http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2010 <http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2010&mm=06&dd=10&nav_id=67710> &mm=06&dd=10&nav_id=67710
Beta News Agency June 10, 2010 11 years since end of NATO attacks BELGRADE: Today marks 11 years since NATO halted its bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). The end of the attacks came after the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1244. Representatives of the Yugoslav Army (VJ) and NATO signed an agreement in Kumanovo the day before, which specified withdrawal of VJ forces from Kosovo and allowed international troops entry into the province. After several failed diplomatic attempts the war ended with a mediating mission of former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. Air raids against Serbia began on March 24, 1999 and lasted for 11 weeks. According to various assessments between 1,200 and 2,500 people were killed in the attacks. NATO performed its attacks from aircraft carriers in the Adriatic Sea, four airbases in Italy, while strategic bomber aircrafts which were taking off from bases in Western Europe and the U.S. participated in some operations. The NATO operation, which was referred to as aggression by the Yugoslav government and numerous legal experts, followed after Rambouillet negotiations failed on resolving the crisis in Kosovo. Beside the loss of human lives, infrastructure, commercial facilities, schools, health care institutions, media companies, cultural heritage sites were all heavily damaged in the bombing campaign which lasted 78 days. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
