Kosovo Peace Deal Clears Way for UN Resolution

Strategic Insights -

Senior officials from the Group of Eight (G8) countries and Russia have reached a significant breakthrough in their efforts to bring peace to Kosovo. After two days of intense talks in Germany, the foreign ministers have drafted a United Nations Security Council resolution to be adopted once a Serbian withdrawal begins and NATO's bombing is suspended. This deal is seen as a crucial step towards ending the war in the Balkans.

Key Takeaways:

  • A draft UN Security Council resolution has been agreed upon by the G8 countries and Russia, outlining a "rapid timetable" for the Serbian withdrawal and a "synchronised" deployment of the NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping force (KFOR).
  • The resolution requires a stop to the NATO bombing as a precondition for its formal adoption, which is necessary for international military intervention in Kosovo.
  • NATO ministers are seeking to ensure that President Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia does not renege on his agreement last week, which led to the current peace talks.
  • US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright emphasized that the planned security force in Kosovo would have a "NATO core" and that NATO would be the military leaders, although this has yet to be negotiated with Russia.
  • Russia initially objected to parts of the UN resolution, including a demand for "full co-operation" with the international criminal tribunal for former Yugoslavia, but ultimately agreed to support the resolution to bring an end to the war in the Balkans.

Statistics:

  • 2 days of talks in Germany between the G8 countries and Russia led to the drafting of the UN Security Council resolution.
  • The resolution requires a "rapid timetable" for the Serbian withdrawal.
  • NATO's bombing would be suspended as a precondition for the formal adoption of the UN Security Council resolution.
  • 1,000+ KFOR troops are set to be deployed in Kosovo once the UN resolution is adopted.

Sources:

  • The Financial Times, 17 March 1999.
  • The Financial Times, 17 March 1999, page 2.