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Updated: 24-Aug-2001 1998


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Summary 1998

 

1998: Mounting international concern is voiced over the violent repression and ethnic cleansing carried out by the Serb government against the Kosovar Albanians. Repeated diplomatic initiatives and negotiations fail to persuade the government of President Milosevic to reverse its policies.

In March 1999 the governments of the Alliance conclude that there is no alternative to military action in order to bring the conflict to an end, not only for the sake of the people of Kosovo, but in the interests of peace and stability in the Balkans as a whole and in the wider world.

An air campaign begins on 23 March and continues until 10 June. Agreement is reached on the stationing of an international military presence following the withdrawal of Serb forces. The deployment of the Kosovo Force (KFOR), led by NATO, creates conditions allowing the return of thousands of refugees and the beginning of the process of reconstruction. President Milosevic, indicted as a war criminal, remains in power in Belgrade amid growing criticism of his policies and role in the conflict.