<nettime> [crisisweb] ICG Kosovo Press Release

[Lee Bryant <lee@tmg.co.uk> (by way of richard@hrc.wmin.ac.uk (RichardBarbrook))]

ICG PRESS RELEASE
------------------------
Brussels, April 8, 1999

Toward an Endgame for Milosevic

The International Crisis Group urges NATO member states to commit
themselves to the following short- and long-term objectives: the complete
expulsion from Kosovo of all Serbian military, police, and paramilitary
forces; the protection of, and care for, the hundreds of thousands of
displaced persons still inside Kosovo; the safe return to their homes of
all deportees and displaced persons; the active pursuit and apprehension of
indicted war criminals, including those in positions of authority; the
dismemberment of the Serbian propaganda machine, and the ultimate removal
from power of Slobodan Milosevic. Toward these ends, the International
Crisis group urges NATO:

·       to announce and prepare for the immediate deployment of a ground
protection force to Kosovo to secure and defend a safe region for displaced
people and eventually to establish an international protectorate in Kosovo
that will guarantee the safety of all civilians and keep the province clear
of Serbian troops.

·       to provide all evidence and intelligence relating to war crimes
committed in Kosovo to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia and to assist the ICTY in preparing criminal indictments. As
soon as possible, NATO should deploy a special unit whose sole
responsibility will be the arrest of indicted war criminals, including
those still at-large in the former Yugoslavia.

·       to keep government leaders in Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania
apprised of NATO policy as it unfolds, to express support for their efforts
at democratic governance and reform, and to commit to defending Macedonia
and Albania, and to the extent possible, Montenegro, in the event of a
Serbian attack. Diplomats from NATO countries should also reassure both
Kosovar leaders and members of the Serb democratic opposition that the West
will do its utmost to protect them and to help them regroup and
re-establish themselves, in temporary exile, if necessary, and ultimately
in a post-conflict Kosovo and Serbia.

·       to seize or take out state-controlled transmitters and to further
override Serbian media - long one of the most potent weapons in Milosevic's
arsenal - by broadcasting into Kosovo and Serbia from neighbouring
countries and from elsewhere in Europe.

Slobodan Milosevic's mass expulsion of almost half of Kosovo's population
has made it morally untenable to continue working with him. NATO and the
Contact group must dictate the terms that will bring peace to Kosovo. It is
crucial that the international community deny any further legitimacy to a
leader who has repeatedly broken his word, conducted a barbarous ethnic
cleansing campaign against his own citizens, and destabilised and
impoverished his country.

        --> See http://www.crisisweb.org for more information

-----------------------------------------------
CRISISWEB : http://www.crisisweb.org
-----------------------------------------------

---
#  distributed via nettime-l : no commercial use without permission
#  <nettime> is a closed moderated mailinglist for net criticism,
#  collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
#  more info: majordomo@desk.nl and "info nettime-l" in the msg body
#  URL: http://www.desk.nl/~nettime/  contact: nettime-owner@desk.nl