    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 25 (Monday, June 26, 2000)]
    [Pages 1387-1388]
    [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

    June 16, 2000

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

        In my report to the Congress of December 15, 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 (KFOR) in
    Kosovo. Additional U.S. personnel are also deployed in countries in the
    region and serve as support for our forces in Kosovo. 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 (UNSCR) 1244 of June 10, 1999, for an initial period of 12
    months, to continue thereafter unless the Security Council decides
    otherwise. The mission of KFOR is to provide a 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 former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) to demilitarize and
    reintegrate itself into civil society; provide operational direction to
    the Kosovo Protection Corps; and maintain a safe and secure environment
    to facilitate the work of the U.N. Interim Administration Mission in
    Kosovo (UNMIK) by providing, until UNMIK or appropriate local
    organizations assume these functions, for public safety and order and
    border monitoring.
        Currently, the U.S. contribution to KFOR in Kosovo is approximately
    7,500 U.S. military personnel. This number once again will decrease to
    approximately 6,000 U.S. military personnel when ongoing troop rotations
    are completed. In the last 6 months, all 19 NATO nations and 20 others,
    including Russia and Ukraine, have provided military personnel and other
    support personnel to KFOR.
        In Kosovo, the U.S. forces are assigned to a sector principally
    centered around Gnjilane in the eastern portion of Kosovo. For U.S. KFOR
    forces, as for KFOR generally, maintaining a safe and secure environment
    is the primary military task. United States 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 the 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 1,000
    U.S. military personnel are operating in support of KFOR in Macedonia,
    Greece, and Albania.
        Since my report to the Congress of December 15, in accordance with
    UNSCR 1244 and the MTA, FRY military, paramilitary, and police forces
    have not reentered Kosovo. The KLA agreed on June 21, 1999, to a cease
    fire, 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 has made progress in establishing 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

    [[Page 1388]]

    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,
    villages, and the countryside. Checkpoints and patrols are organized in
    key areas in Kosovo to provide security, resolve disputes, and help
    instill in the community a feeling of confidence. In addition, KFOR is
    helping to provide assistance in the areas of 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.
        NATO has planned for KFOR's 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.
        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. This item was not received in time for publication in the
    appropriate issue.