THE PRESENT | THE REGION | THE FUTURE | THE PAST | CHATS | MESSAGE BOARDS

Questions hang over future of U.N.'s Kosovo mission

NATO security forces on patrol near the Kosovo border check civilians for weapons in a bid to head off further violence

March 7, 2000
Web posted at: 2:41 a.m. EST (0741 GMT)

In this story: New group of rebel fighters formed Kouchner counsels patience Yugoslavia cracks down on opposition RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The United Nations must provide more support and a clearer vision of the future if its mission in Kosovo is to avoid collapse, top U.N. officials in the region are warning.

Bernard Kouchner, the U.N.'s civilian administrator in Kosovo, urged the Security Council on Monday to better define the U.N.'s role in the rebuilding of the strife-torn province.

"We need to start a very clear discussion about the future of all communities," Kouchner said.

Kouchner's concerns over possible problems were echoed by the commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping force -- who said the U.N. is tightening its control over the province's borders. The move is aimed at preventing fresh outbreaks of the ethnic violence that led to NATO's 11-week bombardment of Yugoslavia last year.

New group of rebel fighters formed

Kouchner urges Security Council members to clarify the U.N.'s mission in Kosovo

"We cannot support any adventurism which might lead to new atrocities in the Presevo Valley," German Gen. Klaus Reinhardt said, referring to the Dobrosin region that neighbors Kosovo.

He said several people trying to cross the border with weapons had recently been arrested, but gave no details.

The move reflects NATO's increasing concern about a newly formed rebel group composed of fighters who say they are trying to protect villagers in the region from attacks by Serb forces.

The 9-month-old international administration in Kosovo has struggled to break a cycle of ethnic violence made more threatening by a shortage of police and a justice system that barely functions.

Kouchner on Monday urged the speedy fulfillment of U.N. promises of financial backing for the region and the provision of civilian police officers.

Kouchner counsels patience

NATO troops face protesters in Mitrovica as tensions mount in the ethnically divided city

He proposed that an intermediate constitution be adopted to guide the administration of Kosovo. He held out hope that local elections might be possible sometime this year.

Kouchner invited Security Council members to visit Kosovo to face "the reality" in the province as it rebuilds. But he warned that -- as in other countries -- the U.N. mission there could last many years.

Reinhardt questioned whether it was possible for the territory to function autonomously inside a sovereign country after government forces have tried to expel 90 percent of the population.

Last year's NATO bombardment was prompted by a Yugoslav army crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo -- a campaign NATO said brutalized civilians.

During the crackdown and subsequent bombardment, hundreds of thousands fled the province, which was overwhelmingly ethnic Albanian. Reinhardt said protecting minorities remains a major problem because of "the mental attitude of hatred, of vengeance, of intolerance" in the province.

Yugoslavia cracks down on opposition

Kouchner's comments come at a time of increasing tension in the region, where many fear recent clashes in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica could point to more trouble ahead.

Outside Kosovo, Belgrade is cracking down on opposition, and President Slobodan Milosevic has called for an end to the U.N.'s Kosovo mission.

Serbian police also have closed the border with Serbia's neighboring republic of Montenegro.

The pro-Western Montenegrin leadership -- at odds with Milosevic over a range of economic and political issues -- has accused Serbia of launching a trade war to trigger economic and social turmoil inside Montenegro.

In Belgrade, the top editor of broadcaster Studio B said a group of men in police uniforms attacked his studio, systematically damaging equipment and beat two employees. Police called his account "ill-intentioned" and "fabricated" and denied they had anything to do with the incident.

After the attack, Telecommunications Minister Ivan Markovic ordered Studio B to pay 11 million dinars -- about $850,000 -- for the use of its frequencies or face legal action. And Monday evening, a Belgrade court levied a $40,000 fine in a libel suit filed by a police officer.

United Nations Correspondent Richard Roth, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

France sending more troops to Kosovo after ethnic riots
February 23, 2000
Ethnic rioting eases in troubled Kosovo city
February 22, 2000
KFOR troops, ethnic Albanians clash at Mitrovica bridge
February 21, 2000
NATO troops comb Kosovo town for weapons
February 20, 2000
Comrades testify against U.S. soldier in Kosovo girl's killing
February 18, 2000
Milosevic says Kosovo peacekeepers should leave
February 17, 2000

Yugoslavia:
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia official site
Kesovo and Metohija facts
Serbia Ministry of Information

Kosovo:
Kosova Foundation For Economic Reconstruction And Development
Kosova Crisis Center
Kosovo - from Albanian.com

Military:
NATO official site
BosniaLINK - U.S. Dept. of Defense
U.S. Navy images from Operation Allied Force
U.K. Ministry of Defense - Kosovo news
French Ministry of Defense
Jane's Defence - Kosovo Crisis

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.