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- March 24 2023 21: 09
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Exactly 24 years ago, NATO aircraft launched airstrikes against the military positions of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, an extremely complex and unexpected operation. Thus, the North Atlantic Alliance put an end to the aggression started by Slobodan Milosevic, who in the first days of the bombing would order the most macabre massacres and the deportation of over half a million Albanians. On the anniversary of the bombings, the institutional leaders have evaluated the NATO campaign to stop the brutality of Serbia as historic
Nothing had been left untried to stop the aggression on Kosovo by the regime of the president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, except the military intervention, which, however, happened exactly 24 years ago.
On the anniversary of the launch of the NATO bombings, institutional and political leaders have assessed the intervention of the US-led Alliance on Serbian police and military targets as necessary and historic.
President Vjosa Osmani together with ambassadors of the QUINT countries paid tribute to the Memorial of NATO soldiers who fell for the freedom of Kosovo. She shared on social networks the speech of the former president of the United States of America, Bill Clinton, on the night of March 24, shortly after the start of the bombings.
"Like today, 24 years ago, our NATO allies came together to end the brutality of a genocidal regime. The intervention saved millions of lives, but it also paved the way for a brighter, more prosperous and peaceful future for the people of Kosovo and the region. We are eternally grateful", Osmani wrote on Twitter.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Glauk Konjufca, has emphasized that under the command of General Wesley Clark, the 78-day bombing campaign of the North Atlantic Alliance ended Serbia's ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Albanians in Kosovo.
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"24 years later, the Republic of Kosovo, built on the foundations of the KLA's liberation war, the martyrdom of our people and NATO's military assistance, is a democratic, sovereign and independent state. The best example in the Balkans, Europe and beyond for the free life of equal citizens, human rights and the rights of minority communities. Also, during these post-war years, the Republic of Kosovo has made significant progress in all areas and is today a factor of peace, cooperation and stability in the region", wrote Konjufca.
"We are determined to, with the support of our permanent friends and allies, advance in the integration processes and defend at all costs the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order in every part of our state. Our people will forever be grateful to the member states of the NATO Alliance and the KFOR military mission for everything they have done and continue to do for the freedom, peace, stability and security of the Republic of Kosovo".
Hilli consoles the Serbian families who suffered from NATO
On the other hand, Serbia continues to feed the narrative that NATO exercised illegal aggression on a sovereign country. The US ambassador in this country, Christopher Hill, declared that the Serbian people will not forget the time of the bombings, while expressing his condolences to the families who lost family members from the NATO air campaign.
On the 24th anniversary of the NATO bombings, he said that he learned that sometimes diplomacy fails, and when this happens, according to him, the results can be tragic.
"I express my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives during the wars of the 1990s, including as a result of the NATO air campaign. I know that the Serbian people will never forget that terrible time, nor should they. The Serbian people will never put aside their grief, but I believe they are strong enough to put aside their grievances. The commitment of the United States to our partnership with Serbia is unwavering, as is our commitment to diplomacy," Hill wrote.
But Donjeta Miftari, advisor to President Vjosa Osmani, reacted to Hill, saying that the American diplomat has decided to rewrite history in his efforts to bring Serbia back on track.
"The intervention was not the result of a 'failure of diplomacy'. "Serbia really should not forget it, precisely because it happened as a response to the actions of a brutal and genocidal regime," said Miftari.
The largest operation in NATO history
Milosevic's refusal in 1999 to sign the Rambouillet agreement led to the largest military operation in NATO history.
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Former American President Bill Clinton, in his televised speech on the night of March 24, explained the goals of the NATO campaign, proving the seriousness of the reaction against the Serbian aggression in Kosovo. The aim was to seriously damage the military capacities of the former Yugoslavia in order to cause future war.
After the start of the NATO bombing, the military and paramilitary forces of the former FRY launched a vicious campaign against the civilian population. Then the most macabre massacres would take place. According to the records of the US Department of State, about 10 thousand Albanians were killed and thrown into mass graves.
The mass expulsion of over half a million Kosovo Albanians in the first two weeks of the bombing alone, which by the end of the campaign amounted to nearly 1 million, had produced political instability in Macedonia and Albania.
Consequences of the bombings
After four weeks of bombing, the Yugoslav leadership was still showing no sign of readiness for talks. At the NATO summit in Washington, held on April 23, 1999, NATO leaders decided to increase the dose of the bombs, now expanding the number of targets set to hit the military-industrial infrastructure and the media. 59 bridges were destroyed by the bombings, 7 of them only over the Danube; 9 highways, including the Belgrade-Nish and Belgrade-Zagreb highways; as well as 7 airports. Most of the major telecommunications transmitters were damaged, while two-thirds of the industrial complexes were almost completely destroyed. According to NATO, it was possible to paralyze 70 percent of the capacities for the production of electricity, and 80 percent of the oil refineries.
In this war, the number of military casualties was quite small. NATO had no casualties at all, which is the first case recorded in the history of wars. According to the figures of the former FRY, at least 600 soldiers of the former federation died in the war, of which 300 were killed in the war with the KLA.
On June 1, 1999, Belgrade notified the German Government that it would accept the principles of the G-8, whereupon the Serbian Parliament formally approved the peace plan. This preceded the Kumanovo Technical-Military Agreement that was signed on June 9 and entered into force on June 11. Between these two dates, NATO suspended its airstrikes by order of NATO Secretary General Javier Sollana. On June 10, the UN Security Council approved Resolution 1244, on the basis of which it was decided to send 37.200 soldiers from 36 countries to Kosovo, and the framework for the establishment of the UN civilian administration was also determined. NATO troops had the authority to operate only in Kosovo, while with the Kumanovo Agreement, the FRY was forced to remove all its police and military forces from Kosovo.
NATO is not contested by either the Albanians or the Serbs
Even after 24 years, NATO remains the most reliable international presence in Kosovo, which is not contested by either the Albanians or the Serbs.
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The fact that the current president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and the Foreign Minister, Ivica Dačić, who were among Milosevic's main men at the time of the bombings, and at the head of the propaganda war against it, proves how much the Serbs' attitude towards NATO has changed. Alliance, now in some cases they have requested guarantees from NATO even for the implementation of the agreements reached with Kosovo in the Brussels dialogue.
After NATO's intervention in Kosovo, the strategic configuration in the region has already changed. Although with reduced numbers, this force continues to guard the borders of Kosovo. Meanwhile, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia are its members. Kosovo has also expressed its intention to join this alliance, creating a working group, which will prepare the necessary documentation for application.
