Chapter 9 - Implementation of the Principles for a Political Solution of the Conflict

Summary

By resolution 1244 (1999) (document no. 208; see Chapter 5) the UN Security Council authorised member States and relevant international organisations to set up an international security presence - KFOR - and decided that its responsibilities would include preventing renewed hostilities, demilitarising the KLA, and establishing a safe environment for the return of the refugees as well as for the operation of an international civil presence. The deployment of KFOR was synchronised with the departure of the Serbian security forces. By 20 June 1999, the Serb withdrawal was complete and KFOR established in Kosovo. On the same day, NATO Secretary General Solana announced that, in accordance with the Military Technical Agreement (document no. 207), he had formally terminated the air campaign (document no. 328). Neither Resolution 1244 (1998) nor its annexes regulated the Russian participation in KFOR. During further talks the Russian government refused to place its troops under the command of NATO but suggested to create a separate Russian sector. The Russian Federation intended to deny freedom of operation to the NATO forces throughout its sector. On 11 June 1999 before the arrival of NATO forces, Russian forces occupied the Pristina airfield, the incident increased the tensions between the NATO states and the Russian Federation. The Agreement on Russian Participation in KFOR concluded in Helsinki on 18 June 1999 resolved the dispute about the airfield and regulated, inter alia, the maximal Russian deployment (document no. 326). However, the agreement did not grant a separate sector to the Russian forces.