Beta News Agency
June 10, 2013
14 years since end of NATO’s attacks on Serbia
BELGRADE: Monday marks 14 years since NATO’s air campaign against the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ended after 78 days.
A day earlier, representatives of the Yugoslav Army (VJ) and NATO signed a military-technical agreement which detailed the withdrawal of VJ troops from Kosovo, and deployment in the province of an international, NATO-led military mission.
After several failed diplomatic attempts, the war ended with a deal reached through the mediation of former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and former Russian PM Viktor Chernomyrdin.
The western military alliance launched air strikes against Serbia on March 24, 1999, and sustained the campaign for 11 weeks, killing between 1,200 and 2,500 people.
The attacks – which the Yugoslav authorities, but also numerous legal experts considered an aggression – started after the failed talks in Rambouillet, France, which were called to resolve the Kosovo crisis.
Beside the loss of lives, NATO’s campaign also resulted in serious damage to the country’s infracture, economy, educational, health-care, and media facilities, and historical and cultural monuments.
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