Nato Holds Crisis Talks with Yugoslavia Amid Kosovo Conflict

Strategic Insights -

General Wesley Clark, Nato's supreme commander for Europe, is set to hold crisis talks with Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade as the situation in Kosovo continues to deteriorate. The talks come after reports of a massacre by Serbian police, which led to the deaths of 45 ethnic Albanian civilians. Nato ambassadors held an emergency meeting in Brussels, and Gen Clark is expected to demand that Serbia comply with the agreement reached in October and withdraw its police and paramilitary forces from the region.

Key Takeaways:

  • The crisis talks between Gen Clark and Mr Milosevic aim to prevent the escalation of conflict in Kosovo.
  • The alleged massacre by Serbian police of 45 ethnic Albanian civilians has raised concerns among Nato ambassadors, who met in an emergency session in Brussels.
  • Gen Clark will remind Mr Milosevic of Nato's authority to launch air strikes against Serbia, under an "activation order" issued in October.
  • The US president Bill Clinton and other governments have accused Serbia of killing unarmed civilians, a claim denied by the Serbian government.
  • Clashes erupted in the village of Racak, with civilians fleeing for cover as bullets flew.
  • British Major General John Drewienkiewicz accused the Serbs of provocation and breaking the October ceasefire.
  • Nato is waiting to see if Mr Milosevic will comply with UN demands to allow its war crimes tribunal to investigate the killings.
  • Louise Arbour, the tribunal's chief prosecutor, is set to fly to Macedonia to cross into Kosovo, despite Belgrade's refusal to recognize her authority.
  • Washington is drawing up further sanctions on Serbia if it fails to co-operate with war crimes investigators.
  • Ibrahim Rugova, president of the Kosovo Albanian majority, has called on Nato to intervene immediately.
  • Western officials fear a spiral of violence in Kosovo will lead quickly back to the level of conflict seen last summer, when up to 300,000 people were forced to flee their homes.

Statistics:

  • 45: the number of ethnic Albanian civilians allegedly massacred by Serbian police.
  • 700: the number of observers from the Kosovo Verification Mission.
  • 3: the number of days since the massacre in the village of Racak.
  • 1 year: the time since Belgrade refused to recognize the authority of the UN tribunal.
  • 300,000: the number of people forced to flee their homes in Kosovo last summer.

Sources:

  • The Guardian newspaper
  • Associated Press
  • Reuters news agency
  • US State Department