    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [January 19, 1999]
    [Page 61]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 61]]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting on the Deployment of Military
    Forces for Stabilization of Areas of the Former Yugoslavia
    January 19, 1999

    Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. President:)
        In my report to the Congress of June 19, 1998, I provided further
    information on the deployment of combat-equipped U.S. Armed Forces to
    Bosnia and other states in the region in order to participate in and
    support the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led Stabilization
    Force (SFOR), which began its mission and assumed authority from the
    NATO-led Implementation Force on December 20, 1996. I am providing this
    supplemental report, consistent with the War Powers Resolution, to help
    ensure that the Congress is kept fully informed on continued U.S.
    contributions in support of peacekeeping efforts in the former
    Yugoslavia.
        The U.N. Security Council authorized member states to continue SFOR
    in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1174 of June 15, 1998. The mission
    of SFOR is to provide a continued military presence in order to deter
    renewed hostilities, stabilize and consolidate the peace in Bosnia-
    Herzegovina, and contribute to a secure environment to facilitate the
    civilian implementation process to which SFOR provides broad support
    within its means and capabilities.
        The U.S. force contribution to SFOR in Bosnia is approximately
    6,900. In the last half of 1998, all NATO nations and 19 others,
    including Russia and Ukraine, have provided military personnel or other
    support to SFOR. Most U.S. military personnel are assigned to
    Multinational Division, North, centered around the city of Tuzla. In
    addition, approximately 2,300 U.S. military personnel are deployed to
    Hungary, Croatia, Italy, and other states in the region in order to
    provide logistical and other support to SFOR. The U.S. forces continue
    to support SFOR in efforts to apprehend persons indicted for war crimes.
    In the last 6 months, U.S. forces have sustained no fatalities.
        A U.S. Army contingent remains deployed in the Former Yugoslav
    Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) as part of the United Nations Preventive
    Deployment Force (UNPREDEP). This U.N. peacekeeping force, which
    includes some 350 U.S. military personnel, observes and monitors
    conditions along the border with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The
    UNPREDEP continues to play a key role in preventing the spillover of
    ethnic conflict from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) into FYROM
    and the region. In doing so, it has helped FYROM become a bulwark
    against the southward spread of the conflict in the FRY. Several U.S.
    Army support helicopters and approximately 24 personnel are also
    deployed to provide support to U.S. forces and may provide emergency
    support to UNPREDEP as required. The U.N. Security Council voted July
    21, 1998, to authorize an extension of the UNPREDEP mandate through
    February 28, 1999. To help maintain stability in the region in light of
    the situation in Kosovo, we are currently considering the extension of
    UNPREDEP's mandate.
        I have directed the participation of U.S. Armed Forces in these
    operations pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S.
    foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive, and in
    accordance with various statutory authorities. I am providing this
    report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed about
    developments in Bosnia and other states in the region. I will continue
    to consult closely with the Congress regarding our efforts to foster
    peace and stability in the former Yugoslavia.
            Sincerely,

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: Identical letters were sent to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the
    House of Representatives, and Strom Thurmond, President pro tempore of
    the Senate.