[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 50 (Monday, December 20, 1999)]
[Pages 2623-2625]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting on the Deployment of United 
States Military Personnel as Part of the Kosovo International Security 
Force

December 15, 1999

Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. President:)

    In my report to the Congress of June 12, 1999, I provided 
information on the deployment of combat-equipped U.S. military personnel 
as the U.S. contribution to the NATO-led security force in Kosovo (KFOR) 
and to countries in the region to serve as a national support element 
for them. 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 Kosovo.
    The U.N. Security Council authorized member states to establish the 
international security presence in Kosovo in U.N. Security Council 
Resolution 1244 of June 10, 1999,

[[Page 2624]]

for an initial period of 12 months. The mission of KFOR is to provide a 
continued military presence in order to deter renewed hostilities; 
verify and, if necessary, enforce the terms of the Military Technical 
Agreement (MTA) between NATO and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 
(FRY); enforce the terms of the agreement of the Kosovo Liberation Army 
(KLA) to demilitarize and reintegrate itself into civil society; provide 
operational direction to the newly established Kosovo Protection Corps; 
and contribute to a secure environment to facilitate the work of the 
U.N. Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) by providing, 
until UNMIK assumes these functions, for public security and appropriate 
control of the borders.
    Currently, the U.S. contribution to KFOR in Kosovo is approximately 
8,500 U.S. military personnel. This number is higher than previously 
reported due to normal personnel rotations and will return to 
approximately 7,000 U.S. military personnel when those rotations are 
completed. In the last 6 months, all 19 NATO nations and 15 others, 
including Russia and Ukraine, have provided military personnel or other 
support to KFOR.
    In Kosovo, the U.S. forces are assigned to a sector principally 
centered around Urosevac in the eastern portion of Kosovo. For U.S. KFOR 
forces, as for KFOR generally, maintaining public security is a key 
task, and U.S. forces conduct security patrols in urban areas and in the 
countryside throughout their sector. Approximately one-half of KFOR's 
total available personnel is directly committed to protection tasks, 
including protection of ethnic minorities. The KFOR forces are under 
NATO command and control and rules of engagement.
    In addition, other U.S. military personnel are deployed to other 
countries in the region to serve in administrative and logistics support 
roles for the U.S. forces in KFOR. Specifically, approximately 1,500 
U.S. military personnel are operating in support of KFOR in Macedonia 
and Greece and, on occasion, in Albania.
    Since my report to the Congress of June 12, the FRY, in accordance 
with Resolution 1244 and the MTA, withdrew its military, paramilitary, 
and police forces from Kosovo. The KLA agreed to June 21, 1999, to a 
ceasefire, to withdraw from the zones of conflict in Kosovo, and to 
demilitarize itself. On September 20, 1999, KFOR Commander Lieutenant 
General Sir Mike Jackson accepted the KLA's certification that the KLA 
had completed its demilitarization in accordance with the June 21 
agreement. The UNMIK thereafter established a civil emergency services 
entity known as the Kosovo Protection Corps that is intended to provide 
civic assistance in emergencies and other forms of humanitarian 
assistance. The UNMIK is in the process of considering applications from 
former KLA personnel for service in this Corps.
    The UNMIK has made progress in establishing the international civil 
presence to provide an interim administration for the people of Kosovo. 
The KFOR, within its means and capabilities, is providing broad support 
to UNMIK. As UNMIK is still developing its structures in Kosovo, KFOR 
continues to support UNMIK at all levels, including public 
administration, and is represented at the Kosovo Transitional Council 
and the Joint Civil Commissions. The KFOR personnel provide a security 
presence in towns and villages. Checkpoints and patrols are organized in 
key areas in Kosovo to provide security, resolve disputes, and instill 
in the community a feeling of confidence. In addition, KFOR is providing 
assistance in the areas of demining, humanitarian relief, international 
civil police training, and the maintenance of civic works resources. 
Ethnic tensions in Kosovo, however, remain a concern, particularly in 
areas where Kosovar Serbs and Kosovar Albanians live in close proximity. 
Until UNMIK is able to field a full complement of civil police, public 
security remains principally a KFOR responsibility.
    NATO has planned for the KFOR mission to be formally reviewed at 6-
month intervals with a view to progressively reducing the force's 
presence and, eventually, withdrawing. Over time, KFOR will 
incrementally transfer its security and policing responsibilities as 
appropriate to the international civil administration, local 
institutions, and other organizations.

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    I have taken these actions pursuant to my constitutional authority 
to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief 
Executive. I appreciate the continued support of the Congress in these 
actions.
    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.