[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.