(22 Mar 1999) English/Nat
U-S President Bill Clinton says the NATO allies agree - air raids must be launched unless the Serbs agree to an immediate peace settlement in Kosovo.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House he warned Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic will not be allowed to "continue his aggression with impunity."
Clinton's comments came as his envoy, Richard Holbrooke, began a meeting with Milosevic in Belgrade.
President Clinton has given his views on the worsening situation in Kosovo, highlighting Serbian violations of agreements made in the past year.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"It is clear that Serb forces are now engaged in further attacks on Kosovar Albanians. Already more than 40-thousand Serb security forces are poised in and around Kosovo with additional units on the way. These actions are in clear violation of commitments Serbia made last October when we obtained the ceasefire agreement. As part of our determined efforts to seek a peaceful solution I asked Ambassador Holbrooke to see President Milosevic and make clear the choices he faces."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, US President
Holbrooke is trying to persuade Milosevic to accept a plan to give ethnic Albanians self-rule in Kosovo.
But Clinton warned that should Holbrooke fail, punitive military action will be the only remaining resort.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"President Milosevic continues to choose aggression over peace. NATO's military plans must continue to move forward. I will be in close consultation with our NATO allies and with Congress. Over the weekend I met with my National Security team to discuss the military options. I also spoke with other NATO leaders by telephone. There is strong unity among the NATO allies. We all agree that we cannot allow President Milosevic to continue the aggression with impunity."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, US President
Clinton also said he had spoken to President Yeltsin, saying there is "strong unity" on the proposed use of force.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Our objective in Kosovo remains clear: to stop the killing and obtain a durable peace that restores Kosovars to self-government, the self-government that President Milosevic stripped away from them a decade ago. We and our NATO allies and Russia all agree that this is the right goal. The Kosovar Albanians have accepted this course. Only President Milosevic and Serbia stand in the way of peace."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, US President
The latest fighting has brought to almost 250-thousand the number of people displaced by the conflict in the province.
Clinton warned of the possible ramifications of such huge numbers of refugees.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Many of them now are in neighbouring Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro, all of which could be quickly drawn into this conflict. So could other nations in the region including Bosnia where allied determination ended a terrible war, and our allies Greece and Turkey."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, US President
And while he expressed hope that a peaceful solution could still be found, he issued one last warning to Milosevic.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We have learned a lot of lessons in the last 50 years. One of them surely is that we have a stake in European freedom and stability and security. I hope that can be achieved by peaceful means. If not we have to be prepared to act."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, US President
But he refused to comment on when any bombing raids might start.
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