91997E3948

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3948/97 by Johannes Swoboda (PSE) to the Council (15 December 1997)

Subject: Initiative to resolve the Kosovo question

France and Germany have launched an initiative to resolve the Kosovo question.

To what extent has this initiative been coordinated with the Council, and what are the initial reactions of the various parties involved to this initiative?

Answer (7 April 1998)

1. France and Germany informed the Council of their initiative, including the letter they sent to President Milosevic, following consultation with the other members of the European Union and the Contact Group. In their letter, they made it clear that their initiative should be seen in the context of finding a solution to the problems in Kosovo and ending the international isolation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, both in the interest of stability for the region and for Europe. Unfortunately, as with so many other initiatives by the international community, theirs seems to have fallen on deaf ears for the time being.

2. The Council, for its part, is keeping close track of the situation in Kosovo. Its President made a statement on the subject to the European Parliament at its plenary session on 11 March 1998 and will keep the appropriate fora of the Parliament informed of developments.

3. The Council recently adopted a series of measures designed to put pressure on Belgrade to find a peaceful settlement to the Kosovo problem. These comprise an arms embargo, a refusal to supply equipment that might be used for internal repression or terrorism, a moratorium on export credit and a ban on visas for a list of Serbian officials identified as having clear security responsibilities in Kosovo.

This decision, taken following discussion among Foreign Ministers on 13 March 1998, underlines the seriousness with which the European Union takes recent developments in Kosovo. The European Union intends to maintain the pressure on the Belgrade authorities to launch a meaningful dialogue without preconditions. We expect both them and the Kosovar Albanian leadership to shoulder their responsibilities - the interests of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo, and the stability of the region depend upon it.