Humanitarian Catastrophe Grows in 1998

In 1998, clashes between Kosovo Albanian rebels and Serbian police and military forces became more and more serious. Increasingly the Serbian side used excessive force against the Albanian civilian population, destroying villages and driving people from their homes. As far back as March 31, 1998, the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1160 condemning such actions by Serbian authorities in Kosovo.

In response to the June 16 Moscow declaration by Serbian President Milosevic and Russian President Yeltsin, the United States, Russia, and member states of the European Union established on July 6 the Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM) to monitor and report on the security situation and the welfare of the people there. By September 1998, however, there was a full-blown humanitarian crisis in Kosovo.

At its peak, international relief organizations reported that an estimated 300,000 internally displaced Kosovars had fled their homes. Sixty thousand of them were forced to live in the open without shelter. The rapid onset of winter weather made it likely many would die of exposure in the fields and forests where they were hiding. An immense catastrophe was threatening, and the situation was worsening every day. 

International Community Intervenes: KVM

Faced with this imminent catastrophe, the international community acted. The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1199 on September 23, 1998, demanding that all parties immediately cease hostilities in Kosovo and enter into a meaningful dialogue leading to a negotiated political solution. 

To enforce compliance with this resolution and avert the death of thousands, NATO declared it would launch air strikes against Serbia if it did not comply with the United Nations resolution. This air strike was averted only by a last minute agreement between President Milosevic and special U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke calling for Milosevic to halt the military offensive in Kosovo, comply with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1199 and accept OSCE and NATO verification missions.

Following the Holbrooke-Milosevic agreement, Generals Clark (American) and Naumann(German), on behalf of NATO, concluded an agreement with Milosevic authorizing unarmed NATO aircraft to conduct aerial surveillance over Kosovo. In addition, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), representing 54 states, entered into an agreement with Milosevic that would establish the Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM), composed of at least 2,000 unarmed verifiers from the member states.

Noting the Belgrade regime's withdrawal of special police units and heavy weaponry from Kosovo, NATO called off the threatened air strikes.

Under these various agreements Serbia agreed to:

• cease hostilities and withdraw forces used in the repression of civilians in Kosovo
• improve the humanitarian situation, permit free access for humanitarian organizations, and facilitate the return of refugees and displaced persons
• cooperate with the international war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
• enter into a meaningful dialogue on a political solution for Kosovo
• provide security and freedom of movement for international monitors in Kosovo

Despite Agreements, Humanitarian Situation Worsens

In the three months from the end of October 1998 to the end of January 1999, the KVM, with participants from many OSCE member states, established itself in Kosovo, patrolling the roads unarmed, in bright orange vehicles. Relief organizations labored to provide shelter, food, and medical services. There were cease-fire violations on both sides, but by far the most serious were committed by the Serbs.

Despite the efforts of the international community, the situation deteriorated rapidly and, by late January, Kosovo again faced a humanitarian crisis. Another twenty thousand individuals were displaced from their homes, and the number was growing rapidly.

A massacre of 45 unarmed ethnic Albanian civilians by Serbian forces in the village of Racak on January 15, 1999, symbolized Serbia's flagrant non-compliance with the international agreements designed to secure peace in Kosovo. 

After the Racak massacre, Serbian authorities attempted to eject the head of the Kosovo OSCE mission, Ambassador William Walker; they also refused to permit Louise Arbour, head of the International War Crimes Tribunal for Yugoslavia, into the FRY. 

Agreements Violations Documented

The OSCE's Kosovo Verification Mission extensively documented the failure by the Belgrade regime (and, to a lesser extent, by the Kosovar Albanians) ever to fully comply with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1199 or to maintain a cease-fire. Among the OSCE's major findings:

• Serbian authorities were not complying with the Resolution's call to cease all actions by security forces against the civilian population and to withdraw security units used for civilian repression
• Serbian authorities were not complying with their promise to cooperate fully with the international war crimes tribunal
• Serbian authorities were violating their cease-fire agreement with NATO by using disproportionate police force against Kosovar Albanians and by not keeping most FRY military units in garrison
• The Kosovo Liberation Army was conducting unprovoked attacks on Serbian security forces and the FRY military in Kosovo
• Neither side was maintaining the cease-fire in Kosovo nor entering into meaningful dialogue to reach a settlement

International Community Heightens Response to Kosovo Crisis

After the Racak massacre, the international community increased its efforts to stop the violence in Kosovo and avoid more widespread bloodshed. The U.S. and Russian governments issued a statement calling for compliance with previous agreements. The Contact Group -- the United States, Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Italy -- called for negotiations between the Serbs and Kosovar Albanians, specifying deadlines to initiate and conclude the negotiations. NATO supported the Contact Group's initiative and issued a warning that it would take military action in the absence of compliance. 

The Rambouillet and Paris Talks

On February 6, 1999, peace talks finally opened in Rambouillet, France. After heated deliberations, the Serbs refused to allow NATO ground forces in Kosovo and left without signing an agreement. The ethnic Albanians agreed in principle to signing the entire accord, but requested time to consult with Kosovar Albanians at home. Both sides agreed to meet again in France on March 15 for further negotiations.

Throughout this period, the conflict intensified in Kosovo. President Milosevic continued a build-up of military forces in the province and the number of displaced persons increased dramatically. UNHCR estimated that nearly 400,000 Kosovars (almost one fifth of Kosovo's population) had been displaced by the time of the Paris talks.

When both sides met again in Paris in March, the Serbs no longer supported even the political portion of the proposal. Only the Albanian delegation signed the agreement . Despite strong appeals by the international community and a last minute warning delivered personally to Milosevic by special U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke, the Yugoslavs refused to accept the diplomatic settlement. Milosevic's intransigence ultimately forced NATO to take military action.