Eng. / Fr. / 
In Kosovo, the robust UN-mandated NATO-led KFOR presence has been crucial in maintaining security. The NATO peacekeeping force – KFOR – has been present in Kosovo since June 1999, where NATO currently leads some 15 000 international forces.
As NATO Foreign Ministers agreed at their meeting in Brussels on 7 December 2007, KFOR shall remain in Kosovo on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, unless the Security Council decides otherwise. NATO Foreign Ministers also renewed their commitment to maintain KFOR’s national force contributions, including reserves, at current levels and with no new caveats.
In addition, NATO reiterated that it stands ready to play its part in the implementation of future security arrangements and will continue to cooperate closely with the population of Kosovo, the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and other international actors wherever appropriate to help in the further development of a stable, democratic, multi-ethnic and peaceful Kosovo.
The NATO mandate in Kosovo – which is derived from UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and a Military-Technical Agreement between NATO and the Governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia – is broad.
NATO’s initial mandate was to deter renewed hostility and threats against Kosovo by Yugoslav and Serb forces; to establish a secure environment and ensure public safety and order; to demilitarise the Kosovo Liberation Army; to support the international humanitarian effort; and coordinate with and support the international civil presence.
Today, KFOR continues to contribute towards maintaining a safe and secure environment in Kosovo for the benefit of all citizens, irrespective of their ethnic origins.
KFOR tasks have included assistance with the return or relocation of displaced persons and refugees; reconstruction and demining; medical assistance; security and public order; security of ethnic minorities; protection of patrimonial sites; border security; interdiction of cross-border weapons smuggling; implementation of a Kosovo-wide weapons, ammunition and explosives amnesty programme; weapons destruction; and support for the establishment of civilian institutions, law and order, the judicial and penal system, the electoral process and other aspects of the political, economic and social life of the province.
Special attention continues to be paid to the protection of minorities; this includes regular patrols near minority enclaves, check points, escorts for minority groups, protection of heritage sites such as monasteries, and donations including food, clothes and school supplies.
The NATO-led Kosovo Force, or KFOR, deployed in the wake of a 78-day air campaign launched by the Alliance in March 1999 to halt and reverse the humanitarian catastrophe that was then unfolding. That campaign, which was NATO’s second, followed more than a year of fighting in the province and the failure of international efforts to resolve the conflict by diplomatic means.
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