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Kosovo Chronology Timeline of events 1989-1999 relating to the crisis in Kosovo, released by the Department of State, Washington, DC, May 21, 1999 |
1989Pressured by Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, the Kosovo Assembly abolishes the province's autonomous status. Legislation is passed that denies ownership and work to Kosovo-Albanians. Tens of thousands of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo lose their jobs. Serbia suppresses Albanian cultural institutions in Kosovo.
1990
Serbia dissolves the Kosovo assembly. In response ethnic Albanian legislators in the province declare a republic.
1991
A secret referendum is held in which the Republic of Kosovo is created. Only Albania's Parliament recognizes this self-declared Republic.
1991-2
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (S.F.R.Y.) breaks up. Wars break out in the former republics of Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina; in the latter two, Serbs ethnically cleanse and seize control of significant parts of the country. In response, the international community imposes sanctions on Yugoslavia. The United States recognizes the independence of the former Yugoslav republics and refuses to accept rump Yugoslavia as the successor state.
In defiance of the Serbian authorities, ethnic Albanians elect writer Ibrahim Rugova as president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosova and set up a provincial assembly. Serbia declares the election to be illegal. The Kosovo Albanians begin non-violent resistance to the oppressive rule from Belgrade.
1995
Bosnia Peace Talks conclude at Wright Patterson AFB; the problems in Kosovo are identified as issues needing to be resolved before the "Outer Wall of Sanctions" could be lifted from the FRY.
1996
In response to continued suppression by Belgrade and attacks from the Serbian police, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) begins reprisals, claiming responsibility for a number of bombings and attacks against Serbian police and state officials.
1997
In October, Serb police crush Kosovo-Albanian student demonstrations. The KLA responds by additional attacks against the Serb police.
1998
February-March: Serbian police conduct a series of raids in the Drenica region of Kosovo. Houses are burned, villages emptied, and dozens of ethnic Albanians are murdered.
March 31: The UN Security Council adopts Resolution 1160 condemning the excessive use of force by Serbian police force against civilians in Kosovo; also establishes embargo of arms and material against the FRY.
April: 95% of Serbs vote in a referendum against international mediation in Kosovo. With the exception of Russia, the Contact Group for the Former Yugoslavia (U.S., Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia) agrees to re-impose some of the sanctions on Yugoslavia that had been lifted.
May: Ambassador Richard Holbrooke goes to Belgrade and arranges the first meeting between F.R.Y. President Slobodan Milosevic and Dr. Rugova.
May: Yugoslav President Milosevic invites Rugova for peace talks. Milosevic and Rugova meet once. Milosevic appoints a negotiating team that goes to Pristina to begin talks. Following a deliberate Serb offensive in Decani where several dozen Kosovo-Albanians are killed, the dialogue process breaks down.
May: Special Representative Robert Gelbard meets with KLA representatives in Geneva.
May: The U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia, Christopher Hill, is designated as the U.S. Special Envoy to Kosovo and begins shuttle diplomacy between Belgrade and Pristina in an attempt to negotiate a peaceful, political settlement to the crisis. The European Union later names the Austrian Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Wolfgang Petritsch, as its envoy.
June 16: Milosevic travels to Moscow, where he meets with President Yeltsin of the Russian Federation. Following the meeting, they issue a joint statement on Kosovo, which among other things would permit the presence of diplomatic observers in the region.
June 23: U.S. special envoy Holbrooke again meets with Milosevic in Belgrade to urge a peaceful end to the conflict.
June 24: Holbrooke meets with KLA commanders in the Kosovo village of Junik.
July 6: The U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Belgrade, Richard Miles, and his Russian counterpart launch the Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM), which begins to patrol Kosovo in armored vehicles and to report on freedom of movement and security conditions throughout the region.
August 16: The UN calls for a cease-fire after the village of Junik, is overrun by a Serb offensive.
September 2: During a Clinton-Yeltsin summit meeting, Secretary of State Albright and Russian FM Ivanov issue a joint statement on Kosovo calling on Belgrade to end the offensive and for the Kosovo-Albanians to engage with Belgrade in negotiations.
September 5-7: John Shattuck, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and former Senator Bob Dole visit Kosovo to see firsthand the conditions there. They then return to Belgrade to deliver a stern warning to Milosevic about his treatment of prisoners and refugees in Kosovo.
September 23: The UN Security Council approves (with China abstaining) Resolution 1199, which demands a cessation of hostilities and warns that, "should the measures demanded in this resolution . . . not be taken . . . additional measures to maintain or restore peace and stability in the region" will be considered.
September 24: NATO takes the first formal steps toward military intervention in Kosovo, approving two contingency operation plans -- one for air strikes and the second for monitoring and maintaining a cease-fire agreement if one is reached.
September 29: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees announces on September 29 that as many as 200,000 civilians have been displaced within Kosovo since fighting began in February. Sixty thousand of them are now living in the open without shelter. The situation threatens to worsen with the onset of winter.
October 1: The White House urges Yugoslav President Milosevic to heed Western demands for a cease-fire and a withdrawal of Serbian troops from Kosovo. Special UN Security Council consultations on the Kosovo crisis begin at the initiation of the British Government.
October 13: Ambassador Holbrooke, after nearly 10 days of negotiations in Belgrade with Milosevic, flies to Brussels to inform the North Atlantic Council that progress has been made. He credits pressure from the Alliance and asks that this pressure be maintained. NATO approves an activation order ("ACTORD"), placing authority for air strikes in the hands of the Secretary General, and says execution will begin in approximately 96 hours.
October 15: NATO Secretary General Solana travels to Belgrade to sign the agreement for NATO forces to carry out the air verification regime to oversee Serbia's compliance with UN Resolution 1199.
October 16: OSCE President Geremek signs an agreement that calls for 2,000 members of the Kosovo Verification Mission to move in.
October 16: NATO extends the deadline for the "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" to come into compliance with terms of the accord on Kosovo, giving President Milosevic until October 27 to honor the agreement.
October 20: NATO sends the Supreme Allied Commander (SACEUR), General Wesley Clark, to Belgrade to deliver a message to the Yugoslav military leadership on compliance. October 24: UN Security Council Resolution 1203 is passed, which endorses the OSCE agreement and demands full cooperation from both sides.
October 24-25: SACEUR returns to reiterate importance of compliance as deadline nears. Clark-Naumann agreement sets benchmarks for VJ/MUP levels.
October 27: With hours to go before the deadline expires, 4,000 special police troops depart Pristina in a variety of vehicles, thus bringing Serbia into compliance with the terms of the agreements it had reached.
November: The Kosovo Verification Mission, headed by an American, Ambassador William Walker, begins to arrive and function. Its mission quickly expands beyond verification to trying to head off armed conflict through negotiations and mediation.
November 23: UNSCR 1199 adopted.
December 13: Serbs claim more than 30 ethnic Albanians are killed in a series of engagements along the border.
December 23: The Yugoslav Army and internal security police undertake military action near Podujevo, in northern Kosovo, along the main road linking the provincial capital Pristina to Belgrade. The United States condemns this action.
1999
January 15: The bodies of 45 ethnic Albanians are discovered in the village of Racak.
January 16: KVM Chief Walker attributes the Racak massacre to F.R.Y. forces. The international community condemns the massacre.
January 18: The international community expresses outrage over the Yugoslav FM's decision to expel Ambassador Walker following his comments on Racak. He is given 48 hours to depart the country.
January 21: Under pressure, the Yugoslav government reconsiders and says that it is "suspending" its declaration that Ambassador Walker is persona non grata. He is permitted to stay.
January 21: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees notes that 20,000 people have fled their homes since late December; 5,000 are from the Racak area alone.
January 27: Russian FM Ivanov and Secretary of State Albright meet and issue a joint statement on Kosovo.
January 29: The six-nation contact group meets in London and gives Serbs and ethnic Albanians an ultimatum to attend peace talks in France starting February 6. These talks are to last one week, with the possibility of an extension to a second week if progress is deemed to be made.
January 30: The North Atlantic Council once again agrees that the Secretary General may authorize air strikes against targets on Yugoslav territory.
February 1: Political leaders in Kosovo say they will participate in proposed peace talks.
February 2: A KLA spokesman says the KLA will also send representatives to the talks, thus completing the Albanian delegation.
February 4: Following a vote in its Parliament, the Serbian government agrees to participate in the talks.
February 6: Talks begin in Chateau Rambouillet, in France, under the auspices of the Contact Group and the co-chairmanship of French FM Hubert Vedrine and British FM Robin Cook. Three co-mediators representing the U.S., the European Union, and the Russian Federation preside. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright participates actively and in person in the final days of the talks.
February 23: After a further extension of the deadline for 3 days, the talks pause. At the last minute, the ethnic Albanian delegation agrees in principle to sign the political accord but says it first wants to return home to consult further. The Serbs say they support a political agreement but charge that it was changed at the last minute to suit the Albanian side; they continue to reject any discussions of the military annex, because it includes a "NATO-led" peace-keeping force in Kosovo. The co-chairs announce that talks will resume on March 15.
March 8: Senator Dole, unable to get a visa from the F.R.Y. to travel to Kosovo, goes to Macedonia instead to meet with the Kosovo Albanian delegation in an effort to persuade them to sign the agreement.
March 10: Ambassadors Holbrooke and Hill travel to Belgrade to urge Milosevic to accept the interim political accord for Kosovo.
March 15: Talks resume at the Kleber Center in Paris. The ethnic Albanian delegation signs the interim agreement proposed at last month's meetings in Rambouillet. President Clinton encourages Milosevic to agree to the terms as well in order to avoid further conflict and bloodshed.
March 18: The Paris peace talks are suspended, as the Serb delegation refuses to budge and, in fact, walks back from its earlier positions at Rambouillet. In the meantime, one-third of the FRY's total armed forces have massed in and around Kosovo.
March 19: Kosovo Verification Mission withdraws.
March 20: The Yugoslav armed units launch an offensive, driving thousands of ethnic Albanians out of their homes and villages, summarily executing some, displacing many others, and setting fire to many houses.
March 21: One last diplomatic effort is made by the international community, which sends Ambassador Holbrooke to Belgrade to deliver a "final warning" to Milosevic.
March 22: The NAC authorizes Secretary-General Solana to decide, upon further consultations, on a broad range of air operations, if necessary.
March 23: Ambassador Holbrooke departs Belgrade in the evening, having received no concessions of any kind from Milosevic.
March 24: NATO airstrikes began. Tens of thousands of Kosovars have already fled the heavy fighting throughout Kosovo.
March 25: The Yugoslav government breaks off diplomatic relations with the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
March 26-30: NAC decisions to escalate air campaign to phase II and then phase II-plus.
March 27: Ethnic Albanians who have fled or been expelled from their homes in Kosovo begin pouring into Albania and Macedonia. A U.S. F-117 stealth fighter goes down near Belgrade but the pilot is rescued. Meanwhile, the Russian Duma adopts a resolution condemning the NATO actions and postponing ratification of the Start II treaty.
March 29: It is reported that refugees are crossing the border from Kosovo at a rate of 4,000 per hour. In Albania there are about 60,000 refugees, half of whom had arrived in the past 48 hours. In Montenegro, the government announces that its "technical and political" limit of 50,000 refugees would be reached imminently.
March 30: Russian PM Primakov, FM Ivanov and DM Sergeyev hold talks with President Milosevic in Belgrade.
April 1: Three U.S. soldiers are captured near the Macedonia-F.R.Y. border and shown, bruised, on Serb television. Kosovar refugee count stands at 48,000 in Montenegro; 104,000 in Albania; and 30,500 in Macedonia.
April 3: NATO missiles strike central Belgrade for the first time and destroy the Yugoslav and Serbian interior ministries.
April 4: An airlift is proposed to take 100,000 refugees from the front line states to NATO countries. Macedonia agrees to camps for another 100,000.
April 6: NATO airstrikes hit the residential area of Aleksinac, killing five. F.R.Y. declares a unilateral cease-fire to commence at 1200 EDT and last until 1800 EDT April 11. Belgrade claims that all F.R.Y. army and police actions in Kosovo will end and that the government will negotiate with Rugova. NATO rejects the offer, with French President Chirac calling the proposed cease-fire indefensible without a political agreement and security package. State Department Spokesman James Rubin announces the five conditions for NATO bombing to end.
April 9: Bosnia's Kosovar refugee population crosses the 31,000 mark.
April 10: F.R.Y. expels about 2,000 Kosovars from the village of Vragolja. Belgrade warns Albania not to allow "terrorist" attacks from its territory or risk an escalation of the war. In discussion with the OSCE, Russian FM Ivanov says that a NATO-led Kosovo implementation force was "unrealistic" and calls for greater UN involvement.
April 12: After reaching a compromise with Russia and Belarus, Hungary releases an aid convoy to the F.R.Y., including some trucks supplying diesel oil. UNHCR reports that 309,000 Kosovars have fled to Albania and 119,380 are in Macedonia to date. NATO hits a passenger train south of Belgrade, killing 30 according to the F.R.Y. NATO apologizes for the accident.
April 14: Germany unveils a plan for a 24-hour halt to the airstrikes to give the F.R.Y. a chance to start pulling out of Kosovo. Russian President Yeltsin names former PM Chernomyrdin as F.R.Y. peace envoy. NATO airstrikes hit a Kosovar civilian convoy in Kosovo. F.R.Y. reports 64 dead.
April 16: Kosovar refugee exodus returns to the crisis level of 20,000 per day.
April 17: The Pentagon announces that U.S. Forces are holding a F.R.Y. POW who was captured by the KLA.
April 18: UNHCR reports 359,000 refugees in Albania and 132,700 in Macedonia to date. UN High Commissioner Ogata estimates that well over half a million Kosovars have now fled to other countries since the bombing started. F.R.Y. formally charges two detained Australian aid workers with spying on military installations.
April 20: U.S. Representative James Saxton meets with F.R.Y. FM Jovanovic in Belgrade. NATO allows safe passage for Russian Patriarch Alexi II to visit Serbian Patriarch Pavle. OSCE reports that Serb forces and Albanian troops exchanged gunfire in the first clash between the two armies since the start of the crisis. NATO Secretary-General Solana directs update of ground force plans.
April 21: It is reported that all EU countries have agreed to back a proposed plan to stop oil product deliveries by or through member states to the F.R.Y. NATO missiles in Belgrade hit the headquarters of Milosevic's Serbian Socialist Party and his private residence.
April 22: NATO Summit decision on Kosovo reaffirms Five Points and adds conditions for suspending bombing. NATO announces intensification of air campaign.
April 23: NATO destroys the Serbian state television building in central Belgrade, killing at least 10 people. The FRY agrees to accept an international military presence in Kosovo after Chernomyrdin-Milosevic talks in Belgrade.
April 24: Kosovo dominates the NATO 50th anniversary summit in Washington. Member nations announce plans for a visit and search regime to cut off the flow of oil to the F.R.Y.
April 25: NATO invites Chernomyrdin to talks on Kosovo. Canadian FM Axworthy announces he will go to Moscow to meet with him. F.R.Y. Deputy PM Vuk Draskovic is interviewed on Studio B TV. He calls on Serb leaders to tell the public "the truth" about NATO's resolve, world opinion toward the Serbs, and that Russia will not provide military aid to the F.R.Y. Draskovic advises the Serb population to support the introduction of a UN peacekeeping force in Kosovo.
April 26: ICRC President Summaruga meets briefly with the three captured U.S. servicemen.
April 27: Deputy Secretary Talbott meets Russian FM Ivanov in Moscow. It is announced that the Rev. Jesse Jackson will lead a delegation to Belgrade on April 29.
April 28: Deputy PM Draskovic is sacked by Milosevic.
April 29: F.R.Y. files suit at the International Court of Justice against 10 NATO countries. UNSYG Annan arrives in Moscow and meets with Chernomyrdin prior to the Russian envoy's departure for Bonn, Rome and Belgrade.
April 30: NATO hits the VJ headquarters and Defense Ministry. Rev. Jackson arrives in Belgrade and meets with the U.S. servicemen. Russian envoy Chernomyrdin reports "progress" after 6 hours of talks with Milosevic in Belgrade.
May 1: President Clinton extends U.S. sanctions to ban oil sales and freeze Belgrade's assets in the U.S.. Following an agreement with NATO and F.R.Y. authorities on modalities, the ICRC announces plans to return to Kosovo. Rev. Jackson secures the release of the captured servicemen following a 3-hour meeting with Milosevic.
May 2: Rev. Jackson escorts the released servicemen to Ramstein AFB and reportedly carries a letter from Milosevic to Clinton calling for face-to-face talks. A U.S. F-16 crashes inside the F.R.Y. and the pilot is rescued. NATO bombs hit a power transmission facility at Obrenovac, cutting off power in most F.R.Y. cities.
May 3: F.R.Y. navy closes Montenegrin port of Bar to civilian shipping. Montenegrin officials characterize the action as another step in Milosevic's "creeping coup" against them.
May 4: Russian envoy Chernomyrdin meets with U.S. officials and UNSYG Annan. U.S. fighters shoot down a Mig-29 near the F.R.Y.-Bosnian border. The Bulgarian parliament approves an agreement for NATO to use their airspace.
May 5: Two U.S. Army pilots are killed when an Apache helicopter crashes on a training mission in Albania, the first Allied deaths in the NATO actions against the F.R.Y. The first group of Kosovar refugees arrive in Fort Dix. Ibrahim Rugova arrives in Italy with his family.
May 6: Rugova tells a press conference in Rome that NATO's participation in an international peacekeeping force and the withdrawal of Serb forces were both essential conditions for the return of refugees. At the Group of Eight meeting in Bonn, the West and Russia announce agreement over the basic strategy to resolve the conflict.
May 7: Moderate Albanian leader Fehmi Agani is found dead in Kosovo. NATO planes accidentally hit the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, killing 3 and wounding 20.
May 8: The UNSC convenes in an emergency session to debate the bombing of the Chinese Embassy. China implicitly accuses the U.S. and NATO of a deliberate attack while the alliance apologizes for a "terrible mistake." Thousands demonstrate in front of U.S. diplomatic posts in China. Russian FM Ivanov cancels his trip to London in the wake of the attack.
May 9: President Clinton writes to Chinese President Jiang Zemin to offer regrets for the bombing. Chinese demonstrations continue. UNHCR announces it is facing a financial crisis in its Kosovo emergency operations.
May 10: Chinese demonstrations continue for a third day. China suspends contacts with the U.S. regarding arms control and human rights. Serbs announce a partial withdrawal from Kosovo. F.R.Y. accuses NATO of genocide and demands that the World Court order an immediate end to NATO air strikes.
May 11: Russian envoy Chernomyrdin meets with President Jiang Zemin in Beijing and labels the Chinese embassy bombing an act of aggression. China hints that it might hold up Western attempts to achieve a peace deal at the UN unless the bombing stops. NATO disputes F.R.Y. claims of a troop withdrawal from Kosovo, saying that F.R.Y. military and police had actually stepped up their actions against the KLA. Albanian frontier police and F.R.Y. forces exchange fire at the F.R.Y.-Albania border; two civilians are killed. UNHCR says it is running out of cash to deal with the refugee crisis.
May 12: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder visits China on a "working visit." Chinese fatalities from the embassy bombing arrive in Beijing, but no demonstrations are reported at U.S. diplomatic missions in China. NATO claims hits on F.R.Y. troops and the destruction of five MIG-21 planes. Russian FM Ivanov and Deputy Secretary Talbott begin meetings in Moscow.
May 13: U.S.-funded Camp Hope in Fier, Albania, opens to Kosovar refugees from F.Y.R.O.M..
May 14: About 87 Kosovar Albanians are killed in the village of Korisa by NATO bombing. NATO says that it hit a military target and suggests that Serb troops were using civilians as human shields. Amnesty International says that Korisa had been under attack by VJ and MUP forces prior to the bombing. The ICRC returns to Kosovo for the first time since March 29 to assess humanitarian needs in and around Pristina. The UNHCR receives 20 million Euros from the EC for assistance to Kosovo refugees.
May 15: F.R.Y. announces that the two Australian aid workers held on suspicion of espionage will go on trial this week in Belgrade. The Non-Aligned Movement nations approve a UNSC resolution on the Kosovo humanitarian situation along the lines of the G-8 principles.
May 16: A Kosovar refugee who witnessed the NATO strike on Korisa reports to Deutsche Welle that F.R.Y. police forced some 600 displaced Kosovars to serve as human shields there before the attack. The F.R.Y. army detains about 150 draft-age Kosovar refugee males in Montenegro and transports them back into Kosovo. Italian PM D'Alema proposes a NATO cease-fire on condition that Russia and China support a UNSC resolution imposing the G-8 terms on Milosevic.
May 17: The EU announces that Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari will serve as the EU's new senior Kosovo envoy. The Greeks call for a temporary cease-fire "to give diplomacy a chance."
May 18: The two Serb POWs held at Ramstein AFB are returned to the FRY.
May 22: NATO bombs army barracks at Kosare, unaware it was captured by Kosovo Liberation Army guerillas a month earlier.
May 23: NATO begins a bombing campaign of the Yugoslav electricity grid, creating a major disruption of power and water supplies.
May 24: Sergio Vieira de Mello, head of the UN fact-finding mission, announces he saw "revolting" signs of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.
May 25: NATO agrees to increase the size of an eventual ground force in Kosovo to about 48,000.
May 27: Milosevic and four other Serbian leaders are indicted by the UN war crimes tribunal for crimes against humanity.
May 29: Two Australian aid workers and Yugoslav colleague are convicted in Belgrade of espionage and are jailed.
June 1: The FRY tells Germany it has accepted Group of Eight principles for peace and demands an end to NATO bombing.
June 3: The FRY accepts terms brought to Belgrade by EU envoy Ahtisaari and Russian envoy Chernomyrdin. NATO announces that NATO raids have killed over 5,000 members of Yugoslav security forces and wounded more than 10,000.
June 6: NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana announces it will be difficult to help rebuild Yugoslavia while Milosevic remains in power.
June 7: NATO and Yugoslav commanders fail to agree to terms of pullout from Kosovo and suspend talks. NATO intensifies bombing. G 8 foreign ministers in Bonn attempt to finalize UN resolution. The FRY insists on a UN Security Council resolution before any foreign troops enter Kosovo.
June 8: Russia's defense minister says his ministry has drawn up proposals for sending up to 10,000 troops to a peacekeeping force in Kosovo, but they would not be under NATO command. The Kosovo Liberation Army promises the United States its forces will let Serb forces withdraw from the province of Kosovo without attacking them. The West and Russia reach a landmark agreement on a draft UN resolution at G8 talks in Cologne. NATO calls on Milosevic to resume military talks on troop withdrawal at once. The resolution, which calls for an "international security presence" under the auspices of the UN, is being studied by Security Council members. NATO says a B-52 bomber catches two Yugoslav Army batallions in the open near the Kosovo-Albanian border, possibly killing many hundreds of them on June 7. Talks between senior NATO and FRY officers on a Serb pullout from Kosovo resume in Macedonia and continue into the night. China's deputy permanent UN representative in New York, Shen Guofang, says Beijing still has "some difficulties" with two points in the text on the draft UN resolution.
June 9: Military talks continue with senior NATO and FRY officers with three interruptions, when FRY officers leave the talks to consult with Belgrade. Late in the day a Military Technical Agreement is signed between the two parties.
June 10: After receiving definite evidence that Serb forces are withdrawing from northern Kosovo, Solana calls a suspension of NATO airstrikes. UN Security Council adopts resolution 1244 on Kosovo. US Deputy Secretary of State Talbott rules out a separate sector for the Russians in Kosovo. In Cologne, G8 ministers draft a plan to anchor the Balkans to Western Europe and rebuild Kosovo.
June 11: Russian President Yeltsin says ties with NATO remain frozen, despite NATO's bombing suspension, but he does not rule out improvement. Russian troops enter Yugoslavia from Bosnia, US says it has pledge from Moscow they will not enter Kosovo before NATO.
June 12: Russian troops enter Pristina 3-1/2 hours before NATO troops enter Kosovo and take up position at the airport. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov calls the deployment an "unfortunate mistake." British NATO troops enter Kosovo at dawn to begin taking control from withdrawing Serbian forces and reach Pristina in the afternoon. French and US troops also enter Kosovo.
June 13: Hundreds of Serbian soldiers pull out of Pristina. Russian troops are still encamped at Pristina airport and refuse to let British and French troops move onto the airport.
June 14: Kosovar Serbs flee Kosovo as ethnic Albanian refugees pour in. The ultra-nationalist Radical Party led by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Vojislav Seselj quits the Serbian government. NATO cordons off mass gravesites around Kacanik, which locals say contain 91 villagers killed by Serb paramilitaries. 20,000 hungry and displaced ethnic Albanian refugees are discovered in Glogovac, west of Pristina.
June 15: Russian troops sharing control of the main airport at Pristina ask British NATO forces for supplies. A Russian relief convoy to resupply them departs from their base in Bosnia. NATO peacekeepers arrest five suspected KLA soldiers during the night after a Serb was killed in Pristina. OSCE reports that approximately 2,000 refugees have begun to return to Kosovo from Albania. The remains of at least 20 ethnic Albanians are discovered by Dutch peacekeepers in Velika Krusa. Italian troops find two mass graves in the village of Korenica near the Kosovo town of Pec. Four Albanians are murdered in the provincial capital, Pristina. Two ethnic Albanians returning home are killed by a landmine, another one is injured. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports that at least 33,000 ethnic Serbs have fled since the weekend. Serbia's influential Orthodox Church urges Yugoslav President Milosevic and government to resign. Serbian President Milan Milutinovic issues a resolution rejecting the ultra-nationalist Radical Party's resignation from the Serbian government.
June 16: NATO reports that the Yugoslav withdrawal from Zone 1, the zone extending from Pristina to Kosovo's southern border is largely completed by the midnight deadline. Serb forces are given an additional 24 hours to vacate the zone due to road congestion. Defense Secretary William Cohen meets with his Russian counterpart in Helsinki, Finland, to negotiate the standoff over Russian participation in the international security force in Kosovo.
June 17: A British official estimates that Serb forces killed more than 10,000 people during two months of war and ethnic cleansing. President Clinton announces that he is "positive and hopeful" that an agreement can be worked out on Russian peacekeeping troops in Kosovo, but says Russian soldiers must come under NATO command, in order to ensure unity of command. UNHCR estimated that 18,400 refugees returned to Kosovo on June 17.
June 18: Secretary Albright and Defense Secretary Cohen reach agreement with their Russian counterparts in Helsinki about Russian participation in Kosovo. They decide that Russia will not have a separate sector in Kosovo, unity of command of the international security force will be preserved, Kosovo will not be partitioned, with Russian troops serving in US, French and German sectors, and that all KFOR forces will operate under common rules of engagement. In addition, the agreement states that the Pristina airport will be open for all members of the international security force. UNHCR estimates that 21,000 refugees returned to Kosovo on June 18. A meeting of the G8 nations takes places in Cologne, with the hope of rebuilding Kosovo. President Clinton stresses that reconstruction goes beyond material needs and that, "we will have to give a lot of care to the emotional, the psychological scars of the Kosovars - especially the children."
June 19: Among the International Security Force's pledges that it will protect all citizens in Kosovo, Serbia calls on fleeing Kosovar Serbs to return to Kosovo. A British forensic team finds more evidence of the atrocities committed by the Serbs in Velika Krusa. 100 bodies are found. UNHCR estimates that 29,000 Kosovar Albanians returned to Kosovo on June 19. NATO warns refugees that dozens of refugees have already been wounded by land mines or booby traps and two have been killed in Kosovo.
June 20: In accordance with the June 9th Military Technical Agreement, Serb forces completely withdraw from Kosovo, leading NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana to officially end NATO's bombing campaign in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. Despite UNHCR's pleas for refugees to wait to return to Kosovo, UNHCR estimates that more than 100,000 have returned to Kosovo in the first week after the peace deal was signed. At the G8 Summit in Cologne, President Clinton and Russian President Yeltsin agree to put their differences over Kosovo behind them.
June 21: NATO and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) officials sign a disarmament agreement. The KLA's promise to disarm leads President Clinton to call KLA commander Hashim Thaci and thank him for signing the deal. UNHCR estimates that 35,400 refugees returned to Kosovo on June 21, while 140,000 refugees returned to date. Two KFOR soldiers and two civilians die while trying to detonate piles of unexploded NATO cluster bombs.
June 22: Secretary of State Albright visits Romanian and Bulgarian leaders and thanks them for their assistance during NATO's air campaign. UNHCR estimates that 37,150 refugees returned to Kosovo on June 22, while 214,050 returned to date. NATO and UNHCR announce that organized repatriations of refugees to Kosovo will begin next week. NATO states that it will assist in returning refugees from Albania on July 1, while UNHCR states that organized returns from Macedonia could begin even earlier. President Clinton visits a refugee camp in Macedonia, where he urged refugees to wait until it has been deemed safe before they returned to Kosovo. He also urged the refugees not to seek revenge on the Kosovar Serbs. President Clinton meets with the Presidents of Albania and Macedonia and thanks them for the role they played in helping Kosovar refugees. The President meets with KFOR troops. UN Secretary General Annan announces that Dominique Vian, governor of French Guyana, will be Annan's deputy special representative for the interim civilian administration in Kosovo. In a move for peace, KLA leader Hashim Thaqi expresses his hopes that the KLA and moderate Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova could work together.
June 23: The leaders of Germany, Italy, France, and the UK met in Kosovo to see the situation first hand. French Defense Minister Richard and German Foreign Minister Fischer visits KFOR troops, while British Foreign Secretary Cook visits an atrocity site. At the request of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the Swiss government freezes the assets of Milosevic and four other war criminals. An opinion poll conducted from June 9 to 14 surveying 800 people across Serbia shows Milosevic's popularity declining. UNHCR estimates that 29,000 refugees returned to Kosovo on June 23.
June 24: The Yugoslav parliament approves a government proposal to end the state of war, which was in effect since March 24. They decide to lift the war regime on June 26. NATO Secretary General Solana and Supreme Commander General Clark visit Kosovo where they meet with KFOR Commander General Jackson and with leaders of ethnic Albanian and Serb communities. Solana urges Kosovar Serbs, to stay in Kosovo, where KFOR will protect them, and urges Kosovar Albanians not to seek revenge, but instead work to establish a democratic, multiethnic society. A US initiated rewards program is announced by the State Department, offering up to 5 million dollars for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of persons indicted for serious violations of international humanitarian law by the ICTY. UNHCR estimates that 34,500 refugees returned to Kosovo on June 24, and that 251,700 have returned to date.
June 25: Russia's upper house of Parliament approves Russian participation in KFOR. Thousands of Roma flee their homes due to revenge attacks by ethnic Albanians, who accuse the Roma of collaborating with the Serbs. The UNHCR estimates that 48,800 refugees returned to Kosovo on June 25th, 300,500 refugees have returned to date.
June 26: The FRY officially lifts the state of war, although most restrictions remain in place through the Serbian Parliament.
June 27: The village of Bellopoje, near Pec is looted and burned to the ground. Russian aircraft land at Pristina airfield to deliver additional troops and equipment. Romania suspends its air corridor for Russian aircraft flying to Kosovo after a plane is deemed to have violated an accord. German KFOR forces announce a curfew in Prizren to hinder violence.
June 28: KFOR continues to deploy throughout Kosovo, troops in Kosovo now number 23,000. UNHCR estimates that 415,900 refugees have returned to Kosovo to date. UNHCR begins organized return of ethnic Albanian refugees from Macedonia to Kosovo. About 320 refugees depart Stankovic camp aboard UN buses. UN begins soliciting personnel contributions from UN countries for an international civilian police mission as part of the international provisional administration. The US offers to provide a substantial contingent of police to serve in the mission. EU leaders pick Bodo Hombach as their Balkans stability pact coordinator and select Thessaloniki as the base for an EU reconstruction agency.
June 29: UNHCR continues organized returns from Macedonia, 370 refugees returned to Kosovo on UN buses on June 29. 447,100 refugees have returned to Kosovo to date. Following the undertaking, the KLA establishes weapon storage sites by the deadline, midnight on June 28. KLA personnel have vacated fighting positions, are moving to assembly areas, and are assisting KFOR with mine clearance. Pristina airfield closes until July 3 to allow for reconstruction and equipment installation. UNHCR introduces a new identity card for refugees to rectify the removal by Serb forces of all documents providing the identity of those forced out of Kosovo. The cards will be used until new formal documentation can be issued in Kosovo. The UN deploys the first team of the international police force in Kosovo, which will help to address criminal activities. UNHCR estimates that approximately 25,000 refugees returned to Kosovo on June 30.
June 30: Secretary Albright meets with other UN foreign ministers at a meeting of the "Friends of Kosovo" group. UN Secretary General Annan called the meeting to ask the key players involved in Kosovo for monetary and personnel support to begin the task of organizing the interim civil administration. Commitments to the UN police force for Kosovo reach more than 900. US pledges to contribute 450 police officers. The UN takes a step in re-establishing the judicial system in Kosovo, by appointing three district court judges, two investigating judges, and four public prosecutors to address the issue of detainees arrested by KFOR. UNHCR organized returns continue in Macedonia with 700 refugees returned to Kosovo. Organized returns from Albania start with 800 refugees beginning their two-day trip back to Kosovo. UNHCR estimates that 23,500 refugees returned to Kosovo on June 30 equaling 500,600 returns to date.
July 1: Following two days of NATO - Russia discussions at SHAPE on detailed modalities for full-scale Russian deployment, the Russian delegation has returns to Moscow for consultations. UNHCR organized returns continue in Macedonia and Albania. The FBI team concludes its on-site investigation of the sites in Gjakove (Djakovica) that were assigned to them by the ICTY prosecutor. UNHCR estimated that 23,300 refugees returned to Kosovo on July 1.
July 2: The UN Secretary General informs the President of the Security Council of his intention to appoint Mr. Bernard Kouchner (France) as his Special Representative to head the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. He appoints Mr. Jock Covey (USA) as Principal Deputy to his Special Representative. The four major components of the mission will each be headed by a Deputy Special Representative and are: Interim Civil Administration, Mr. Dominique Vian (France), Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Dennis McNamara (New Zealand), Institution Building, Mr. Daan Everts (Netherlands), and Reconstruction, Mr. Jolly Dixon (UK). UN Acting Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello states that he wants Kosovar Serbs and Albanians to form a council to take on political decisions and to try to quell the violence in Kosovo. After meeting Vieira de Mello, Kosovar Albanian and Serb leaders issue a joint appeal for an end to the violence in Kosovo. KFOR detains six heavily armed Serbs in Orahovac, and detained 5 Serbian VJ soldiers July 1, who were on the Kosovo/Serbia border in the vicinity of Novakova. They were detained because they violated the 5-km ground security zone as specified in the Military Technical Agreement of June 9.
July 4: Discussions between NATO (SHAPE) and Russia continue. A land mine blast killed a child in a field where people had already been working without incident.
July 5: UNHCR estimates that 81,700 refugees returned to Kosovo over the weekend, 606,300 returned to date. Russia and NATO continue talks on Russian KFOR participation.
July 6: A spontaneous protest against the Milosevic regime erupts in Leskovac after a call for action against the local government by a television editor. It is reported that up to 20,000 people joined the protest, which was observed, but not stopped by the police. Discussions in Moscow on July 4-5 between NATO (SHAPE) and Russia resolved outstanding military technical details on Russian participation in KFOR, especially on precise deployments, command arrangements and rules of engagement. No new elements were introduced as a result of the discussions. The reconstruction work and installation of equipment at the Pristina Airfield is completed. Several flights land in Pristina. Newly appointed Special Representative for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner announces that he will be traveling to Kosovo next week to take over what he described as a "very heavy and very difficult task" from the Acting Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello.
July 7: UN Secretary General Annan announces that US appeals court judge Patricia Wald will succeed Gabrielle Kirk McDonald on the ICTY. Wald will be one of fourteen judges on the tribunal. In the FRY, anti-Milosevic demonstrations occur in Nis, where demonstrators collect signatures on a petition calling for Milosevic to resign, Leskovac, and also in Uzice, where Alliance For Change drew more than 5,000 people. UNHCR organized returns from Montenegro begin with 407 refugees traveling on the first convoy back to Kosovo. UNHCR estimates that 10,200 refugees returned to Kosovo on July 7, 628,800 returned to date.
July 8: Almost 2500 civil police of 3100 needed have been pledged to the UN civil police mission. In Belgrade, the Democratic Party, which holds 31 of 110 Belgrade City Council seats, calls for Milosevic to resign and submits a declaration to that effect for City Council approval. 160 of the 48,000 refugees in Germany return to Kosovo.
July 12: In Macedonia, UN war crimes prosecutor Arbour expresses her belief that having Milosevic on trial is a very realistic goal. She also states that she believes that additional war crimes charges will be made as investigations continue in Kosovo. A crowd of anti-Milosevic demonstrators stormed the headquarters of Milosevic's Socialist Party in Valjevo. UNHCR estimates that 662,000 refugees have left Kosovo as of July 11. Representatives from many countries hosting Kosovar refugees, as well as the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), meet in Geneva and agree to accept UNHCR guidelines for voluntary returns and to coordinate the return process.
July 13: A petition for Milosevic to resign circulates in Belgrade. UN war crimes prosecutor Louise Arbour arrives in Kosovo where she meets with KFOR commander Gen. Jackson. UN agencies announce their intent to start organized voluntary return of refugees from countries outside the Balkans on July 15. Up to one thousand per day are expected to fly into Skopje, and then move onto Kosovo. In due course, some may fly directly into Pristina. UN agencies announce that all refugees wanting to return can expect to be back in Kosovo before winter. Two more mass graves, with 4 and 230 bodies respectively, are found in Kosovo.
July 14: UN war crimes prosecutor Louise Arbour visits a mass grave site in Kosovo. While there, Arbour states, "every step we take, every grave that we uncover, every indictment we bring is an irreversible step" towards bringing those indicted closer to justice. David Gowan, the British Foreign Office's Kosovo War Crimes Co-ordinator, verifies earlier British government estimates that at least 10,000 Kosovar Albanians died in ethnic cleansing atrocities. Sergio Vieira de Mello visits Kosovo, where he states that Kosovo's political leaders must "take urgent and effective action to establish calm" in Kosovo. He further urges the political leaders to call on their supporters to not engage in violence. Vieira de Mello also calls on the people of Kosovo to work with the international community to prevent violent acts and to "speak out against acts of intimidation, violence and random crime" directed against the different ethnic groups in Kosovo. He states, "everyone who wishes to see his or her children enjoy a prosperous and secure life in a new and democratic Kosovo has a duty to help end this violence now." UNHCR estimates that 654,600 refugees have returned to Kosovo to date.
July 15: Special Representative for the UN Secretary-General Bernard Kouchner arrives in Kosovo. While in Kosovo Kouchner states that "the people of Kosovo must listen, must talk, must walk with us, not only to build the administration of course, but also the democracy." He also urges Kosovar Serbs and Albanians to move towards "peace and reconciliation, so that people may speak to each other and build a democracy and another system of life." The head of the Kosovo Democratic League, Ibrahim Rugova, visits Kosovo briefly, where he expresses his willingness to work with the KLA and "all the political forces of Kosovo and with international institutions and administration."
July 16: The first meeting of the Kosovo Transitional Council meets with Special Representative for the UN Secretary General Kouchner. This council brings together all the ethnic communities in Kosovo, and will serve as an intermediary with UN officials. Ibrahim Rugova did not attend the meeting. UNHCR announces that protection of Serbs in Kosovo is now their "most critical issue." World Food Program estimates show that 146,000 Serbs have fled Kosovo for Serbia. NATO Secretary-General Solana states, "the political forces in Kosovo must have a common objective, they must work together and must see they are rebuilding a country for which the international community has done a lot." UNHCR estimates that 662,000 refugees have returned to Kosovo to date. During the week UNHCR, with the help of the German THW agency distributes 2,000 emergency shelter kits in the Orahovac area and plans to distribute 16,000 more.
July 17: OSCE starts recruitment of a new Kosovo Police Force.
July 18: Two U.S. KFOR soldiers die in a car accident near Domorovce when their armored personnel carrier overturns.
July 19: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder meets with Serbian opposition leader Zoran Djindjic, after which Chancellor Schroeder pledges his support for the Serbian opposition. Chancellor Schroeder states, "Germany supports the opposition and there is an interest in all of Europe that democracy comes to Yugoslavia -- a democracy without Milosevic." In central Serbia, Vuk Draskovic, leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement, launches a campaign for early elections saying it was time to end Milosevic's rule. According to press reports, his top priority is to establish a transitional government under Milosevic to end sanctions. He also calls for Milosevic to be given immunity from arrest or extradition from his war crimes charges as an incentive for him to step down. State Department spokesman James Rubin reiterates the U.S. Government position against granting sanctuary or amnesty to indicted war criminals as a violation against UN Security Council resolutions. In the Italian sector, the bodies of four ethnic Albanians are found southwest of Klina. All had been shot. Also, a KFOR patrol discovers a KLA detention camp at Ponosevac. One detainee is found and seven KLA are arrested.
July 21: Under Secretary for Global Affairs Frank E. Loy meets with UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata. He tells her that the U.S. will provide an additional $61.7 million to UNHCR to aid refugees in Kosovo and elsewhere around the world. Fifty million dollars will support the UNHCR's programs to assist Kosovar refugees and IDPs return home and begin rebuilding their lives and communities. Of the $50 million designated for Kosovo $10 million will be used to launch a Kosovar Women's Initiative, supporting counseling, job training, and microcredit programs, etc. Another $5 million of the Kosovo donation will go to implement humanitarian projects in Montenegro. The UNHCR moves displaced Roma from a school at Kosovo Polje, where they had been taking shelter for weeks, to a new tented site at Obilic with a capacity for around 5,000. KFOR will provide security at the site. UNHCR estimates that 716,800 refugees have returned to Kosovo as of July 21. UNHCR estimates the number of IDPs from Kosovo in Serbia and Montenegro at 170,000. In the past week, UNHCR delivered more than 80,000 blankets, 24,000 hygienic kits and sanitary items, tons of soap, as well as jerrycans, stoves, heaters, and humanitarian daily rations to Red Cross branches in Belgrade, Kraljevo, and Bar areas for distribution to IDPs. The UN reports that it has approximately 156 police officers from 13 countries now in Kosovo.
July 22: Former F.R.Y. Army Chief of Staff Momcilo Perisic calls for the peaceful removal of the Milosevic regime from power. Midnight July 21 was the deadline for KLA forces to place all prohibited arms and 30% of all automatic weapons in secure storage sites. KFOR Commander General Jackson indicates that he is "encouraged by the quantity of weapons that have been handed in over the past few days," however he notes that time is necessary to ensure that the accounting process is completed correctly. He grants KLA Gen. Agim Ceku's request for more time so that he can be certain his forces have complied with the undertaking. General Jackson says that he sees General Ceku's request as an "indication of the seriousness with which General Ceku is taking this important issue."
July 23: Five ethnic Albanians are detained after an exchange of fire with KFOR troops in western Kosovo. UNHCR estimates that 720,700 refugees have returned to Kosovo as of July 23. The UN's Mine Action Coordination Center becomes operational in Pristina, serving as a focal point for the planning and coordination of mine and unexploded ordnance related activities in Kosovo. Fourteen Serb farmers are shot dead in Kosovo at night in the village of Gracko. KFOR spokesman Major Jan Joosten states that "KFOR and the international police will hunt down those responsible for this awful crime. We will ensure they are brought to justice to face the full might of the law."
July 24: UN Chief Prosecutor Louise Arbour states that she has launched an investigation into the killing of 14 Serbs on July 23. Around 260 Serbs returned to Kosovo from Belgrade and Kraljevo areas on July 24. Escorted by KFOR troops, the Serbs proceeded to Kosovo Polje.
July 26: A group of Yugoslav army reservists in Nis begin a hunger strike in protest over outstanding payments. UNHCR estimates that 727,000 refugees have returned to Kosovo as of July 26. UNSYG Special Representative Kouchner postpones the Kosovo Transitional Council meeting for July 26 at request of Serb members. UNHCR releases the "second cut" of its Rapid Village Assessment. The report uses data collected from 456 war-affected villages and indicates that 54% of the houses in those villages suffered severe damage or complete destruction. A functioning health facility was reported in 23% of the villages, a health worker was present in 68% of the villages and 40% of the villages said they had inadequate water supply.
July 27: Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis travels to Kosovo to visit Greek KFOR troops.
July 28: Radio Pristina starts broadcasting in Albanian, Serb-Croat, and Turkish under the supervision of OSCE. Donors pledge $2.082 billion in aid for Kosovo at the Donor's Conference in Brussels. The U.S. pledges $556 million in additional humanitarian aid and urgent non-humanitarian aid for Kosovo, from the budget supplemental passed by Congress and signed by the President on May 21, 1999. The $500 million promised by the U.S. is going toward food aid, health care, clean water, emergency shelter, winterization supplies, landmine clearance, and agricultural assistance. The U.S. allocated $41 million of that amount for police training and $20 million of that amount for the prosecution of war crimes. All U.S. pledges are subject to a clear assessment of overall needs, congressional concurrence, and confirmation that U.S. aid will form one part of a robust international effort. Chris Poortman, World Bank coordinator for southeast Europe, announces after the conference that Kosovo's "most immediate urgent requirements which were the objectives of this meeting have been met." UNHCR estimates that 734,000 refugees have returned to Kosovo as of July 28.
July 29: Secretary of State Albright visits Kosovo, where she meets with KFOR Commander General Michael Jackson and SRSG Bernard Kouchner. After talks with the two, she states that she is encouraged by the cooperation between the UN and KFOR mission. Secretary Albright also meets with Serbian Orthodox Archbishop Artemije and KLA leader Hashim Thaqi. During her visit in Kosovo, Secretary Albright urges the Kosovar Serb population to stay in Kosovo and help create a multi-ethnic society, stating that KFOR "is set up in order to protect them." Secretary Albright states to Kosovo Albanians, "Democracy cannot be built on revenge and you will lose the support of the international community if you will not be tolerant and you take the law in your hands." KFOR announces that three ethnic Albanians have been detained for further investigation in connection to the killing of 14 Serb farmers over the weekend.
July 30: World leaders meet in Sarajevo at the Stability Pact Summit. President Clinton announces during the summit that he will work with Congress to provide $10 million this year and more over the next 2 years to strengthen the independent media, non-governmental organizations, independent trade unions, and the democratic opposition in Serbia. Ibrahim Rugova returns to Kosovo.
July 31: Russian KFOR troops briefly detain KLA General Agim Ceku. As of July 31, UNHCR has delivered 13,000 tents in Kosovo; tens of thousands of houses were damaged during the war.
August 1: A bomb explodes in a Serbian Orthodox Church under construction in Pristina. There are no casualties.
August 2: The first repatriation flight from a non-neighboring country arrives in Pristina carrying 150 refugees. UNHCR estimates that there are approximately 155,000 Kosovar non-Albanian (mostly Serb and Roma) internally displaced people in Serbia. The figure includes about 3,000 refugees from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina who have also left Kosovo. Another 23,000 non-Albanians from Kosovo are now staying in Montenegro, according to UNHCR field staff reports. UNHCR estimates that 743,300 refugees have returned to Kosovo as of August 2. Students and teachers return to Pristina University.
August 3: Human Rights Watch publishes a report on atrocities against Serbs and Roma in Kosovo. Although the report stopped short of accusing the KLA of specific atrocities, it suggested that the KLA leadership "take swift and decisive action" to prevent further atrocities.
August 4: NATO names British Defense Secretary George Robertson as its next Secretary-General. UNHCR estimates that nearly 90% of the over 850,000 ethnic Albanians who fled Kosovo during the war have returned to the Serbian province.
August 5: Approximately 400 civilian police, including some transferred from Bosnia, are on the ground in Kosovo. Over 100 additional U.S. police depart for Kosovo.
August 6: Ibrahim Rugova joins the Kosovo Transitional Council.
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