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
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
end hostilities and observe a ceasefire.
Background
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
Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founde ...
. The
refugees had fled to northern
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other European countries and the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
(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
International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict, is the law that regulates the conduct of war ('' jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict by pro ...
. 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.
Proposal
Acting under
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the resolution demanded that all parties cease hostilities and maintain a
ceasefire
A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...
. 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:
:(a) end action by security forces that affected the civilian population;
:(b) allow the presence of international monitors and guarantee their
freedom of movement;
:(c) facilitate the return of refugees with the UNHCR and
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
and allow
humanitarian aid to reach Kosovo;
:(d) make rapid progress towards finding a political solution to the situation in Kosovo.
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. 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.
Vote
Resolution 1199 was approved by 14 members of the council.
China abstained
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote (on election day) or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with ...
from the vote, citing that the conflict was an internal matter for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and it was acting within its rights.
See also
*
Kosovo War
The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the wa ...
*
(1997–1998)
*
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. 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 ...
References
External links
*
Text of the Resolution at undocs.org
{{UNSCR 1998
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September 1998 events
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