10 Juin 1999

Opionion / Editorial by the NATO Secretary General Today, with Serbian forces withdrawing, there is hope anew for the people of Kosovo. Our unity and resolve forced President Milosevic to meet the demands of the international community : to stop the violence; to obtain the withdrawal of the Serb forces from Kosovo; to deploy an international security force; return the refugees to their homes and find a durable political solution for Kosovo based on autonomy within the FRY. We have put an end to the conflict in Kosovo. We have obtained the cessation of hostilities by Serbian armed forces and police against the Kosovar civilians. We have verified the beginning of the withdrawal of these forces back to Serbia. And, consequently, we have suspended our air campaign. We have also begun the deployment of a NATO-led peace implementation force (KFOR), following the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 last Wednesday. KFOR will provide security for the internally displaced civilians in Kosovo, for the returning deportees and refugees, and for the international humanitarian agencies supporting them. It will also uphold the rights of all the people of Kosovo from whatever ethnic community. The Kosovar refugees in the makeshift camps in Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are readying for their return. In short, we have achieved our aims: to defend our values and principles. But not alone. Throughout the campaign, the Alliance's military campaign has had the political backing not only of the 19 Allies. Partner countries throughout the Euro-Atlantic area - indeed, countries in different parts of the world - have shown their solidarity and support for NATO's action against Belgrade's policies of ethnic cleansing. Let us especially mention the remarkable courage and steadfastness shown by countries neighbouring the FRY - most of them new and still fragile democracies in an historically turbulent region. All have suffered economically. At the forefront, Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have been filled with teeming numbers of refugees; Bulgarian and Romania have had transportation and commercial routes along the Danube disrupted. Not one of them wavered in their support for NATO's action. They saw all too clearly that there could be no security and stability in the region if Milosevic remained unopposed. Allied forces - Allied service men and women - risked their lives in the skies above Serbia during 78 days, to put an end to this. It was their skill, dedication and courage that finally brought the message home to President Milosevic and his entourage that they would pay an increasingly heavy price if they defied the will of the international community. We saw in this campaign the close combination of military force with diplomatic pressure. And this diplomatic pressure in the end proved the ultimate victor in securing the agreement of President Milosevic. The combined force of the Alliance, the G-8 countries, and the important, indeed decisive, contribution of special envoys, Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and Viktor Chernomyrdin proved the right combination of will and purpose to convince Milosevic that there was no alternative but to accede to the demands of the international community. The personal contribution of Russian President Yeltsin in backing these demands has been instrumental in bringing about a settlement. It shows that Russia's role is key in shaping security and stability in Europe, which is our common endeavour. We look forward to re-invigorating the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council to pursue this end. Today we are looking to the future - a future in which the people of Kosovo can return to their homes to live in peace and security. That future is not so far away, be assured. With the Kosovo Implementation Force (KFOR) streaming into the province, the day of refugee return is within grasp. They will need shelter, they will need food, and they will need continuing security. The Alliance is already coordinating closely with the United Nations and the UNHCR and other international agencies to give these desperate people new hope and a new chance. This will be an enormous challenge. In addition to the refugees, we should not forget the half-million homeless within Kosovo who have spent many weeks living in the hills. Now is the time for the democratic and wealthy nations of the world to show again the generosity and charity that this situation calls for. We will also work closely with the UN, the OSCE, and the European Union in the establishment of an administrative structure that will let some semblance of normal life to begin. At the same time, we need to set out the framework for a longer-term, politically stable future of Kosovo and the entire region. Bosnia has shown how important it is to have good, effective cooperation between all institutions and agencies that are helping to build the peace. Clearly, if we are create long-term security and stability, then other countries in the region must be given a perspective on peace, a dream of freedom and prosperity, to be their guide. That is why the work conducted by the European Union for a Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe is so important. The Alliance will make its own contribution to this common effort. From the outset of our air operations I have said that NATO has no quarrel with the people of Yugoslavia. I would not foreclose the possibility of Yugoslavia being included in this project. In due course - and sooner rather than later, I would hope - we need to see a democratic Serbia re-joining the family of Europe nations. We must continue to assist those in Serbia who want a democratic, prosperous, secure and tolerant country. Those who have been kept against their will away from the community of nations for too long. Soon hope will spring afresh, and a new era of stability in the Balkans will begin. We are not yet there. The work ahead is extremely demanding. So this is not the time to lose focus or determination. All during the crisis in Kosovo, we have been steadfast in the defence of our values. We were proven right. Let us remain equally steadfast in their implementation and consolidation.