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Bringing Peace to Kosovo

Rescuers Honored

New Award Proposed

By Donna Miles

While NATO launched the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo and worked with Russian leaders to define Russia's role in the operation, Secretary Madeleine Albright declared the mission in Yugoslavia a success, but acknowledged that much is left to be done to reestablish stability in the region.

With the 78-day air campaign over and the international peacekeeping force, called KFOR, moving into Kosovo, NATO focused on the diplomatic challenges still ahead--the civil implementation phase of the operation and the establishment of what Secretary Albright called "a different history for Europe.

"That's what was so important here," she said, "a final chapter in putting Europe together at the end of the 20th century."

NATO suspended air attacks against Yugoslavia on June 10 after intelligence reports showed the Serbs withdrawing from Kosovo in accordance with a military technical agreement signed in Macedonia. NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana suspended the air campaign but said NATO would resume the bombing if Yugoslav forces deviated from the agreement and failed to leave Kosovo.

Meanwhile, as the alliance prepared to move the first of 48,000 KFOR peacekeepers into the province, Russia caught NATO off guard--deploying about 200 troops into the region ahead of NATO without coordinating with or notifying the alliance.

At press time, the Russians occupied the Pristina airport, where NATO had planned to set up its headquarters during the peacekeeping operation. Secretary Albright and Defense Secretary William Cohen were preparing to meet with Russian leaders in Helsinki to resolve the impasse and to agree to a role for Russia in KFOR. Secretary Albright remained adamant that KFOR should have a unity of command and that Russia should not have its own security sector in Kosovo to patrol. That, she said, would contribute to something NATO wants to avoid: a partition of Kosovo.

Russia and Finland played a key role during the conflict, serving as mediators between NATO and the Yugoslav government. But U.S. and NATO diplomatic efforts extended increasingly beyond these countries--especially after NATO bombs unintentionally hit the Swedish, Norwegian and Spanish ambassadors' residences and the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade.

The bombing of the Chinese Embassy in early May occurred when several systems and procedures designed to produce and verify target data failed. The bombing left three people dead and set off widespread anti-U.S. and anti-NATO protests throughout China.

Just hours after the incident, Secretary Albright and Under Secretary Thomas Pickering went to the official residence of Chinese Ambassador to the United States Li Zhaoxing to emphasize that the attack had been a tragic mistake and to extend their apologies and condolences.

The Secretary also sent a letter to Tang Jiaxuan, China's minister of foreign affairs, in which she shared the regrets expressed by President Clinton, Defense Secretary William Cohen and U.S. Ambassador to China James Sasser. She reemphasized that, despite some Chinese leaders' assertions to the contrary, the bombing had been unintentional, and urged the Chinese government to quickly carry out its responsibility to protect U.S. officials, family members and missions threatened by violent demonstrations.

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing and consulates in Chengdu and Shenyang suffered the brunt of the anger. They became the targets of rocks, paintballs and homemade firebombs, receiving extensive damage that caused them to close to the public for more than a week. Burning projectiles broke windows throughout the embassy and set off several small fires inside the building.

The consulate in Chengdu faced the worst damage, largely because Chinese police failed to restrain the protesters. The mob used battering rams to enter the compound and looted the consul general's residence, setting off a fire that caused extensive damage.

Chinese police maintained relative order outside the consulate general in Guangzhou, but it received minor damage, mostly to a guard booth. The consulate general in Shanghai, protected by a 9-foot wall, also received only minor damage. Both posts reopened to the public within a week of the bombing.

All U.S. diplomatic facilities in China temporarily discontinued nonimmigrant visa services while damage was being repaired and security procedures were reviewed and improved.

Meanwhile, Secretary Albright reiterated the need for the United States and China to work together to carry out the two countries' commitment to building a constructive strategic partnership. "There is too much at stake for us not to do so," she said.

Under Secretary Pickering returned to China in mid-June as part of an interagency team to further discuss the accident and help repair U.S.-Sino relations.

Despite the tragedy, Secretary Albright said it's important that the world not "lose sight of the larger issue" and the reason behind the NATO campaign.

State's newly released "Ethnic Cleansing in Kosovo Report" provides strong evidence of what the Secretary described as "the immensity of the human tragedy" in Kosovo. The report, which details the extent of human rights violations in Kosovo, was prepared by the Depart-ment's bureaus of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Population, Refugees and Migration; and Intelligence and Research, and the Office of War Crimes Issues.

Based on refugee interviews, overhead imagery and other sources, the report "makes it clear beyond any doubt that horrific patterns of war crimes against humanity are emerging in Kosovo," the Secretary said.

The State report will help support the efforts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia to see that those who commit these crimes are held accountable. In late May, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic became the first sitting head of state to be indicted on war crimes charges. "We must ensure that these atrocities are not forgotten, excused or denied," Secretary Albright said.

Meanwhile, State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration continued to work with the U.S. Agency for International Development to deal with the refugee crisis. State's Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs administered a contract for emergency demining assistance in the region to help clear the way for the refugees to safely return to their homes.

Speaking to U.S. troops who were about to move into Kosovo, Secretary Albright challenged: "Your job is to transform this region from a breeding ground for war into a source of stability, to put the last piece in the puzzle of a Europe that is stable, united and free. And to send a message to bullies like Milosevic that the good guys don't back down.

"In doing so," she said, "you will make a huge contribution to the security of future generations of Americans. And you will make this a better and safer world."

State recently presented a plaque commemorating actions of the Fairfax County, Va., Fire and Rescue Department's search and rescue team following last year's bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

Sixty-eight members of Virginia Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1 assembled and prepared for deployment to Kenya less than five hours after being called on by the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. The task force deployed with more than 56,000 pounds of equipment, including food and water.

Members of the task force searched the embassy and other heavily damaged buildings for survivors, assisted in clearing rubble from the scene, worked with the FBI to identify evidence, assisted the embassy staff in forcing entry into security vaults, and provided around-the-clock medical care to the rescuers, including those of other federal agencies.

During an April 30 ceremony honoring the memory of Prabhi Kavaler, who was killed in the blast (see related story, page 29), Edward W. "Skip" Gnehm, director general of the Foreign Service and director of Personnel, represented Secretary Madeleine Albright in recognizing the group's service and valor. He praised the group members for their "incredible responsiveness, consummate professionalism and obvious compassion."

Civilian federal government employees wounded, injured or killed overseas while serving in an official capacity could soon be eligible for a new national medal of recognition.

State's proposed authorization bill for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 includes a provision creating the new Foreign Service Star. Alfred Carroll, a management analyst on the Bureau of Personnel's policy coordination staff, said the draft legislation stipulates that the Foreign Service Star is an honor award to be presented to a civilian employee of the U.S. government wounded, injured or killed while assigned permanently or temporarily to an official mission overseas or while traveling abroad on official business. The injury or death must be the result of terrorist incidents, military action, civil unrest or criminal activities directed at U.S. government facilities.

Secretary Madeleine Albright recommended that a national medal be created to recognize the sacrifice and suffering of Foreign Service members and other government employees injured or killed while serving overseas after she made personal visits to the sites of the East Africa bombings last summer and with surviving family members.

Consideration for the award will be retroactive to include those killed or injured after Aug. 1, 1998.

The draft legislation, which is included in both House and Senate State Department authorization bills and has American Foreign Service Association support, authorizes the Secretary to determine the award's design, as well as procedures for identifying and considering people eligible for the award and recommended to receive it.

Establishment of the Foreign Service Star will be effective with Presidential approval of the 2000/2001 State authorization bill.

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