Russia's Role in Kosovo Peacekeeping Force Talks Unresolved Despite Urgency

Strategic Insights -

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott expressed hopes that the U.S. and Russia were moving closer to a compromise on Russia's role in a Kosovo peacekeeping force, but key issues remain unresolved. The talks were tinged with urgency after 200 Russian paratroopers unexpectedly arrived in Kosovo ahead of NATO forces and took up positions at the Pristina airport, sparking concerns about command structures and Russia's intentions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Russian troops' deployment into Kosovo generated fresh concern about who's in charge in Moscow, with potential implications for Russia's stability and relations with the West.
  • Russia has insisted that its troops not be subservient to NATO as part of the peacekeeping force and wants to assign its soldiers to a northern sector, where most of Kosovo's Serb minority lives.
  • U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott repeated NATO's insistence that there must be a "unity of command" in the peacekeeping force, but also expressed receptiveness to allowing Russia a "zone of responsibility" under NATO control.
  • The Russian troops' actions and the Kremlin's ambiguous statements about who gave the order have raised questions about President Boris Yeltsin's role and his relationship with anti-West factions in Russia.
  • Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov initially called the deployment a "mistake," but later backed away from that statement, saying it was a "synchronized" operation authorized by Yeltsin and carried out by the defense ministry.
  • President Clinton and Yeltsin spoke by phone, agreeing to talk again Monday and to leave the issue to the field commanders.
  • An administration official said U.S. negotiators are working toward a compromise that calls for a command structure similar to that in the NATO-led Bosnia peacekeeping force, with Russians having considerable day-to-day latitude in a integrated command.

Statistics:

  • 200: The number of Russian paratroopers who unexpectedly arrived in Kosovo ahead of NATO forces and took up positions at the Pristina airport.
  • 50,000: The size of the international force of peacekeepers in Kosovo following NATO's airwar in which Yugoslavia lost effective control of the province.
  • 1,500: The number of Russians in the NATO-led Bosnia peacekeeping force, which includes a unit dispatched to Kosovo and has a similar command structure to the proposed Kosovo peacekeeping force.
  • 2: The timeframe within which Russian negotiators asked for a response to their proposals on Russia's role in the peacekeeping force.

Sources:

  • "U.S. and Russia Bury Hatchets on Kosovo" by Peter Grier and Karen Armstrong (Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services) (c) 1999.