B4-0377, 0379, 0385, 0386 and 0402/99

Resolution on the situation in Kosovo

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Kosovo and the former Yugoslavia,

- having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998) and 1203 (1998),

A. deeply shocked by the ever-increasing brutality of the process of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and the humanitarian tragedy which is now taking place in the region as a consequence of this process,

B. whereas the Serb-led offensive to intimidate and attack the Albanian population in Kosovo has been further intensified over the last few months and has culminated in the destruction of numerous villages and the exodus under appalling conditions of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children to neighbouring countries,

C. stressing that this brutal aggression by the Serb and Yugoslav authorities has not only created one of the worst humanitarian tragedies seen in Europe since the end of World War II but has also seriously destabilised the situation in the whole of the southern Balkans,

D. noting that the dramatic increase in violence and human rights abuses must be considered as a deliberate attempt by President Milosevic and the Serb and Yugoslav authorities to destroy the collective identity of the Kosovar people,

E. stressing that President Milosevic's refusal to accept a peaceful, negotiated solution to the barbaric conflict in Kosovo, the continuing aggression against the Kosovar people and the further increase in the human catastrophe in the region have made it inevitable for NATO to take the decision to start operation Allied Force against military targets in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,

F. whereas NATO, following a unanimous decision by its member states, decided to take limited military action against FRY forces, with a view to obtaining FRY adherence to earlier agreements and to the principles set out in the Rambouillet draft agreement,

G. noting with deep regret that, despite NATO's efforts to limit casualties amongst the population, the NATO air raids against military targets in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have also caused a number of victims amongst the civilian population,

H. deploring that the United Nations and its Security Council could not be fully involved in the decision to force President Milosevic to accept a negotiated solution to the conflict in Kosovo, as two permanent Members of the Security Council blocked the possibility for the Security Council to uphold the UN's authority and to implement its own resolutions on this issue,

I. whereas a stable and productive long-term relationship with the Russian Federation is of major importance for both the EU and for NATO; whereas the necessity for such a relationship cannot, however, prevent the EU from acting in the face of genocide and destabilisation in a region already in turmoil,

J. emphasising that the strengthening of world norms for human rights standards should take precedence over national sovereignty concerns,

K. whereas increased cooperation and fair burden-sharing among the EU Member States is imperative given the acute refugee crisis evolving in Kosovo, Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania,

L. stressing furthermore that priority should be given to taking care of the people in the region - by offering shelter, food and medicine - in order to enable a swift return to their homes as soon as the conflict has ended, but that as an exceptional and temporary measure refugees should also be taken care of in the Member States of the Union,

M. whereas it is more and more evident that a global approach towards the area is needed in order to deal thoroughly with all the problems of the countries of South-East Europe and come to a genuine stabilisation of the region,

N. deeply concerned by the situation in the Republika Srpska where the recent developments are seriously endangering the fragile Dayton Accords,

O. whereas the populations of Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro are the victims of a criminal policy instigated and implemented by President Milosevic and his regime,

1. Strongly condemns the deliberate and massive policy of ethnic cleansing and the brutal destruction of human lives and properties carried out by Serb and Yugoslav troops and paramilitary forces in Kosovo;

2. Accepts that military action against FRY forces became unavoidable following the collapse of the Rambouillet talks and the lack of results of further mediation efforts;

3. Calls on the Serb and Yugoslav authorities to immediately and fully implement the provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998) and 1203 (1998) and:

- to withdraw Serb and Yugoslav troops from Kosovo and to stop the process of ethnic cleansing and the brutal destruction of human lives and properties;

- to create the conditions for the refugees to be able to return safely to their homes;

- to agree to the deployment of an international security force; and

- to create the conditions for a political solution to the conflict in Kosovo;

4. Is convinced that a lasting political solution must be based upon internationally guaranteed substantial autonomy for Kosovo within the existing borders of the Federation of Yugoslavia;

5. Welcomes the initiative taken by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to broker an end to the conflict;

6. Urges the Council to do its best to involve the UN Security Council and the OSCE Presidency in order to cope with the humanitarian emergency and arrange the deployment of a mandated multinational ground force with peace-keeping and peace-enforcing tasks in order to permit the return of refugees in the whole of Kosovo;

7. Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Member States to refer to the Security Council, on behalf of the European Union, in close cooperation with Russia and the United States, a request for it to establish a 'protected humanitarian zone' covering all of Kosovo;

8. Calls on the Council, the Commission and the Member States to play a leading role in assisting the neighbouring states and regions to which refugees have fled, and in helping the refugees, according to the size and the economic ability of the Member States;

9. Calls on the Council to strengthen the coordination of the humanitarian action with the other international agencies, to increase the aid for refugees in the area and calls on the Council and the Member States to assume their responsibilities and to match the generosity of the people of Europe, tens of thousands of whom are prepared to take in Kosovar refugees until conditions exist that would enable them to return to Kosovo;

10. Emphasises however that no refugees shall be evacuated from the region other than on a voluntary basis;

11. Welcomes the Commission's recent decision to release EUR 250 million with a view to providing assistance to the Kosovars who have been deported and to the neighbouring countries most affected by the policy of mass deportation and calls on the Commission and the Council to act in close cooperation with the European Parliament as part of the Union's budget authority;

12. Urges the Member States' governments to agree on and adopt without further delay the proposed EU Joint Actions on the Temporary Protection of Displaced Persons and on Solidarity, in order to provide immediate protection to displaced persons from Kosovo within the EU;

13. Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Member States to take - in cooperation with the USA and Russia - a major initiative, by way of a common strategy decided by the Council, for the southern Balkans, directed towards the economic and social reconstruction of the region as a whole, and reiterates that South-Eastern Europe needs a Stability Pact opening the door to a long-term political and economic stabilisation process in the framework of enhanced relations with the European Union;

14. Considers that the peace and stability of the entire region depend on the establishment of democracy and the rule of law in Yugoslavia and calls therefore on the Council and the Commission to step up efforts to provide information to the populations of Serbia and Montenegro, inter alia by means of Serbian-language broadcasts;

15. Calls on the Belgrade authorities to guarantee Sakharov Prize Winner Dr Ibrahim Rugova full freedom of movement and invites him to address its Foreign Affairs Committee;

16. Invites the Council to intensify and strengthen the relations with the government of Montenegro whose role has been essential in preventing the conflict from spreading further;

17. Calls on the Council and the Member States to undertake a major initiative to reform the United Nations in order to strengthen its capacity to be fully involved in all peace-keeping and peace-making activities, and calls on the Council and the Member States to reinforce the Common Foreign and Security Policy in order to create an EU peace-keeping and peace-making capacity;

18. Demands that Milosevic and others responsible for war crimes and ethnic cleansing be brought before the ICTY and reiterates its call to States in possession of evidence of such persons' criminal and political responsibility for the crimes committed in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo to forward that evidence to the tribunal without delay; appeals for the work of compiling eye-witness accounts and evidence of the crimes committed to be supported by non-governmental organisations with the necessary expertise;

19. Calls for the ratification of the Statute for an International Criminal Court as a tool to prevent future war crimes;

20. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, NATO, the United Nations, President Milosevic and the governments and parliaments of Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Montenegro and Serbia and to Dr Ibrahim Rugova.