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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>MR. AXWORTHY - ADDRESS ON THE CONFLICT IN KOSOVO - OTTAWA, ONTARIO</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> 99/23 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR A STATEMENT BY THE HONOURABLE LLOYD AXWORTHY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON THE CONFLICT IN KOSOVO OTTAWA, Ontario March 24, 1999 (4:10 p.m. EST) The international community today is facing a situation in the heart of Europe, where a government is denying the most basic rights to its people, using disproportionate force to quell dissidence, sending tanks and artillery to destroy villages, taking the lives of innocent civilians, and forcing hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes and into the cold. For 10 years, now, the world has witnessed the tragedy unfolding in the Balkans. First it was Slovenia, then Croatia and then Bosnia. In the last year, the same pattern of disproportionate violence against civilians from a targeted ethnic group has appeared in Kosovo. International efforts: UN, OSCE, Rambouillet The international community has spared no effort to encourage the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia [FRY] to find a peaceful arrangement with its Albanian Kosovar population. Scores of diplomatic missions were sent to Belgrade and the United Nations Security Council [UNSC], acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, issued crucial resolutions that identified the conflict as a threat to peace and security in the region. Resolutions 1199 and 1203, and the October agreements between the FRY and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe [OSCE] and NATO, impose a clear legal obligation on the FRY to respect a cease-fire, protect the civilian population and limit the deployment of its security forces in Kosovo. In October, a verification mission under the OSCE was created. Its purpose was not only to monitor the cease-fire but also to build confidence. Finally, the parties were called to an international peace conference in Rambouillet, where they were asked to give up their maximalist positions and accept an honourable compromise for peace. The Kosovars demonstrated courage and vision by signing the agreement. Only the Yugoslav President held out and refused to depart from his intransigence. Canada's actions Canada has continually pushed for the strongest possible UNSC engagement in the Kosovo issue. During the summer and fall, I instructed Canadian diplomats to urge the UNSC to take action on Kosovo, consistent with the mandate and duty of the Council. As President of the Council in February, our Ambassador chaired many meetings on the situation. We have supported the peace negotiations in Rambouillet. We have been an active participant in the efforts of the OSCE to monitor a cease-fire, engage the parties in dialogue and build confidence. In March and June 1998, I had announced measures to prompt the FRY to resolve the Kosovo issue: suspension of EDC [Export Development Corporation] credits to the FRY; suspension of discussions on JAT [Yugoslav Airlines] landing rights; suspension of discussions on other bilateral agreements; a ban on investments in Serbia; and a freeze of the assets of the Serbian and FRY governments in Canada. Some of these measures were imposed under the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) following a decision of the G-8. We have also supported the efforts of the international humanitarian agencies. CIDA [the Canadian International Development Agency] has to date disbursed $3.18 million to provide for basic necessities such as food, water, shelter and medical supplies, as follows: UNICEF Preparedness for Kosovo ($430 000); High Commissioner for Refugees ($1.2 million); World Food Program ($300 000); Red Cross ($900 000); and CARE Canada ($350 000). Failure of efforts, humanitarian disaster Unfortunately, the diplomatic efforts of the international community did not ultimately succeed. The looming humanitarian disaster caused by the refusal of President Milosevic to accept any peaceful compromise leaves us with very few options. Every day the situation gets worse, and it is the civilian population who suffers. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 450 000 people have been displaced by the conflict in Kosovo, including over 260 000 within Kosovo itself. Since March 20, it is estimated that over 25 000 persons were displaced. As long as it remains unresolved, the conflict in Kosovo threatens to precipitate a humanitarian disaster and destabilize the entire region. NATO action, objectives, protection of Canadians Our preference has always been for a diplomatic solution and the diplomatic track has been given every chance to succeed. The continuing oppression in Kosovo by the FRY government, armed forces and police, continuing failure on the part of the Milosevic government to implement the agreements it has made with the OSCE and NATO, and its continuing refusal to act in compliance with the requirements of successive UN Security Council resolutions -- developments that have contributed to an increase in tension and are creating a major humanitarian crisis -- leave NATO with no choice but to take action. NATO is ready to act and Canada is ready to participate. The Canadian Forces have six CF-18 aircraft in the region, prepared to contribute to NATO operations. NATO's objectives are, first, to avert a humanitarian crisis by enforcing compliance with FRY's obligations, including respect for a cease-fire, an end to violence against the civilian population and full observance of limits on FRY security forces as agreed on October 25, 1998, and also to pressure the FRY to sign a peace agreement on Kosovo. While NATO was preparing for action, we made sure that Canadians living in the FRY were well aware of the situation. All the members of the KVM [Kosovo Verification Mission] have safely left the FRY. So have the Canadian staff of our Embassy in Belgrade, which has temporarily suspended its operations. Before his departure, the Canadian Ambassador was constantly in touch with the Canadians registered with the Embassy. We have advised Canadians to defer all travel to the FRY and those in the country to leave immediately by the safest means possible. Kosovo and Canadian foreign policy: meaning of Kosovo for Canada Humanitarian considerations are the main impulse for our action. We cannot stand by while an entire population is displaced, people are killed, villages are burned and looted, and a population is denied its basic rights because it does not belong to the "right" ethnic group. We remain very concerned about potential atrocities. Those responsible for any action against civilians should be aware that they will be held accountable. Kosovo embodies many aspects of Canada's view of the world. We want a world where rights are respected, a world where peaceful solutions to regional conflicts are negotiated, a world where war criminals do not act in impunity, a world free of landmines. We want to consolidate the multilateral system, which was created to make the world better, in institutions such as the United Nations, the OSCE and NATO. Thank you. </body> </html>

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