Belgrade Defies International Community, Threatening Peace Efforts in Kosovo

Strategic Insights -

Belgrade's harsh response to international diplomats and observers has cast a shadow over the fragile peace agreement in Kosovo, which was established last October under threat of NATO air strikes. The Yugoslav government's actions, including banning the head of the foreign observer mission and blocking the UN's chief war crimes prosecutor, have left the international community feeling frustrated and powerless to prevent a potential resumption of full-scale conflict. The moves also coincide with a renewed attack by Serbian security forces in Kosovo against separatist rebels near the site of an alleged massacre of 45 ethnic Albanians.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Yugoslav government declared Ambassador William Walker, the US head of the international monitors, "persona non grata" and gave him 48 hours to leave the country.
  • Louise Arbour, chief prosecutor of the UN war crimes tribunal, was stopped from entering Kosovo at the Yugoslav border with Macedonia after being sent back due to lack of a visa.
  • General Wesley Clark, Nato's supreme commander, warned that the western alliance would not tolerate further breaches of the commitments to keep the peace in Kosovo made by Milosevic last October under threat of air strikes.
  • The Serbian leadership's refusal to meet with diplomat is significant, as it indicates a potential lack of commitment to peace efforts in Kosovo.
  • Witnesses report that several hundred Serbian police backed by artillery are attacking rebels of the Kosovo Liberation Army in the area around Racak village.
  • Serbia's official media stepped up attacks on the US and NATO, focusing on Walker, who heads the Kosovo monitoring mission of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
  • Milosevic's Socialist party branded Walker "the ambassador of lies," further highlighting the tensions between the two sides.

Statistics:

  • 45 ethnic Albanians are alleged to have been massacred by Serbian security forces in Kosovo, according to international monitors and witnesses.
  • The incident occurred last Friday, raising tensions and fears of a potential resumption of full-scale conflict.
  • The Yugoslav government gave Ambassador Walker 48 hours to leave the country, a move seen as a significant escalation of tensions between Belgrade and the international community.
  • Several hundred Serbian police backed by artillery are reportedly attacking rebels of the Kosovo Liberation Army in the area around Racak village.

Sources:

  • "Yugoslav Government Declares Foreign Observer Mission Chief 'Persona Non Grata,'" [no date] (Note: Article included in original text, but no publication date or timestamp is provided)
  • European Union ambassadors [no date]
  • General Wesley Clark, Nato's supreme commander, telephone interview (Note: No publication date or timestamp is provided)