B4-0946, 0947, 0948, 0950 and 0951/98

Resolution on the situation in Kosovo

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Kosovo, especially those of 12 March 1998(31), 14 May 1998(32), 18 June 1998(33) and 16 July 1998(34),

- having regard to the resolutions of the UN Security Council of 23 September 1998 (S/RES/1199 (1998)), 1 October 1998 (S/RES/1201 (1998)) and 6 October 1998,

- having regard to the decision of the North Atlantic Council of 24 September 1998,

- having regard to the outcome of the meeting of the Council of Ministers of 5/6 October 1998,

A. expressing its most profound concern about the continuing and increasing violations of the most basic human rights, the process of ethnic cleansing and the brutal aggression carried out by Yugoslav forces against the civilian population of Kosovo, which have resulted in numerous civilian casualties,

B. deeply shocked at the discovery of a number of mass graves in several parts of Kosovo, where a great number of civilian victims of brutality by the Serbian security forces, and especially women and children, were buried,

C. deeply concerned by the human catastrophe caused by the scorched earth strategy exercised by the FRY army which has caused widespread destruction, frequently of entire villages, and left very many of the 230 000 displaced persons without a safe place to return to in Kosovo,

D. whereas the Yugoslav government has deliberately hampered international efforts to assist the displaced persons with food and medicine, and whereas the misery of these people will worsen as winter arrives,

E. emphasizing once again that the policies of the Serbian authorities also constitute a most serious threat to peace, security and stability in the whole of the region,

F. whereas Serbian army, paramilitary and police forces are continuing their aggression against the Albanian population of Kosovo and, despite promises to the contrary, recently massacred a large number of ethnic Albanian civilians and deliberately hampered international efforts to assist the displaced persons with food and medicine,

G. emphasizing once again that only a complete end to all actions by the Serbian security forces affecting the civilian population and the withdrawal of Serbian security units, followed by the start of a full and meaningful dialogue without preconditions and with international involvement on the future of Kosovo, is the only acceptable way to solve the conflict in Kosovo,

H. emphasizing that all necessary measures should be taken to stop this process of ethnic cleansing, brutal aggression against the civilian population and destabilisation by the Belgrade regime and that the European Union and its Member States should take an active part in these actions,

I. recalling the objectives set down at the Cardiff European Council on 16 June 1998 concerning Kosovo and the complete failure to fulfill any of them; deeply disappointed therefore with the Council"s inadequate response to the crisis up to now,

J. noting that the North Atlantic Council has taken the decision to prepare itself for both a limited air option and a phased air campaign in Kosovo,

K. emphasizing once again the need for free and unrestricted access for international humanitarian organisations, such as the UNHCR and the ICRC to Kosovo,

L. whereas Milosevic has a record of broken promises, both as regards Kosovo and when it comes to introducing democratic and economic reforms in Serbia, and whereas he no longer represents a solution but rather a problem,

M. noting that until now the Belgrade regime has taken a few but still completely insufficient steps to comply with the terms and conditions of UN Security Council Resolution 1199 (1998),

N. noting once again that the Prosecutor of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has expressed the view that the situation in Kosovo represents an armed conflict within the terms of the mandate of the Tribunal,

1. Most strongly condemns the policy of brutal aggression and ethnic cleansing by Serbian security forces against the civilian population of Kosovo and calls on the Belgrade regime to immediately put an end to all actions by the Serbian security forces affecting the civilian population and to withdraw Serbian security units;

2. Calls on all parties, groups and civilian, and especially on the Belgrade regime to comply fully and completely with the terms and conditions of UN Security Council Resolutions 1160 (1998) and 1199 (1998);

3. Calls on both the Belgrade regime and the representatives of the Kosovo people to immediately create the necessary conditions for a political solution to the conflict in Kosovo through a full and meaningful dialogue with international involvement on the future status of Kosovo;

4. Urges the Council and its Member States to promote actively a decision by the Security Council, on the basis of a report of the UN Secretary General on the Belgrade regime"s compliance with the terms and conditions of UN Security Council Resolutions 1160 (1998) and 1199 (1998), permitting the use of military force, which may be deemed necessary to achieve this goal;

5. Urges the Council and its Member States to take all further measures that are necessary to stop the brutal aggression by the Belgrade regime against the civilian people of Kosovo;

6. Supports the preparations for a possible military intervention within the NATO framework, both to protect the people of Kosovo and to prevent this conflict from spreading to neighbouring states;

7. Calls for unrestricted freedom of movement for representatives of relief organisations and the appropriate international organisations, to enable them to monitor compliance with existing agreements and the extent of the refugee disaster;

8. Calls on the Commission and the Council to give all necessary humanitarian aid to the victims of and the refugees from the violence in Kosovo and calls on all Member States not to return refugees and asylum seekers to Kosovo where protection cannot be guaranteed;

9. Calls on the Council to protest in the strongest terms possible to the Belgrade government about recent threats by the Yugoslav authorities to treat the independent media in the region as enemies serving foreign powers and NATO agents;

10. Recommends the President and the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to investigate charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes levelled against Mr Milosevic;

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, WEU, NATO, the UN Security Council, the Presidents and the governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and of Serbia and to the representatives of the people in Kosovo.