The U.S. Mission to the OSCE, in a statement delivered by Political Counselor Elisabeth Rosenstock-Siller, has commemorated the 24th anniversary of NATO`s Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in Kosovo. 

“Twenty-four years ago, NATO launched Operation Allied Force to end a decade of bloodshed in the Balkans.  This intervention came only after exhausting all diplomatic avenues to put an end to a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing sponsored by the Milosevic regime.  

NATO’s use of force in this case was both necessary and legitimate.  The UN Security Council had expressed its concerns about the grave humanitarian situation in Kosovo, the mounting number of refugees, and the threat posed to international peace and security. We remember the hundreds of thousands of innocent people driven from their homes and the thousands who were killed or remain missing due to the violence of Milosevic’s ethno-nationalist regime and its forces. 

It is incumbent on the governments of both Serbia and Kosovo to ensure that all victims and their families have full access to justice and information about the fate of their loved ones.  We urge both governments to support justice and accountability efforts, including by speaking out against the glorification of war criminals.”