Declaration by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (formerly the North Atlantic Assembly) Released June 1, 1999.
The Warsaw Plenary Declaration On Kosovo
1.We, the members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly* (NATO PA) gathered at our Spring Plenary in Warsaw have adopted the following Declaration of support for the objectives of NATO in its campaign to establish conditions making it possible for refugees to return in safety to Kosovo and to secure peace and stability in the region. As public representatives we reflect the opinions of our peoples who wholly reject the practices of the Milosevic regime. We are convinced that the peace proposals contained in this Declaration fully respect the human rights of all the citizens of the region, including those of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and that, whilst most regrettable, the use of coercion to protect human rights, is in these circumstances justifiable;
2. We believe that the policy of the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in Kosovo represents a fundamental challenge to the values for which NATO has stood since its foundation democracy, human rights and the rule of law;
3. We totally condemn the policies of President Milosevic and his regime the expulsions, murders and other atrocities committed against innocent civilians. We must demonstrate, governments and parliaments together, that there is no place in Europe for the kind of leadership in the FRY which permits the violent abuse of human rights that has been, and is, occurring. This campaign of terror cannot be allowed to succeed;
4. We reaffirm that there can be no lasting peace without justice. Atrocities against the people of Kosovo by FRY military, police and paramilitary forces violate international law. President Slobodan Milosevic and those others responsible for the systematic campaign of violence and destruction against innocent Kosovar civilians and for the forced deportation of hundreds of thousands of refugees will be held accountable for their actions in accordance with international law and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. While the actions of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia may complicate diplomatic negotiating efforts, international support for the rule of law and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms remains paramount;
5. We express our solidarity with the Kosovar people and with the refugees; we deplore the loss of innocent lives; we appreciate the efforts of our military forces operating in difficult circumstances;
* Formerly the North Atlantic Assembly
6. We fully share the objectives of the international community as stated by the UN Secretary General and reaffirmed by the European Union: a peaceful, multi-ethnic, democratic and autonomous Kosovo where all its people can live in security and enjoy universal human rights and freedoms on an equal basis. The NATO PA fully supports these objectives in full respect of the territorial integrity of the FRY;
7. We fully support the objectives being pursued by the military action undertaken by NATO against the FRY aimed at ending the suffering of the Kosovars and securing their return to their rightful homes under effective international protection. This military action is directed not at the Serb and Montenegrin people, whose suffering we deeply regret, but at the policies of the regime in Belgrade which is to be blamed as solely responsible for any loss occurred in the FRY;
8. We reaffirm that a peaceful settlement of the conflict requires President Milosevic to comply with the following demands consistent with the Statement on Kosovo issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., on April 23-24, 1999: a) a verifiable stop to all military action and the immediate ending of violence and repression in Kosovo by FRY forces; b) the withdrawal from Kosovo of military, police and paramilitary forces; c) the stationing in Kosovo of an international military presence; d) the unconditional and safe return of all refugees and displaced persons to their homes and unhindered access to them by humanitarian aid organisations; e) a credible demonstration of his willingness to work for the establishment of a political framework agreement for a lasting solution to the problem of Kosovo;
9. We would register strong support for the general principles contained in the statement agreed by the G-8 Foreign Ministers in their meeting in Bonn, Germany, Thursday 6 May 1999, and their full implementation. We believe that every effort must be made to follow up the G-8 decision to translate their statement into a UN Security Council resolution under chapter VII of the UN Charter and we believe that the acceptance of the statement by the FRY would be a positive step;
10. We support all diplomatic efforts by our governments, bilaterally and multilaterally, to bring about a resolution of the conflict. We acknowledge and welcome the efforts made by the Russian government and parliamentarians with the aim of bringing about a long-term solution in Kosovo;
11. Beyond Kosovo, it is our conviction that a lasting order of peace and security in Europe is facilitated by close co-operation between NATO and Russia. We are ready to work with our partners in the Russian parliament in order to find common ground on this crisis and on any major future challenge to Europe's security.
12. We acknowledge and welcome the courageous support that states from the region are providing to the NATO operations in Kosovo. We welcome NATO's commitment, in the context of the Membership Action Plan adopted in Washington, to assist those countries in the region who seek to accelerate their membership in the Alliance. We pledge to do our utmost, through our own Rose-Roth programme, to support these efforts;
13. We also pledge our support to the democratically elected government of President Djukanovic in Montenegro and commit ourselves to involving Montenegrin lawmakers in Assembly activities, pending a democratisation of the entire FRY;
14. We express our solidarity with the refugees of Kosovo and commend all efforts by government and non-governmental organisations to alleviate their plight. We appeal to our governments to assist Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with the construction of reception facilities and with financial assistance to avoid disruption of their economies and, where appropriate, by other means of actively helping them shoulder this heavy burden, for example, by accepting, with an equitable distribution, additional numbers of displaced persons for temporary shelter in Western Europe and North America;
15. We wish to support all efforts by Yugoslav democratic opposition groups to bring about democratic change in their country. We affirm that a democratic Yugoslavia has its place among the community of European states;
16. We are convinced that the NATO nations should commit themselves firmly to the promotion of economic development in South Eastern Europe. Therefore, we support all efforts by our governments to devise early plans for the comprehensive economic and political stabilisation of South Eastern Europe and the democratisation of the region and to earmark corresponding resources so that appropriately phased reconstruction can begin immediately after a cease-fire. These plans should include compensation for damage suffered by the countries neighbouring Yugoslavia and should be followed by designed strategies for their future development and integration in the European Union. We invite all states to cooperate in an effort to agree a stability pact as has been proposed by the European Union presidency. We believe these plans must be based on close co-operation and co-ordination between international institutions, including the United Nations, the European Union, the OSCE and NATO, with NATO playing a leading role in the military deployment which will be essential to the long-term stabilisation of Kosovo and the return of the refugees.
