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The Kosovo Conflict - Part Two
Graveyard in Račak
Peter Padley
September 02, 2010
In mid January 1999 45 Kosovan Albanians were massacred by Yugoslav forces in the village of Racak. Global outrage at this incident led to NATO issuing and ultimatum to Milosevic to end the fighting and for Yugoslavia to comply with the demands of the international community.
In an attempt to avert a humanitarian disaster President Milosevic was invited to accept the findings of a peace conference, chaired by Javier Solana the NATO Secretary General, held at the Château de Rambouillet, some 30 miles to the south west of Paris. On 18th March 1999, the Albanian, American and British delegations signed what were to become known as the ’Rambouillet Accords’. The Serbian and Russian delegations refused to sign. There was harsh criticism of the Accords with accusations that the ‘bar had been set too high’ for the Serbs to comply. Subsequently, Operation Allied Force, the name given to the NATO operation in response to President Milosevic’s refusal to comply with the UN Security Council Resolution 1199, commenced on 24th March 1999 with the bombing of Serbian targets by NATO aircraft. These air strikes were scheduled to continue until such times as President Milosevic met the following conditions:
• Ensured there was a verifiable stop to all military action and the immediate ending of violence and repression.
• Ensured the withdrawal from Kosovo of all military, police and paramilitary forces.
• Agreed to the stationing in Kosovo of an international peacekeeping force.
• Agreed to the unconditional and safe return of all refugees and displaced persons and unhindered access to them by humanitarian aid organizations.
• The provision of credible assurances of his willingness to work on the basis of the Rambouillet Accords in the establishment of a political framework agreement for Kosovo in conformity with international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
Put plainly – the objective of Operation Allied Force was:
“To degrade and damage the military and security structure that President Milosevic (Yugoslav President) has used to depopulate and destroy the Albanian majority in Kosovo."
On the evening of 24th March 1999 NATO aircraft, flying from air bases in Italy and aircraft carriers stationed in the Adriatic Sea, started attacking Yugoslav targets. Submarine launched cruise missiles were also used. The first strikes were flown against targets in Belgrade and were flown by aircraft of the Spanish Air Force. During the following 10 weeks 10,500 sorties were flown with strikes on 38,000 Yugoslav targets. Of these the United Kingdom’s contribution was over 1,600 strikes in 1,008 sorties.
RAF Harriers of No 1 Squadron RAF, Sea Harriers of the Royal Navy and Tristar tanker aircraft of 216 Squadron RAF, operating from airfields in Italy, took part in Operation Allied Force. Tornado GR1 bombers were later added to the UK’s contribution. Cruise missiles from the nuclear powered fleet submarine HMS Splendid were also targeted against the Yugoslavs. On 10th April it was announced that the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible was to deploy to the Adriatic area to assist in the operation with the amphibious assault ship, HMS Ocean, following on 2nd May.
Initially air attacks were confined to high level and strategic military targets such as airfields, command and control centre’s, radar installations and barrack areas, but after a short space of time, with no indication that Milosevic was going to comply with the terms of the resolution, the scope of attacks was widened to include Yugoslavian forces operating on the ground in Kosovo.
As with most aerial campaigns bombing errors were inevitable and air strikes in Kosovo were no exception. Two strikes making the headlines included the accidental bombing of a Kosovar Albanian refugee convoy on 13th April and an air strike against the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade on 7th May. As far as the strike against the Chinese Embassy was concerned ‘sources’ indicated that it might have been intentional because radio equipment located in the building was being used by the Yugoslav army! There were also attacks on bridges that were in use at the time and on one occasion a civilian bus was destroyed when crossing a bridge in Kosovo.
Air attacks by NATO aircraft – including A-10 ‘Warthog’ ground attack aircraft, B-52’s, B-1B ‘Lancer’ Bombers, F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter Bombers, Harrier GR7, Tornado GR1 etc, continued, even though Yugoslavia called for a ceasefire on <b<6th April 1999. This ‘call’ was rejected by NATO because it did not meet the requirements for Yugoslav troop withdrawals from Kosovo and confirmation that NATO troops could enter the country to act as peacekeepers.
While air attacks continued there were fears for many thousands of Kosovo Albanians who had ‘disappeared’ from the border area on <b<6th & 7th April 1999. On the 9th April Russia said NATO countries had been targeted with missiles, a claim very quickly denied by the Russian military, but Russia continued to oppose the NATO action and warned that if ground troops were sent in by NATO, which NATO had no intention of doing, then Russia would probably get involved militarily. The stakes were now so high that Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Union, warned that another European or World War was a distinct possibility!!
Whilst NATO was asking member countries for 500 more aircraft the UK deployed 1,800 troops into the area to assist in peacekeeping duties once Milosevic had agreed to the terms of the cessation of violence and withdrawal of troops from Kosovo.
The Serbian Parliament eventually accepted a G8 peace agreement on 4th June 1999 where it was agreed by NATO and Serbian Generals that Serbian troops would start to withdraw from Kosovo the following day. One part of the agreement stated that Serbian troop withdrawals must be completed within 7 days and that until such times as there was firm evidence that the Serbians were complying NATO air strikes would continue. Air Strikes were suspended when Serbia eventually signed the G8 Peace Plan on 10th June 1999.
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