounded of Yugoslav
Army, during the yesterday's clashes in Vushtrri.
A correspondence from Suhareka Two Albanians killed on Sunday in Gjinoc village of this
town were buried today
Our correspondent in Suhareka, Gazmend Berisha informed that today were buried two
Albanians Petrit Bytyqi and Sylejman Rrotlla, killed on Sunday in the vicinity of Gjinoc
village of this town. The singes of tortures, which they have suffered before execution
could be seen on the bodies of the deceased. The family members confuted the news that
their sons were loyal to Serb government, the news which was given by Serb propaganda
immediately after the killing. This was also confuted by many residents who participated
in their funeral, despite the bad weather.
Our correspondent also stressed that Sylejman Rrotlla was buried precisely on the day when
he was celebrating his 25th birthday.
Fighting going on in several villages of Vushtrri today morning
Radio21
Serb forces have been bombing with heavy artillery villages Pantinë, Oshlan, Okrashticë
and Balincë of Vishtrri from 8 in the morning, informed LDK sources in this town. There
is no information on the possible consequences until now. Four Albanians were wounded by
the yesterday's attacks of Serb forces on Bukosh village. Immense material damages were
caused by these attacks, especialy in Shtitaricë village. Serb forces have also
ill-treated many residents in Vushtrri and in the surrounding villages, Albanian sources
informed. About the today's confronting of Serb forces and KLA forces news agency
"Kosova Press" informed also. One KLA fighter was wounded by the side of KLA
units of Shala Zone, whereas several military vehicles were damaged to the Serb side and
there are also several killed by the side of Serb forces.
Tense situation in this town have resulted not to attend the teaching process in
elementary and high school of Vushtrri.
Five Serb policemen wounded during the clashes in Vushtrri today
One Serb soldier was wounded on Vushtrri-Bukosh roadway yesterday, Serb sources informed.
According to Serb sources during an attack of armed Albanian on several Serb houses in
Bukosh village last night was killed Mirko Milosevic, whereas were wounded Miljan
Milosevic and Milos Prodanovic. Serb sources also informed on the today's attack of, as it
is said, armed Albanians upon Serb police in Bukosh village. According to these sources it
is said that five Serb policemen were wounded and the photoreporter of AP Srdjan Ilic.
Two wounded Serb policemen brought in hospital of Mitrovica
Two wounded Serb policemen were brought today in hospital in Mitrovica, LDK sources in
this town informed. But, no detail information is given regarding this case.
Residents of the villages of border area in Prizren fled their
homes
Albanians residents of villages Vërnicë, Zhur, Dobrushtë and Shkozë fled their homes,
because of the fear of a new offensive of Serb forces on the border area, sources of the
Council for the Human Rights in Prizren informed. Serb military forces have started to
build camps in Zhur village. for what it is feared that they have placed mines in this
village, same source informed.
Residents of several villages of Suhareka fled their homes
Because of the large presence of Serb forces in Suhareka the situation is very tense.
Albanian population from several villages of this town started to flee their homes.
Albanian sources informed that residents fled villages Reshtan, Sllapuzhan, Studençan
Krushicë e Ulët and Budakovë.
Serbs and Rebels Trade Missile Fire for the Second Day in a Row
By CARLOTTA GALL
BUKOS, Yugoslavia -- Serbian army and police forces traded missile fire with separatist
guerrillas in this northern Kosova village for the second day in a row Tuesday, as the
residents cowered in their houses.
Hours before the deadline for the Paris peace talks, the warring parties resorted to
deadly firepower to try to gain control of the village.
Trapped in the middle, a Serbian family mourned their dead son, who the Serbs said was
killed by separatist Kosova Liberation Army guerrillas in front of his house on Monday.
The clash showed how peace hangs in the balance and how quickly an exchange of gunfire can
turn into a battle. When the talks adjourned Tuesday, Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright gave stern warnings to the two sides to show restraint.
Western diplomats and mediators at the talks had expressed concern that Yugoslavia was
increasing its troop strength in Kosova and might be planning a new offensive.
The warnings were prompted by reports from the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe, which has 1,300 monitors in Kosova to try to maintain a cease-fire agreement
reached in October.
"The Serb movements are not pretty," said a Western diplomat with access to the
European group's reports, who insisted on anonymity. "They seem to be getting ready
to do something. We are watching this very closely."
Humanitarian concerns are rising, the diplomat added, as refugees have once more had to
flee fighting in several villages.
Here in Bukos, heavily armed police officers who are guarding the road indicated that they
gave little weight to the talks in France, saying they would achieve nothing. Police had
moved into the village to flush out rebels after the youngster, Mirko Milosevic, was
killed and his brother and a neighbor wounded on Monday evening.
Until Monday, Bukos was a mixed village where Serbs had lived alongside ethnic Albanians,
who make up 90 percent of the population of Kosova. By Tuesday, the ethnic Albanians had
fled, and police troops, backed by the army, had established a presence in the village.
The army trained a long anti-aircraft barrel from one end of the village and set up
mortars on a hillside. As a tank maneuvered its way along the main street, the guerrillas,
on the far edge of the village, opened fire. The army hit back immediately, raining shells
on rebel positions.
"Both sides are provoking the situation," Maj. Gen. John Drewienkiewicz, the
British head of operations of the European verification mission, said after having watched
the fighting. And, he said, neither is "prepared to back down and stop it."
Each side seemed to be trying to dislodge the other and to expel opposition villagers,
Drewienkiewicz said.
But neither was a clear winner. On the edge of the village, a brother of the dead man
stood waiting, hoping for a lull long enough to take the body for burial. Another brother
was fighting for his life in a hospital, the man said. The dead man had left behind two
children, 7 and 3, the man added.
Serbian villagers stayed in their houses, protected for the moment by the army and police.
They were wary and reluctant to talk.
"We are living in fear," said one woman, standing behind small children
clustered around the open house door. "I have nothing to say, just that we are living
in fear."
A Serbian shopkeeper, Dragan Dukovic, was open for business, although his only customers
were a few Serbian soldiers. "They killed this boy, and everything is ruined,"
Dukovic said, producing a bottle from behind the counter and serving shots of local
cognac. "I am a shopkeeper. I have to serve everybody, and I had a good relationship
with everyone. I say it is shameful what happened, but we are not at fault."
Albanian Intransigence Stymied Accord
By R. Jeffrey Smith Washington Post Foreign Service Wednesday, February 24, 1999; Page A17
BELGRADE, Feb. 23—After weeks of attempting to mobilize diplomatic and military
pressure against Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, the Clinton administration today
found its attempts to broker a peace settlement in Kosova stymied by the ethnic Albanian
guerrillas they had taken for granted.
Washington's strategy was based on the assumption that Yugoslav government, rather than
the rebel army fighting for independence in Kosova, would most resent a substantial
foreign intervention to bring the fighting to a halt. The rebel soldiers and their ethnic
Albanian supporters had suffered far more than government security forces, with more than
1,500 civilians dead and hundreds of thousands pushed from their homes.
But after 18 days of negotiations, it was Hashim Thaqi, a 29-year-old guerrilla fighter at
the helm of the ethnic Albanian negotiating team in Rambouillet, France, who surprised
Western diplomats by refusing to give the accord his unconditional approval. The result
has been to defer by at least three weeks a Western plan to gain the ethnic Albanians'
approval and use it as a lever to pressure the government in Belgrade into also saying yes
-- a strategy that would be backed up by the threat of NATO airstrikes.
A senior U.S. official warned that as a result of the resistance shown by the ethnic
Albanians, "the Serbs will be much, much tougher. . . . It's goofy. We expected them
to be the focal point of international pressure, not the Albanians."
U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. Kosova negotiator, said some
members of the 16-member ethnic Albanian delegation at the talks in France had objected to
the absence of a guaranteed referendum in three years to determine Kosova's legal status
-- a vote that would almost certainly give independence to the ethnic Albanian majority
province. But Hill said the principal sticking point was the rebels' wariness about
participating in a broad disarmament.
Thaqi, Hill said before departing from the talks, "kept getting calls from the field
saying this was a bad deal -- that by not accepting this, they could keep the war going
and eventually NATO would be forced to intervene anyway. But I kept saying that . . . you
cannot have NATO without a political settlement."
"The plan was to get the ethnic Albanians to accept a comprehensive agreement in
return for" the deployment of NATO troops in Kosova, said a senior U.S. official.
"Rambouillet was supposed to be about putting the screws to Belgrade. But it went off
the rails because of the miscalculation we made about the Albanians" -- an error made
not only by Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, who spent the final three days at
the talks, but by scores of other top Western diplomats.
The outcome let the air out of NATO's threats of an imminent airstrike against a
recalcitrant government in Belgrade, and many Yugoslav analysts saw it as at least a
short-term triumph for Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's stand-pat negotiating
style. "It's a complete mess for the international community," said Bratislav
Grubacic, the editor of the VIP Daily News Report in the Yugoslav capital.
U.S. officials today assigned part of the blame for the failure to achieve a final
settlement on Adem Demaci, the Kosova Liberation Army's political representative who
refused to attend the talks. After first advising his colleagues in the rebel army against
joining the negotiations, Demaci met Friday morning in Slovenia with Thaqi and encouraged
him to take a hard-line policy, U.S. officials said.
"It was the man who wasn't there [in France] who blew it up" at the last minute,
one official said.
But others close to the talks said the problem was larger. The Kosova Liberation Army
"is afraid of its future. Psychologically, they have problems dissolving their
organization," said a European diplomat. "This was the main obstacle to signing
them up. They did not get enough assurance that NATO would not be directed against them as
well" as Yugoslav government troops blamed for the bulk of the violence.
Paul Williams, an American University professor of constitutional law who advised the
ethnic Albanian delegation, expressed the problem more gently: "Some of the delegates
had particularly sensitive constituencies and they wanted to be sure they were taking a
step forward, not backward" after having built the army from scratch at great peril
with the sole aim of securing Kosova's independence.
Thaqi, a former political science student in Switzerland, pressed for an explicit
recognition that the Kosova Liberation Army could work with NATO troops to help keep the
peace in Kosova. Other rebel officials sought an explicit reference in the accord to a
referendum in three years -- an idea that was a nonstarter for the Yugoslav government and
also opposed by Western powers that share Belgrade's opposition to full independence for
Kosova.
In a last-ditch effort to influence Thaqi on Monday, Albright called Demaci in Ljubljana,
Slovenia. But Albright was unable to persuade him to agree to a compromise on the
referendum issue that called for "considering the will of the people" of Kosova,
as well as the terms of the Helsinki Final Act, a treaty that grants Europeans a right to
self-determination.
"Here we had the secretary of state being stiffed by someone no one has ever heard
of," said an angry U.S. official. "I guess he decided that since had stood up to
[former Yugoslav president Josip Broz] Tito, he could say no [to Albright]. He's an
irreconcilable rejectionist like . . . the Israeli hard-liners."
Day-After Reality Stalks Kosova Talks
Reuters 24-FEB-99
BELGRADE, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Ethnic Albanian negotiators headed home on Wednesday from the
Kosova talks hoping a tentative accord would lead to peace soon, but both local and
international disagreements on the way ahead were unmistakeable.
And a senior NATO official warned that an ominous Serbian military buildup in recent days
suggested Belgrade might try a blitz offensive to crush ethnic Albanian separatist
guerrillas before the March 15 deadline for a new round of peace talks.
Commenting on rumours in Kosova that Yugoslav Serb authorities may try to partition the
province ahead of a final peace accord, the NATO official told reporters in The Hague that
the army movements could also "indicate some preparation to provide a defence for
parts of Kosova or Serbia itself."
Rame Buja, one of the 16-strong Albanian team and a member of the Kosova Liberation Army,
said as he prepared to leave France, where 17 days of talks ended on Tuesday: "This
is the beginning of the successful end for solving the Kosova issue."
The ethnic Albanians gave their conditional approval to a Big Power-drafted plan offering
the southern province of Serbia substantial autonomy, contingent on a two-week review with
KLA guerrillas and local civilians.
"I believe that two weeks are enough to read, analyse and make a decision on the
draft," Buja said.
But among Kosova Albanians, it was clear a peace deal which falls short of providing
tangible prospects for the independence from Serbia that the KLA wants would be a hard
sell.
"In the end we should not rely on their (the international community's and NATO's)
promises and threats," Albanian resistance icon Adem Demaci told the
Albanian-language daily Kosova Sot in an interview.
"We should rely on our forces and have confidence in our liberation army and in
victory," said Demaci, who boycotted the talks in France and advised the rebels to do
the same.
The supposedly do-or-die talks, which carried with them the explicit threat of NATO
bombing of Serbian targets if Serbs did not sign up to a peace deal, ended inconclusively.
Both sides were given time for consultations before resuming on March 15.
Western powers, particularly the United States and Britain, tried to put the best possible
light on the outcome, even though the Americans had been hoping for a "black and
white" result in which the ethnic Albanians signed a deal and the Yugoslav Serbs
either agreed too or faced NATO bombing.
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook defended the outcome.
"What we now have is an agreement on both sides to substantial self-government for
Kosova and we have achieved consensus on around 90 percent of a document which runs to
well over 30 pages setting out the details of a self-governing Kosova," Cook told BBC
radio.
"I may not be where I wanted us to be but I think we are much further forward than I
dared predict when we started the exercise," he said.
Russia saw the result more as a victory for its own diplomacy opposing the use of force
against its ally Serbia.
"I think that over the two weeks they managed to work out a very important document,
which opens the way for regulating the Kosova problem," Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov
told reporters during a visit to the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan.
"The main thing now is that the Kosova extremists, who continue to insist on
separation from Yugoslavia, do not resort to any kind of provocation, which could ruin the
process of peaceful regulation in Kosova which has started."
In Peking, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan denounced NATO threats of military action
in Yugoslavia, saying strikes would not help resolve the Kosova crisis and would be
"detrimental to the final solution of the problem."
The uncertainty of Western resolve to actually unleash NATO air power against Serbia was
highlighted by French Defence Minister Alain Richard who said such strikes were still
possible but he thought the likelihood of a confrontation was low.
"If the Serb forces were to take violent action against the Kosova Albanians, apart
from legitimate defence, this would be a basis for the launching of strikes," Richard
said.
"(But) we think that the new situation created by the agreement...reduces the
likelihood of a military confrontation on the ground, but we don't exclude that and that
would be the legal base to deliver air strikes."
Britain's Cook Defends Partial Kosova Peace Deal
LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook Wednesday defended the partial
peace deal reached on Kosova between Serbs and ethnic Albanians and said the two sides had
agreed on 90 percent of the details of a settlement.
Cook was speaking after 17 days of talks ended Monday without a final settlement, although
the participants agreed to return to the negotiating table in France on March 15.
``What we now have is an agreement on both sides to substantial self-government for Kosova
and we have achieved consensus on around 90 percent of a document which runs to well over
30 pages setting out the details of a self-governing Kosova,'' Cook told BBC radio.
``I may not be where I wanted us to be but I think we are much further forward than I
dared predict when we started the exercise,'' he said.
Cook said it boded well that the Serbs had committed themselves to discussing the presence
of an international force to support the agreement when the talks resume next month.
After the talks ended Tuesday the Serbs were sticking to their long-standing refusal to
accept NATO peacekeepers in the rebellious southern province. Some 2,000 people have been
killed in fighting there over the last year.
Kosova will have its Temporary Government :
Rambouillet, 24 feb (Kosovapress)
On February 23, 1999, the Delegation of Kosova in the Meeting of Rambouillet after
consultations between the Kosova Liberation Army, the Democratic League of Kosova, and the
United Democratic Movement decided:
1.To form the Temporary Government of Kosova
2.The Government will have mandate to govern until elections are held in Kosova.
3.By mutual Agreement, the Prime Minister will be nominated by the Kosova Liberation Army.
4.The three signatory parties to this agreement will have equal representation in
Government.
5.To this number will be added the Prime Minister and a representative of the independent
political subjects.
Signed by:
For the Kosova Liberation Army Hashim Thaçi
For the Democratic League of Kosova Ibrahim Rugova
For the United Democratic Movement Rexhep Qosja
Discussions at Rambouillet are not based on justice
- Press conference of Secretary of Office of KLA General Political Representative, Albin
Kurti
"Discussions at Rambouillet can not be successful, because they are not based on
justice", said Albin Kurti, the Secretary of Office of KLA General Political
Representative, at the today's press conference.
Other details bring our journalist Bahtir Cakolli.
lbin Kurti evaluated that discussions at Rambouillet can not bring the freedom to Albanian
population nor the peace in Balkans, because they are not based on justice.
"This so-called political process "Rambouillet" doesn't identifies the Serb
regime as aggressor or occupier, but it is trying to negotiate with Serb regime or to
reach an agreement which will be on the loss of Albanian population. All presented
proposals at Rambouillet, have been Hill's drafts, which we have refused the whole time.
Therefore, in the aspect the drafts which we refused can not present any kind of solution
to the Kosova problem".
Regarding the Rambouillet, Albin Kurti evaluated as unacceptable the attitude of Russian
diplomacy, whereas he informed the journalists that KLA General Political representative,
Adem Demaçi met the KLA General Commander Sylejman Selimi and the KLA General Headquarter
yesterday. On this occasion Mr. Demaçi took all the authorising and full competence for
political leading of KLA:
"Non of the political decisions can be taken without the accordance and approval of
KLA General Political Representative Adem Demaçi. In this direction he as the first man
of KLA politics, travelled today urgently to Lublana to realise some important meetings
with representatives of high level of international diplomacy. The aim of these meetings
is to find a proper and right solution to the Kosova problem, based on essential
principles, of KLA and its liberation war".
Albin Kurti also said that any kind of disarmament or transformation of KLA can not be
considered. KLA is the guarantee for security for Albanian population in Kosova and its
victory, declared Albin Kurti the Secretary of Office of KLA General Political
Representative, in the today's press conference.
France Warns Kosova Air Strikes Still Possible
By Nick Edwards
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - French Defense Minister Alain Richard said Wednesday that air
strikes against Serb forces in Kosova were still possible but he thought the likelihood of
a confrontation was low.
``If the Serb forces were to take violent action against the Kosova Albanians, apart from
legitimate defense, this would be a basis for the launching of strikes,'' Richard told the
Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore.
Major powers said late Tuesday that agreement had been reached on substantial autonomy for
Kosova at marathon talks between Serbs and majority ethnic Albanians, but both sides had
distanced themselves from the accord.
Richard said although the deal was only a partial resolution, it had reduced the immediate
danger of military confrontation.
``We think that the new situation created by the agreement...reduces the likelihood of a
military confrontation on the ground, but we don't exclude that and that would be the
legal base to deliver air strikes,'' he said.
The Serbs had been the focus of efforts to halt violence but there was a risk of violence
from either side in Kosova, he said.
``We advocate military abstention from both sides and we think that is the coherent result
of the agreement they have signed.''
After 17 days of around-the-clock negotiations, members of the six-nation Contact Group
issued a statement that called for restraint, said those who provoked violence would be
held responsible and promised more progress next time at a planned conference in France on
March 15.
But the deal is a shaky one which failed to extract even an imperfect accord from the
belligerents and fell well short of a full political and military settlement to the
conflict.
Richard said the international community had only itself to blame for the difficulty it
faced in resolving the Kosova crisis.
``We have to...take the consequences of the failure of the whole international community
to help the pacifist movement of the Kosova Albanians in the previous eight or nine years.
``This failure bred a new tendency, a much more radical one among the Kosova population
which was supporting, really, independence by force,'' he said.
But Richard said the partial peace deal reinforced NATO's credibility, which he said had
not been damaged by its repeated -- but never carried out -- threat to launch air strikes
to stop Serb attacks on Albanians.
``President (Milan) Milutinovic was convinced that if he was continuously resisting the
demands of the international community he would have to face military consequences. I
think on those terms our common credibility has been enhanced,'' Richard said.
``The credibility of NATO...is not directly related to the number of actual strikes we
have to deliver.''
The deal struck in Rambouillet, France, saw the Serbs accept the principle of autonomy but
reject independence for Kosova or the status of a third republic within Yugoslavia.
It left unresolved a fundamental conflict over Kosova Albanians' desire for a referendum
on the future of the province, where they outnumber Serbs nine to one.
It was also unclear how Western powers planned to reconcile Belgrade's rejection of a NATO
force in Kosova with the insistence by the United States and other allies that such a
force was a non-negotiable part of any final deal.
Richard said the deployment of allied ground forces was vital for peace in the troubled
province.
``We are certain that only the deployment of a ground force of the allies, with a balanced
contribution of Americans and Europeans, will be a real answer to the unrest and the
enormous distrust between the communities that has developed in Kosova.''
Richard said the question of whether troops would be deployed, and when, would be
discussed further when talks resumed on March 15.
Ordinary Serbs indifferent to Kosova crisis
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- Serbian television reports hailed the Rambouillet talks as a
victory for Belgrade. According to them, Yugoslavia had resisted NATO threats and defended
its sovereignty over Kosova.
Serb leaders at the talks were more subdued. Serbian President Milan Milutinovic said
little had been achieved between Serbs and ethnic Albanians on the future of the embattled
province, and he suggested a new approach was needed for next month's continuation of the
talks.
"The conclusions are a camouflage for the lack of success at this conference,"
Milutinovic told a news conference late Tuesday, seven hours after the talks ended.
Milutinovic, flanked by the Serb delegation, blamed organizers for only allowing
"minimal contact" between the two sides during the talks, and said there was
prejudice against the Serbs throughout.
"We need a new method of working to allow us to reach a quicker and better
solution." he said, including more face-to-face talks.
"The conference wasn't well prepared, and therefore the results have been
unsatisfactory," he said.
Neither side actually signed a peace deal, but international mediators gave the impression
the Kosova Albanians agreed, in principle, to more than the Serbs.
That, coupled with a continuing threat of NATO airstrikes if the Serbs scuttle an eventual
deal by refusing to allow NATO peacekeepers into Kosova, leaves the Yugoslav side feeling
exposed.
"Albanian terrorists got instructions from powerful advocates of them to launch
offensives in Kosova to provoke reaction from our defense forces and after that to blame
the Serbs. Somebody wants to make Serbs guilty," said Yugoslavia's deputy premier,
Vuk Draskovic, referring to recent clashes in Kosova between army troops and Serb police
and the rebel Kosova Liberation Army.
For the people on the streets of the Yugoslav capital, the fear of military strikes has
waned, and widespread apathy about Kosova has blossomed.
"We've lost interest completely," one man said.
"I'm absolutely indifferent about airstrikes or not," another said. "I've
got my own money problems to worry about."
Serbs View a Victory: Milosevic Tweaks West and Survives
By STEVEN ERLANGER
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- The official Serbian news media played Tuesday's ambiguous outcome
of the Kosova peace talks at Rambouillet, France, as a considerable success for Belgrade,
and few diplomats here argued the point.
Given the deep fractures within the ethnic Albanian delegation, which required all of
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's attention, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
has had to make no irrevocable decisions, despite weeks of intense Western pressure.
Rather than having to face the choice of submission to American dictates or knowing his
territory would be bombed, Milosevic now has another three weeks to think through the best
outcome for himself and his military.
While Milosevic's fundamental decisions have only been postponed, one senior Western
diplomat said, "He will be seen as having outwitted Washington for now, and that will
help him at home."
Milosevic has shown himself at least as reasonable as the ethnic Albanians about a
political settlement for Kosova. And he has not had to adjust his opening position -- that
he will not allow foreign troops into Kosova, even though he is expected to do so later.
Kosova is 90 percent ethnic Albanian but Milosevic considers the province an integral part
of Serbia.
Already, Serbian President Milan Milutinovic has said that, when negotiations resume on
March 15, the Serbs are ready to discuss "an international presence in Kosova"
to carry out political arrangements of any agreement. And other Serbs have floated ideas
that include leavening Western forces with lots of Russians, whose ethnic and religious
ties make them more acceptable to the Serbs and whose country is not a NATO member.
The Yugoslav deputy prime minister, Vuk Draskovic, a recent, more liberal addition to the
government, said on television on Tuesday night that "he has no objection to someone
from abroad helping us to implement the deal in Kosova and helping to disarm" the
Kosova Liberation Army, the insurgency fighting for Kosova's independence.
Milosevic and his news media are already emphasizing that, under any expected agreement,
Kosova would remain within Serbia.
Milosevic will also be able to make the point that the Kosova Liberation Army, which the
Serbs have been fighting since last spring, may be more stubborn and more committed to
independence, rather than autonomy as a part of Serbia, than the United States appeared to
assume.
Milosevic thus reinforces his reputation as a shrewd tactician and tweaker of superpower
pretensions. He also avoids an early strain within his own government -- especially with
the ultranationalist Radical Party leader, Voijislav Seselj, who appeals to those who
consider Kosova the beating heart of Serb nationhood.
Many ordinary Serbs, even those who are sophisticated in Western ways and culture, feel
some "shame," as one Serbian official said Tuesday, speaking on the condition of
anonymity, "that it will be in our generation that we will lose Kosova."
And Milosevic can avoid a budding conflict with Montenegro, Yugoslavia's other republic,
whose officials have said that they would be "neutral" in any conflict between
Belgrade and NATO. Western officials think that Milosevic, who tends to rule from crisis
to crisis, will create a new one over relations with Montenegro as soon as the Kosova
issue is resolved.
Alexander Tijanic, a former information minister who is the chief editor of BK Television,
an independent station, said that Milosevic, as always, "only takes into account his
political position, and makes decisions designed to strengthen and not endanger himself,
no matter what harm he does to the nation."
But what most concerns Western diplomats here -- and the foreign ministers on Tuesday in
Rambouillet -- is how hard Milosevic will push the war against the rebels in Kosova over
the next three weeks. Already, Serbian military and police movements in Kosova have upset
Western officials, who say with justification that the Serbs are violating last October's
cease-fire agreement.
Of course, the officials then acknowledge that the rebels are also provoking clashes with
the Serbs, as both sides maneuver for better positions on the ground.
It is this three-week limbo between peace conferences -- with the threat of NATO air
strikes lifted but no armed NATO peacekeepers on the ground -- that one Western diplomat
here called "the most interesting test yet of whether Milosevic wants to confront the
West or find a way to make himself a partner."
Clinton Calls Partial Kosova Deal 'Significant'
By Arshad Mohammed
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Clinton put the best face on the partial peace agreement
reached on Kosova Tuesday, calling it ``a significant step forward'' in the search for
peace and urging both sides to sign it next month.
The major powers announced Tuesday that the Serbs and the ethnic Albanians fighting for
independence in Kosova had reached an agreement to provide substantial autonomy to the
southern Serbian province.
``The peace talks ... are a significant step forward in the search for a fair and lasting
peace in Kosova,'' Clinton said in a statement issued by the White House.
The ethnic Albanians, who far outnumber Serbs in Kosova, agreed only conditionally, saying
they wanted two weeks to consult with their people and their fighters in the hills.
The Serbs said they accepted the idea of autonomy but ruled out the possibility of full
independence for Kosova. They gave no sign of abandoning their refusal to permit NATO
troops on their territory to oversee a peace agreement.
Neither side signed the accord and the sides are expected to resume negotiations on March
15 to discuss the critical issues of civilian and military implementation of self-rule.
``I believe that the Kosovar Albanian people will strongly support what their negotiators
have done, because the agreement represents the opportunity for a better life after years
of repression and fear,'' Clinton said.
``The Serbs should be prepared to return to the negotiations on March 15 with a commitment
to sign the full agreement,'' Clinton said, noting NATO remained poised to use military
force if necessary.
The two sides have been fighting for control of the province for nearly a year in a
conflict that has killed at least 2,000 people and left more than 250,000 ethnic Albanians
homeless.
White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart suggested that the agreement, while far from the
overall settlement the West sought, represented progress because the Kosovar Albanians had
embraced a document that did not specifically call for a referendum on independence.
``It is our hope that they (the ethnic Albanians) will come back in two weeks, having
consulted, ready to sign onto this document which will put significant pressure on the
Serbian side,'' he said. ``And it's our hope that in the ensuing weeks, the Serbian side
will understand the pressure they face.''
The two sides had been negotiating in Rambouillet, France, against a Tuesday deadline and
the threat of NATO air strikes against the Serbs if they were blamed for the failure to
reach an agreement.
The United States, however, had said NATO would not bomb Serbia if both sides refused to
come to terms.
Tuesday's agreement, if formally embraced by the Kosovar Albanians, would allow the West
to revive the threat of force against Serbia to try to force it to sign on to an overall
settlement.
Clinton, speaking earlier to reporters before the agreement was announced, but clearly
briefed on its outlines, said the Serbs still faced the possibility of air strikes.
``Whether NATO bombs or not ... that depends upon the actions of the Serbs,'' Clinton said
as he began a meeting with congressional leaders.
``I think it's very important that the Serbs exercise restraint on the ground and that the
Kosovars respond in kind,'' Clinton said. ``They have made a lot of progress and they
don't need to let this thing get away from them.''
As part of the overall agreement Washington is pushing, the United States would contribute
4,000 of the estimated 28,000 NATO-led troops who would oversee the peace in Kosova -- an
idea that has raised questions among Republicans in Congress.
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi wrote to Clinton earlier this month
expressing concern that U.S. troops would become embroiled in an ``open-ended and
ill-defined'' peacekeeping mission.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Texas Republican, Tuesday also said she had misgivings.
``I hope that we will reconsider the United States forcing these people into something
that neither side seems to embrace,'' she said. ``I would be very concerned about sending
United States troops on the ground when there is not a clear acceptance of a peace
agreement. I'm not sure we should have troops on the ground in Kosova at all.''
Kosova Albanians, in Reversal, Say They Will Sign Peace Pact
By JANE PERLEZ
RAMBOUILLET, France -- In a last-minute turnaround, the ethnic Albanian delegation at the
Kosova talks agreed in principle on Tuesday to a peace settlement, turning what appeared
to be an almost certain collapse for the Clinton administration's peace efforts into a
limited success.
An hour after the deadline of 3 p.m. for the end of the talks here, the ethnic Albanians
presented Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and five other foreign ministers a
declaration that promised to sign the peace settlement after two weeks of consultation
with the population at home.
The three-paragraph declaration was dragged out of the delegation after the chief American
negotiator, Ambassador Christopher R. Hill, entreated the members to look into their
hearts. Their statement saved the two-and-a-half-week talks that attempted to resolve the
conflict in Kosova with a proposal that calls for NATO peacekeepers.
But Clinton administration officials acknowledged that the result was far from what they
needed to pressure Slobodan Miloevic, the Yugoslav president, who remains opposed to NATO
peacekeepers in Kosova. The U.S. strategy was to get full agreement from the ethnic
Albanians so negotiators would have more leverage to squeeze Milosevic, whose troops have
viciously suppressed separatist rebels in Kosova.
Without a final answer from the Albanians, it will be hard to carry out the threat of NATO
bombing, meant to force Milosevic's hand. Now the process essentially goes on hold for two
weeks, and diplomats fear Milosevic will try to exploit this delay by making inroads
against the Kosova Liberation Army on the ground in Kosova.
The conference organizers said they would reconvene almost three weeks from now, on March
15, in an unspecified place in France. By then the ethnic Albanians will have completed
their consultations at home. The aim then will be conclude a quick settlement that would
give autonomy, but not independence, to Kosova, guaranteed by a peacekeeping force.
Ms. Albright, who appeared relieved that her investment of three days of coaxing and
admonishing the ethnic Albanians had partially paid off, emphasized that the ethnic
Albanians "have a responsibility to make their 'yes' an unequivocal 'yes."' She
and the foreign ministers of Britain, Russia, Germany, France and Italy organized the
conference here.
The 16-member Albanian delegation said that it would take the proposed peace agreement
back to Kosova and explain its elements to the roughly 1.8 million ethnic Albanians. Both
the delegation and the foreign negotiators said they believed that such discussions, in
political circles and among citizens, would result in a final agreement.
They said it would be a popular document because it gives considerable autonomy to the
ethnic Albanians, who make up 90 percent of the population of Kosova, a province within
the Yugoslav republic of Serbia. It would also enable them to get rid of almost all the
Serbian police and Yugoslav soldiers in Kosova and would bring in 28,000 NATO-led
soldiers, including 4,000 Americans, to keep the peace.
The ethnic Albanian delegation, which the Americans had expected to be the easier side to
convince during the negotiations, balked at the peace agreement until the last moment --
in large part because of the objections of five members from the Kosova Liberation Army,
the rebel group that has been fighting against the Serbs.
One delegate for the guerrillas, Hashim Thaci, was the last objector. But he was finally
brought around when Hill and then another member of the delegation, Vetan Surroi, isolated
him in discussions on Tuesday afternoon.
The stumbling block that Thaci had persistently raised -- the separatist rebels'
insistence on holding a referendum at the end of a three-year interim period -- was
addressed with a face-saving reference to a referendum at the end of the declaration.
The declaration says that the delegation understands that at the end of the interim period
Kosova "will hold a referendum to ascertain the will of the people." While
exactly what this referendum means was left unclear, negotiators said that it would not be
legally binding and that a vote for independence would not force the Serbs to grant
independence. But the reference to a referendum appeared to be enough to satisfy the
demands of Thaci and others who see a vote as a crucial first step toward eventual
independence. The agreement right now offers Kosova autonomy but would keep it as a
province of Serbia.
The officials said that in the next two weeks, when the ethnic Albanians were back home
selling the agreement, the threat of NATO airstrikes against Milosevic would be
diminished.
But once a new round of negotiations convenes on March 15, they said, the threat of
airstrikes would renew the pressure on Milosevic to agree to the use of NATO-led ground
troops as peacekeepers that he has so far vigorously resisted.
The British foreign secretary, Robin Cook, said at the joint news conference of foreign
ministers, that the secretary-general of NATO, Javier Solana, was still empowered to order
airstrikes.
Albright said the Serbian delegation, headed in the last days by Milosevic's close ally,
Milan Milutinovic, had given a qualified yes to the political aspects of the peace
agreement, including autonomy for Kosova. But, she said, they remained
"unengaged" on the administration's insistence that the peacekeeping force in
Kosova be led by NATO.
The Serbs said in a written declaration to the foreign ministers that they would discuss
the possibility of an "international presence" in Kosova. This proposal was an
effort to accept less than a NATO force, and Albright said she found it unacceptable.
Because the ethnic Albanian acceptance was only conditional and the Serbs had barely come
to the table, Clinton administration officials said that the next two weeks in Kosova
could be difficult.
Milosevic could use his forces in Kosova to try to create havoc for the Kosova Liberation
Army on the ground, making the guerrillas perhaps less eager to settle than their
representatives in Rambouillet.
NATO officials said there had been a substantial buildup of Serbian police forces and
Yugoslav army troops inside Kosova and on the borders between Serbia and Kosova in the
last several weeks. This could indicate that Milosevic was preparing for renewed fighting,
they said.
To get the conditional acceptance, Albright offered some incentives to the ethnic Albanian
delegation, which were intended to show that the United States is a friend of Kosova.
Washington will open a visa office in Pristina, the Kosova capital, she promised, so that
ethnic Albanians will not have to travel to Belgrade, the Serbian capital, to get consular
services.
In addition, officials of the Kosova Liberation Army will be brought to the United States
for training in how they can transform themselves from a guerrilla group into a police
force or a political entity, much like the African National Congress in South Africa.
But in the end it appears to have been Hill's 11th-hour appeal combined with the
leadership of Surroi, the publisher of the biggest circulation newspaper in Kosova, that
turned the tables.
Hill said that he tried to prepare the delegation on Monday night for the consequences of
failing to stop a war that has squandered civilian lives in the last year and could get
worse. He said he asked the delegates to think about how they would think of themselves as
individuals a week from now if they rejected the opportunity for peace.
On Tuesday afternoon, as the foreign ministers were waiting for the ethnic Albanians'
final decision, Hill said he went into the delegation room and sensed it was clear that a
majority wanted to sign.
Then, he said, he pointed to a delegate and asked, "Do you want to sign?" The
answer came back: "Po," the Albanian word for yes. Hill said he got a succession
of "Po's" until he got to Surroi, who stood up and started speaking.
"Veton said, 'OK, we can get this worked out."'
Surroi proposed a text of what became the declaration. Hill suggested that a translator
sit at a computer in the room and type the words on the screen. There were no objections
in the room, and with that, Hill said, the foreign ministers had what they needed.
Surroi has worked during the talks as a bridge in the delegation and had tried to bring
the five guerrillas around.
He said late on Tuesday afternoon: "This was done by consensus. We have everyone on
board. What we have achieved here is Albanians working together. The biggest argument we
saw was that this is an opportunity for peace."
Kosova talks yield partial accord on autonomy
RAMBOUILLET, France (CNN) -- Ending 17 days of talks where neither side spoke directly to
the other, Serbs and ethnic Albanians agreed Tuesday to a partial settlement for Kosova
and pledged to resume negotiations in three weeks.
Adding to a mood of uncertainty following the talks, fighting flared between ethnic
Albanian rebels and Serb policemen back in Serbia's southernmost province.
International mediators in Rambouillet said the two sides agreed in principle to granting
autonomy to Kosova, which has a 90 percent ethnic Albanian majority. But the two sides
remained far apart on how to implement a proposed three-year interim peace deal. They were
told to return for more talks on March 15.
Kosova Albanians demand a NATO peacekeeping force be allowed into Kosova to police the
accord and are insisting a referendum on independence be held at the end of the interim
period. Serbs have adamantly rejected both demands.
"We have not reached a full agreement," U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright said.
Kosova plan 'a good bargain'
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, who co-chaired the talks with French Foreign
Minister Hubert Vedrine, was upbeat.
"We have done a lot here even if we have not done enough," Cook said. "We
will use the next three weeks to convince the Serbs and to convince the Albanians that the
agreement is a good bargain for both sides."
He said that the draft peace accord presented to both the Yugoslav and ethnic Albanian
delegations at the Rambouillet talks was "a good bargain" for both sides.
The proposal calls for a "self-governing Kosova" and would "protect the
integrity of the federal republic of Yugoslavia and the rights of the Serb community in
Kosova," Cook said.
Under the proposal of the Contact Group, ethnic Albanians would have their own assemblies
and courts and there would be a multiethnic police force, peace mediators said.
Shortly after the conclusion of the talks, Serb leaders began to distance themselves from
the partial accord, with some branding it a "failure."
"The conclusions are a camouflage for the lack of success at this conference,"
Serbian President Milan Milutinovic told a news conference late Tuesday, seven hours after
the talks ended.
U.S. President Bill Clinton warned the Serbs must drop their opposition to the NATO force,
saying "the Serbs should be prepared to return to the negotiations on March 15 with a
commitment to sign the full agreement."
NATO has threatened to launch airstrikes against Yugoslavia if the Serbs are blamed for
scuttling a Kosova peace deal.
Military action appeared unlikely following the partial accord, but Albright said that
NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana retains authority to attack Serb targets if the Serbs
violate a cease-fire or refuse, in the end, to agree to NATO peacekeepers.
Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Avdeyev hailed the progress of the talks,
calling it a victory for common sense.
"We warded off the threat of airstrikes. It is very important that we somehow found
the path to a continued (peace) process on the basis of the Russian principles,"
Avdeyev said.
Fierce gun battle in Kosova
The lack of a firm agreement raised fears of renewed violence in Kosova in the coming
weeks.
A fierce gunfight erupted Tuesday when Serb mourners, gathering under police escort in the
home of a man killed Monday by the rebel Kosova Liberation Army (KLA), came under fire
from the KLA. Five policemen were wounded.
The mourners and police were trapped inside for more than an hour, an Associated Press
photographer said.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, watching from a
nearby hill, said the Yugoslav army sent in reinforcements, including a tank, an
anti-aircraft gun and dozens of soldiers.
Contact Group statement on Kosova peace conference
Text of the conclusions of the six-nation Contact Group on the Kosova peace conference,
issued Tuesday:
Kosova: Rambouillet Accords Co-Chairmen's Conclusions
1. Contact Group Ministers met in Rambouillet on 23 February at the end of more than two
weeks of intensive efforts to reach an agreement on substantial autonomy for Kosova, while
respecting the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia.
2. Ministers noted the historic nature of the Rambouillet Conference, which launched a
process on the basis of the principles and basic elements adopted by the Contact Group in
London on 29 January, bringing together those long divided by deep and bitter differences.
3. These have been complex and difficult negotiations, as we expected. The important
efforts of the parties and the unstinting commitment of our negotiators Ambassadors
(Christopher) Hill, (EU envoy Wolfgang) Petritsch and (Russia's Boris) Mayorsky, have led
to a consensus on substantial autonomy for Kosova, including on mechanisms for free and
fair elections to democratic institutions for the governance of Kosova, for the protection
of human rights and the rights of members of national communities; and for the
establishment of a fair judicial system.
4. A political framework is now in place, as set out in the Rambouillet Accords, and the
groundwork has thereby been laid for finalizing the implementation Chapters of the
Agreement, including the modalities of the invited international civilian and military
presence in Kosova. In this spirit, the parties committed themselves to attend a
conference, covering all aspects of implementation in France on 15 March, following
consultations with the parties and relevant international organizations. We are determined
to monitor closely that this commitment is fully respected, in order to complete the
Rambouillet process.
5. The parties must abstain from any action which would undermine the achievements of
Rambouillet. In particular, we expect the parties to honor fully and immediately the
cease-fire which should be in place throughout Kosova, to abstain from all provocative
actions and to abide fully by their commitments of October 1998 and to comply with the
relevant Security Council Resolutions. We fully support the mission and personnel of the
OSCE's Kosova Verification Mission, and we insist that the parties provide for the
security of the KVM and other international personnel, for which they will be held
responsible.
6. We pledge ourselves to work together to achieve a settlement meeting the legitimate
aspirations of all the people of Kosova. Only such a settlement can create the conditions
in which a humanitarian catastrophe can be avoided. Those who prevent the completion of
the interim agreement for Kosova or who provoke further hostilities or who threaten the
security of KVM will be held fully accountable for their actions.
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