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Article I: General Obligations
1.The Parties to this Agreement reaffirm the document presented by President
Ahtisaari to President Milosevic and
approved by the Serb Parliament and the Federal Government on June 3, 1999,
to include deployment in
Kosovo under UN auspices of effective international civil and security
presences. The Parties further note that the
UN Security Council is prepared to adopt a resolution, which has been introduced,
regarding these presences.
2.The State Governmental authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
and the Republic of Serbia understand
and agree that the international security force ("KFOR") will deploy following
the adoption of the UNSCR
referred to in paragraph 1 and operate without hindrance within Kosovo
and with the authority to take all
necessary action to establish and maintain a secure environment for all
citizens of Kosovo and otherwise carry out
its mission. They further agree to comply with all of the obligations of
this Agreement and to facilitate the
deployment and operation of this force.
3.For purposes of the agreement, the following expressions shall have the meanings as described below:
1."The Parties" are those signatories to the Agreement.
2."Authorities" means the appropriate responsible individual, agency, or organisation of the Parties.
3."FRY Forces" includes all of the FRY and Republic of Serbia personnel
and organisations with a military
capability. This includes regular army and naval forces, armed civilian
groups, associated paramilitary
groups, air forces, national guards, border police, army reserves, military
police, intelligence services,
federal and Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs local, special, riot and
anti-terrorist police, and any other
groups or individuals so designated by the international security force
("KFOR") commander.
4.The Air Safety Zone (ASZ) is defined as a 25-kilometre zone that extends
beyond the Kosovo province
border into the rest of FRY territory. It includes the airspace above that
25-kilometre zone.
5.The Ground Safety Zone (GSZ) is defined as a 5-kilometre zone that extends
beyond the Kosovo
province border into the rest of FRY territory. It includes the terrain
within that 5-kilometre zone.
6.Entry into Force Day (EIF Day) is defined as the day this Agreement is signed.
4.The purposes of these obligations are as follows:
1.To establish a durable cessation of hostilities, under no circumstances
shall any Forces of the FRY and the
Republic of Serbia enter into, reenter, or remain within the territory
of Kosovo or the Ground Safety Zone
(GSZ) and the Air Safety Zone (ASZ) described in paragraph 3. Article I
without the prior express
consent of the international security force ("KFOR") commander. Local police
will be allowed to remain in
the GSZ.
The above paragraph is without prejudice to the agreed return of FRY and
Serbian personnel which will be
the subject of a subsequent separate agreement as provided for in paragraph
6 of the document mentioned
in paragraph 1 of this Article.
2.To provide for the support and authorization of the international security
force ("KFOR") and in particular
to authorize the international security force ("KFOR") to take such actions
as are required, including the
use of necessary force, to ensure compliance with this Agreement and protection
of the international
security force ("KFOR"), and to contribute to a secure environment for
the international civil
implementation presence, and other international organisations, agencies,
and non-governmental
organisations (details in Appendix B).
Article II: Cessation of Hostilities
1.The FRY Forces shall immediately, upon entry into force (EIF) of this
Agreement, refrain from committing any
hostile or provocative acts of any type against any person in Kosovo and
will order armed forces to cease all
such activities. They shall not encourage, organise or support hostile
or provocative demonstrations.
2.Phased Withdrawal of FRY Forces (ground): The FRY agrees to a phased
withdrawal of all FRY Forces from
Kosovo to locations in Serbia outside Kosovo. FRY Forces will mark and
clear minefields, booby traps and
obstacles. As they withdraw, FRY Forces will clear all lines of communication
by removing all mines, demolitions,
booby traps, obstacles and charges. They will also mark all sides of all
minefields. International security forces'
("KFOR") entry and deployment into Kosovo will be synchronized. The phased
withdrawal of FRY Forces from
Kosovo will be in accordance with the sequence outlined below:
1.By EIF + 1 day, FRY Forces located in Zone 3 will have vacated, via designated
routes, that Zone to
demonstrate compliance (depicted on the map at Appendix A to the Agreement).
Once it is verified that
FRY forces have complied with this subparagraph and with paragraph 1 of
this Article, NATO air strikes
will be suspended. The suspension will continue provided that the obligations
of this agreement are fully
complied with, and provided that the UNSC adopts a resolution concerning
the deployment of the
international security force ("KFOR") so rapidly that a security gap can
be avoided.
2.By EIF + 6 days, all FRY Forces in Kosovo will have vacated Zone 1 (depicted
on the map at Appendix
A to the Agreement). Establish liaison teams with the KFOR commander in
Pristina.
3.By EIF + 9 days, all FRY Forces in Kosovo will have vacated Zone 2 (depicted
on the map at Appendix
A to the Agreement).
4.By EIF + 11 days, all FRY Forces in Kosovo will have vacated Zone 3 (depicted
on the map at Appendix
A to the Agreement).
5.By EIF +11 days, all FRY Forces in Kosovo will have completed their withdrawal
from Kosovo (depicted
on map at Appendix A to the Agreement) to locations in Serbia outside Kosovo,
and not within the 5 km
GSZ. At the end of the sequence (EIF + 11), the senior FRY Forces commanders
responsible for the
withdrawing forces shall confirm in writing to the international security
force ("KFOR") commander that the
FRY Forces have complied and completed the phased withdrawal. The international
security force
("KFOR") commander may approve specific requests for exceptions to the
phased withdrawal. The
bombing campaign will terminate on complete withdrawal of FRY Forces as
provided under Article II. The
international security force ("KFOR") shall retain, as necessary, authority
to enforce compliance with this
Agreement.
6.The authorities of the FRY and the Republic of Serbia will co-operate
fully with international security force
("KFOR") in its verification of the withdrawal of forces from Kosovo and
beyond the ASZ/GSZ.
7.FRY armed forces withdrawing in accordance with Appendix A, i.e. in designated
assembly areas or
withdrawing on designated routes, will not be subject to air attack.
8.The international security force ("KFOR") will provide appropriate control
of the borders of FRY in
Kosovo with Albania and FYROM (1) until the arrival of the civilian mission
of the UN.
3.Phased Withdrawal of Yugoslavia Air and Air Defence Forces (YAADF)
1.At EIF + 1 day, no FRY aircraft, fixed wing and rotary, will fly in Kosovo
airspace or over the ASZ
without prior approval by the international security force ("KFOR") commander.
All air defence systems,
radar, surface-to-air missile and aircraft of the Parties will refrain
from acquisition, target tracking or
otherwise illuminating international security ("KFOR") air platforms operating
in the Kosovo airspace or
over the ASZ.
2.By EIF + 3 days, all aircraft, radars, surface-to-air missiles (including
man-portable air defence systems
(MANPADS)) and anti-aircraft artillery in Kosovo will withdraw to other
locations in Serbia outside the
25 kilometre ASZ.
3.The international security force ("KFOR") commander will control and
coordinate use of airspace over
Kosovo and the ASZ commencing at EIF. Violation of any of the provisions
above, including the
international security force ("KFOR") commander's rules and procedures
governing the airspace over
Kosovo, as well as unauthorised flight or activation of FRY Integrated
Air Defence (IADS) within the
ASZ, are subject to military action by the international security force
("KFOR"), including the use of
necessary force. The international security force ("KFOR") commander may
delegate control of normal
civilian air activities to appropriate FRY institutions to monitor operations,
deconflict international security
force ("KFOR") air traffic movements, and ensure smooth and safe operations
of the air traffic system. It is
envisioned that control of civil air traffic will be returned to civilian
authorities as soon as practicable.
Article III: Notifications
1. This agreement and written orders requiring compliance will be immediately communicated to all FRY forces.
2. By EIF +2 days, the State governmental authorities of the FRY and the
Republic of Serbia shall furnish the
following specific information regarding the status of all FRY Forces:
1.Detailed records, positions and descriptions of all mines, unexploded
ordnance, explosive devices,
demolitions, obstacles, booby traps, wire entanglement, physical or military
hazards to the safe movement
of any personnel in Kosovo laid by FRY Forces.
2.Any further information of a military or security nature about FRY Forces
in the territory of Kosovo and
the GSZ and ASZ requested by the international security force ("KFOR")
commander.
Article IV: Establishment of a Joint Implementation Commission (JIC)
A JIC shall be established with the deployment of the international security
force ("KFOR") to Kosovo as
directed by the international security force ("KFOR") commander.
Article V: Final Authority to Interpret
The international security force ("KFOR") commander is the final authority
regarding interpretation of this
Agreement and the security aspects of the peace settlement it supports.
His determinations are binding on all
Parties and persons.
Article VI: Entry Into Force
This agreement shall enter into force upon signature.
Appendices:
A. Phased withdrawal of FRY Forces from Kosovo
B. International security force ("KFOR") operations
1.Consistent with the general obligations of the Military Technical Agreement,
the State Governmental authorities of
the FRY and the Republic of Serbia understand and agree that the international
security force ("KFOR") will
deploy and operate without hindrance within Kosovo and with the authority
to take all necessary action to
establish and maintain a secure environment for all citizens of Kosovo.
2.The international security force ("KFOR") commander shall have the authority,
without interference or permission,
to do all that he judges necessary and proper, including the use of military
force, to protect the international
security force ("KFOR"), the international civil implementation presence,
and to carry out the responsibilities
inherent in this Military Technical Agreement and the Peace Settlement
which it supports.
3.The international security force ("KFOR") nor any of its personnel or
staff shall be liable for any damages to
public or private property that they may cause in the course of duties
related to the implementation of this
Agreement. The parties will agree a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) as
soon as possible.
4.The international security force ("KFOR") shall have the right:
1.To monitor and ensure compliance with this Agreement and to respond promptly
to any violations and
restore compliance, using military force if required.
This includes necessary actions to:
1.Enforce withdrawals of FRY forces.
2.Enforce compliance following the return of selected FRY personnel to Kosovo
3.Provide assistance to other international entities involved in the implementation
or otherwise
authorised by the UNSC.
2.To establish liaison arrangements with local Kosovo authorities, and
with FRY/Serbian civil and military
authorities.
3.To observe, monitor and inspect any and all facilities or activities
in Kosovo that the international security
force ("KFOR") commander believes has or may have military or police capability,
or may be associated
with the employment of military or police capabilities, or are otherwise
relevant to compliance with this
Agreement.
5.Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Parties understand
and agree that the international
security force ("KFOR") commander has the right and is authorised to compel
the removal, withdrawal, or
relocation of specific Forces and weapons, and to order the cessation of
any activities whenever the international
security force ("KFOR") commander determines a potential threat to either
the international security force
("KFOR") or its mission, or to another Party. Forces failing to redeploy,
withdraw, relocate, or to cease
threatening or potentially threatening activities following such a demand
by the international security force
("KFOR") shall be subject to military action by the international security
force ("KFOR"), including the use of
necessary force, to ensure compliance.
10 June 1999
RESOLUTION 1244 (1999)
Adopted by the Security Council at its 4011th meeting, on 10 June 1999
The Security Council,
Bearing in mind the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations, and the primary responsibility of the Security
Council for the maintenance of international peace and security,
Recalling its resolutions 1160 (1998) of 31 March 1998, 1199 (1998)
of 23 September 1998, 1203 (1998) of 24 October
1998 and 1239 (1999) of 14 May 1999,
Regretting that there has not been full compliance with the requirements of these resolutions,
Determined to resolve the grave humanitarian situation in Kosovo, Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia, and to provide for the safe
and free return of all refugees and displaced persons to their homes,
Condemning all acts of violence against the Kosovo population as well as all terrorist acts by any party,
Recalling the statement made by the Secretary-General on 9 April 1999,
expressing concern at the humanitarian tragedy taking
place in Kosovo,
Reaffirming the right of all refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes in safety,
Recalling the jurisdiction and the mandate of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia,
Welcoming the general principles on a political solution to the Kosovo
crisis adopted on 6 May 1999 (S/1999/516, annex 1 to
this resolution) and welcoming also the acceptance by the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia of the principles set forth in points 1
to 9 of the paper presented in Belgrade on 2 June 1999 (S/1999/649,
annex 2 to this resolution), and the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia's agreement to that paper,
Reaffirming the commitment of all Member States to the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia and the other States of the region, as set out in the Helsinki
Final Act and annex 2,
Reaffirming the call in previous resolutions for substantial autonomy and meaningful self-administration for Kosovo,
Determining that the situation in the region continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security,
Determined to ensure the safety and security of international personnel
and the implementation by all concerned of their
responsibilities under the present resolution, and acting for these
purposes under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United
Nations,
1. Decides that a political solution to the Kosovo crisis shall be based
on the general principles in annex 1 and as further
elaborated in the principles and other required elements in annex 2;
2. Welcomes the acceptance by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia of
the principles and other required elements referred to in
paragraph 1 above, and demands the full cooperation of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia in their rapid implementation;
3. Demands in particular that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia put
an immediate and verifiable end to violence and
repression in Kosovo, and begin and complete verifiable phased withdrawal
from Kosovo of all military, police and paramilitary
forces according to a rapid timetable, with which the deployment of
the international security presence in Kosovo will be
synchronized;
4. Confirms that after the withdrawal an agreed number of Yugoslav and
Serb military and police personnel will be permitted to
return to Kosovo to perform the functions in accordance with annex
2;
5. Decides on the deployment in Kosovo, under United Nations auspices,
of international civil and security presences, with
appropriate equipment and personnel as required, and welcomes the agreement
of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to such
presences;
6. Requests the Secretary-General to appoint, in consultation with the
Security Council, a Special Representative to control the
implementation of the international civil presence, and further requests
the Secretary-General to instruct his Special
Representative to coordinate closely with the international security
presence to ensure that both presences operate towards the
same goals and in a mutually supportive manner;
7. Authorizes Member States and relevant international organizations
to establish the international security presence in Kosovo
as set out in point 4 of annex 2 with all necessary means to fulfil
its responsibilities under paragraph 9 below;
8. Affirms the need for the rapid early deployment of effective international
civil and security presences to Kosovo, and
demands that the parties cooperate fully in their deployment;
9. Decides that the responsibilities of the international security presence to be deployed and acting in Kosovo will include:
(a) Deterring renewed hostilities, maintaining and where necessary enforcing
a ceasefire, and ensuring the withdrawal and
preventing the return into Kosovo of Federal and Republic military,
police and paramilitary forces, except as provided in point
6 of annex 2;
(b) Demilitarizing the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and other armed
Kosovo Albanian groups as required in paragraph 15
below;
(c) Establishing a secure environment in which refugees and displaced
persons can return home in safety, the international civil
presence can operate, a transitional administration can be established,
and humanitarian aid can be delivered;
(d) Ensuring public safety and order until the international civil presence can take responsibility for this task;
(e) Supervising demining until the international civil presence can, as appropriate, take over responsibility for this task;
(f) Supporting, as appropriate, and coordinating closely with the work of the international civil presence;
(g) Conducting border monitoring duties as required;
(h) Ensuring the protection and freedom of movement of itself, the international
civil presence, and other international
organizations;
10. Authorizes the Secretary-General, with the assistance of relevant
international organizations, to establish an international
civil presence in Kosovo in order to provide an interim administration
for Kosovo under which the people of Kosovo can enjoy
substantial autonomy within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and
which will provide transitional administration while
establishing and overseeing the development of provisional democratic
self-governing institutions to ensure conditions for a
peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo;
11. Decides that the main responsibilities of the international civil presence will include:
(a) Promoting the establishment, pending a final settlement, of substantial
autonomy and self-government in Kosovo, taking full
account of annex 2 and of the Rambouillet accords (S/1999/648);
(b) Performing basic civilian administrative functions where and as long as required;
(c) Organizing and overseeing the development of provisional institutions
for democratic and autonomous self-government
pending a political settlement, including the holding of elections;
(d) Transferring, as these institutions are established, its administrative
responsibilities while overseeing and supporting the
consolidation of Kosovo's local provisional institutions and other
peace-building activities;
(e) Facilitating a political process designed to determine Kosovo's
future status, taking into account the Rambouillet accords
(S/1999/648);
(f) In a final stage, overseeing the transfer of authority from Kosovo's
provisional institutions to institutions established under a
political settlement;
(g) Supporting the reconstruction of key infrastructure and other economic reconstruction;
(h) Supporting, in coordination with international humanitarian organizations, humanitarian and disaster relief aid;
(i) Maintaining civil law and order, including establishing local police
forces and meanwhile through the deployment of
international police personnel to serve in Kosovo;
(j) Protecting and promoting human rights;
(k) Assuring the safe and unimpeded return of all refugees and displaced persons to their homes in Kosovo;
12. Emphasizes the need for coordinated humanitarian relief operations,
and for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to allow
unimpeded access to Kosovo by humanitarian aid organizations and to
cooperate with such organizations so as to ensure the
fast and effective delivery of international aid;
13. Encourages all Member States and international organizations to
contribute to economic and social reconstruction as well
as to the safe return of refugees and displaced persons, and emphasizes
in this context the importance of convening an
international donors' conference, particularly for the purposes set
out in paragraph 11 (g) above, at the earliest possible date;
14. Demands full cooperation by all concerned, including the international
security presence, with the International Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia;
15. Demands that the KLA and other armed Kosovo Albanian groups end
immediately all offensive actions and comply with
the requirements for demilitarization as laid down by the head of the
international security presence in consultation with the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General;
16. Decides that the prohibitions imposed by paragraph 8 of resolution
1160 (1998) shall not apply to arms and related
matériel for the use of the international civil and security presences;
17. Welcomes the work in hand in the European Union and other international
organizations to develop a comprehensive
approach to the economic development and stabilization of the region
affected by the Kosovo crisis, including the
implementation of a Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe with broad
international participation in order to further the
promotion of democracy, economic prosperity, stability and regional
cooperation;
18. Demands that all States in the region cooperate fully in the implementation of all aspects of this resolution;
19. Decides that the international civil and security presences are
established for an initial period of 12 months, to continue
thereafter unless the Security Council decides otherwise;
20. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council at regular
intervals on the implementation of this resolution,
including reports from the leaderships of the international civil and
security presences, the first reports to be submitted within 30
days of the adoption of this resolution;
21. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
Annex 1
Statement by the Chairman on the conclusion of the meeting
of the G-8 Foreign Ministers held at the Petersberg Centre
on 6 May 1999
The G-8 Foreign Ministers adopted the following general principles on the political solution to the Kosovo crisis:
- Immediate and verifiable end of violence and repression in Kosovo;
- Withdrawal from Kosovo of military, police and paramilitary forces;
- Deployment in Kosovo of effective international civil and security presences,
endorsed and adopted by
the United Nations, capable of guaranteeing the achievement of the common
objectives;
- Establishment of an interim administration for Kosovo to be decided by
the Security Council of the United
Nations to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants
in Kosovo;
- The safe and free return of all refugees and displaced persons and unimpeded
access to Kosovo by
humanitarian aid organizations;
- A political process towards the establishment of an interim political
framework agreement providing for a
substantial self-government for Kosovo, taking full account of the Rambouillet
accords and the principles of
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
and the other countries of the
region, and the demilitarization of the KLA;
- Comprehensive approach to the economic development and stabilization
of the crisis region.
Annex 2
Agreement should be reached on the following principles to move towards a resolution of the Kosovo crisis:
1. An immediate and verifiable end of violence and repression in Kosovo.
2. Verifiable withdrawal from Kosovo of all military, police and paramilitary forces according to a rapid timetable.
3. Deployment in Kosovo under United Nations auspices of effective international
civil and security presences, acting as may
be decided under Chapter VII of the Charter, capable of guaranteeing
the achievement of common objectives.
4. The international security presence with substantial North Atlantic
Treaty Organization participation must be deployed under
unified command and control and authorized to establish a safe environment
for all people in Kosovo and to facilitate the safe
return to their homes of all displaced persons and refugees.
5. Establishment of an interim administration for Kosovo as a part of
the international civil presence under which the people of
Kosovo can enjoy substantial autonomy within the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, to be decided by the Security Council of
the United Nations. The interim administration to provide transitional
administration while establishing and overseeing the
development of provisional democratic self-governing institutions to
ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all
inhabitants in Kosovo.
6. After withdrawal, an agreed number of Yugoslav and Serbian personnel
will be permitted to return to perform the following
functions:
- Liaison with the international civil mission and the international security presence;
- Marking/clearing minefields;
- Maintaining a presence at Serb patrimonial sites;
- Maintaining a presence at key border crossings.
7. Safe and free return of all refugees and displaced persons under
the supervision of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees and unimpeded access to Kosovo by humanitarian
aid organizations.
8. A political process towards the establishment of an interim political
framework agreement providing for substantial
self-government for Kosovo, taking full account of the Rambouillet
accords and the principles of sovereignty and territorial
integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the other countries
of the region, and the demilitarization of UCK.
Negotiations between the parties for a settlement should not delay
or disrupt the establishment of democratic self-governing
institutions.
9. A comprehensive approach to the economic development and stabilization
of the crisis region. This will include the
implementation of a stability pact for South-Eastern Europe with broad
international participation in order to further promotion
of democracy, economic prosperity, stability and regional cooperation.
10. Suspension of military activity will require acceptance of the principles
set forth above in addition to agreement to other,
previously identified, required elements, which are specified in the
footnote below.1 A military-technical agreement will then be
rapidly concluded that would, among other things, specify additional
modalities, including the roles and functions of
Yugoslav/Serb personnel in Kosovo:
Withdrawal
- Procedures for withdrawals, including the phased, detailed schedule and
delineation of a buffer area in
Serbia beyond which forces will be withdrawn;
Returning personnel
- Equipment associated with returning personnel;
- Terms of reference for their functional responsibilities;
- Timetable for their return;
- Delineation of their geographical areas of operation;
- Rules governing their relationship to the international security presence and the international civil mission.
Notes
1 Other required elements:
- A rapid and precise timetable for withdrawals, meaning, e.g., seven days
to complete
withdrawal and air defence weapons withdrawn outside a 25 kilometre mutual
safety zone
within 48 hours;
- Return of personnel for the four functions specified above will be under
the supervision of
the international security presence and will be limited to a small agreed
number (hundreds, not
thousands);
- Suspension of military activity will occur after the beginning of verifiable withdrawals;
- The discussion and achievement of a military-technical agreement shall
not extend the
previously determined time for completion of withdrawals.
PRISTINA, March 30, 2000 (KFOR)
A report
from Multinational Brigade (MNB) Center indicated a
possible incursion by two Yugoslav
Army (VJ) vehicles into the Ground
Safety Zone (GSZ) on the afternoon
of 25 March. In order to verify
the report, representatives of the
Joint Implementation Commission
(JIC), accompanied by KFOR troops,
entered the GSZ yesterday
afternoon.
They were
acting within KFOR's mandate and in accordance with
the Military Technical Agreement
(MTA). The observers, who had linked
up at the boundary with the FRY
JIC representatives, were looking for
signs of previous movement in the
GSZ such as tank tracks and
disturbance of undergrowth.
No conclusive evidence was found.
PRISTINA, March 31, 2000 (Reuters)
British
troops in Kosovo crossed into Serbia proper on a mission
to investigate a report that Yugoslav
military vehicles had been in a
forbidden boundary zone, NATO-led
peacekeepers said on Thursday.
The KFOR
force said the troops led by Brigadier General Richard
Shirreff, commander of the British-led
central military sector in
Kosovo, had accompanied a group
of expert observers on Wednesday into
the so-called Ground Safety Zone.
While KFOR
was publicly keen to give the mission a fairly low
profile, officers acknowledged privately
it was intended as something
of a show of force to make clear
that the peacekeepers would not
tolerate incursions into the zone.
Under the
agreement governing the withdrawal of Yugoslav Serb
forces from Kosovo after NATO's
bombing campaign last year, local
Serb police are the only security
personnel allowed within the
five-km (three-mile) buffer zone
on the Serbian side.
Flight Lieutenant
Rob Hannam, a press officer for British
forces, said the mission had been
arranged to verify a report by
Czech troops earlier this week that
a Yugoslav Army tank and armored
personnel carrier may have been
inside the zone.
The observers
found tracks which appeared to belong to at least
one heavy-duty vehicle and photographs
of the tracks were now being
evaluated, Hannam said.
KOSOVO, April 01, 2000 (I-Net)
Spokesman
of Chief commander of NATO forces in Europe, colonel
Conrad Freithag, said that forces
of KFOR has no intention, under any
circumstances, to get across of
Kosovo borders and to intervene
against Albanian terrorists at south
of Serbia.
BACK TO TITLES
BACK TO DOUBLE STANDARDS
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Yugoslavia, March 17 (AFP) - US General
Ricardo
Sanchez made it clear at this base Friday that his troops would not
intervene in southern Serbia, where ethnic Albanian extremists and
Serb police are ratcheting up tension.
Sanchez said the mandate of US forces with the NATO-led
peacekeeping force KFOR, which he commands, ended at the boundary
between Kosovo and the Ground Security Zone (GSZ) that extends five
kilometers (three miles) into Serbia.
"KFOR and the United States forces do not have any authority
to
operate in the Ground Safety Zone," he told reporters after a
briefing on the US air and ground operation Wednesday that seized
weapons, ammunition, and military equipment at five sites close to
the boundary, including one he said appeared to be a staging and
training zone.
Tension in the Presevo Valley, which is divided from the
US
sector in eastern Kosovo by aline of hills, has risen due to
attacks by Albanian extremists and increased pressure by Serb
interior ministry police (MUP).
The mayor of an Albanian community in Serbia near the
boundary
accused police Friday of using "low-intensity tension" to drive
ethnic Albanians from the region.
In Pristina, a spokesman for the UN High Commission for
Refugees
(UNHCR) said Albanians from the city of Presevo had claimed that "a
busload of MUP policemen arrived in the town and at least one person
told us that children are not attending school because they are
nervous about the increased MUP patrols in the area."
Nevertheless, over the past week or so, the number of
people
entering Serbia exceeded those coming into Kosovo in the sector by
around 200, Peter Kessler said.
General Sanchez said that his forces would assist refugees
if
needed, but stressed "there will be absolutely no safe haven in
Multinational Brigade East's area for any violence that is being
exported into Presevo or extended back into Kosovo."
He described the so-called Liberation Army of Presevo,
Medvedja,
and Bujanovac (UCPMB) as being in its "infant stages in the Presevo
Valley," and said that the overall organization of the entire
insurgent effort "is still in the developing stages."
The UN's mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) indicated Friday that
Serbs
were leaving their villages near the southeastern city of Gnjilane
due to harrassment and pressure from refugees who had fled the
Presevo Valley.
The UNHCR believes that between 5,000 and 6,000 ethnic
Albanians
have deserted the three main towns in the southern Serb valley.
UNMIK spokeswoman Susan Manuel said police had reported
Serbs
leaving villages in Kosovo, adding "they say this is primarily due
to a series of attacks against Serbs in the region."
Kessler pointed out that the border was open, with UN
shuttle
buses passing back and forth, and that people also preferred to
visit doctors and family and do their shopping in the region most
hospitable to their ethnic origins.
General Sanchez admitted "there is still a steady pressure
on
local minorities" in Kosovo and said KFOR had arrested three former
members of the now-disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) for
harassment, and were looking for three others.
He said that Serbs in the region were glad the US forces
had
pounced on the Albanian extremists, adding "it clearly shows them
that we are in fact even-handed."
Sanchez said it was very hard to know if the insurgent
groups
had much support among Albanian Kosovars in general.
"It is extremely difficult for us to break the walls of
silence
that exist in this society," he noted.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/apr2000/koso-a07.shtml
World Socialist Web Site
By Chris Marsden
7 April 2000
US troops engaged in pitched battles Tuesday with
local Serbs in the village of Sevce. Sevce is located
in Serbia proper—beyond the border of the
predominantly ethnic Albanian province of Kosovo,
which became a virtual NATO protectorate following the
military bombardment of Serbia last year—and near the
Montenegro border.
A combined force of US military police and Polish
troops entered the village to search the home of a man
they had arrested for possession of illegal weapons.
They were trapped after villagers pulled logs across
the only road out.
Fighting broke out and the military police called for
reinforcements. They abandoned their vehicles and fled
the village through a narrow canyon leading to the
neighbouring village of Jacinze. From above, the
retreating troops were pelted with rocks all along the
mile and a half length of the canyon.
At Jacinze, a strengthened military force of 220
battled with local Serbs, firing baton rounds and stun
grenades and unleashing dogs. The US military said 11
of its troops were injured. A Serb woman managed to
drag the arrested man to safety.
The independent Yugoslav news agency, Beta, said 14
Serbs were hurt, including 10 who were struck by
rubber bullets at Jacinze. It placed the number of
Serbs involved in setting up the barricades and
opposing the US incursion at several thousand, coming
from the villages of Gotovusa, Jazince, Sevce and
Strpce. US army spokesman Captain Russell Berg denied
that the dogs had been unleashed on the protesters.
"The dogs were unmuzzled but kept on leashes," he
said.
This is only the latest open conflict between NATO
forces and Serbs. Up until now Mitrovica, situated in
northern Kosovo, has been the principal centre of such
conflicts. The town is the largest remaining enclave
of Serbs (16,000) and is divided into Serbian and
Albanian areas. (Since NATO took control of Kosovo
there has been an exodus of two-thirds of the
province's 300,000 Serbian population out of fear of
attacks by ethnic Albanians). But the focus is now
shifting beyond the borders of Kosovo.
Tuesday's battle took place in the
three-and-a-half-mile zone established around Kosovo's
border, which the Serbian army is prevented from
entering. This zone encompasses the Presevo Valley in
southeastern Serbia, where up to 70,000 ethnic
Albanians live. It has been targeted by the Albanian
separatist Kosovo Liberation Army, with the aim of
destabilising the region and eventually securing its
integration with Kosovo within a greater Albania.
KLA guerrillas, calling themselves the Liberation Army
for Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac (UCPMB), seized
effective control of some villages in the Presevo
Valley and have targeted Serbian police for attack. An
agreement brokered by US diplomats with KLA leader
Hashim Thaci last month has never been adhered to and
Albanian paramilitaries have continued operations
inside Serbia.
At the end of last month, the US dispatched an
additional contingent of 125 soldiers to help monitor
the border area. Defense Secretary William Cohen
ordered the army to send fourteen tanks and six 155mm
artillery guns to a 1st Armored Division company in
Skopje, Macedonia as a further deterrent to Albanian
operations. The State Department has issued an
official warning to Albanians in Kosovo to avoid
provocative acts in the Presevo Valley.
So far, however, nothing practical has been done to
prevent KLA operations in Serbia. Instead, on March 28
around two dozen NATO forces crossed into the border
zone for the first time to check on earlier reported
sightings of a Yugoslavian Army (Serbian) tank and an
armoured personnel carrier. This was NATO's first
major incursion into the border zone. Tuesday's raid
on Sevce was the second.
Special report: Serbia
Saturday August 12, 2000
The Guardian
Serbian soldiers made a probing incursion into Kosovo two weeks ago
in
the worst breach yet of the agreement that ended Nato's bombing campaign
last year, the US forces newspaper, Stars and Stripes, said yesterday.
US forces scrambled Apache helicopters to confront the group of armed
and uniformed Serbs in two all-terrain vehicles who retreated across
the
dividing line between Kosovo and the rest of Serbia, the paper said.
The incident took place on July 28 in the mountains of eastern Kosovo,
near Serbia's Presevo valley, where there have been clashes between
Serbian police and a group of ethnic Albanians seeking independence
from
Belgrade.
Shortly after the alleged incursion, peacekeepers said they had stepped
up security in the Presevo area to try to stop the ethnic Albanian
UCPMB
group from operating. US forces had reported seeing mortar fire and
other military activity.
Officials of the US military contingent that patrols the area refused
to
respond to questions about the incident and Nato spokesman Major Craig
Snow in Pristina said he could not confirm that Serbian forces had
crossed into Kosovo. "We've not been commenting on specific incidents,"
Maj Snow said.
Serb army and police units pulled out of Kosovo in July last year as
part of an agreement that ended Nato's 78-day bombing campaign of
Serb-dominated Yugoslavia.
The Serb incursion, if confirmed, would be regarded by Nato as a test
of
its commitment to control the movement of UCPMB guerrillas who operate
out of Kosovo and have been trying the patience of the Serb military
in
Presevo.
Reuters, Pristina
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