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Milosevic, Slobodan

Holbrooke to Meet with Milosevic as NATO Considers Strikes in Kosovo

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Richard Holbrooke, President Clinton's nominee for ambassador to the UN, will meet with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade today to persuade him to comply with UN demands and halt the assault on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. The meeting comes as NATO threatens to launch attacks to end the seven-month conflict, which has killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands of villagers. Meanwhile, a senior US official said that Holbrooke's mission is intended to reinforce the UN's message at a time when UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is planning to issue a report on Milosevic's compliance with it.

Key Takeaways:

  • Richard Holbrooke, architect of the Bosnian peace accord, will meet with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade today to persuade him to comply with UN demands.
  • The meeting comes as NATO threatens to launch attacks to end the seven-month conflict in Kosovo, which has killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands of villagers.
  • Holbrooke will also visit NATO headquarters in Brussels to meet with the organization's secretary-general, Javier Solana, and other officials.
  • The conflict in Kosovo has resulted in 7 months of bloodshed, with Serbian police and the Yugoslav army routing separatist Kosovo Albanian rebels.
  • The conflict has killed hundreds, mostly ethnic Albanian civilians, and driven hundreds of thousands of villagers from their homes.
  • Kosovo is a region in southern Serbia, the dominant of two republics remaining in Yugoslavia.
  • Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev have met with Milosevic, Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, and Yugoslavia's top defense officials.
  • Russia has reiterated its opposition to any NATO intervention in Kosovo without approval from the UN Security Council.
  • A senior US official said that Holbrooke's mission will reinforce the UN's message at a time when UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is planning to issue a report on Milosevic's compliance.
  • Holbrooke and Milosevic have had numerous past confrontations, particularly during the Dayton peace talks three years ago.

Statistics:

  • 7 months: Length of the conflict in Kosovo
  • Hundreds: Number of people killed in the conflict
  • Hundreds of thousands: Number of villagers displaced from their homes
  • 1995: Year of the Dayton peace accord, brokered by Holbrooke
  • 3 years: Length of time since the Dayton peace talks between Holbrooke and Milosevic

Sources:

  • The Associated Press
  • Human Rights Watch
  • ITAR-Tass news agency
  • Statement from Milosevic's office

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