| UN Security Council Resolution 1199 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | 23 September 1998 | |
| Meeting no. | 3,930 | |
| Code | S/RES/1199 (Document) | |
| Subject | The situation in Kosovo (FRY) | |
Voting summary |
| |
| Result | Adopted | |
| Security Council composition | ||
Permanent members | ||
Non-permanent members | ||
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United Nations Security Council resolution 1199, adopted on 23 September 1998, after recalling Resolution 1160 (1998), the Council demanded that the Albanian and Yugoslav parties in Kosovo end hostilities and observe a ceasefire. [1]
The Security Council convened to discuss the fighting in Kosovo and in particular the indiscriminate use of force by the Serbian security forces and Yugoslav Army, which resulted in the displacement of 230,000 according to the Secretary-General Kofi Annan. [2] The refugees had fled to northern Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other European countries and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had estimated that 50,000 were without basic amenities. It reaffirmed the right of all refugees to return and noted that there was a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Kosovo and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. [3] At the same time, acts of violence by any party were condemned and acts of terrorism to further goals, and the Council reaffirmed that the status of Kosovo should include autonomy and self-administration.
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the resolution demanded that all parties cease hostilities and maintain a ceasefire. Both the FR Yugoslavian government and the Kosovo Albanian leadership were urged to take immediate steps to improve the humanitarian situation and begin talks to resolve the crisis. The Council then demanded that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: [4]
It noted a commitment made by Serbian President Slobodan Milošević to use political means to solve the conflict, avoid repressive actions against the civilian population, guarantee freedom of movement for international humanitarian organisations and observers and to ensure the safe return of refugees. Meanwhile, the Kosovo Albanian leadership had to condemn terrorism.
The council welcomed the establishment of the Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission and urged states and organisations represented in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to carry out continuous monitoring of the situation in Kosovo. [5] The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was reminded that it was responsible for the safety of diplomatic, international and non-governmental humanitarian personnel. Both parties were called upon to co-operate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for possible violations and for the need to bring those responsible for the mistreatment of civilians and deliberate destruction of property to justice.
Finally, the secretary-general was requested to report regularly to the council on developments in the region and stated that if the current resolution was not complied with, further measures would be taken to restore peace and security. [6]
Resolution 1199 was approved by 14 members of the council. China abstained from the vote, citing that the conflict was an internal matter for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and it was acting within its rights. [1]
The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It was fought between 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). The conflict ended when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervened by beginning air strikes in March 1999 which resulted in Yugoslav forces withdrawing from Kosovo.
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is the officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo. The UNMIK describes its mandate as being to "help the United Nations Security Council achieve an overall objective, namely, to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo and advance regional stability in the Western Balkans."
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from the breakup of Yugoslavia, which began in mid-1991, into six independent countries matching the six entities known as republics that had previously constituted Yugoslavia: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Macedonia. SFR Yugoslavia's constituent republics declared independence due to unresolved tensions between ethnic minorities in the new countries, which fuelled the wars. While most of the conflicts ended through peace accords that involved full international recognition of new states, they resulted in a massive number of deaths as well as severe economic damage to the region.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1244, adopted on 10 June 1999, after recalling resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998), 1203 (1998) and 1239 (1999), authorised an international civil and military presence in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and established the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). It followed an agreement by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević to terms proposed by President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari and former Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Chernomyrdin on 8 June, involving withdrawal of all Yugoslav state forces from Kosovo.
The political status of Kosovo, also known as the Kosovo question, is the subject of a long-running political and territorial dispute between the Serbian government and the Government of Kosovo, stemming from the breakup of Yugoslavia (1991–92) and the ensuing Kosovo War (1998–99). In 1999, the administration of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija was handed on an interim basis to the United Nations under the terms of UNSCR 1244 which ended the Kosovo conflict of that year. That resolution reaffirmed the territorial integrity of Serbia over Kosovo but required the UN administration to promote the establishment of 'substantial autonomy and self-government' for Kosovo pending a 'final settlement' for negotiation between the parties.
United Nations Security Council resolution 819, adopted unanimously on 16 April 1993, after reaffirming resolutions 713 (1991) and all (1992) subsequent resolutions, the Council expressed concern at the actions of Bosnian Serb paramilitary units in towns and villages in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, including attacks on civilians, the United Nations Protection Force and disruption to humanitarian aid convoys. The resolution marked the UN's first civilian "safe area" being declared; it failed to prevent the Srebrenica massacre.
The Battle of Junik was a battle fought during the Kosovo War between the ethnic Albanian paramilitary organization known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the security forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia over the town of Junik in western Kosovo.
United Nations Security Council resolution 752, adopted unanimously on 15 May 1992, after reaffirming resolutions 713 (1991), 721 (1991), 724 (1991), 727 (1992), 740 (1992) 743 (1992) and 749 (1992), the Council expressed concern at the situation in the Yugoslavia, in particular the fighting in Bosnia and Herzegovina, demanding that all parties end the fighting and respect the ceasefire signed on 12 April 1992.
United Nations Security Council resolution 820, adopted on 17 April 1993, after reaffirming all previous resolutions on the topic for a lasting peace settlement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, the council discussed the peace plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina and comprehensive steps to ensure its implementation.
United Nations Security Council resolution 859, adopted unanimously on 24 August 1993, after recalling all resolutions on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the council noted that, despite all previous security council resolutions since Resolution 713 (1991), the region was still a scene of hostilities and there was little compliance with previous resolutions, particularly by the Bosnian Serb party.
United Nations Security Council resolution 925, adopted unanimously on 8 June 1994, after reaffirming all resolutions on the situation in Rwanda, particularly resolutions 912 (1994) and 918 (1994), and Resolution 868 (1993) on the safety of United Nations peacekeepers, the council deployed additional battalions and extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) until 9 December 1994.
United Nations Security Council resolution 998, adopted on 16 June 1995, after reaffirming all resolutions on the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, in particular Resolution 982 (1994), the council established a rapid reaction force of up to 12,500 personnel within the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina following attacks on it and the overall deteriorating situation.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1010, adopted unanimously on 10 August 1995, after recalling all resolutions on the situation in the former Yugoslavia and reaffirming Resolution 1004 (1995), the Council demanded that the Bosnian Serbs release all detained persons and permit access to them by international humanitarian organisations.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1160, adopted on 31 March 1998, after noting the situation in Kosovo, the council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, imposed an arms embargo and economic sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, hoping to end the use of excessive force by the government.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1203, adopted on 24 October 1998, after recalling resolutions 1160 (1998) and 1199 (1998) on Kosovo, the Council demanded that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia comply with previous Security Council resolutions and co-operate with the NATO and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) verification missions in Kosovo.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1239, adopted on 14 May 1999, after recalling resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998) and 1203 (1998), the Council called for access for the United Nations and other humanitarian personnel operating in Kosovo to other parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1345, adopted unanimously on 21 March 2001, after reaffirming resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998), 1203 (2000), 1239 (1999) and 1244 (1999) on the situation in the former Yugoslavia, the council condemned extremist violence and terrorist activities in parts of Macedonia and southern Serbia and called upon Kosovo Albanian leaders to condemn the violence.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1367, adopted unanimously on 10 September 2001, after recalling resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998), 1203 (1998) and reaffirming resolutions 1244 (1999) and 1345 (2001) in particular, the Council terminated the arms embargo against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after it had satisfied Council demands to withdraw from Kosovo and allow a political dialogue to begin.
The 1998-1999 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.
Operation Eagle Eye was the result of the NATO-Kosovo Verification Mission Agreement which was signed in Belgrade on 15 October 1998, and under which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia agrees to establish an air surveillance system consisting of NATO non-combatant reconnaissance aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Works related to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1199 at Wikisource
