1989
Pressured by Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, the Kosovo Assembly abolishes the
province's autonomous status. Serbia suppresses Albanian cultural institutions in Kosovo.
1990
Serbia dissolves the Kosovo assembly. Ethnic Albanian legislators in the province
declare a republic.
1991
Tens of thousands of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo lose their jobs. In a secret
referendum, the Republic of Kosovo is created, which only Albania's Parliament recognizes.
1992
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (S.F.R.Y.) breaks up. Wars break out in
the former republics of Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina; in the latter two,
Serbs ethnically cleanse and seize control of significant parts of the country. In
response, the international community imposes sanctions on Yugoslavia. The United States
recognizes the independence of the former Yugoslav republics and refuses to accept rump
Yugoslavia as the successor state.
In defiance of the Serbian authorities, ethnic Albanians elect writer Ibrahim Rugova as
president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosova and set up a provincial assembly.
Serbia declares the election to be illegal. The Kosovo Albanians begin non-violent
resistance to the oppressive rule from Belgrade.
1996
Although established some years earlier, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) now appears
on the scene in a visible way, claiming responsibility for a number of bombings and
attacks against Serbian police and state officials.
1997
The KLA claims responsibility for a further series of violent incidents, including
bombings, attacks on police stations, and raids on refugee camps. Serb police crush
Albanian student demonstrations in October.
1998
February-March: Serbian police conduct a series of raids in the Drenica region of
Kosovo. Houses are burned, villages emptied, and dozens of ethnic Albanians killed.
March 31: The UN Security Council adopts Resolution 1160 condemning the excessive use
of force by Serbian police force against civilians in Kosovo.
April: 95% of Serbs vote in a referendum against international mediation in Kosovo.
With the exception of Russia, the Contact Group for the Former Yugoslavia (U.S., Great
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia) agrees to re-impose some of the sanctions on
Yugoslavia that had been lifted.
May: Ambassador Richard Holbrooke goes to Belgrade and arranges the first meeting
between F.R.Y. President Slobodan Milosevic and Dr. Rugova.
May: Yugoslav President Milosevic invites Rugova for peace talks. Milosevic and Rugova
meet once. Milosevic appoints a negotiating team that goes to Pristina to begin talks. The
dialogue process breaks down following Serb offensive in Decani.
May: Special Representative Robert Gelbard meets with KLA representatives in Geneva.
May: The U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia, Christopher Hill, becomes U.S. Special Envoy to
Kosovo and begins shuttle diplomacy between Belgrade and Pristina in an attempt to
negotiate a peaceful, political settlement to the Kosovo crisis. The European Union later
names the Austrian Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Wolfgang Petritsch, as its envoy.
June 16: Milosevic travels to Moscow, where he meets with President Yeltsin of the
Russian Federation. Following the meeting, they issue a joint statement on Kosovo. Among
other things, this would permit the presence of diplomatic observers in the region.
June 23: U.S. special envoy Holbrooke meets with Milosevic in Belgrade to urge an end
to the conflict.
June 24: Holbrooke meets with KLA commanders in the Kosovo village of Junik. UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan cautions NATO that it must seek a Security Council mandate
for any military intervention.
July 6: The U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Belgrade, Richard Miles, and his Russian
counterpart launch the Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM), which begins to patrol
Kosovo in armored vehicles and to report on freedom of movement and security conditions
throughout the region.
August: The UN calls for a cease-fire after the village of Junik, a KLA stronghold,
falls into Serb hands on August 16 following a month-long offensive.
September 2: During a Clinton-Yeltsin summit meeting, Secretary of State Albright and
Russian FM Ivanov issue a joint statement on Kosovo.
September 5-7: John Shattuck, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights,
and Labor, and former Senator Bob Dole visit Kosovo to see firsthand the conditions there.
They then return to Belgrade to deliver a stern warning to Milosevic about his treatment
of prisoners and refugees in Kosovo.
September 23: The UN Security Council approves (with China abstaining) Resolution 1199,
which demands a cessation of hostilities and warns that, "should the measures
demanded in this resolution . . . not be taken . . . additional measures to maintain or
restore peace and stability in the region" will be considered.
September 24: NATO takes the first formal steps toward military intervention in Kosovo,
approving two contingency operation plans -- one for air strikes and the second for
monitoring and maintaining a cease-fire agreement if one is reached.
September 29: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees announces on September 29 that as
many as 200,000 civilians have been displaced within Kosovo since fighting began in
February. Sixty thousand of them are now living in the open without shelter. The situation
threatens to worsen with the onset of winter.
October 1: The White House urges Yugoslav President Milosevic to heed Western demands
for a cease-fire and a withdrawal of Serbian troops from Kosovo. Special UN Security
Council consultations on the Kosovo crisis begin at the initiation of the British
Government.
October 13: Ambassador Holbrooke, after nearly 10 days of negotiations in Belgrade with
Milosevic, flies to Brussels to inform the North Atlantic Council that progress has been
made. He credits pressure from the Alliance and asks that this pressure be maintained.
NATO approves an activation order ("ACTORD"), placing authority for air strikes
in the hands of the Secretary General, and says execution will begin in approximately 96
hours.
October 15: NATO Secretary General Solana travels to Belgrade to sign the agreement for
NATO forces to carry out the air verification regime to oversee Serbia's compliance with
UN Resolution 1199.
October 16: OSCE President Geremek signs an agreement that calls for 2,000 members of
the Kosovo Verification Mission to move in.
October 16: NATO extends the deadline for the "Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia" to come into compliance with terms of the accord on Kosovo, giving
President Milosevic until October 27 to honor the agreement.
October 20: NATO sends the Supreme Allied Commander (SACEUR), General Wesley Clark, to
Belgrade to deliver a message to the Yugoslav military leadership on compliance. October
24: UN Security Council Resolution 1203 is passed, which endorses the OSCE agreement and
demands full cooperation from both sides.
October 24-25: SACEUR returns to reiterate importance of compliance as deadline nears.
October 27: With hours to go before the deadline expires, 4,000 special police troops
depart Pristina in a variety of vehicles, thus bringing Serbia into compliance with the
terms of the agreements it had reached.
November: The Kosovo Verification Mission, headed by an American, Ambassador William
Walker, begins to arrive and function. Its mission quickly expands beyond verification to
trying to head off armed conflict through negotiations and mediation.
December 13: Serbs claim more than 30 ethnic Albanians are killed in a series of
engagements along the border.
December 23: The Yugoslav Army and internal security police undertake military action
near Podujevo, in northern Kosovo, along the main road linking the provincial capital
Pristina to Belgrade. The United States condemns this action.
1999
January 15: The bodies of 45 people -- presumably ethnic Albanians -- are discovered in
the village of Racak.
January 16: KVM Chief Walker attributes the Racak massacre to F.R.Y. forces. The
international community condemns the massacre.
January 18: The international community expresses outrage over the Yugoslav FM's
decision to expel Ambassador Walker following his comments on Racak. He is given 48 hours
to depart the country.
January 21: Under pressure, the Yugoslav government reconsiders and says that it is
"suspending" its declaration that Ambassador Walker is persona non grata.
He is permitted to stay.
January 21: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees notes that 20,000 people have fled
their homes since late December; 5,000 are from the Racak area alone.
January 27: Russian FM Ivanov and Secretary of State Albright meet and issue a joint
statement on Kosovo.
January 29: The six-nation contact group meets in London and gives Serbs and ethnic
Albanians an ultimatum to attend peace talks in France starting February 6. These talks
are to last one week, with the possibility of an extension to a second week if progress is
deemed to be made.
January 30: The North Atlantic Council once again agrees that the Secretary General may
authorize air strikes against targets on Yugoslav territory.
February 1: Political leaders in Kosovo say they will participate in proposed peace
talks.
February 2: A KLA spokesman says the KLA will also send representatives to the talks,
thus completing the Albanian delegation.
February 4: Following a vote in its Parliament, the Serbian government agrees to
participate in the talks.
February 6: Talks begin in Chateau Rambouillet, in France, under the auspices of the
Contact Group and the co-chairmanship of French FM Hubert Vedrine and British FM Robin
Cook. Three co-mediators representing the U.S., the European Union, and the Russian
Federation preside. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright participates actively and
in person in the final days of the talks.
February 23: After a further extension of the deadline for 3 days, the talks pause. At
the last minute, the ethnic Albanian delegation agrees in principle to sign the political
accord but says it first wants to return home to consult further. The Serbs say they
support a political agreement but charge that it was changed at the last minute to suit
the Albanian side; they continue to reject any discussions of the military annex, because
it includes a "NATO-led" peace-keeping force in Kosovo. The co-chairs announce
that talks will resume on March 15.
March 8: Senator Dole, unable to get a visa from the F.R.Y. to travel to Kosovo, goes
to Macedonia instead to meet with the Kosovo Albanian delegation in an effort to persuade
them to sign the agreement.
March 10: Ambassadors Holbrooke and Hill travel to Belgrade to urge Milosevic to accept
the interim political accord for Kosovo.
March 15: Talks resume at the Kleber Center in Paris. The ethnic Albanian delegation
signs the interim agreement proposed at last month's meetings in Rambouillet. President
Clinton encourages Milosevic to agree to the terms as well in order to avoid further
conflict and bloodshed.
March 18: The Paris peace talks are suspended, as the Serb delegation refuses to budge
and, in fact, walks back from its earlier positions at Rambouillet. In the meantime,
40,000 army (VJ) and special police (MUP) troops, roughly one-third of the F.R.Y.'s total
armed forces), and 300 tanks have massed in and around Kosovo.
March 20: The day after the Paris peace talks are suspended, Yugoslav armed units
launch an offensive, driving thousands of ethnic Albanians out of their homes and
villages, summarily executing some, displacing many others, and setting fire to many
houses.
March 21: One last diplomatic effort is made by the international community, which
sends Ambassador Holbrooke to Belgrade to deliver a "final warning" to
Milosevic.
March 23: Ambassador Holbrooke departs Belgrade in the evening, having received no
concessions of any kind from Milosevic.
March 24: NATO airstrikes began. Tens of thousands Kosovars have already fled the heavy
fighting throughout Kosovo.
March 25: The Yugoslav government breaks off diplomatic relations with the United
States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
March 27: Ethnic Albanians who have fled or been expelled from their homes in Kosovo
begin pouring into Albania and Macedonia. A U.S. F-117 stealth fighter goes down near
Belgrade but the pilot is rescued. Meanwhile, the Russian Duma adopts a resolution
condemning the NATO actions and postponing ratification of the Start II treaty.
March 29: It is reported that refugees are crossing the border from Kosovo at a rate of
4,000 per hour. In Albania there are about 60,000 refugees, half of whom had arrived in
the past 48 hours. In Montenegro, the government announces that its "technical and
political" limit of 50,000 refugees would be reached imminently.
March 30: Russian PM Primakov, FM Ivanov and DM Sergeyev hold talks with President
Milosevic in Belgrade.
April 1: Three U.S. soldiers are captured at or near the Macedonia-F.R.Y. border and
shown, bruised, on Serb television. Kosovar refugee count stands at 48,000 in Montenegro;
104,000 in Albania; and 30,500 in Macedonia.
April 3: NATO missiles strike central Belgrade for the first time and destroy the
Yugoslav and Serbian interior ministries.
April 4: An airlift is proposed to take 100,000 refugees from the front line states to
NATO countries. Macedonia agrees to camps for another 100,000.
April 6: NATO airstrikes hit the residential area of Aleksinac, killing five. F.R.Y.
declares a unilateral cease-fire to commence at 1200 EDT and last until 1800 EDT April 11.
Belgrade claims that all F.R.Y. army and police actions in Kosovo would end and that the
government would negotiate with Rugova. NATO rejects the offer, with French President
Chirac calling the proposed cease-fire indefensible without a political agreement and
security package.
April 9: Bosnia's Kosovar refugee population crosses the 31,000 mark.
April 10: F.R.Y. expels about 2,000 Kosovars from the village of Vragolja. Belgrade
warns Albania not to allow "terrorist" attacks from its territory or risk an
escalation of the war. In discussion with the OSCE, Russian FM Ivanov says that a NATO-led
Kosovo implementation force was "unrealistic" and calls for greater UN
involvement.
April 12: After reaching a compromise with Russia and Belarus, Hungary releases an aid
convoy to the F.R.Y., including some trucks supplying diesel oil. UNHCR reports that
309,000 Kosovars have fled to Albania and 119,380 are in Macedonia to date. NATO hits a
passenger train south of Belgrade, killing 30 according to the F.R.Y. NATO apologizes for
an "uncanny accident."
April 14: Germany unveils a plan for a 24-hour halt to the airstrikes to give the
F.R.Y. a chance to start pulling out of Kosovo. Russian President Yeltsin names former PM
Chernomyrdin as F.R.Y. peace envoy. NATO airstrikes hit a Kosovar civilian convoy in
Kosovo. F.R.Y. reports 64 dead.
April 15: Belgrade rules out a foreign military force in Kosovo.
April 16: Kosovar refugee exodus returns to the crisis level of 20,000 per day.
April 17: The Pentagon announces that U.S. Forces are holding a F.R.Y. POW who was
captured by the KLA.
April 18: UNHCR reports 359,000 refugees in Albania and 132,700 in Macedonia to date.
UN High Commissioner Ogata estimates that well over half a million Kosovars have now fled
to other countries since the bombing started. F.R.Y. formally charges two detained
Australian aid workers with spying on military installations.
April 20: U.S. Representative James Saxton meets with F.R.Y. FM Jovanovic in Belgrade.
NATO allows safe passage for Russian Patriarch Alexi II to visit Serbian Patriarch Pavle.
OSCE reports that Serb forces and Albanian troops exchanged gunfire in the first clash
between the two armies since the start of the crisis.
April 21: It is reported that all EU countries have agreed to back a proposed plan to
stop oil product deliveries by or through member states to the F.R.Y. NATO missiles in
Belgrade hit the headquarters of Milosevic's Serbian Socialist Party and his private
residence.
April 23: An ITAR-TASS article reports that Russian envoy Chernomyrdin's talks in
Belgrade with Milosevic on April 22 yielded a F.R.Y. agreement to accept an international
military presence in Kosovo. F.R.Y. later denies this. NATO destroys the Serbian state
television building in central Belgrade, killing at least 10 people.
April 24: Kosovo dominates the NATO 50th anniversary summit in Washington. Member
nations announce plans for a visit and search regime to cut off the flow of oil to the
F.R.Y.
April 25: NATO invites Chernomyrdin to talks on Kosovo. Canadian FM Axworthy announces
he will go to Moscow to meet with him. F.R.Y. Deputy PM Vuk Draskovic is interviewed on
Studio B TV. He calls on Serb leaders to tell the public "the truth" about
NATO's resolve, world opinion toward the Serbs, and that Russia will not provide military
aid to the F.R.Y. Draskovic advises the Serb population to support the introduction of a
UN peacekeeping force in Kosovo.
April 26: ICRC President Summaruga meets briefly with the three captured U.S.
servicemen.
April 27: Deputy Secretary Talbott meets Russian FM Ivanov in Moscow. F.R.Y. TV says
that 20 civilians are killed in a NATO strike on an army barracks in Surdulica. It is
announced that the Rev. Jesse Jackson will lead a delegation to Belgrade on April 29.
April 28: F.R.Y. TV claims that more than 400 civilians have been killed and 4,000
injured since the NATO strikes began. Deputy PM Draskovic is sacked by Milosevic.
April 29: F.R.Y. files suit at the International Court of Justice against 10 NATO
countries. UNSYG Annan arrives in Moscow and meets with Chernomyrdin prior to the Russian
envoy's departure for Bonn, Rome and Belgrade.
April 30: NATO hits the VJ headquarters and Defense Ministry. Rev. Jackson arrives in
Belgrade and meets with the U.S. servicemen. French FM Jospin visits Albania and
F.Y.R.O.M. Russian envoy Chernomyrdin reports "progress" after 6 hours of talks
with Milosevic in Belgrade.
May 1: President Clinton extends U.S. sanctions to ban oil sales and freeze Belgrade's
assets in the U.S.. Following an agreement with NATO and F.R.Y. authorities on modalities,
the ICRC announces plans to return to Kosovo. Rev. Jackson secures the release of the
captured servicemen following a 3-hour meeting with Milosevic. A NATO missile hits a bus
at Luzane. F.R.Y. media report 39 killed.
May 2: Rev. Jackson escorts the released servicemen to Ramstein AFB and reportedly
carries a letter from Milosevic to Clinton calling for face-to-face talks. A U.S. F-16
crashes inside the F.R.Y. and the pilot is rescued. NATO bombs hit a power transmission
facility at Obrenovac, cutting off power in most F.R.Y. cities. F.R.Y. claims that NATO
used graphite bombs to short-circuit power grids.
May 3: F.R.Y. navy closes Montenegrin port of Bar to civilian shipping. Montenegrin
officials characterize the action as another step in Milosevic's "creeping coup"
against them. U.K. PM Blair announces visit to the Balkans May 3-4.
May 4: Russian envoy Chernomyrdin meets with U.S. officials and UNSYG Annan. U.S.
fighters shoot down a Mig-29 near the F.R.Y.-Bosnian border. The Bulgarian parliament
approves an agreement for NATO to use their airspace.
May 5: Two U.S. Army pilots are killed when an Apache helicopter crashes on a training
mission in Albania, the first Allied deaths in the NATO actions against the F.R.Y. The
first group of Kosovar refugees arrive in Fort Dix. Ibrahim Rugova arrives in Italy with
his family.
May 6: Rugova tells a press conference in Rome that NATO's participation in an
international peacekeeping force and the withdrawal of Serb forces were both essential
conditions for the return of refugees. At the Group of Eight meeting in Bonn, the West and
Russia announce agreement over the basic strategy to resolve the conflict.
May 7: F.R.Y. officials accuse NATO of bombing a hospital and outdoor market in Nis,
killing 22 people and wounding 43. Moderate Albanian leader Fehmi Agani is found dead.
NATO planes hit the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, killing 3 and wounding 20.
May 8: The UNSC convenes in an emergency session to debate the bombing of the Chinese
Embassy. China implicitly accuses the U.S. and NATO of a deliberate attack while the
Alliance apologizes for a "terrible mistake." Thousands demonstrate at U.S.
diplomatic posts in China. Russian FM Ivanov cancels his trip to London in the wake of the
attack.
May 9: President Clinton writes to Chinese President Jiang Zemin to offer regrets for
the bombing. Chinese demonstrations continue. UNHCR announces it is facing a financial
crisis in its Kosovo emergency operations.
May 10: Chinese demonstrations continue for a third day. China suspends relations with
the U.S. regarding arms control and human rights. Serbs announce a partial withdrawal from
Kosovo. Former UN envoy to Yugoslavia, Yashushi Akashi, meets with Milosevic and says that
he is prepared to negotiate. NATO reiterates that it is waiting to hear from Milosevic
himself. F.R.Y. accuses NATO of genocide and demands that the World Court order an
immediate end to NATO air strikes.
May 11: Russian envoy Chernomyrdin meets with President Jiang Zemin in Beijing and
labels the Chinese embassy bombing an act of aggression. China signals that it might hold
up Western attempts to achieve a peace deal at the UN unless the bombing stops. Meanwhile,
Chinese demonstrations subside. NATO disputes F.R.Y. claims of a troop withdrawal from
Kosovo, saying that F.R.Y. military and police had actually stepped up their actions
against the KLA. Albanian frontier police and F.R.Y. forces exchange fire at the
F.R.Y.-Albania border; two civilians are killed. UNHCR says it is running out of cash to
deal with the refugee crisis.
May 12: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder visits China on a "working
visit." Chinese fatalities from the embassy bombing arrive in Beijing, but no
demonstrations are reported at U.S. diplomatic missions in China. NATO claims hits on
F.R.Y. troops and the destruction of five MIG-21 planes. Russian FM Ivanov and Deputy
Secretary Talbott begin meetings in Moscow.
May 13: UN Human Rights Coordinator Mary Robinson leaves Belgrade after Milosevic
refuses to meet her. She had wanted to discuss charges of ethnic cleansing by F.R.Y.
forces in Kosovo. Milosevic also snubs former Australian PM Frasier who sought the release
of two Australian aid workers held on suspicion of espionage. U.S.-funded Camp Hope in
Fier, Albania, opens to Kosovar refugees from F.Y.R.O.M..
May 14: About 87 Kosovar Albanians are killed in the village of Korisa by NATO bombing.
NATO says that it hit a military target and suggested that Serb troops were using
civilians as human shields. Amnesty International said that Korisa had been under attack
by VJ and MUP forces prior to the bombing. The ICRC returns to Kosovo for the first time
since March 29 to assess humanitarian needs in and around Pristina. The UNHCR receives 20
million Euros from the EC for assistance to Kosovo refugees.
May 15: F.R.Y. announces that the two Australian aid workers held on suspicion of
espionage will go on trial this week in Belgrade. The Non-Aligned Movement nations approve
a UNSC resolution on the Kosovo humanitarian situation along the lines of the G-8
principles.
May 16: A Kosovar refugee who witnessed the NATO strike on Korisa reports to Deutsche
Welle that F.R.Y. police forced some 600 displaced Kosovars to serve as human shields
there before the attack. The F.R.Y. army detains about 150 draft-age Kosovar refugee males
in Montenegro and transports them back into Kosovo. Italian PM D'Alema proposes a NATO
cease-fire on condition that Russia and China support a UNSC resolution imposing the G-8
terms on Milosevic.
May 17: Greek FM Papandreou calls for a temporary cease-fire "to give diplomacy a
chance," and meets with French FM Vedrine. Greek DM Akis Tsohatzopoulos calls for the
deployment of a multinational UN peacekeeping force instead of a NATO ground operation.
The EU announces that Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari will serve as the EU's new senior
Kosovo envoy.
May 18: The two Serb POWs held at Ramstein AFB are repatriated to the F.R.Y..
[end of text]
Document compiled by Dr S D Stein
