YUGOSLAV EVENTS CHRONOLOGY May-Aug. 1998 May 1 - Albania calls for 1,000 volunteers for army to patrol border and prevent arms smuggling and border crossings; Yugo. Dep. PM Vojin Djukanovic says in Podgorica that he and Fed. PM Radoje Kontic have not been told who is controlling new Yugo. TV (RTJ), thought to be Milo. vehicle for propaganda; Westendorp threatens Croats in Drvar w/ unspecified measures to get them to stop attacks on local Serbs; Argentina arrests wanted WWII Croatian war criminal Dinko Sakic May 2 - 3 Kosovars killed, 3 wounded in Drenica area fighting; Britain to send troops to Mac.-Kos. border to keep conflict from escalating there; Bos. FM Jadranko Prlic (Croatian) warns hard-line Croats in Drvar to stop attacking Serbs and their property as ACroats of BH cannot survive amid chaos May 3 - Fighting around Kosovo village of Ponosevac (45 miles sw of Pristina near Albanian border) where police are trying to capture about 100 suspected separatists, OSCE observers says it is heavy retaliation by Serbs, Albanian auth. say Serbs are heavily reinforcing themselves May 4 - Gunbattles between Serb police, suspected separatists in Ponosevac kill 10 Kosovars while 4 police wounded; Croatian DM Gojko Susak dies of lung cancer; Tudj. aide Hrvoje Sarinic quits position at pres. palace over continuing HDZ involvement in banking scandal May 5 - Rus. FM Primakov says home rule for Kos. must come but in the framework of Serbia, says that making Kos. a third republic within Yugo. would lead to war and Rus. will oppose this; Intl. War Crimes Tribunal monitoring conditions in Kos.; Djukanovic says lack of dialogue over Kos. will lead to war, says that if JLA becomes involved AMon. will demand that soldiers from Mon. not be sent to the province; UN says violent ethnically-based incidents on rise in Herzegovinian town of Capljina w/ Mus. homes being destroyed, Croats stoning buses carrying Mus., Mus. home also burned in Croat-controlled Stolac May 6 - NATO says it will not send troops to Albanian border, but it is reconsidering Italian proposal to hold maneuvers in Alb.; Clinton says he does not rule out this option since he doesn't want another Bos.; Austrian police detain Plavsic at Schwechat airport due to '95 arrest warrant that they thought was issued for complicity in genocide, but allow her to go on to London after WCT judges tell police they had never issued it May 8 - Serb police close Pristina-Pejea road due to heavy fighting; Pope John Paul II announces he will return to Croatia in October to honor Cardinal Stepanic's 100th birthday and proclaim him Ablessed May 9 - For. Ministers of G-8 meet in London, agree to ban future for. investments in Serbia (Rus. abstains on decisions); Croatian Amb. to UN in Gen., Davor Bekic, says his country should have clear policy of support for Bosnia if Croatia to avoid problems w/ Muslims and intl. community, says his country's political culture is backward and that fascist past being whitewashed; Croatian police in Osijek arrest Serb suspected in killings of 3 Croats after Vukovar fell to Serbs May 10 - Holbrooke, Gelbard visit Pristina, Holbrooke comments AI have no idea how to solve Kos. problem, says Milo. refuses intl. negotiator; Croatian Archbiship Josip Bozanic says attempts to turn Catholicism into pol. ideology are doomed May 11 - Holbrooke, Gelbard again meet w/ Milo. who condemns outside interference; Former Romanian President Iliescu says Milo. response to Kos. Afair and agrees it is an internal affair; Solana says NATO has not ruled out any possibilities concerning fighting; Westendorp warns that conflict could have negative effect on Bosnia and that NATO troops there could find themselves in combat if full war occurs inKos.; Yugo. closes last border crossing w/ Alb. Croatian FM Granic in Jerusalem apologizes for deaths of Croatian Jews in Holocaust May 12 - Serb police kill 1 ethnic Albanian in first gunbattle w/ militants in Pristina, report that 1 policeman killed, 2 wounded in other clashes; Serb police arrest 7 as Aterrorists in Mitrovica; Holbrooke meets w/ Rugova, says sides are very far apart; WEU For. Mins. announce they wil increase police in Albania from 60 to 90; Socialist People's Party (Bulatovic's qorg.) and Seselj's Serbian Radical Party say they will introduce qmeasure in parl. calling for removal of Fed. PM Radoje Kontic, seen qas part of plan to put Milo. loyalists in power in Mon.; Assoc. of qInd. Electronic Media says govt. has imposed new fees ($35,000 a month) for radio, tv licenses and kept it secret from April 7 until qthis date; Investigators uncover tangled remains of bodies in isolated area near Kamenica, Bosnia that they believe were executed and buried in Srebrenica, then reburied to hide the evidence; US amb. to Croatia William Montgomery says Croatian govt. accepts all demands of intl. community for return of refs. May 13 - Holbrooke says Milo., Rugova to meet in Belgrade without conditions or foreign mediation, Clinton calls this Asober first step, Albright praises both leaders for their flexibility while Primakov says agreement is result of entire Contact Group's efforts; opp. leaders in Kos. criticize Rugova for giving up demand for ind.; 18 reported killed over last 2 days w/ 10 Kosovars killed in minefield near Ponoshec; Djukanovic ally Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic, head of Dem. Soc. Party, says speaker of Mon. parl. will be asked to call special session to discuss how to defend Mon. interests within federation, move seen as calculated to bring Mon. deputies back from Bel. which will leave federal upper chamber without quorum on day when assembly to discuss removing PM Radoje Kontic; RS Interior Ministry issues arrest warrant for Gojko Klickovic for embezzlement, abuse of office May 14 - Albanians attack Serb police station wounding 3 officers, Serbs retaliate by sealing off area near Djakovica, attacking w/ machine guns, heavy artillery; Kosovars say Serbs attack several villages in Orahovac region; Mac. border guards kill Albanian attempting to cross into Mac. 500 SFOR troops complete inspection of RS govt., sec. forces sites, office of Krajisnik occupied during sweep, along w/ police stations, mil. barracks, and new parl. building in BL, pres. of parl., Dragan Kalinic, calls this illegal; Germans begin trial of Bos. Serb Maksim Sokolovic on charges of rape, murder, complicity in genocide in Bos.; Hague amends indictment against ASerb Adolf Goran Jelisic in order to speed up his trial, 37 charges still stand against him; Tudj. appoints Health Minister Andrija Hebrang to replace Susak as DM May 15 - Milo., Rugova meet for 2 hours, Milo. tells Rug. that Kos. must remain part of Serbia and that Kos. issue is an internal affair; Rugova argues that it must be ind.; several members of his advisory group resign in protest over US demand that he accede to Milo. condition of no foreign mediators; Serbs close all border crossings into Kos. for all private vehicles including those of Serbs, those from state-owned corporations continue to be allowed; NATO sends reconnaissance mission to northern Alb. to study terrain for possible deployment May 16 - Bosnian HDZ elect hard-liner Ante Jelavic as party chairman at annual meeting in Mostar instead of Tudj. candidate Bozo Ljubica; Westendorp tells them they must give up on idea of mini-state but Jelavic says Croats must have their own army May 17 - 3 ethnic Albanians killed after Serb police attack village near Klina, burning, demolishing, and robbing homes, Serbs say this a result of armed Kosovars attacking paramilitary police patrol; Serb students occupy Technical Faculty of Pristina U. which is to be turned over to Kosovars next day; Assoc. of Ind. Electronic Media decides to continuing broadcasting despite new govt. fees of $35,000 a month May 18 - Serb police order Serb students to leave premises of Technical Faculty of Pristina; Rugova says he insisted for Kos. ind. in talks w/ Milo., advisors increasingly critical of his handling of situation; Bri. For. Office says Contact Group has agreed to suspend sanctions on for. investment against Serbia due to Milo's holding of talks; Yugo. leg. votes in favor of no-confidence motion against PM Kontic, Milo. says he will meet w/ leaders of parties in parl. to discuss successors; Kontic rejects accusations by Milo. supporters that he is incompetent, says eco. performance was better than at any time in recent years; Mon. parl. speaker Svetozar Marovic calls special session in Podgorica while Djukanovic says there can be no joint state if there is not equality between republics, says this vote destroys foundation of joint state; EU signs $3.3 mil. aid agreement w/ Mon. to pay invalids and veterans' benefits; Former Chief editor of "Feral Tribune", journalist refuse to appear at trial in Zag. over whether they slandered Tudj., say they will not take part in a political trial; Bos. parl. fails to agree on 3 designs for new coat-of-arms proposed by intl. mediators while Her. Croats refuse to issue joint Bos. identity documents, license plates, Westendorp's office says those without new license plates, documents won't be able to leave the country after June 1 May 19 - Milo. picks former Mon. Pres. Momir Bulatovic as new PM, Mon. parl. votes in emergency session to reject Kontic ouster, calls vote illegal; US Chief of Mission in Bel. meets w/ Djukanovic; NATO committee draws up 3 options for stationing troops along Alb. frontier w/ Kos. to include sending 7-20,000 soldiers; Serb police search train at Pograxha station, pull 30 ethnic Albanian males off, later release 22 but hold remaining 8; Serbian shelling kills 1 in village of Citak, residents say police said "we're going to kill all of you", police also shell village in Iglareva region; UCK gunmen fire on Serb trucks, bus on Pristina-Peja road, kidnap Serb policeman; Holbrooke says "it would be a mistake for the Kos. leadership not to go to these talks", praises Rugova as "sincere apostle of non-violence" but says "to his left are some very dangerous people who wish to use viol. means"; UN police say exchange of old license plates for new going well except in Croat- controlled areas of w. Her.; Croatian HDZ "expresses confidence" in new hard-line Her. HDZ leadership of Ante Jelavic despite Tudj's open support of moderate Bozo Ljubic May 20 - Mon. Pres. Djukanovic calls PM Bulatovic govt. "illegitimate, illegal, and un-Yugo.", says Mon. will not recognize it; Bulatovic announces new govt. which is virtually same as that of Kontic before him; Rugova aide says Kosovars to attend talks w/ Serbian delegation, Serbs say there is no blockade of province, only check on papers, safety of vehicles; Serb police release 4 Kosovars who had apparently been beaten, still hold 4; Alb. police seize truck loaded w/ weapons in Lezha headed for Kosovo; UN HCR says none of 10,000 Serbs have returned to Glamoc, town now populated by 500 Mus., 1,400 Croats; Group of for. ambassadors say that Vukovar will not get any money at all unless city auth. begin to coop., that ethnically- motivated incidents continuing in E. Sla., call on Croatian auth. not to prosecute any Serbs without approval of Hague May 21 - 4 more people killed in Kos. (15 year old boy shot in raid on his village, ethnic Albanian killed by police, 2 elderly Albanian farmers executed on road); US says Serb police have been tripled in province, heavy artillery and tanks deployed along border w/ Albania; Serb MiG21 crashes east of Pristina; Yugo. auth. close last border crossing w/ Alb. on road between Kukes and Prizren; Milo. turns down invitation from Patriarch Pavle to meet w/ him and Djukanovic, church spokesman says Milo. has been arbitrary in policy toward Mon. and wants to destroy fed. Yugo. state, Bishop Artemije of Kos. says Milo. Ahas suicidal tendencies, to which he has subordinated the fate of the Serbian people; US State Dept. calls ouster of Kontic of dubious legality, warns that upcoming parl. elec. must be free and fair; Mon. branch of Party of Dem. Action (Bos. Muslim party) says it will join Djukanovic's coalition following May elec.; SDA, Social Democratic Party walk out of RS parl., say they will not return until con. amended to allow non-Serb parties to elect their own deputy speaker of parl.; Westendorp begins search for new Bos. national anthem; UN Sec. Coun. agrees to add 30 more police to 2,045 intl. police already in BH; First Bos. plane (Air Bosnia) to fly to Bel. in 6 years; Croatian DM Hebrang says main task is to transform the army from a wartime to a peacetime inst. within 6 months; Slo. PM Janez Drnovsek wins vote of confidence May 22 - Police in Podgorica say they have filed charges of possessing illegal weapons against 3 bodyguards of Bulatovic; Bulatovic's car stoned by Djukanovic supporters outside capital May 23 - Serb guns fire on ethnic Alb. villages in Klina area; attacks reported on villages in Gjakova area near Alb. border, Serbs claim UCK forces fired on their troops there; Serb police official taken off train by armed Kosovars (15th kidnapped since Feb.); Leader of Kos. delegation Fehmi Agani says both sides have agreed to continue discussions; Serbian Orthodox Church Assembly calls for end to Aviolence and terrorism in Kos., says dialogue only way to achieve settlement; Police arrest 7 leaders of Students' Union on Pristina U. campus, no reasons for arrests given; Westendorp calls on NATO to capture Kara. May 24 - Serbian security forces launch offensive against UCK rebels, burn villages, said to be largest action in Balkans since Croatian army drove Serbs out of Croatia in 1995 May 25 - Dem. League of Kos. says Serb forces attacking in Klina, Gjakova, Decan, and Skenderaj regions, that numerous villages in flames, 6,000 refs. reported to have sought shelter in Gjakova; Kosovar spokesman says attacks threatens talks w/ Serb side; NATO announces it will hold Alarge maneuvers in Mac. in Sept. to help Mac. secure its borders in case conflict spreads; Several thousand demonstrate in Belgrade over new law to restrict univ. autonomy, Zoran Djindjic says govt. aims to make universities Abranch offices of state institutions, protesters criticize attempts to restrict ind. media May 26 - NATO Assembly passes resolution condemning Serb offensive; Albanian, Yugo. meeting of border authorities at border point of Kukes/Prizren ends without results; Albanians call attention to 5 border violations including air space and shootings, both sides reject charges; Student org. in Pristina says Prizren court gave 30 day jail sentences to 3 women student leaders recently arrested, 4 males still missing; Serb parl. ends autonomy of universities by making deans, faculty govt. appointees; 3 arrested, 10 injured in protests against this outside parl. building; Mon. Pres. Milo Djukanovic sends telegram of support to students; Croatian FM Granic says govt. to draft comprehensive ref. return plan by 20 June, denies that 80,000 refs. in Ger. to be repatriated this year saying this would be impossible in short time May 27 - Kosovar spokesmen announce cancellation of talks w/ Serbs for 29th due to Rugova, others being in US; NATO agrees on detailed plan for containing Kosovo conflict including preventive deployment of troops in Alb., Mac.; Rus. calls for detailed info. about NATO plans there; Gelbard calls on Rugova to show in Wash. visit that non-viol. Athe right path for Kos. Albanians to follow, but Rugova says on Austrian radio that autonomy no longer acceptable and that Kos. should become intl. protectorate as transitional stage to ind.; Congress of Euro. Local and Regional Govts. calls upon Yugo. to restore 1974 consitutional conditions to solve crisis, calls for Felipe Gonzalez to be sole mediator in conflict and not to allow US to play predominant role; Rector of Belgrade Univ. submits resignation to protest Serbian educ. law; several thousand students protest outside Philosophy Faculty building; US amb. to Croatia, William Montgomery says Croatia could become member of NATO Partnership for Peace by end of year if it makes progress toward democratization, allows Serb refs. to return, supports Dayton; Tudj. holds meeting w/ new Her. Croat HDZ leader Ante Jelavic May 28 - NATO For. Ministers agree to stage major land and air maneuvers in Albania in Aug. as expansion of those scheduled for Sept. in Mac., also will open Partnership for Peace office in Tirana, training centers in Mac., agree to recommend UN extend mandate of pk mission in Mac. by 6 months and increase force from 800 to Aat least 1,050 troops; Ger. to provide Mac. w/ 50 BRT-70 tanks from former E. Ger. army; Solana says alliance has not ruled out any option dealing w/ Kos. crisis, while Ger. FM Kinkel says his country that crisis could cause thousands of new refs. from region to head to Ger.; Rus. FM Primakov says UN must approve any new stationing of troops in region; Serbian Dep. PM Tomislav Nikolic says his govt. fully supports work of paramilitary units in Kos. and won't reduce their forces Djukanovic says Milo. govt. leading Yugo. into ever greater isolation and that Mon. has shown a different path; Yugo. PM Bulatovic says his Socialist People's Party won't recognize the results of 31 May balloting if 34,000 of 457,000 people listed on election rolls are allowed to vote, says they have no registration numbers and his party will have poll-watchers to challenge them; Bri. SFOR troops arrest Milojica Kos, former commander of Omarska concentration camp; Nordic, Pol. pks find, remove 3 tons of illegal weapons in Ozren area (near Doboj) May 29 - Serb policeman killed, another wounded in 5th day of fighting in Peja, Decan areas, 3,000 refs. from Decan arrive in Lipjan, Serb auth. still keeping for. journalists out of area; 1,000 Kos. refs. flee into Albania over last 24 hours; Rugova appeals to Clinton for help to prevent violence while US pres. applauds shadow govts'. commitment to non-violence and expects a swift and firm response from Contact Group to attacks; Croatian DM Hebrang (who is also head of Tudj's medical team) declares Tudj. to be cured, says there is no designated successor as Croatia is a democracy May 30 - US Sec.of State Albright offers Kos. delegation Afull US support for the dialogue process; USAID Director Brian Atwood says Wash. to increase assistance to Kos. from $7.5 mil. to $13.5 mil.; Serbian Dep. PM Markovic's spokesman says talks w/ Kos. auth. to take place on June 5; Serbian Civic Council (group loyal to Bos. govt. during war) reelects Mirko Pejanovic chair in Sara., pass measure calling for est. of full legal equality of 3 groups as key to solving problems; Helsinki Group says former warlord Ismet Bajramovic, ACelo, 4 of his bodyguards threatened journalists of bi-monthly ADani for reporting on organized crime May 31 - For a Better Life coalition allied to Djukanovic reportedly wins majority in elections to Mon. parl. while Bulatovic supporters get 35% June 1 - 2,000 refs. arrive in Tropoja, Albania, UNHCR says it will send 20 tons of food, clothing, and supplies to assist refs.; Albanian govt. appeals to Contact Group, other intl. bodies to forcefully and immediately intervene to stop the ethnic cleansing; Serb forces shell border areas w/ Albania, fighting now said to be heaviest since intervention began in Feb. w/ 37 including 2 Serb policemen reported dead since May 29; Several thousand children join students, others in now daily march for ind., end to crackdown in Pristina; Mon. Election Commission says For a Better Life coalition won 49.5% of vote in elections while Bulatovic's Socialist People's Party (Bulatovic) won 36% and Liberal Alliance got 6%; Djukanovic coalition to have outright majority in parl., OSCE says fairness significant improvement over previous elections; US Amb. to Croatia, William Montgomery, announces State Dept. has invited reps. of several Croatian opp. groups to Wash. and that this is normal procedure which included the HDZ when it was in opp. in 1990 June 2 - Kosovar refs. still fleeing into Albania, shelling reported to be slacking, Serb Int. Min. claims to have Aeliminated a large terrorist group of Albanian separatists near village of Crnobreg, 1 policeman killed in fight on road between Decani and Djakovica; Austrian mil. attache in Tirana says he has observed from across border Serb forces systematically destroying villages; Rugova calls upon UN to est. no-fly zone over Kos. due to heavy use of helicopters in attacks, also again calls for UN human rts. office in Pristina; Croatian PM Matesa, Bos. Serb Premier Milorad Dodik meet in Zag., agree that refs. have rt. to choose to return to pre-war homes, sell or exchange property; Dodik later meets in Brcko w/ Ejup Ganic and Robert Farrand, intl. community's supervisor for Brcko; Kresimir Zubak, other Bos. Croat leaders break w/ HDZ (dominated by Her. Croats), to form separate party which will adhere to founding principles of HDZ and be loyal to Tudj. June 3 - UNHCR says 2,000 refs. cross border overnight into Albania, Albanian TV reports 3,000 more approaching border, and govt. estimates put total number of refs now at 10,000-15,000; Kosovars contend Serbs shelled 5 villages, burn houses; Rugova aides call upon OSCE delegation in Pristina that Serbs are using planned ethnic cleansing, call for NATO intervention; NATO meeting in Brussels agrees to consider deploying troops to Albania and Macedonia but says that this decision is not imminent, mil., tech. assistance to be accelerated however; Solana says Aall options open; UN's Annan says planned Aug. 31 withdrawal of 750 UN troops from Macedonia premature, recommends an expanded intl. presence in region, and that troops should be kept until Feb. '99; Int. Min. of Mus-Croat Fed. and RS Int. Mins. sign accord agreeing to their police forces jointly fighting organized crime, protecting citizens' rights (UN Envoy Elizabeth Rehn witnesses). June 4 - Serb assaults continue in Decan region, electricity, phone lines still cut; Serb officials say 40 dead including 2 Serb policemen, claim to have routed UCK and secured roads between Pristina and Pec and Pec to Djakovica; Serb forces said to be massing around Glodjane and Jablanica which may be UCK stronghold; Fehmet Agani (Rugova aide) calls off talks due to fighting; Ger. FM Kinkel calls for NATO to decide quickly on sending troops to Albanian border, calls on Milo. to note that if Kos. becomes Aabsolutely chaotic NATO could intervene; Rus. For. Min. proposes UN force in Mac. should be used to monitor border between Alb.-Kos. and that Rus. opposes using NATO there; 40 member NATO team arrives in Mac. to evaluate border situation there June 5 - UN says flow or Kosovo refugees to Albania has dropped to about 800 in previous 24 hours, estimates that 10,000 have now fled with most being housed by locals in town of Tropje; 5 reported to have died during exodus; Fighting continues in central and western regions of Kos. while ethnic Alb. leadership refuses to take part in talks w/ Serbs until Serb police halt offensive, withdraw from province altogether; US diplomatic pressure to continue talks rebuffed by Albanians June 7 - US, UK at UN discuss calling on UN to authorize force against Yugo. for its attacks on Kosovo, British PM Blair talks w/ Clinton by phone on situation while For. Sec. Cook warns Milo. that EU won't permit ethnic cleansing, creation of new South Africa on the EU's doorstep, says over past wek Milo. Ahas crossed the threshold; Milo. reportedly ready to allow diplomatic observers entry to Kosovo; UCK appeals to ethnic Albanian men between 18-55 to join them; Pope calls on intl. community not to stay inert before the violence, repression and fleeing of the population in Kosovo"; 6 ethnic Albanians injured when 100 Serb police use clubs to beat demonstrators in crowd of 1,000 in Pristina; Shelling continues in western Kosovo, ethnic Albanians reportedly blow up police station in Ratkoc after fighting empties town; 3 Serb police killed, 5 injured according to Serb Int. Min. which also comments that they have destroyed terrorist gangs; Yugo. For. Min. accuses AAlbanian terrorists of forcing Kosovars to flee homes while former Albanian president Berisha calls UCK struggle Aholy, calls Serbs Abarbarians; 2 NATO officials observe border from northern Albanian side June 8 - Clinton says he is determined to prevent "a repeat of the human carnage...and ethnic cleansing" of Bos., US to support UK proposal of NATO mil. intervention in Kos., although action not considered imminent, US NSA Sandy Berger says action is not something that is on the table but this later said to mean that action won't be unilateral; US, EU bans new investments in Serbia, freezes Yugo., Serbian govt. assets abroad (sanctions had been suspended after talks had begun) while EU condemns Serbian actions as "ethnic cleansing"; Fre. Pres. Chirac says "we cannot accept the ethnic cleansing" while Bri. For. Sec. Cook calls Yugo. actions Aheavy-handed and says it brings about possibility of for. intervention; Group of 60 diplomats given tour of w. Kos. by Yugo. officials, say many buildings burned out or reduced to rubble, but no journalists allowed Croat commander Anto Furundzija pleads not guilty at Hague to accusations that he did nothing when subordinates raped woman in Bos. in '93 June 9 - NATO reported to be considering air strikes against Yugo., Dutch DM calls for rapid intervention but Ger. DM Ruehe says it should be a last resort, UNCHR calls for "vigorous action" against violence; Rus. Pres. Yeltsin and DM Sergeev say they are opposed to NATO involvement saying this would lead to a spread of violence throughout area; Serb forces continue heavy artillery bombardments of w. Kos. w/ border villages under attack; Milo. meets w/ Supreme Def. Council in Bel. to discuss Kos., Council claims army and police are in complete control of border (Mon. Pres. Djukanovic, Yugo. PM Bulatovic, Serb Pres. Milutinovic, and DM Pavle Bulatovic all take part); For. Mins. of six Balkan countries (Alb., Bul., Greece, Mac., Rom., Tur.) issue statement calling for "immediate cessation of excessive use of force" after Yugo. FM Jovanovic prevents mention of Kos. in conf. meeting's final document, Greek FM says eco. sanctions not the best way to resolve the crisis; US togive E. Croatian town of Darda $14 mil. to rebuild homes, improve infrastructure, town gets money since it had promoted reconciliation w/ Serbs and has multi-ethnic admin.; 60 country Peace Implementation Council for Bos. reaffirms right of Westendorp, its rep., to decree reforms in BH June 10 - Contact Group officials meeting in Paris agree on new package to deal w/ Kos. crisis including threat of force if Yugo. fails to implement these by a specific date; US Sec. Def. Cohen meeting w/ Ital. DM in Rome agree that use of force will not be ruled out at upcoming Contact Group DM meeting; Canada to freeze Yugo. assets on its territory, ban investments in Serbia; NATO's top general Klaus Naumann says air power could be used in Kos. to halt fighting and that troop deployment in Alb., Mac. will not end the crisis but that air strikes against both Serb and UCK forces would; Hague begins to investigate if war crimes are being committed in Kos.; 20,000 march in protest in Pristina, but march organizers say they are calling off further protests for now; Izet. says he will request revision of Dayton agreements if "obstructive forces" come to power after Sept. elections June 11 - NATO approves air exercise as warning to Milo., orders mil. planners to draw up plans for mil. intervention, but without timetable, also condemns use of Aviol. for pol. ends by either the auth. in Bel. or Kosovar Albanian extremists; US Sec. Def. Cohen says that UN auth. for use of force desireable but not required, US Sec. of State Albright says Wash. goal to create CF to allow both sides to talk; Yeltsin invites Milo. to Mos. for talks, while For. Min. says Rus. will only agree to force if UN approves; Blair tells Rugova in London that UK to try to get approval for force from UN Sec. Coun.; Westendorp says there are Aencouraging signs of moderation in eastern part of RS and that this will be rewarded w/ more aid and tells Serbs in Rogatica that Ayour people cannot live just on nationalism; Annan disagrees and says there is increasing viol. in BH against refs. trying to return to homes, that local police forces in Croatian part of country and in RS opposing integration w/ other communities; NATO Dms agree to extend SFOR mandate (see June 15) June 13 - Albanian PM Fatos Nano says that Tirana's intl. airport, all mil. airports open to NATO use; Mac. PM Crvenkovski also pledges support for NATO; UCK says it controls over 30% of Kos. territory including main road from Pristina to Peja; Kos. women refs. reporting rapes by Serb soldiers; new ref. estimates in Albania 14,000, 8,000 in Mon. June 14 - Bri. For. Sec. Cook says Serbia Acarrying out ethnic cleansing; Solana says NATO to seek mandate from UN if it agrees on use of force; June 15 - NATO conducts exercises over Albania as warning to Yugo. (includes 85 jets from 13 countries), Solana says NATO is preparing to go further if required to halt the violence and protect civilian populations and that Milo's talks w/ Yeltsin in Moscow are Milo's Alast chance for diplomatic solution; Chinese For. Min. says it does not agree to outside interference w/ mil. force in Kos.; Kofi Annan says this plus diplomacy the best way to halt violence; Rus. DM Sergeev says NATO officials did not properly consult him about air exercises, but Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff who met w/ Sergeev says their complaint is about the timing which came quickly Clinton asks Yeltsin to persuade Milo. who is in Moscow for talks to moderate his actions; Rus. DM Sergeyev says NATO has not adequately informed Moscow of exercises; 100 parents of army conscripts from Kragujevac issue statement pledging to go to Kos. to Asave our children; Serb police have been arresting people who distributed leaflets in support of Anti-War Campaign; OSCE reports that 300 fighters w/ horses loaded w/ weapons cross from Albania into Kos., using Tropoja as safe haven, training Ger, Fre. SFOR troops in Foca arrest Milorad Krnojelac, former commander of Foca prison, sends him to Hague; secret indictment had been issued against him; UN Sec. Coun. votes to extend SFOR Bos. mandate for 33,000 troops, 2,000 UN police until June '99 June 16 - Serbs say police patrol attacked, Kosovars contend Serbs have shelled 2 villages near Pristina while Albania claims Serb troops kill Albanian citizen inside Albanian territory; Milo. in Moscow for talks w/ Yeltsin after which Yeltsin says Milo. agrees to talks w/ Kosvars; Milo. says in joint statement w/ Yeltsin that Serb forces will cut back their presence outside of bases in Kos. when rebels cease terrorist activities, says refs. to be allowed back and diplomats, humanitarian orgs. to be guaranteed freedom of movement, agrees not to use repression against civilians; Yeltsin says talks Anot easy but that Awe do not forget that we are Slavic states and friends; Albright calls on Milo. to end viol., that promises made by Milo. Ado not meet the primary points of the Contact Group; Cohen says if viol. continues there will be a consensus reached quickly within NATO; Bri. SAS units arrive in Mac. to help guide NATO aircraft to targets if needed RS parl. votes 43-35 to remove hard-line speaker Dragan Kalinic (Kara. supporter), dep. Nikola Poplasen from their positions, elect Socialist Petar Djokic speaker and PDA's Safet Bico as deputy; HDZ splinter group led by Zubak to be called New Croatian Initiative; 2 members of Croatian police patrol killed by unknown assailants coming into country from Serbia near Osijek; Several thousand teachers protest govt. educ. policies in Zag. June 17 - Rugova aide Xhemail Mustafa rejects talks w/ Milo. until special units withdrawn from Kosovo, says only NATO intervention could create conditions for serious talks, Demaci says AMilo. is playing for time; UCK spokesman tells BBC that Rugova is obstacle to province's independence; UCK fighters say Serbs attacked their positions overnight killing 1; guerrillas extend trenches, defenses in stronghold of Malisevo (30 miles sw of Pristina); 10 killed in past several days, death toll now around 300 w/ 65,000 forced to leave homes; NATO ambassadors thank Yeltsin for his mediation, but say that Milo's actions cause Ano reduction in momentum in military preparations, and that Milo. promise has Aseveral ambiguities such as linking troop reductions to level of Aterrorism Primakov says this was maximum that was possible to do at this time; Mon. parl. appoints 20 supporters of Djukanovic to rep. Mon. in 40 member upper house of Yugo. parl. thereby depriving Milo. of 2/3rds majority necessary to change constitution; Mon. parl. also passes resolution demanding Milo. immediately end viol. in Kos., meet Contact Group demands and that if this does not happen Mon. troops in Kos. should be removed, delegation to be sent to Kos. to inspect barracks where Mon. soldiers are staying; Parents of Vojvodina conscripts say that Yugo. army should transfer all of these back to Voj. within 48 hours; 250 parents of conscripts protest in Bel. for return of their sons from Kos.; Croatian opp. parties submit no-confidence motion against govt. due to difficult social, eco. conditions June 18 - Yugo. FM Zivadin Jovanovic says govt. willing to resume talks but without intl. mediation, rejects Contact Group demand that Serb sec. forces be withdrawn from Kos., says Serbia has right to station troops on its own territory; Gelbard says Kosovar attitude on not resuming talks until troops withdrawn understandable; Kosovar shadow-state govt., reps. of 5 Kos. pol. parties agree to appoint reps. to organize self-defense in areas under attack (1st time for this); continued fighting in western region between Gjakova, Albanian border, State Dept. spokesman James Rubin says that UCK fighting now would play into Milo's hands, also comments that Aradical Islamic elements from Iran, other countries could show up in Kos. fighting although none have done so yet; Croatian WWII war crimes suspect Dinko Sakic (commander of Jasenovac) arrives in Zag. to stand trial June 19 - Rugova says that UCK must submit to authority of pol. leadership July 21 - Rus. FM Primakov says that Serb forces can't be withdrawn unless there is a decrease in Aterrorist activity; Albright warns Milo. not to try to exploit differences within Contact Group, says that Holbrooke to personally tell him of Contact Group demands; 2 Yugo. conscript deserters, possibily Muslims from Sandzak, say they were ordered to kill civilians or they would kill the soldiers; 3 buses containing beaten, injured, and restrained Kosovar prisoners taken into Serbia; Yugo. army continuing to seal off border w/ Albania June 22 - US State Dept. says that Milo. must allow humanitarian access to Kos. but all forces involved in violence must be pulled back; UN special rep. to Bos. Elisabeth Rehn says that Serbs have begun putting Kosovars in detention camps, Solana comments that Atime is running out and Aintl. community has to act rapidly; Serb policeman fires on well-marked Danish press vehicle near Gllogovc, Serb authorities say he acted out of fear; 2 Mon. Mus. deserters arrive in Tirana; Mon. govt. pleads for intl. aid to deal w/ 10,000 refs.; Bos. Aconvertible mark goes into circulation, new currency to be exchanged at rate of 1:1 to German mark June 23 - Senior NATO official says alliance prepared to hit targets in Yugo., not just in Kosovo, make troop deployments, and that time to come up w/ peaceful solution is Avery short, says that estimated NATO deployments of 7-20,000 men Awould be on the low side; Holbrooke visits w/ Gligorov and Rugova in Mac., says there is still time for diplomatic solution, later tells Milo. that his time is running out; Milo. also meets w/ Rus. Dep. FM Afanasievskii who tells him that he must implement promises made to Yeltsin previous week; RS, Croatian officials meeting in BL sign agreement on return of refs. June 24 - Holbrooke visits town of Decan, says it reminds him of what occurred in Bos. and that destruction in Decan Awas not fighting...this was the Yugo. sec. forces driving people out; later meets w/ 2 UCK members but calls it fact-finding mission, not official contact w/ guerillas; Rugova, in Brussels, tells Solana that NATO needs to provide protection to prevent massacres and that AKos. has the right to become independent as it's part of a country that has dissolved, but Solana tells he must return to bargaining table immediately and without preconditions; Council of Europe blames Milo. for escalation in crisis and that it requires far-reaching dem. changes in Yugo., intl. community must keep open all options including mil. force until this happens; New York Times reports that UCK targetting Serb civilians which is causing Serb paramilitaries to enter the region; Yugo. General Staff says it won't send untrained recruits into Kos.; Serbian Renewal Movement leader Vuk Draskovic calls for NATO intervention in Albania to clear out Aterrorist training camps June 25 - Bos. Co-PM Silajdzic says his govt. will offer mil. facilities to NATO if there is to be intervention in Kos.; Bos. Serb parl. votes to move govt. officially from Pale to BL; Croatian govt. announce plan for guaranteeing Aall citizens right to return home; UNHCR, UN World Food Program teams allowed into Kos. for first time, bring food to village of Junik June 26 - Serb forces reported to be massing for large attack on UCK positions in Kos., now upwards of 50,000 soldiers, police; Holbrooke comments that Awe all agree that we are at a dangerous moment after gaining nothing in talks w/ Milo., UCK reps., meets w/ Demaci in Pristina; UCK refuses to take down roadblocks, fighting reported all over province w/ UCK having captured mine near Pristina; Serb forces set up anti- aircraft weapons in anticipation of NATO attacks; Albanian PM Fatos Nanosays he does not support Kos. ind. but that it should be given the status of a rep. within Yugo., calls on both sides (Yugo., UCK) to either withdraw or stop fighting; Mac. Def. Min. protests to Yugo. govt. over Yugo. jets' incursions into Mac. air space; Croatian parl. approves plan for return of refs. June 27 - Serbs pound rebel positions w/ artillery, fighting spreads to Pantina in central Kos. (15 miles w. of Pris.), more fighting reported in Kijevo (sw of Pris.); former aide to Rugova, Hidajet Hiseni, activist Rexhep Qosja form Albanian Democratic Movement to unite radical elements; Holbrooke at conf. in Switzerland says next major clash could have Atragic consequences and that Kos. is Aonly a few steps away from a general war; Adem Demaci of Parl. Party of Kos. and rival to Rugova says UCK now controls half of province and that Rugova's policy of non-viol. has failed; Last 56 bodies exhumed from Vukovar laid to rest by Croatian auth. ending 9-week period of exhumations, funerals of 938 bodies half of which were civilians, many women and children, and many w/ hands tied behind backs; 200 reps. from BH meet to found New Croatian Initiative headed by Kresimir Zubak who says HDZ favored interests of Hercegovinians; party to Christian democratic June 28 - Serb attacks on Kos. positions continue around Belacevac (6 miles w. of Pris.), Lapushnik where rebels have blockaded main road between Pris.-Pec, 8,000 civilians forced to flee Belacevac and find safety in woods; Serbs report 8-year old ethnic Alb. boy killed, man wounded; Holbrooke confirms that Gelbard met w/ UCK leaders in secret and that talks will continue if mil. is brought under control; UCK spokesman says Rugova UCK cannot be controlled by Rugova since he does not have enough pol. support; Rus. Dep. FM Afanasievskii says Milo. has kept Aall of the promises he made to Yeltsin; Ital., Greek PM's, Ger. FM, and UN Sec. Gen. all say they want UN mandate as precondition for NATO action; Westendorp rejects Silajdzic offer for use of Bos. facilities in event of intervention; Serb Slavko Dokmanovic, former mayor of Vukovar, hangs himself in cell in Hague (trial had justed ended on June 24 w/ verdict not due until July 7); Serbian Democratic Party in Bos. elects Dragan Kalinica chairman replacing Aleksa Buha who is closely associated w/ Kara. June 29 - Annan calls on intl. community to take action in Kos. before it becomes another Bos. but says mil. action must be approved by Sec. Coun.; Yugo. army helicopters strafe UCK positions around Kijeva where 220 Serbs are encircled by UCK forces June 30 - Serbs claim to have retaken villages near Belacevac coal mine, Yugo. army tanks reported to have been used in offensive, citizens of town, Hade, and Lismir flee area; 5 ethnic Albanians die in fighting w/ Serbs near Alb. border w. of Djakovica, UCK launches attack on village of Drenoc (near Klina) and attack Serb convoy on Prizren-Shtime road; EU For. Mins. adopt ban on JAT flights to their countries; US Amb. to Mac. Christopher Hill meets in Bel. w/ Milo.; Rus. For. Min. spokesman says UCK must not be involved in any peace talks; Yugo. Justice Ministry sends formal protest to Hague accusing it of negligence in death of indicted war criminal Slavko Dokmanovic; Leader of Serb community in Croatia, Vojislav Stanimirovic, welcomes Croatian govts's program for allowing refs. to return July 1 - US continues talks w/ UCK officials, State Dept. says talks are a "practical matter", do not constitute recognition of guerillas and that US still sees Rugova as legitimate Kosovar leader; State Dept. also says US no longer insisting on immediate withdrawal of Serb forces and that cease-fire must precede withdrawal "as a practical matter" (position closer to that of Moscow and Belgrade); State says 88,000 now homeless w/ most remaining in Kos., 15,000 in Mon., 13,000 in Albania; Alb. FM Paskal Milo says many Albanians confuse Kos. ind. w/ political realities, says that Alb. is part of intl. community, must respect inviolability of intl. borders; Ger. FM Kinkel says NATO intervention could be a matter of weeks or months due to Rus., Chinese opposition; Serb police disable Radio Kontakt transmitter in Pristina, block entrance to broadcaster's building, govt. says it did not have valid license July 2 - Yugo. army reportedly becoming more active in interior of Kos.; fighting intensifies around Serb-held town of Kijeva; Milo. says talks between Serbs, Kosovars only way to solve problem and that Athere are not, nor will there be any repressive actions against the civilian pop.; Rus. For. Min. says Aall outbursts of viol. (in Kos.) were reactions by the Serbian security forces to provocations by Kos. Albanians; NATO sec-gen. Solana says Atlantic alliance will not permit a Bos.-style conflict in Kos.; UN Sec. Council notes rise in ethnic incidents in E. Sla., says this could have a serious effect on restoration of multi-ethnic society; Pope discusses w/ Zag. Archbishop upcoming (Oct.) visit to Croatia for declaring Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac blessed July 3 - Clinton says that ABelgrade is primarily responsible for Kos. fighting, but also blames others (i.e., UCK) for not wanting dialogue); 5 Mus. soldiers from Yugo. army desert, taken by UCK across border to Tirana; Holbrooke arrives in Bel. for talks w/ Milo.; Bomb explodes in ethnic Serbian neighborhood market in Pristina (1st in capital since viol. erupted in Feb.), but Yugo. air force jets continue low-flying over city; Serb forces break UCK seige of Kijeva July 4 - Holbrook, Rus. Dep. FM Nikolai Afanasevskii begin shuttling between Bel. and Pristina to discuss situation w/ leaderships, both agree that Kos. side won't speak w/ one voice; 1 Mus. woman killed by stray gunfire in Mostar as result of Croatian quarter-final victory in World Cup soccer; 200 attack home of recently-returned Mus. ref. in Stolac July 5 - 2 smugglers wounded in Mac. trying to bring in arms, ammo. from Albania to then be sent to Kos. July 6 - Hague Tribunal begins first-ever trial of genocide, Milan Kovacevic faced w/ 15 charges of war crimes, and possible life sentence; Alb. Int. Min. says 20-40 armed Yugo. soldiers came as far as 100 meters into Has district of Alb., For. Min. lodges formal complaint w/ Yugo. govt.; 10 dips. accredited to Bel. visit Drenica area as part of intl. monitoring mission; Serb Family Affairs Min. Rada Trajkovic says Kos. birth rate is demographic bomb for Serbia, calls Kos. women Achild-bearing machines who have no rights and cannot speak without their husbands' permission, and that they have so many children they cannot keep track of their illnesses or their names Gelbard, in BL, urges Bos. Serbs not to become involved in Kos. after unconfirmed reports that some Serbs are volunteering to fight for Yugo. July 7 - Rugova aide Alush Gashi says that Contact Group doesn't have coherent strategy and that this confusion has led to widening of divisions in ethnic Alb. ranks; French FM Hubert Vedrine says UCK may be included in negotiations but only if they do not undermine Rugova's moderate position; Hague ct. argues that it has auth. to investigate atrocities committed in Kos.; Westendorp, Gelbard present at reopening of Mostar airport for first time in 6 years; Gelbard later meets w/ HDZ leader Ante Jelavic, says Croats not observing several provisions of Dayton agreement; UN High Commissioner for Refugees says Ger. policy of encouraging Bos. refs. to go home is Apremature, that Ger. auth. virtually forcing them to return to areas where there are no homes or jobs; Albright meets w/ Croatian opposition leaders Radimir Cacic (Cro. Peoples Party), Vlado Gotovac (Liberal party), Ivan Jakovcic (Istrian Dem. Assem.), Ivan Racan (Soc. Dem. Party), and Zlatko Tomcic (Cro. Peasants Party) in Wash. (Albright invites them over protests of HDZ); Several thousand pensioners protest for payment of $4.6 bil. in back benefits July 8 - Solana calls for Rugova to play Aan important role in representing Kosovars in negotiations, also confirms NATO preparedness to Aprovide support to back up a diplomatic solution...but the solution should be a diplomatic solution; Contact Group meets in Bonn, agrees after contentious meeting to outline of peace agreement to present to sides in conflict including all sides returning to negotiating table, UCK laying down its weapons, and working toward broad autonomy for Kos. within Yugo.; 4 NATO warships visit Durres, Albania; Westendorp names Slovenian Tomaz Petrovic as intl. arbitrator on committee that supervises Radio and Television of BH, body to consist of 5 persons nominated by Izet., 5 by Zubak July 9 - US, Rus., Dutch, Bri., Bel. diplomats arrive in Prizren, Gjakova, Peja regions (no journalists allowed) on mission to identify regions that need to be monitored; OSCE says Yugo. auth. agree to admit monitors; 3 Albanian citizens reported killed inside Albania (near Letaj) by Serbian border guards who also take 3 more hostage; Alb. customs auth. seize 1-1/2 tons of weapons they believe headed for UCK but make no arrests; Int. Min. in Podgorica denies fed. auth., Mon. has reached agreement on border w/ Croatia and that Mon. does not recognize fed. govt. of Bulatovic which it considers illegal; USAID, EU suspend $20 mil. in aid for Sara. until city agrees to allow 20,000 non-Muslims to return to homes; 2 killed in Bijeljina when they try to plant bomb in car of former Serb Panthers paramilitary leader Ljubisa Savica (AMauser) who is now police chief in town July 11 - Serbs shell town of Lodja (near Pec) as part of attack which began with attempts to regain bodies of 2 Serb police killed 3 days earlier, refs. fleeing north into Mon.; military presence in Pec increased; renewed fighting in Decani area (e. of Pec near border town of Djakovica) and near Peja where missiles are reported being used by Serbs; Mac. def. min. says on previous day border guards fired on 30 arms smugglers trying to cross border from Albania, Gligorov says NATO will not be allowed to use Mac. as base for attack on Kos.; UCK spokesman Jakup Krasniqi says UCK doesn't recognize Rugova as leader since he didn't help create the org., but calls on all pol. parties to unite and accept army as their own; also says UCK fights for Aunification w/ Albania; Primakov tells Kinkel that Rus. only wants Kosovan autonomy within Yugo., not ind.; Turkish pres. Demirel says Turkey will be part of any mission in Kos. w/ intl. mandate; 3,000 Sreb. survivors stage protest in Tuzla, blame Izet., mil. leadership, and intl. community for massacre while Izet. blames intl. community July 13 - 14 buses loaded w/ Serb police arrive in Peja; EU for. mins. adopt resolution calling for cf and failing this to urge UN Sec. Coun. to Abring about compliance by those who block the process, but also call on Kosovar side to halt violence; US State Dept. warns Kosovars that ind. won't be accepted by intl. community; Herzegovinian HDZ issues statement calling for resignation of all Bos. officials elected on HDZ slate who have left the party including Zubak July 14 - OSCE delegation in Bel.; members of Serbian opposition Alliance for Change meets in Pristina w/ Serb, Alb. ethnic communities; Turkish President Demirel tells Albanian President Meidani that Turkey supports idea of Apunishing violence but says UN mandate necessary for intl. intervention in Kos.; UNHCR says there are now 18,000 refs. in Alb. up from 13,000 July 15 - US govt. indicates that NATO won't take action in Kos. for foreseeable future due to slowing of activities of Serb forces and emergence of Abalance of sorts on the ground; OSCE chair Bronislaw Geremek says Rugova losing political ground to UCK every day; Mon. Pres. Djukanovic says he recently spoke w/ Milo. but didn't reach compromise on key issues and that his govt. still refuses to recognize Fed. govt. of Bulatovic; Intl. community rep. in Mostar, Sir Martin Garrod, says ethnic Croats should return to homes in Mus.-half of city; Westendorp deputy says intl. community ready to impose sanctions against RS govt. of Dodik due to its handling of Croat, Mus. refs.; UN Sec. Coun. extends mandate for UN observers in Prevlaka region for another 6 months, decision hailed by Croatia July 16 - 90 members of Kos. shadow-state legislature attend first session in 8 years, take oath of loyalty to shadow govt., elect speaker, and are then peacefully dispersed by Serb police who commandeer all documents; Albanian PM Nano calls for Kosovars to set up one rep. institution to speak to whole world; UN Sec. Gen. Annan calls for adding 350 soldiers to Mac. pk force and extension of UNPREDEP mandate for another 6 months; 47 of 78 deputies in Mon. legislature approve new govt. of Djukanovic ally Filip Vujanovic, Bulatovic supporters boycott; Vujanovic critical of Milo. efforts to curb Mon. autonomy and that Awe cannot give up Mon. statehood, national identity, tradition, and culture; Bos. PM Edhem Bicakcic says refs. returning to former homes in Croat-Mus. Federation but that Croat and Serb numbers returning to Mus.-controlled Sara. are too low, blames it largely on intl. community not providing enough aid to build homes and apts.; Istria reports 22% decline in tourism and Dalmatia 11% drop compared to '97 even though Croatian govt. had projected 15% growth for year July 18 - Serbs, UCK fighting in Rahovec (sw. Kos.), also near border at Padesh after UCK fighters cross over from Albania; Serb shelling of border area kills possibly dozens w/ 19 UCK members wounded; Albanian govt. charges Serb forces fired 500 shells into Albania which Belgrade blames on Albania for harboring UCK members; gunmen in Pristina try to kill Enver Maloku, head of Kosovar news agency (KIC) July 19 - Alb. military police seize truck carrying 4 tons of arms in Kukes coming from southern town of Vlora July 20 - Alb. PM Nano says time is now to launch air strikes at Serb forces; Serb paramilitary police officials say they have thwarted UCK efforts to take Rahovec, journalists not allowed to verify but can see fires burning in center, casualties estimated at 100; 25,000 fled from this conflict toward Malisheva during fighting (first time UCK has directly confronted Serb forces directly in a town); 3 UCK fighters who needed treatment in Tirana hospital are from Yemen but leave hospital after 1 day; Plavsic says she hopes new govt. can be formed based entirely on votes of Serb legislators, that Dayton agreement is attempt to recreate multi-ethnic society and that Serbs should insist on implementation of letter of agreement granting specific rights to each ethnic group July 26 - Yugo. army, paramilitary forces attack UCK forces throughout Kos. in campaign to recapture roads; fighting in villages of Srednja Klina, Gornja Klina (near Srbica) kills 2 elderly peoples, wounds 2 others, soldiers reported to be burning and firing on homes July 21 - UN Sec. Coun. unanimously extends PK mandate until 28 Feb. '99, to add 350 soldiers to contingent after 3 bombs explode in Macedonia, country tightens sec. because of possible movements of troops across border into Kos.; Serb, UCK continue fighting in Rahovec for fourth day, 36 ethnic Albanians dead July 22 - UCK retreats from central Rahovec, Serbs consolidate gains, Rugova says Serbs have carried out massacres on civilians in town; Serb soldiers on border w/ Alb. use heavy machine guns to attack house of village elder of Dobrun inside Albania, Serbs also shell Albania from Pradesh inside Kos.; Albania reports that Serb laying anti-personnel mines on border to prevent refs. from fleeing into Alb., PM Bulatovic says sec. zone along border expanded from several hundred yards to 3 miles and that Albania must be moved further away from Kos.; Shadow-state parl. recognizes UCK as legitimate Kosovar org., Rugova says Awe should have done this long ago; NATO forces arrest war crimes suspects and brothers Predrag and Nenad Banovic in Prijedor, both flown to Hague to stand trial for involvement at Keraterm concentration camp as guards; Joint BH parl. rejects Westendorp office-prepared law on privatization, Westendorp decrees it anyway; US Sec. of State Albright tells Croatian FM Granic his country can join Partnership for Peace if it allows return of refs., freedom of electronic and other media, promotes rule of law society, guarantees free elections, and that it meet Dayton obligations July 23 - LDK says Serbs carrying out Agenocide against the ethnic Albanians; Orthodox spokesman, Father Sava, says UCK has taken control of monastery near Zociste (s. of Rahovec; Sava reportedly working toward reconciliation between sides); Tropoja (ne. Albania) reported to have been transformed into UCK base; US amb. to Mac., Christopher Hill, calls for mil. assistance for Albania particularly to help govt. reassert control over northern part of country; Turkish parl. approves stationing of more soldiers in Albania; Hague spokesman says Bos. Serb brothers arrested in Prijedor by Bri. SAS troops not indicted twins Nanad and Predrag Banovic; Serb auth. in BL refuse funeral of Imam Ibrahim halilovic at site of destroyed 16th century Ferhadija mosque, will be buried in Sara. instead July 24 - New Serb offensive using tanks and artillery throughout Kos., both sides report casualties, as Serbs try to take Pristina-Peja and Pristina-Prizren roads, area along Albanian border; Rugova calls for intl. protectorate over Kos.; INTERPOL officials place Nada Sakic under house arrest in Santa Teresita, Argentina July 25 - LDK calls on US, UN, NATO, EU to exert pressure on Bel. July 26 - Serbs fire machine guns at Albanian border post, village of Morina along Prizren-Kukes road, Yugo. army claims that its forces clashed w/ armed Albanians attempting to cross border; Mac. says on previous day its border guards exchanged fire w/ large armed groups of Albanians trying to cross into Mac. in Mt. Korab area; Serbs reported to have recaptured Zociste monastery; NYT reports that US has dropped plans to catch Kara., Mladic due to Fre. opposition, fears of Ablood bath in provoking Serb reaction July 27 - Serb police, army surround Junik (50 miles sw of Pristina near Albanian border), reported to have retaken large areas of Pristina-Pec highway; US warns that it is Adeeply concerned, urges cf while Primakov calls for renewing talks without preconditions; RS Info. Min. Rajko Vasic says govt. has replaced directors, editorial staffs of 11 radio, 5 TV stations for Amisinformation and inflammatory reports, SDP party spokesman calls this Aterrorizing their pol. opponents July 28 - Serb forces take UCK stronghold of Malisevo (25 miles sw of Pristina) relatively intact after UCK forces retreat, only refs. remain behind but UNHCR estimates there to be 65,000 of these in area; 60 tanks seen heading toward area prior to town's fall; nearby village of Bubavec on fire; Serbs tighten seige of Junik where they estimate 2,000 people to be including 1,000 rebels, Kos. Info. Center says Serbs execute ethnic Albanian family of 20 including children after they surrendered near Junik; UCK forces ambush military convoy near Lapusnik (15 miles w. of Pristina), Serbs reported to have taken heavy losses; Albanian Def. Min. warns Yugo. that it will reply strongly to any provocation by the Serbian army that violates the [terr. integrity] of Albania; US tries to get Kosovar side to agree to negotiating conditions of 1) Rugova being in charge of joint delegation (although he won't actually take part in talks); 2) the neg. executive be based in Pristina and not out of province; 3) team must represent entire Kos. pol. spectrum (lessens influence of UCK); Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Renewal Party calls on its reps. in Yugo., Serbian parls. to declare Astate of emergency, expresses alarm that part of Serb terr. is under occupation, calls for energetic action by the army and police; Mac. Def. Min. says "large group of armed Albanians attack border guards between Zirovnica and Peshkopi, that it included UCK fighters who were trying to come into country illegally; Plavsic says Bos. voters will choose between integration into Eur. and isolation when they vote, calls Dodik govt. one of Aeco. prosperity and inclusion in Eur. structures; rail traffic resumes between Sara. and Capljina via Mostar July 29 - Serb forces take control of road between Mitrovica, Peja (n. Kos.), continue attacking Junik, more fighting in Gjakova area (along Alb. border); Rugova, other pol. leaders say they have reached compromise on setting up coalition govt.; US amb. Chris. Hill, UCK leaders still discussing forming joint neg. group for talks w/ Serbs; Albania claims 6 separate incidents of Serb shelling which hits inside Albania; Argentina to extradite Nada Sakic to Croatia, turns down Yugo. request since atrocities were committed inside Croatian territory; 70 Muslims return to homes in Croatian-held Stolac, unidentified person fires mortars at 5 of their homes before they return; bomb damages Catholic church in Mus.-controlled Kakanj (c. Bos.); bomb also explodes outside offices of Dani (ind. paper) in Sara., paper had been printing stories about corruption among high-level Mus. leaders; Bos. Serb police (Plavsic supporters) storm offices of hard-line controlled Radio Serbia Sarajevo July 30 - Milo. tells 3-member EU delegation that military action has been halted and he is ready to talk peace, but fighting reported to be continuing in Drenica area, and near Djakovica, and Junik still surrounded although Milo. tells EU dele. that town will not be shelled; EU delegation says they saw extensive destruction, no presence of ethnic Albanians in their tour of Kos. the previous day; US State Dept. negs. w/ Kosovar reps. results in agreement that UCK to be represented Adirectly or indirectly in talks, Dept. says Milo. held responsible for continuing offensive which he says has ended; Kinkel says UCK must drop illusions that it can have independence; Group of 26 Serbs return to Dvor na Uni region of Croat (near Bos. border) from Yugo., govt. says 300 others have returned home recently, 5,300 have registered w/ UNHCR to do so July 31 - Bomb explodes in Travnki BH across from joint Mus.-Croat police station killing 1 ethnic Croat policeman, injuring child (5th explosion in last several days); SFOR says 350 troops, 100 vehicles to arrive in Ploce to ensure order in Sara. and facilitate return of refs.; Mon. govt. says it will no longer maintain rels. w/ Yugo. fed. auth. at ministerial level, will only restore ties when composition of fed. govt. changes (meaning PM Bulatovic) Aug. 1 - Fighting continues over weekend as Yugo. army, police attack UKC positions, civilian villages in Drenica region and near Junik; UNHCR delivers supplies for 1,000 civilians in Malisheva; Serbs release Bri. humanitarian aid worker Sally Becker who says she was subjected to sleep deprivation, 100 police spitting on her Indicted war crimes suspect Milan Kovacevic dies in cell at Hague of heart attack Aug. 2 - Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians urges civil disobedience for Hungarian reservists who are now being called up; TANJUG claims that Serb forces have Aalmost entirely broken up terrorist gangs (UCK), thousands forced to flee; Serb FM Zivadin Jovanovic, Mac. FM Blagoj Handziski meet in Bujanovac (s. Serbia), Handziski says solution to Kos. must be peaceful Aug. 3 - Clinton admin. says NATO has approved plan to use force involving air attacks against Serb forces in Kos., NATO officials in Brussels play down possibility; Serbian offensive continues in central Kos. despite Milo's claims that fighting over and regardless of pleas from western countries for cf, clashes in village of Donje Prekaze which UCK controls, TANJUG claims that Aterrorists Aneutralized at Lausa (w. of Pristina); All accounts indicate that scorched earth campaign going on but journalists still prevented from going into region UN World Food Program says as many as 70,000 have fled fighting over past week, total number of displaced persons now at 180,000; UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski says he hopes ethnic cleansing is not Serbian goal, Abut the outcome of what they have been doing amounts to depopulation in many areas; Rus. to send dep. FM Nikolai Afanasyevsky to Pristina to meet w/ ethnic Albanian leaders; Reports that security forces have taken control of area around Klima (between Pristina and Pec) Aug. 4 - 2 mass grave sites near Rahovec reported to have hundreds of children in them, both Serb police and paramilitary leader Zeljko Raznatovic (AArkan) being blamed; US envoy Chris Hill says number of buildings burning in Orahovac during his visit there, more fighting reported throughout province, a day after US, EU deadline; UNHCR halts relief aid column at Qirez due to heavy fighting, claims that now 200,000 of province's population is displaced w/ over 70,000 in just last week; Ger. declares it will not deport any Kosovar refs. Aexcept for law-breakers but that it will not recognize; Serbian peace group Women in Black calls on intl. community to pressure all parties to end conflict; Jacques Klein says Plavsic leadership has returned Bos. Serbs to intl. community, urges voters to support this change in elections Aug. 5 - Austrian paper Die Presse, Ger. paper Tageszeitung, Swe. paper Expressen all report discovery of mass graves containing anywhere from 200-500 bodies near Orahovac, Kos.; rubbish pit reported to be used to bury as many as 567 bodies of which nearly 430 may be children, inhabitants say as many as 1,000 may have been killed by Serbs who systematically executed entire families in town and that more bodies were being taken out of cellars, houses; 2 more mass graves reported to be close to Prizren; EU to send observers to Orahovac to check on report; Serb paramilitary police deny reports, say they are graves of terrorists buried according to Mus. custom and not bodies of women and children; Aid groups now say 70,000 persons displaced in last week alone for a total of nearly 180,000; Serb PM Marjanovic says "We will suppress any violence in Kosovo... We shall win this battle"; Ger. FM Kinkel says there should be no NATO mil. strikes without full UN backing which won't come without Rus. support; Holbrooke says Milo. has broken his promise to halt offensive and is trying to achieve mil. victory and that Christopher Hill has delivered Aforceful message to Milo. about this; Ger. denies to US that it has expelled mass numbers of Bos. refs. prior to its elections, that of 75,000 refs. who returned to Bos. in '98 only 1,200 were expelled Aug. 6 - Ger. FM Kinkel says NATO intervention in Kos. would be drawn out and Aenormously complicated; White House says mil. preparations will be completed in couple of days; Rus. Dep. FM Nikolai Afanasevskii meets w/ Milo., both urge new negs. between sides, Afanasevskii says Rus. alarmed over latest developments; UN human rights investigator Jiri Dienstbier says he has no ind. confirmation of mass graves in Rahovec and that Serb actions in Kos. not to be compared to the ethnic cleansing in Bos.; Hun. govt. calls Yugo. amb. in, requests cessation of call-up of ethnic Hungarians; Democratic Alliance of Croats in Vojvodina also calls for halt of use of ethnic Croat conscripts in Kos., calls for return of all conscripts from Voj.; Mac. confirms that its border w/ Yugo. has been mined by Yugo. forces and that some of these lay in patrol areas of UNPREDEP; Elections Appeal Sub-Commission bars 2 Bos. Serbs from upcoming elections due to their participation in protest to burial of Muslim mufti Ibrahim Halilovic; UN says it has suspended 17 Bos. Serb policemen in last month for torture, abuse of authority; 70 more bodies found in mass grave near Srebrenica w/ many of them blindfolded and hands tied behind backs Aug. 7 - Fighting continues in western Kos.; EU Presidency calls on NATO to intervene immediately to prevent spread of war while WEU President Luis Maria de Puig says Aforce is the only means of bringing about a political agreement...This is Bos. all over again...the intl. community has yet again been deceived by Milo...the time has come for mil. action; Kos. shadow-state spokesman says UCK prepared to become part of Kos. delegation in future talks; Rus. Dep. FM Nikolai Afanasevskii in Pristina to meet w/ Rugova, Serb reps., humanitarian agencies Gelbard to be replaced by US Amb. to Mac. Christopher Hill in dealing directly w/ Bel. on Kos., this after Gelbard reported to have offended Milo. who declined to deal w/ the amb.; State Sec. Service policeman fires on 3 in cafe in Kragujevac killing war crimes suspect and member of Gray Wolves Slobodan Miljkovic (Lugar); gunmen in Pale kill Plavsic supporter and former head of White Wolves Srdjan Knezevic, Plavsic calls him a hero, victim of mafia viol.; Aug. 8 - SFOR escorts 700 Muslims to former villages of Sovici and Doljani in Croat-controlled Her., while groups of Croats return to homes in Jablanica Aug. 10 - More fighting in w. Kos.; Albanian govt. protests 3 viols. of air space by Serb helicopters near Tropoja, Kukes, denies that UCK has training facilities in Albania and that this is just rationalization for Serb mil. oppression; UNHCR puts total number of refs. inside Kos. at 167,000 w/ 64,000 more in Mon., Alb., Mac., Serbia, and Bos.; Slovenia sends ship w/ $100,000 worth of humanitarian relief for Kosovars; Serb paramilitary leader Zeljko Raznatovic (aka, Arkan) sends letter to Clinton asking for help in fighting terrorism; Bos. refs. begin absentee voting in Sept. 12-13 general elections, Election Commission says 148,000 have requested ballots Aug. 11 - UCK issues statement from Pristina saying they will lfight on despite recent losses, calls on Kosovars to "unite w/ the UCK", warns NATO not to station troops along border w/ Albania as they would "consider this the second offensive against our freedom and our national pride"; Alb. govt. says 70 more refs. cross over into Alb.; UN Sec. Coun. approves statement appealing to both sides to seek "final end to the viol.", criticizes Belgrade's use of force but supports Yugo. "sovereignty and territorial integrity"; Serb doctor contends that Hague was negligent in death of suspected war criminal Milan Kovacevic and other prisoners are planning a revolt against alleged abuses;SDS party leader Dragan Kalinic says his party won't participate in Sept. elections, that candidates feel threatened after killing of pro-Plavsic police official which RS Int. Min. Milovan Stankovic suggested was ordered by Krajisnik Aug. 12 - Serb forces conducting assault on Gllogjan (near Decan-Gjakova road); Serb govt. expels Ger. correspondent Erich Rathfelder for reporting that Serb forces had buried hundreds of Kosovars in mass graves in Rahovec; Mon. govt. reported to have turned down request by Milo. for reinforcements for Kos.; Croatia turns down aid offer by Mon. town of Herceg-Novi for recent fires in Dalmatia area, govt. spokesman says Croatia doesn't want assistance from those "who killed our children" in '91 Aug. 14 - Rugova announces that Adem Demaci to head UCK's political wing, Demaci says the UCK represents "the concrete expression of our desire for freedom"; 3 opp. parties denounce Rugova's negotiating team for not representing the UCK Aug. 15 - Serbs regain control over UCK stronghold of Junik after 20-day seige, claim there are no civilian casualties, army prevents UCK from crossing border into Albania, reportedly launch attacks on 9 villages in w. Kos. Aug. 16 - Fighting in Lausa (near Srbic) Aug. 17 - Chief Serb negotiator and Serbian Dep. PM Ratko Markovic sends letter to Fehmet Agani, leader of 5-member ethnic Albanian negotiating group calling for new talks to begin next day; US amb. Chris Hill arrives in Pristina for talks w/ Rugova-appt. team; NATO forces begin 6-day exercise in Albania to demonstrate NATO readiness to use force, but US Sec. of Def. Cohen says US won't intervene without NATO agreement; Serb jets reported to be increasing overflights of area; Alb. side reports more fighting at Ovcarevo (near Klina); Serbs report 2 policemen killed in attacks and retaking of 3 villages near Pec Aug. 18 - Yugo. FM Zivadin Jovanovic says in Zag. that Adialogue, and not violence and terrorism, is the only way to solve the problem; Serb forces reported to have cut off escape route for 10,000 ethnic Albanian refugees trying to flee across border into Albania, call for opening up corridor for refs.; Yugo. Telecommunications Min. officials, police shut down City Radio in Nis, remove some equipment after telling them that their application for frequency license was not in order; Yugo., Croatian govts. unable to reach deal on Prevlaka peninsula (access to Kotor Bay) Aug. 19 - Albanian govt. begins evacuation of border villages after 3 Serb shells hit inside Albanian territory on previous day; Serbian based Fund for Humanitarian Justice sends documents to Hague which supposedly prove that Serbian Interior Ministry officials were involved in Bos. conflict from '92-'95; Westendorp, Klein tell Tudj. that they expect Croatian TV will not favor any one pol. party in upcoming Bos. elections Aug. 20 - Seselj comments that Yugo. govt. should wait one year for more favorable negotiating on Kosovo, that Americans and Germans have decided to reduce size of Serbia, and will bring up Vojvodina once Kos. is settled; Fre. Pres. Chirac tells Yeltsin that mil. intervention will be difficult to avoid if cf does not occur soon; Milo. spokesman calls possibility of humanitarian disaster in Kos. Asensationalist lies; Seselj says that after negotiated settlement new census will be taken to correct voting lists before holding new elections; Multinational Specialized Unit of 350 men in Sara. now ready for maintaining public order, controlling crowds (most are Italian police), head of unit Italian Col. Vicenzo Coppola says his unit does not have mandate for arresting war criminals; RS govt. moves hq of official news agency, SRNA, from Pale to BL Aug. 21 - Rugova calls for Aban on mil. flights over Kos. and protection for civilians trying to return home Aug. 22 - 500 Muslims return to their homes in Capljina as part of pilot project by intl. community Aug. 23 - Serbs launch massive artillery attack in SW portion of Kos.; UCK reported to have captured 5 high-ranking members of Rugova's Democratic League in Malisheva area Aug. 24 - UN Sec. Coun. calls on both sides for cf, condemns all violence and acts of terrorism from whatever quarter; Relief convoy affiliated w/ Mother Teresa relief org. shelled by Serbs after it passes through checkpoint killing 3 ethnic Albanians, Serbs claim they could not see what was in wagons marked w/ signs of Doctors of the World; shelling continues along Pristina-Prizren road; Plavsic says that Yugo. auth. refuse to hand over suspected criminals living in Serbia or Mon. Aug. 25 - Hill meets w/ Milo. who refuses to stop offensive which continues in southwest, 25 Kosovars reported killed in previous 48 hours; Adem Demaci says UCK fighters will no longer wage conventional warfare but instead use guerilla tactics; UNHCR says Serbs preventing relief convoys from getting through to ref. camps; Hil visits Milo. who tells him that Aif the US wants to do something positive for this region, it must lift the sanctions and that he will continue to fight terrorism although he wants dialogue to end the crisis; Yugo. govt. accuses Albanian mil. of firing 2 mortar shells into Yugo. terr. on Aug. 24 near Kosare, Kos.; Zubak says he will not attend meeting of BH leaders w/ Tudj. in Zag.; Westendorp dep. Hanns Schumacher fails to get agreement w/ Croats in Vitez over return of Mus. refs., says the HDZ is responsible Aug. 26 - Demaci meets w/ western diplomats, says UCK ready to negotiate if Serbia admits Ait cannot win militarily and that rebels know they cannot either, calls for withdrawal of Serbian special forces, acceptance of Kosovo independence as basis for negotiations; Demaci also tells Radio B-92 that he will contact UCK to see what can be done about freeing 2 Serbian journalists; Hill in Pristina for talks w/ Kos. leaders; Molotov cocktail thrown at entrance to US Info. Center in Pristina; Shadow-state PM Bujar Bukoshi says on Alb. TV that intl. community's response to crisis is inadequate and that Kosovars have no choice but to organize around the UCK; RS PM Dodik, Mon. Pres. Djukanovic speake at conference in Austria, call for open borders, free trade, democratization, and education free of nationalism Aug. 27 - Serb shell fired at tractor-trailer kills 8 children, 3 women, wounds 3 others SW of Pristina while Serb artillery shells 14 villages near Suhareka, Kosovo Info. Center calls for intl. monitors to be sent to area; Serb forces prevent UN humanitarian convoy from leaving Pristina possibly due to shipment of anti-aircraft missiles leaving airport area at same time; Demaci criticizes Rugova in interview as not suitable for office. He is a weak person, who lacks courage, talent, and knowledge; US Assistant Sec. of State Julia Taft visits Kosovar refs. near Peja, warns of potential human catastrophe with onset of winter; US Ass. Sec. of State John Shattuck to visit also while Yugo. embassy delays visa for David Scheffer, special rep. for war crimes issues to Sec. of State Albright; Tudj. decides not to attend meeting in Zag. to which he invited Croatian pol. figures from BH to discuss upcoming elections, aides attend in his place Aug. 28 - Serbs claim to be in control of entire Pristina-Prizren road for first time in 4 months, as well as all major highways in Kos. Aug. 29 - Serbian Interior Min. claims to have found crematorium in village of Klecka (near Pristina-Prizren road) where terrorists had killed 22 civilians and cremated their remains, Kosovar sources calls for investigation of charges; Serbian govt. issues appeal to intl. community to condemn UCK as terrorist org.; 150 Serbs return to former homes in Mostar area for first time in 6 years (4th group in recent weeks) Aug. 30 - Serbian Justice Min. says charges have been filed against 300 persons for Aterrorism this year; Albright in Zag. says Croats of BH must be first and foremost citizens of that country and participate in its pol. structures, Tudj. replies that ACroatia...is obliged by its constitution to take care of Croats outside the Rep. of Croatia; Albright also meets w/ leaders of 6 opp. parties, says Croatia has yet to meet Euro. standards in democratization, minority rts., ind. of media; also meets w/ RS leadership in BL, calls on Bos. Serb voters to support Plavsic-Dodik ticket, but Dodik calls for more local autonomy and removing some troops Aug. 31 - US special envoy for war crimes issues, David Scheffer, denied visa to investigate abuses in Kos.; General staff of UCK says it has no responsibility for possible atrocities at Klecka and that charges by Serbs are lies; 200 Serb women stone office of USIA in Pristina over alleged Klecka atrocities; Albright tells Mus., Croat leaders in Sara. that Dayton agreement will not be changed; Krajisnik says that Albrights' refusal to meet w/ Pale leadership shows she is deluding herself if she thinks BL leaders are truly rep. of Bos. Serb voters