Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission

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The Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM) was a group of independent observers sent to Kosovo during the Kosovo War.

Kosovo Partially-recognised state in Southeast Europe

Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a partially recognized state and disputed territory in Southeastern Europe.

Kosovo War 1990s armed conflict in Kosovo

The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started in late February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which controlled Kosovo before the war, and the Kosovo Albanian rebel group known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), with air support from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) from 24 March 1999, and ground support from the Albanian army.

In a compromise agreement between Slobodan Milošević and Boris Yeltsin in June 1998, the FR Yugoslavian government agreed to accept an independent observer mission. This was initially a group of approximately fifty diplomats from different countries, who acted as observers in Kosovo and relayed information to the international community. Embassy staff were augmented with additional military and diplomatic personnel. Canada called their involvement Operation Perseverance. [1]

Slobodan Milošević Yugoslavian and Serbian politician

Slobodan Milošević was a Yugoslav politician and the President of Serbia from 1989 to 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000. He also led the Socialist Party of Serbia from its foundation in 1990. He rose to power as Serbian President after he and his supporters claimed the need to reform the 1974 Constitution of Yugoslavia due to both the marginalization of Serbia and its political incapacity to deter Albanian separatist unrest in the Serbian province of Kosovo.

Boris Yeltsin 1st President of Russia and Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR

Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was a Soviet and Russian politician and the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999. Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. During the late 1980s, Yeltsin had been a candidate member of the Politburo, and in late 1987 tendered a letter of resignation in protest, making him the first ever Politburo member to resign. This act branded Yeltsin as a rebel and led to his rise in popularity as an anti-establishment figure.

Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro

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The KDOM reported that Yugoslav state forces continued widespread attacks even after Resolution 1199; in particular, KDOM reported on atrocities around Pristina: "KDOM reported that the bodies of several women and children had been found near the village of Gornje Obrinje to the west of Pristina. The victims had been shot in the back of the head at close range as they tried to escape." [2]

Pristina Capital of Kosovo

Pristina or Prishtina, is the capital of Kosovo. The city has a majority Albanian population, alongside other smaller communities. With a municipal population of 204,721 inhabitants (2016), Pristina is the second-largest city in the world with a predominantly Albanian-speaking population, after Albania's capital, Tirana. Within Serbia, it would be the 4th largest. Geographically, it is located in the north-eastern part of Kosovo close to the Goljak mountains.

KDOM succeeded in brokering ceasefires around Pristina, encouraging the withdrawal of some army tanks and armoured vehicles from Kosovo. [3]

In September, the Kosovo Verification Mission was set up to replace the KDOM; [4] it was augmented by Operation Eagle Eye which provided additional evidence.

The Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM) was an OSCE mission to verify that the Serbian, and Yugoslav forces were complying with the UN October Agreement to end atrocities in Kosovo, withdraw armed forces from Kosovo, and abide by a ceasefire.

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On December 14, 1998, the Yugoslav Army (VJ) ambushed a group of 140 Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) militants attempting to smuggle weapons and supplies from their base in Albania into the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A five-hour battle ensued, ending with the deaths of 36 militants and the capture of a further nine. Dozens more fled back to Albania, abandoning large quantities of weapons and supplies, which were subsequently seized by the Yugoslav authorities. The ambush was the most serious war-related incident in Kosovo since a U.S.-negotiated truce took effect two months before. It came on the heels of increasing tensions in the province, where inter-ethnic violence had been escalating steadily since early 1996.

Timeline of the Kosovo War. Abbreviations:

References

  1. ↑ "Details/Information for Canadian Forces (CF) Operation PERSERVERANCE [sic]" . Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "Kosovo: The Diplomatic and Military Options" (PDF). House of Commons. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Serb tanks 'withdrawing'". BBC. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission Daily Report; 30 Dec". Reliefweb. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
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