Kosovo and U.S. Policy: Background and Current Issues

Publication Date: May 2008

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

In 1998 and 1999, the United States and its NATO allies attempted to put an end to escalating violence between ethnic Albanian guerrillas and Yugoslav/Serb forces in Yugoslavia's Kosovo province in southern Serbia. These efforts culminated in a 78-day NATO bombing campaign (Operation Allied Force) against Serbia from March until June 1999, when then-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic agreed to withdraw his forces from the province. Since then, Kosovo has been governed by a combination of U.N. and local Kosovar interim governing structures. Under the terms of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244, the U.N. Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) retained ultimate political authority in the province. A NATO-led peacekeeping force, KFOR, was charged with providing a secure environment.

UNSC Resolution 1244 did not settle Kosovo's disputed status, but called for status to be considered at an undetermined time after an autonomous government was in place. Almost all ethnic Albanians want independence for Kosovo; Serbs say Kosovo remains an integral part of Serbia. In mid-2005, the U.N. launched a comprehensive review of the Kosovo standards, or benchmarks of progress. On this basis, the U.N. Security Council endorsed the start of status negotiations for Kosovo in early 2006 under the lead of former Finnish President Martii Ahtisaari. In November, Ahtisaari postponed the release of a proposal for the settlement of Kosovo's status until after Serbia held key early elections on January 21, 2007. Following that vote, which produced an unsettled political outcome, Ahtisaari presented his proposal for Kosovo's status to the contact group and the parties. His draft provides a blueprint for Kosovo's independence with some limits to its sovereignty. After final consultations with the parties, the proposal is expected to come before the U.N. Security Council this spring.

The United States, in concert with other members of the international contact group and the U.N. Security Council, has taken a leading role in international policy on Kosovo. The United States has committed peacekeeping troops to KFOR since 1999 and has upheld an "in together, out together" policy with respect to keeping some U.S. forces in Kosovo along with the European allies. The U.S. Administration had strongly pushed for the status question to be resolved by the end of 2006, and has emphasized the need for a swift status settlement. In Congress, U.S. involvement in the 1999 Kosovo war was controversial; after extensive debate, Congress neither explicitly approved nor blocked U.S. participation in NATO air strikes against Serbia. In the 109th Congress, some resolutions were introduced that dealt with Kosovo's future status. In the 110th Congress, a resolution on Kosovo's independence was introduced in the House in January 2007 (H.Res. 36). In February 2007, the Administration submitted FY2007 supplemental and FY2008 budget requests that include funds to support the outcome of the Kosovo status settlement.

For additional information, see CRS Report RS21721, Kosovo's Future Status and U.S. Policy, and CRS Report RL32136, Future of the Balkans and U.S. Policy Concerns, both by Steven Woehrel. This report will be updated as events warrant.