No. 9. (02/04/99) Declaration on Kosovo

No. 9. (02/04/99) Declaration on Kosovo

Taking into account the views expressed by the members of the Standing Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly gathered in Dresden on 27 March 1999, the President of the assembly has decided to issue the following statement:

We fully support the military operation begun by NATO on 23 March in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

NATO is not waging war against the people of Yugoslavia. NATO has undertaken military action as a last resort, following the exhaustion of all efforts for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, in order to avert a major humanitarian catastrophe, and as the only means to bring the Yugoslav Goverment to abide by the demands of the international community:

i. to accept the interim political settlement negotiated in Rambouillet;

ii. to stop the excessive use of force in Kosovo and withdraw its police and military units as mandated by resolution 1199 of the UN Security Council, and as he has committed himself to doing in the agreement passed with Mr. Holbrooke on 12 October on behalf of the Contact Group.

In the meantime, we appeal to the Albanians of Kosovo to abide by the terms of the agreement that they signed in Paris on 19 March 1999.

By its military action NATO is defending the common values that unite the members of the Alliance. It is also seeking to prevent instability from spreading to the broader Balkan region, demonstrating thereby its readiness to serve the collective security of the entire European continent.

Concerned to avoid unnecessary suffering to the people of Yugoslavia and others in the region, we appeal to President Milosevic and all other political forces in Yugoslavia to cease the violence and accept the fair settlement proposed in Rambouillet that would endorse wide autonomy for Kosovo within the borders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

We reiterate the support expressed by the Assembly's Bureau in its statement of 14 February for the deployment of a NATO-led peacekeeping mission to help guarantee a settlement. We pledge the Assembly's full support for the "Partnership for Prosperity" proposed by Secretary General Solana and to any future efforts by the international community to bring the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia into the family of democratic European nations.

We are convinced that the national interest of the Yugoslav people will be best served by the development of civil society and the building of a state based on the rule of law. We will do our utmost to help the achievement of these goals.

We also stress the importance of a continuation of the partnership between NATO and Russia. The contribution of this partnership is essential to the strengthening of stability throughout Europe, including the Balkans.