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GEN. JACKSON: Last night, as you all know, on behalf of NATO, I concluded
an agreement with representatives of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
an agreement now known as the Military Technical Agreement. This document
explains how the Yugoslav forces are to conduct a phased, verifiable,
and orderly withdrawal from Kosovo within 11 days. And I should note
that the clock started ticking last night because the agreement was
effective upon signature.
The agreement provides a clear legal basis for KFOR, the international
security force mentioned in the United Nations Security Council resolution,
to establish a secure environment in Kosovo
I can inform you that the withdrawal of the Yugoslav forces started
today at around midday. And accordingly, the secretary-general of NATO
has instructed General Wesley Clark, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe,
to suspend NATO's air operations. And separately, Mr. Solana, the secretary-general,
has written to Mr. Kofi Annan, the secretary-general of the United Nations,
to inform him of these developments. And I am sure you will also know
that very recently, I think in the last hour or so, the relevant United
Nations Security Council resolution has indeed been adopted.
All in all, this amounts to a very closely coordinated and extraordinary
sequence of events which at long last have led to Belgrade meeting NATO's
five demands to end this conflict.
Let me now, if I may, talk a little about the future. We shall be off
quite quickly. And what we do in Kosovo, I assure you, will be both
robust and completely evenhanded. We will be robust because we will
be establishing a military presence which will guarantee the secure
Environment necessary for the safe return of all refugees and, indeed,
all those who are also homeless within Kosovo itself and to get them
back to their homes. We will deal firmly and directly with anyone trying
to prevent us to achieve this. Violence or noncompliance, wherever it
may come from, will not be tolerated.
This evenhandedness is absolutely vital because our aim is to provide
peace and security for all the people of Kosovo, from whatever ethnic
background they may come. To this end, the violence must end immediately.
And, of course, not only does the Military Technical Agreement begin
a process of withdrawal, but it also imposes a cease-fire.
Not only, of course, does the situation appertain to the Yugoslav forces,
there is also the question of armed Kosovo groups. And the United Nations
Security Council resolution will, if I have the right text, if it hasn't
changed since the last one I saw, and I doubt it, will require them
to demilitarize.
So it follows from all of this that the key tasks for KFOR are going
to be as follows. Firstly, to monitor, verify and, when necessary, to
enforce compliance with the terms of the military agreement. Secondly,
to assist the UNHCR in their vital task of getting the Refugees home.
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