Kosovo and U.S. Policy Page: 2 of 6
View a full description of this report.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
CRS-2
activities, often beating them brutally and occasionally fatally. For their part, ethnic
Albanians pursued a policy of non-violent resistance to Serbian actions. They boycotted
Serbian-held structures and built their own parallel set of political, economic and social
institutions. On October 19, 1991, the Kosovo parliament proclaimed the region's
independence. In May 1992, Kosovars elected a president and 130-member parliament.
Ibrahim Rugova was elected as president. His Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) is
the dominant political force among ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. The parallel parliament
and government have been prevented from functioning in Kosovo by Serb police. On
March 22, 1998, Rugova and the LDK-dominated parliament were re-elected against
weak opposition.For almost a decade,
Kosovar leaders looked to the
international community to
improve their situation.
However, after the Dayton
peace talks produced
agreements on Bosnia and
Croatia in November 1995, but
not Kosovo (and international
sanctions against Serbia-
Montenegro were lifted), some
Kosovars may have concluded
that Rugova's policy of non-
violence and seeking
international support for
Kosovo has been a failure, and
turned to violence.
Current Situation
In the past two years, a
shadowy group called the
"Kosovo Liberation Army"
(KLA) has claimed
responsibility killing Serb
policemen and other officials,
as well as alleged ethnic
Albanian "collaborators."Hungry ~Kosovo and Vojvodina are
autonomous provinces within
Vojvodina the Republic of Serbia.
Croatia
NoviSad Romania
Tuzia elgrade
Bosnia-
Hercegovin
Serbia
Sarajevo
Kosovs a
Monteneg ro
Pistina
Kosovo 3
*rizren
Adriatic Albania skopje Former
S Tetovo Yugoslav
ea epublic of Macedoni
Serbia and Montenegro
9.96 CRS adapted from a map
1992 Magellan GeographixsM Santa Barbara, CAAnarchy in neighboring Albania last year gave the KLA the opportunity to acquire
weapons. Funding for the KLA reportedly comes from ethnic Albanians abroad, chiefly
in Germany and Switzerland, but also in the United States.
Long-simmering tensions have exploded into large-scale violence since late
February 1998, resulting in over 300 deaths, according to press reports. Serbian
paramilitary police forces have attacked villages which they claim harbor members of the
Kosovo Liberation Army. Press reports from the scene suggest that Serb forces have
engaged in atrocities against civilians. Serbian special police units continue to conduct
operations against alleged KLA strongholds. The KLA continues to conduct hit-and-run
attacks on Serbian police. Press reports say that the number of armed ethnic Albanian
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View three places within this report that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Woehrel, Steven. Kosovo and U.S. Policy, report, June 16, 1998; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs757/m1/2/?q=%22congress%22: accessed May 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.