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Clinton urged to support ground troops in Kosovo

White House hints at support for Kosovo independence

March 31, 1999
Web posted at: 7:45 p.m. EST (1952 GMT)

In this story: Clinton approves $50 million in new refugee aid No confirmation of policy shift Former officials urge tougher action against Milosevic Russia naval protest 'not helpful' U.S. takes over Yugoslav Embassy RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As NATO airstrikes on Yugoslavia entered a second week Wednesday, the United States planned more aid for refugees, evicted diplomats from the Yugoslav Embassy in Washington and suggested it might shift toward supporting independence for Kosovo.

But that suggestion will probably not satisfy the Albanian-Americans and their supporters who met briefly with President Clinton to urge the United States to send ground troops into Kosovo and to arm the Kosovo Liberation Army.

"He did not expressly rule out any of the two suggestions we gave him," Ilir Zherka, executive director of the National Albanian American Council.

The group's president said only if Kosovo has its independence can democracy flourish in the Balkans.

"We do not believe that you can ask people who have been victims of an ongoing repression and most recently of genocide to now have to go back to live in an occupied territory by the Serbian government," National Albanian American Council President Avni Mustafaj said.

The council organized a rally of hundreds of Albanian-Americans and their supporters across from the White House.

Clinton approves $50 million in new refugee aid

According to the U.N. refugee agency, over the past week, more than 130,000 ethnic Albanians have fled Kosovo

The White House announced Clinton has authorized $50 million in new U.S. emergency assistance for Kosovo's ethnic Albanians who have fled their homeland under what Washington considers a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

Half of the aid money will come from an emergency refugee and migration account, while the other half will be in the form of services and supplies from the Defense Department, said White House spokesman Joe Lockhart.

State Department spokesman James Rubin said more than 580,000 Kosovars have been displaced from their homes, including many who remain within the province, during the past year, and the refugee situation is "is not getting any better."

He said 85,000 people have crossed into Albania, 20,000 into Montenegro and at least 14,000 into Macedonia.

"The number of internally displaced persons in the countryside is again believed to be in the hundreds of thousands, but it's difficult to get an accurate assessment right now," he added.

No confirmation of policy shift

U.S. policy before the airstrikes had been to oppose independence for Kosovo while pressing for the kind of autonomy the Serb province enjoyed until Milosevic forcibly abolished it 10 years ago.

But Rubin said Wednesday that because of Serb "atrocities," Milosevic risks losing international support for his claim to Kosovo, which Serbs consider important to their national identity.

"The more this campaign (against Kosovars) goes on," Rubin said, "the less likely the world is going to support an outcome that President Milosevic would like to see.

"This is an analytical fact," he said, avoiding any official declaration of a U.S. policy change. "I'm not to speculate and be specific on any terms of our international lexicon."

Milosevic's claim on Kosovo is "jeopardized ... by the severity of the atrocities his forces are committing in Kosovo," Rubin said.

Moments later, Lockhart described the U.S. position in similar terms. "As the president and others said (on Tuesday), keeping Kosovo as part of Serbia is what Milosevic needs the most. By his actions, he is putting that at risk," Lockhart said.

Former officials urge tougher action against Milosevic

News Highlights: Gallery: The conflict in review News story archive Yugoslavia's Future: What's next for Yugoslavia Map: Who controls what The Peace Settlement: A guide to the peace plan Map: Serb troop withdrawal The Military Campaign: Strike damage assessment Atlas: NATO and the Balkans Background: Timeline: Trouble in the Balkans A who's who of key players Map: Kosovo and its neighbors A history of the KLA

Some former U.S. officials are more adamant about the need for the United States to secure self-determination for the Kosovars, saying ground troops should be deployed to Kosovo and bombing campaigns should be widened.

The Balkan Action Council, described as a not-for-profit bipartisan group, held a news conference Wednesday featuring Jeane Kirkpatrick, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Morton Abramowitz, former U.S. ambassador to Thailand and Turkey; and Frank Carlucci, former U.S. secretary of defense.

The council condemned any further attempt to negotiate with Milosevic.

The United States wants Milosevic to agree to a peace deal reached at Rambouillet, France, earlier this year in which Kosovo would have wide autonomy for three years, backed with a NATO-led peacekeeping force.

Abramowitz declared "Rambouillet is dead," while Kirkpatrick forcefully compared Milosevic's actions to those of Cambodian strongman Pol Pot and Germany's Adolf Hitler.

Russia naval protest 'not helpful'

Rubin said Russia's decision to protest NATO raids by sending a warship to the Mediterranean and putting others on standby was "not a helpful gesture."

The United States has assurances the Russians have no intention of entering the conflict, Lockhart said.

While U.S. officials hinted their policy on Kosovo independence might change, Russia seemed certain of it.

Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Wednesday Russia had "reliable information" that the United States was considering a plan to let Kosovo break away from Yugoslavia or to divide up the province.

He told a news conference such a plan would also involve deployment of a land force and said NATO was already preparing for a ground operation.

"Carrying out this plan allows not only for reinforcing KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) detachments, but also for carrying out a ground operation. NATO is currently preparing for such an operation," Ivanov said, giving no further details.

Russia, which has traditional ties with its fellow Orthodox Christian Slavs in Serbia, has urged Belgrade to sign a deal allowing autonomy for Kosovo but has said Yugoslavia must remain whole.

U.S. takes over Yugoslav Embassy

In Washington, State Department and Secret Service agents early Wednesday took over Yugoslav diplomatic facilities.

An hour after a midnight deadline that the United States had given Yugoslav diplomats to vacate their embassy and nearby chancery, U.S. officers arrived to clear and secure both buildings.

Several people were seen leaving in nightclothes after the federal officers took over.

Yugoslavia announced last Thursday it was breaking diplomatic relations with the United States because of the NATO attack. It also broke ties with Britain, France and Germany.

The United States closed its embassy in Belgrade last weekend and had evacuated remaining diplomats before NATO airstrikes.

Although windows on the building have been broken by protesters, it has not been taken over by the Yugoslavs.

Correspondent Chris Black, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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