    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [April 23, 1999]
    [Pages 607-609]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Joint Statement on Kosovo
    April 23, 1999

        1. The crisis in Kosovo represents a fundamental challenge to the
    values for which NATO has stood since its foundation: democracy, human
    rights and the rule of law. It is the culmination of a deliberate policy
    of oppression, ethnic cleansing and violence pursued by the Belgrade
    regime under the direction of President Milosevic. We will not allow this campaign of terror to
    succeed. NATO is determined to prevail.
        2. NATO's military action against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
    (FRY) supports the political aims of the international community, which
    were reaffirmed in recent statements by the UN Secretary-General and the European Union: a peaceful, multi-ethnic and
    democratic Kosovo

    [[Page 608]]

    where all its people can live in security and enjoy universal human
    rights and freedoms on an equal basis.
        3. Our military actions are directed not at the Serb people but at
    the policies of the regime in Belgrade, which has repeatedly rejected
    all efforts to solve the crisis peacefully. President
    Milosevic must:
        --Ensure a verifiable stop to all military action and the immediate
            ending of violence and repression in Kosovo;
        --Withdraw from Kosovo his military, police and para-military
            forces;
        --Agree to the stationing in Kosovo of an international military
            presence;
        --Agree to the unconditional and safe return of all refugees and
            displaced persons, and unhindered access to them by humanitarian
            aid organisations; and
        --Provide credible assurance of his willingness to work for the
            establishment of a political framework agreement based on the
            Rambouillet accords.
        4. There can be no compromise on these conditions. As long as
    Belgrade fails to meet the legitimate demands of the international
    community and continues to inflict immense human suffering, Alliance air
    operations against the Yugoslav war machine will continue. We hold
    President Milosevic and the Belgrade
    leadership responsible for the safety of all Kosovar citizens. We will
    fulfill our promise to the Kosovar people that they can return to their
    homes and live in peace and security.
        5. We are intensifying NATO's military actions to increase the
    pressure on Belgrade. Allied governments are putting in place additional
    measures to tighten the constraints on the Belgrade regime. These
    include intensified implementation of economic sanctions, and an embargo
    on petroleum products on which we welcome the EU lead. We have directed
    our Defence Ministers to determine ways that NATO can contribute to
    halting the delivery of war material including by launching maritime
    operations, taking into account the possible consequences on Montenegro.
        6. NATO is prepared to suspend its air strikes once Belgrade has
    unequivocally accepted the above mentioned conditions and demonstrably
    begun to withdraw its forces from Kosovo according to a precise and
    rapid timetable. This could follow the passage of a United Nations
    Security Council resolution, which we will seek, requiring the
    withdrawal of Serb forces and the demilitarisation of Kosovo and
    encompassing the deployment of an international military force to
    safeguard the swift return of all refugees and displaced persons as well
    as the establishment of an international provisional administration of
    Kosovo under which its people can enjoy substantial autonomy within the
    FRY. NATO remains ready to form the core of such an international
    military force. It would be multinational in character with
    contributions from non-NATO countries.
        7. Russia has a particular responsibility in the United Nations and
    an important role to play in the search for a solution to the conflict
    in Kosovo. Such a solution must be based on the conditions of the
    international community as laid out above. President
    Milosevic's offers to date do not meet
    this test. We want to work constructively with Russia, in the spirit of
    the Founding Act.
        8. The long-planned, unrestrained and continuing assault by Yugoslav
    military, police and paramilitary forces on Kosovars and the repression
    directed against other minorities of the FRY are aggravating the already
    massive humanitarian catastrophe. This threatens to destabilise the
    surrounding region.
        9. NATO, its members and its Partners have responded to the
    humanitarian emergency and are intensifying their refugee and
    humanitarian relief operations in close cooperation with the UNHCR, the
    lead agency in this field, and with other relevant organisations. We
    will continue our assistance as long as necessary. NATO forces are
    making a major contribution to this task.
        10. We pay tribute to the servicemen and women of NATO whose courage
    and dedication are ensuring the success of our military and humanitarian
    operations.
        11. Atrocities against the people of Kosovo by FRY military, police
    and paramilitary forces represent a flagrant violation of international
    law. Our governments will co-operate with the International Criminal
    Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to support investigation of
    all those, including at the highest levels, responsible for war crimes
    and crimes against humanity. NATO will support the ICTY in its efforts
    to secure relevant information. There can be no lasting peace without
    justice.
        12. We acknowledge and welcome the courageous support that states in
    the region are providing to our efforts in Kosovo. The former

    [[Page 609]]

    Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania have played a particularly
    important role, not least in accepting hundreds of thousands of refugees
    from Kosovo. The states in the region are bearing substantial economic
    and social burdens stemming from the current conflict.
        13. We will not tolerate threats by the Belgrade regime to the
    security of its neighbours. We will respond to such challenges by
    Belgrade to its neighbours resulting from the presence of NATO forces or
    their activities on their territory during this crisis.
        14. We reaffirm our support for the territorial integrity and
    sovereignty of all countries in the region.
        15. We reaffirm our strong support for the democratically elected
    government of Montenegro. Any move by Belgrade to undermine the
    government of President Djukanovic will have
    grave consequences. FRY forces should leave the demilitarised zone of
    Prevlaka immediately.
        16. The objective of a free, prosperous, open and economically
    integrated Southeast Europe cannot be fully assured until the FRY
    embarks upon the transition to democracy. Accordingly, we express our
    support for the objective of a democratic FRY which protects the rights
    of all minorities, including those in Vojvodina and Sandjak, and promise
    to work for such change through and beyond the current conflict.
        17. It is our aim to make stability in Southeast Europe a priority
    of our transatlantic agenda. Our governments will co-operate urgently
    through NATO as well as through the OSCE, and for those of us which are
    members, the European Union, to support the nations of Southeast Europe
    in forging a better future for their region--one based upon democracy,
    justice, economic integration, and security co-operation.

    Note: The joint statement was issued by the heads of state and
    government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in
    Washington, DC, on April 23 and 24. It was made available by the Office
    of the Press Secretary but was not issued as a White House press
    release. An original was not available for verification of the content
    of this joint statement.