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G8-Statement on Regional Issues
Cologne, 20 June 1999 (excerpt)
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Kosovo
We welcome the decisive steps already taken and now underway to end violence
and repression in Kosovo, to establish peace and to provide for the safe and
free return of all refugees and displaced persons to their homes. In this
regard, we particularly welcome the adoption on June 10 of United Nations
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1244, and commend the intensive efforts
of our Foreign Ministers and others, including the Special Envoys of the
European Union and the Russian Federation, to restore peace and security.
We reaffirm strong support for the international civil and security
presences in accordance with UNSCR 1244. We welcome the leadership of the
United Nations in the international civil presence, and pledge to
collaborate closely to ensure the United Nations' success in carrying out
its complex mission. We also welcome the agreement reached between NATO and
Russia on the international security presence, and the relevant Military
Technical Agreement. In that regard, we insist that all parties to the
conflict in Kosovo respect the cease-fire and fully abide by the terms of
UNSCR 1244 and the Military Technical Agreement concerning the withdrawal of
all Yugoslav and Serb military, police, and paramilitary forces from Kosovo
and the demilitarization of the KLA and other armed Kosovo Albanian groups.
We expect all residents of Kosovo to contribute to the creation of a
democratic, multi-ethnic Kosovo. The return of refugees and displaced
persons to their homes, and the assurance of security for all persons
including Serb and all other minorities in Kosovo will be high priorities of
the international community. To ensure the wellbeing of the refugees and
displaced persons, their return must be undertaken in a safe, orderly, and
organized fashion. We will work cooperatively with each other, the United
Nations, the European Union, the OSCE, and other international organizations
to facilitate safe return including demining.
We will fully cooperate with the work of the International Criminal Tribunal
for the Former Yugoslavia. We affirm our commitment to a meeting of the
international donor community in July to address short-term humanitarian and
other needs for Kosovo, and a subsequent meeting in the fall after a full
assessment of needs has been developed pursuant to the assistance
coordination process chaired by the European Commission and the World Bank.
We stress the importance of the civil implementation and, given the key role
the G8 has played in the Kosovo crisis, we invite our Foreign Ministers to
review on a regular basis the progress achieved thus far in this process and
to provide further guidance.
South Eastern Europe Stability Pact and Donor Coordination
We welcome the adoption of the Stability Pact on June 10 in Cologne, an
initiative of the European Union which will continue to play the leading
role. This Stability Pact has launched a process for South Eastern Europe
with the objective of a positive mid- and long-term perspective for the
countries in the region to achieve lasting peace as well as political and
economic stability. We take note that countries in the region participating
in the Stability Pact commit themselves to continued democratic and economic
reforms, as well as bilateral and regional cooperation amongst themselves to
advance their integration, on an individual basis, into Euro-Atlantic
structures. We consider this stabilization process to be one of the major
political and economic challenges ahead of us. We declare our readiness to
take strong action to achieve all the objectives of the Stability Pact. In
regard to the above, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia must demonstrate a
full commitment to all of the principles and objectives of the Pact.
We underline that, in order to achieve the goals of the Stability Pact, the
countries of the region bear a primary responsibility. Assistance from
outside can help, but not replace the countries' own efforts. Therefore we
call on the countries of South Eastern Europe to cooperate with each other
and within the international community to develop a shared strategy for
stability and growth of the region. In recognition of the principle of fair
burden sharing, we also call on the international donor community to
undertake the necessary measures in order to give the countries in the
region a strong signal of active international support and solidarity and to
organize donor conferences as early as feasible.
We welcome the progress made through the chairmanship of the European
Commission and the World Bank towards establishing a donor coordination
process to develop a coherent international assistance strategy for the
region opening the door for all donor opportunities as well as to mobilize
additional financial support for reconstruction, regional integration,
economic recovery and reform and to promote sound macroeconomic and
structural policies by the countries concerned. This process will be guided
by the High Level Steering Group, in which the Special Coordinator of the
Stability Pact will play an important role.
The High Level Steering Group will be co-chaired by the European Commission
and the World Bank and include the Special Coordinator of the Stability
Pact, the IMF, the EIB and the EBRD which will be active in the region, plus
one UN representative and the Finance Ministers of major donor countries
and, where appropriate, Development Ministers.
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