-Caveat Lector- ----- Original Message ----- From: FAIR <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 1999 7:07 PM Subject: [FAIR-L] ACTION ALERT: WAS A PEACEFUL KOSOVO SOLUTION REJECTED BY U.S.? : : FAIR-L : Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting : Media analysis, critiques and news reports : : : : : ACTION ALERT: WAS A PEACEFUL KOSOVO SOLUTION REJECTED BY U.S.? : : April 14, 1999 : : Since the beginning of the NATO attack on Yugoslavia, the war has been : presented by the media as the consequence of Yugoslavia's stubborn : refusal to settle for any reasonable peace plan, in particular its : rejection of plans for an international security force to implement a : peace plan in Kosovo. : : An article in the April 14 New York Times stated that Yugoslavian : President Milosevic "has absolutely refused to entertain an outside : force in Kosovo, arguing that the province is sovereign territory of : Serbia and Yugoslavia." : : Negotiations between the Serb and Albanian delegations at the : Rambouillet meeting in France ended with Yugoslavia's rejection of the : agreement adopted, after much prodding, by the Albanian party. : : But is that the whole story? On February 21, the Yugoslavs assented to : the terms of the political portion of the Rambouillet agreement. Their : rejection stemmed from their opposition to the requirement that 28,000 : NATO troops be stationed in Kosovo to oversee the implementation of : the accord. This military clause, requiring NATO troops, was inserted : without the knowledge of the Russian representatives, who opposed the : provision. : : By the close of the first round of the Rambouillet talks in late : February, Serb President Milan Milutinovic had already declared : Serbia's willingness to to discuss "an international presence in : Kosovo" to monitor the implementation of the accords. On February 21, : Madeleine Albright responded by insisting that "We accept nothing less : than a complete agreement, including a NATO-led force." : : On March 23, the day before the NATO bombing began, the Serbian : parliament adopted a resolution again rejecting the military portion : of the accords, but expressing willingness to review the "range and : character of an international presence" in Kosovo. According to the : Toronto Star's correspondent in Belgrade on March 24, "There have been : hints Serbia might ultimately accept a U.N. force." : : But the U.S. appears to have been unwilling to consider any option : other than NATO troops. At a March 24 State Department press briefing, : spokesman James Rubin was asked about this development: : : QUESTION: Was there any follow-up to the Serbian Assembly's yesterday? : They had a two-pronged decision. One was to not allow NATO troops to : come in; but the second part was to say they would consider an : international force if all of the Kosovo ethnic groups agreed to some : kind of a peace plan. It was an ambiguous collection of resolutions. : Did anybody try to pursue that and find out what was the meaning of : that? : : MR. RUBIN: Ambassador Holbrooke was in Belgrade, discussed these : matters extensively with President Milosevic, left with the conclusion : that he was not prepared to engage seriously on the two relevant : subjects. I think the decision of the Serb Parliament opposing : military-led implementation was the message that most people received : from the parliamentary debate. I'm not aware that people saw any : silver linings. : : QUESTION: But there was a second message, as well; there was a second : resolution. : : MR. RUBIN: I am aware that there was work done, but I'm not aware : that anybody in this building regarded it as a silver lining. : : In other words, the State Department was aware that the Serbian : parliament expressed openness to an "international presence," but this : was not seen as a "silver lining," apparently because only a NATO : force was acceptable to the U.S. : : Those who support the bombing of Yugoslavia argue that all peaceful : options for arriving at a settlement in Kosovo had been exhausted. : Journalists need to do more reporting on the Rambouillet process to : see if that in fact was the case. : : *** : : ACTION: Please contact local and national media and call on them to : report on the U.S. State Department's insistence that only a NATO-led : force in Kosovo could keep the peace there. Did this position make it : more or less likely that the rights of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo : would be protected? : : You can contact the New York Times at: : : Andrew Rosenthal-- Foreign Editor : mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] : : Contact information for other media outlets can be found at: : http://www.fair.org/media-contact-list.html : : For more information on media coverage of the war in Yugoslavia, see : http://www.fair.org/international/yugoslavia.html . : : : : ---------- : : : Feel free to respond to FAIR ( [EMAIL PROTECTED] ). We can't reply to : everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate : documented example of media bias or censorship. All messages to the : 'FAIR-L' list will be forwarded to the editor of the list. : : Also, please send copies of email correspondence, including any : responses, to us at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] . : : Feel free to spread this message around. Put it on conferences : where it is appropriate. 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