Nato Remains Prepared for Allied Air Strikes Against Serbian Aggression in Kosovo

Strategic Insights -

Nato leaders are signaling a commitment to military action if Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic fails to abide by the terms of a recent agreement aimed at ending fighting in Kosovo. Despite reports of ongoing humanitarian crises and massacres of ethnic Albanian civilians, the Yugoslav government continues to defy international pressure, ordering the expulsion of the US head of the international peace verification mission and barring the chief UN war crimes prosecutor from entering Kosovo.

Key Takeaways:

  • Nato war planes remain on 96 hours' notice to launch air strikes against Serbian aggression in Kosovo, with Foreign Secretary Robin Cook stating that only one political decision is needed to trigger their use.
  • Two top Nato generals, Gen Wesley Clark and German Gen Klaus Naumann, met with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to warn him to halt assaults on ethnic Albanians or face attacks from the air.
  • The US ambassador to Nato, Mr Alexander Bershbow, suggested air strikes could be launched within days if Mr Milosevic remained defiant, with the situation described as "critical" and "on the brink" of escalating into all-out conflict.
  • German defence minister Mr Rudolf Scharping expressed reservation about committing ground troops without a clear political objective, while Italian Premier Mr Massimo D'Alema indicated Nato would be allowed to use Italian bases if it decided to launch an air strike.
  • Nato is set to meet today to hear reports from the two generals, with the international community urging all parties to abide by the terms of the October 12 agreement.
  • The massacre of 45 ethnic Albanian civilians in the village of Racak has been met with widespread condemnation, with KLA spokesman Mr Pleurat Sejdiu warning of a new Balkan war if international agreements are not implemented.
  • The Serbian Information Service has countered these claims by stating that the killings at Racak were an operation against a "terrorist encampment" and that the international community should await the results of an expert autopsy before condemning the Serbs.

Statistics:

  • 45 ethnic Albanian civilians were massacred in the village of Racak.
  • 96 hours: the amount of time Nato war planes remain on notice to launch air strikes against Serbian aggression in Kosovo.
  • 2 days: the amount of time Mr Milosevic has to make up his mind about complying with the terms of the October 12 agreement.
  • 48 hours: the amount of time Mr William Walker, the US head of the international peace verification mission, has been given to leave Yugoslavia.
  • 5 weeks: the estimated timeframe for a new Balkan war to break out if international agreements are not implemented.

Sources:

  • "Nato remains fully engaged, fully prepared and fully ready to take what action is judged necessary" - Foreign Secretary Robin Cook.
  • "We have to hope the present policy works, but if it fails we must be prepared to think the unthinkable - and that means considering an engagement of Nato troops on the ground in Kosovo as a last resort" - Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown.
  • "Time is running out for Milosevic" - US ambassador to Nato Alexander Bershbow.
  • "You wouldn't do that if you perpetrated a massacre" - Serbian Information Service's Marco Gasic.