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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
December 23, 1998

Situation in Kosovo

Although the cease-fire in Kosovo is generally holding, a number of violent incidents over the last week have increased tensions and threaten to re-ignite hostilities. The United States reiterates its call on the Serbian security forces in Kosovo and on the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) to exercise restraint, even in the face of provocation.

We have seen indications that some of the security personnel withdrawn from Kosovo in October have returned, and military and police units that should be in garrison are deployed in the field. This constitutes a dangerous provocation. While the United States has strongly condemned violent actions linked to the KLA--including the murder of the deputy mayor of Kosovo Polje, the cafe shooting in Pec, and the killing of an off-duty Serbian police official in Podujevo -- we are also concerned at the disproportionate and heavy-handed response of the security services.

A large-scale crackdown against the civilian population of Kosovo would do nothing to improve the security situation and could spark a cycle of violence that would seriously undermine the cease-fire agreement. FRY President Milosevic should take immediate steps to ensure that all of his security forces in Kosovo are in compliance with the terms of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and agreements reached with the OSCE and NATO.

Belgrade authorities should know that we are monitoring developments in Kosovo very carefully and will not tolerate actions by either the KLA or the security forces that endanger the cease-fire.

In addition to the actions of the security forces affecting the civilian population, the United States is deeply concerned by Belgrade's continuing refusal to cooperate with the efforts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and independent Finnish forensics experts to conduct investigations in Kosovo.

We also note with alarm the ultimatum issued by the Serbian Ministry of Information threatening to close down key Albanian-language newspapers and magazines for failing to comply with the draconian media law that Belgrade has already employed with devastating effect against the Serbian independent media. By imposing drastic restrictions on freedom of speech in Kosovo, the Belgrade Government will only further deepen the FRY's isolation from the international community.

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