-Caveat Lector-
White House Fact Sheet on KFOR
WASHINGTON, June 11 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released
today by the White House:
KFOR Fact Sheet
KFOR is the international military force provided for under the terms
of the military-technical agreement (MTA) signed June 9, 1999. KFOR
will deploy under a unified NATO chain of command under the political
direction of the North Atlantic Council. Lt. Gen. Sir Michael Jackson
will serve as Commander, KFOR, under the overall military direction of
the SACEUR, GEN Wesley Clark.
KFOR will deploy into Kosovo within 24 hours of confirmation that the
withdrawal of FRY forces has reached the first milestone specified in
the MTA. The MTA requires the full withdrawal of all FRY military,
paramilitary and police forces from Kosovo and sets out the specific
geographic areas from which each phase of the withdrawal must be
completed at each stage of the withdrawal timetable. KFOR will
synchronize its entry into Kosovo to minimize any security gap.
KFOR will ultimately consist of approximately 50,000 troops from more
than two dozen contributing nations, including NATO member-states,
Partnership for Peace nations, and others.
Five NATO nations, under the unified command of Lt. Gen. Jackson, will
split responsibility for peacekeeping. The U.S. zone is in the
southeast; UK in the northeast; French in the north; Italian in the
west and German in the south. They will be joined by forces from the
numerous other participating nations. Provisions for Russian
participation are under discussion.
British forces will likely be the first NATO troops to enter Kosovo.
They will establish the KFOR Headquarters in Pristina. The initial
U.S. deployment will occur within a few days and will consist of 1900
Marines and 1700 other soldiers. Eventually, other U.S. forces will
move in to replace the initial force, ultimately reaching the bringing
to 7000 the commitment of U.S. forces in Kosovo. That will represent
approximately 15 percent of the total force.
The commander of KFOR, Gen. Jackson, has the responsibility to take the
measures to create a secure environment for the return of the refugees
to their homes in safety and self-government. The MTA gives him the
authority "to take all necessary action to establish and maintain a
secure environment for all citizens of Kosovo and otherwise carry out
its mission." This allows him to:
-- ensure that FRY withdrawal proceeds on schedule; -- carry out the
terms of the MTA with respect to the limited activities of the selected
FRY personnel who will return to Kosovo;
-- monitor the use of all facilities and activities in Kosovo that may
have military or police capabilities;
-- protect KFOR and the civil implementation presence; and, -- provide
assistance to other international entities involved in implementing the
peace in Kosovo.
Military-Technical Agreement Between NATO and the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia
The Military-Technical Agreement (MTA) concluded today between Lt.
General Michael Jackson, representing NATO, and authorities of the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), specifies the details of Serb
force withdrawals from Kosovo and the roles and authorities of the
Kosovo international security force ("KFOR"). The MTA is based on the
Ahtisaari-Chernomyrdin agreement of June 3 and anticipates the early
adoption of the UN Security Council resolution agreed on June 8 by G-8
Foreign Ministers.
Together, these agreements meet all of NATO,s conditions for ending the
conflict, including the complete withdrawal of all military,
paramilitary and police forces from Kosovo, the establishment of an
international security force with NATO at the core, and the return of
Kosovar refugees to their homes in security and self-government.
Withdrawal of Serb Forces The MTA obligates the FRY, among other
things: -- to cease hostilities immediately;
-- to withdraw all aircraft and air defense systems in 3 days; -- to
withdraw all its forces in a phased but rapid manner, leading to the
complete withdrawal within 11 days;
-- to mark and clear minefields, booby traps and obstacles during
withdrawal.
In accordance with the Ahtisaari-Chernomyrdin agreement, a small number
of FRY forces ("hundreds, not thousands") will be able to return for
limited functions subject to a subsequent agreement.
Deployment of KFOR
The MTA provides for an international security force ("KFOR") that will
operate under unified NATO chain of command under the political
direction of the North Atlantic Council. Lt. Gen. Michael Jackson, who
signed the agreement, will serve as the KFOR commander under the
overall military direction of SACEUR, Gen. Wesley Clark.
The MTA gives KFOR robust authority to use force as necessary to
enforce compliance, to observe and inspect any facilities and
activities in Kosovo that may have military or police capabilities, to
protect KFOR and the civil implementation presence, and to provide
assistance to other international organizations involved in
implementing the peace in Kosovo.
The MTA also includes a "silver bullet" clause, similar to that of SFOR
in Bosnia, that allows KFOR to compel the withdrawal of any forces, or
to order the cessation of any activities, that pose a potential threat
to the force or its mission.
Next Steps The agreement reached today is another important step toward
achieving our objectives in Kosovo. The United States and its allies
will now watch carefully to see whether the Serb forces are peacefully
leaving Kosovo in accordance with the agreed timetable. We have made
clear to the leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army that we expect them
to honor the cease-fire and not hinder the withdrawal of Serb forces.
If the FRY begins to withdraw its forces in accordance with the
timeframe, NATO Secretary General Javier Solana will suspend NATO air
strikes. He will retain the authority to resume them if the FRY fails
to carry out its commitments.
News provided by COMTEX.
[!CIS+COUNTRIES] [!EASTERN+EUROPE] [!EMERGING+MARKETS]
[!EUROPEAN+COMMUNITY] [!GLOBAL+NEWS] [!INTERNATIONAL] [!WESTERN+EUROPE]
[!WORLD+AFFAIRS] [ADOPTION] [ARMY] [BOSNIA] [DEFENSE] [ENVIRONMENT]
[FIRE] [GOVERNMENT] [MARINES] [MILITARY] [NATO] [NEWS] [NEWSGRID]
[PARTNERSHIP] [POLICE] [SECURITY] [SILVER] [UNITED+STATES] [USA] [USN]
[WASHINGTON] [YUGOSLAVIA]
--
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