Madeleine K. Albright, architect of the War in the Balkans has died
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Good afternoon. I want to speak for a few minutes about Kosovo and what we in NATO have decided today.
Two weeks ago, NATO took the historic step of authorizing the NATO commander to launch air strikes for only the second time in its fifty year history. The Alliance insisted that President Milosevic comply with the repeated political, humanitarian and military demands of the UN Security Council with respect to the treatment of the people of Kosovo. The Alliance made clear that continued failure to comply would result in the use of force. Today the Alliance was able to report that President Milosevic is in very substantial compliance with Security Council Resolution 1199, and that this compliance is sufficient to justify not launching air strikes at this time.
This is an important and welcome development. It would not have happened if we had not combined diplomacy with the threat by NATO to use force. The key now is to ensure that Belgrade sustains compliance and for the parties to make progress towards a political settlement. To these ends, we will continue to pursue diplomacy combined with a credible threat of force.
Let me repeat — NATO’s threat to use force if necessary remains.
Over the past two weeks, as a result of NATO’s resolve, there have been tangible changes in Serb behavior and in the situation on the ground in Kosovo. Army units brought into Kosovo from outside have been withdrawn. Kosovo-based units are moving back to their garrisons and progress is being made toward placing heavy weapons in storage.
Equally important, we are seeing the withdrawal of thousands of police reinforcements from outside Kosovo and the return of other units to garrisons. Yesterday, the Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission witnessed the withdrawal of more than 4,000 Serbian special police, the units responsible for the lion’s share of violence.
In addition to the numbers, we have a commitment from Milosevic — that will have to be tested — that remaining units will not engage in the aggressive behavior that has caused so much repression and terror.
Relief agencies are now able to operate without major impediments. Food, blankets and medical kits are being delivered. Although more remains to be done, progress has been made in providing shelter. Thousands of Kosovar Albanians who had been displaced by the violence have already left the mountains to return to their villages and begin rebuilding their lives.
These developments should result in a safer and more secure climate in which those still displaced may also return home. The result, if all goes well, will be the prevention of further humanitarian catastrophe.
It is vital to understand that even if the humanitarian crisis is averted, the political crisis remains. This crisis can only be resolved at the bargaining table. This is a vital point, for not even NATO military force can resolve the tensions, rivalries and disagreements that are at the heart of the problems of Kosovo.
Politically, the Serbs and Kosovar Albanians have resumed a dialogue with the goal of an interim agreement that would give Kosovars democratic self-government, including their own police, and elections supervised by the international community. To support those negotiations, we have also delivered a clear message to the leadership of the Kosovo Liberation Army: there should be no attempt to take military advantage of the Serb pull-back. Neither side can achieve a military victory in Kosovo.
This message is starting to have an effect. In recent days, we’ve seen a new degree of restraint on the part of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which has been willing to negotiate the disengagement of forces in several key areas. Future progress will be enhanced if Kosovars have confidence that the international community is engaged and determined to prevent a return to repression and terror.
The Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission is in the field reporting to ensure that Milosevic is complying with our demands not only on paper, but also on the ground. NATO already has begun air verification missions. Their efforts will soon be augmented by the OSCE’s new Kosovo Verification Mission, led by US Ambassador Bill Walker.
That’s why we are maintaining the threat of force and not letting down our guard. That’s why today at NATO, we have decided on an integrated package of steps to ensure Milosevic’s complete and verifiable compliance with our demands.
This regime will include the following elements:
First, NATO will soon activate the full air verification regime to ensure Serb compliance with the military provisions of the agreement.
Second, I’ve been working with my NATO counterparts to accelerate planning for a reaction force with forward elements in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia if the government of Skopje agrees. Its purpose will be to ensure that Alliance forces are on call to respond if needed.
Third, the authority for NATO to launch air strikes remains in place.
And fourth, NATO forces remain prepared to act promptly if and when that is necessary.
Milosevic should be under no illusions. NATO will be overhead and next door. The OSCE will have an intrusive presence on the ground. NATO will remain willing and able to act. NATO military authorities will provide regular assessments for the NATO Council on Milosevic’s track record on compliance. These assessments will be developed with inputs from the Kosovo Verification Mission.
We are at a key decision point in the history of the Balkans, as well as of NATO. As events over the past two weeks reflect, we have started to move down the right path for both. For the moment, a humanitarian catastrophe has been averted. But the crisis will remain until there is a political solution that ensures respect for the rights of all the people of Kosovo. We must and we will do all we can to see that the progress continues.
Madeleine K. Albright was Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, part of Dentons Global Advisors, and a professor, author, diplomat, and businesswoman who served as the 64th Secretary of State of the United States. Dr. Albright received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Barack Obama on May 29, 2012. She passed away on March 23, 2022.
In 1997, Dr. Albright was appointed by President Bill Clinton as the first female Secretary of State and became, at that time, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. As Secretary of State, Dr. Albright reinforced America’s alliances, advocated for democracy and human rights, and promoted American trade, business, labor, and environmental standards abroad. From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Albright served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and was a member of the President’s Cabinet. From 1989 to 1992, she served as President of the Center for National Policy. Previously, she was a member of President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Council and White House staff and served as Chief Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Edmund S. Muskie.
Dr. Albright was a Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Dr. Albright was Chair of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets. She also chaired the National Democratic Institute, served as the president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation, and was Honorary Co-Chair of the World Refugee Council. In 2021, she was appointed Chair of the Defense Policy Board, a group tasked with providing the Secretary of Defense with independent, informed advice and opinion concerning matters of defense policy.