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| STANDING UNITED | |
 April 26, 1999 
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At the 50th anniversary summit, NATO members unanimously showed their support for the strikes against Yugoslavia and announce an oil embargo against the Serbs. Following a report on the weekend's events, experts assess the outcomes of the summit and discuss the evolving role of NATO. |
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| Resolving to stop Milosevic. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| JAVIER SOLANA: The most important message that you are
going to get from this summit is the determination of all the allies and
all the partners to resolve the situation in Kosovo. The refugees are
going to be back in their place in their country, and ethnic cleansing
will not be victorious in our continent as we approach the 21st century.
CHARLES KRAUSE: Originally called to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of NATO, the summit became a war council over Kosovo. In addition to the 19 member countries, also participating in the NATO summit were 23 other European and Central Asian nations; countries which have a working partnership with the alliance. Among the weekend's key developments, NATO leaders decided to intensify the air campaign against Slobodan Milosevic's army and Serb security forces in both Kosovo and elsewhere in Yugoslavia. NATO also committed, for the first time, to provide both military and eventually economic aid to Yugoslavia's Balkan neighbors. NATO also announced that a Serb attack on bordering countries like Macedonia and Albania would be treated as if it were an attack on NATO itself.
CHARLES KRAUSE: The arrival of the leaders last week coincided with confirmation that Solana authorized an update of plans for ground operations in Kosovo. But at the request of President Clinton, there was no public debate on the question of the use of ground troops. And German Chancellor Schroeder said the issue was off the table for now. NATO did, however, find another way to escalate pressure on Milosevic, announcing an oil embargo on land and at sea that will seek to prevent fuel from reaching the Serbs. PRESIDENT CLINTON: How can we justify risking the lives of the pilots to go up and destroy the refinery and the supply capacity of Serbia and then say, but it's okay with us if people want to continue to supply this nation and its outlawed actions in Kosovo in another way? |
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| The fuel embargo: A new strategy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC: (speaking through interpreter) One must reason when boarding a ship, if one has to board it forcefully, that is an act of war. There will be several problems with this and that is why we said we have to be very careful. We have to study all aspects before making a definitive decision. CHARLES KRAUSE: Still as the summit ended, National Security Advisor Samuel Berger said there had been no major dissension over the weekend.
CHARLES KRAUSE: Before departing, the NATO leaders drafted a strategic concept document outlining NATO's role in the next century throughout what they'd called the Euro-Atlantic Region. No decision was taken on adding new members to the alliance. |
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CHARLES
KRAUSE: After a weekend of somber meetings and low-key celebrations,
the 19 leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization wrapped up
their three-day summit in Washington last night expressing their determination
to prevail in Kosovo. NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana said that
unity was the main theme to emerge from the weekend summit. 
SPOKESPERSON:
Welcome to Washington, DC and NATO's 50th anniversary commemorative
event. 
JAVIER
SOLANA: I think we have demonstrated that we are standing by these countries,
and will not allow them to be destabilized and fall to Milosevic's ethnic
cleansing. We have also reassured them that NATO has a direct and material
interest in their security. We will not tolerate any threats against
their security. 
CHARLES
KRAUSE: Today, the European union's foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg
endorsed the embargo while Montenegro asked that it be exempt. Most
of the outside oil reaching Serbia has been passing through a Montenegro
port. Details about how the embargo would be enforced will be left to
NATO military commanders. But some of the NATO leaders like French President
Jacques Chirac had their doubts. 
SAMUEL
BERGER: And I thought, as we had planned for this summit and anticipated
that perhaps there might be cracks here or cracks there or fault lines
here or fault lines there, there were no fault lines when it came to
whether the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo needed to be reversed. They stood
as one.