The Russia-Belarus Parliamentary Assembly, now in session in Moscow, has issued a statement pointing out that the five-year presence of UN and NATO peacekeeping forces in Kosovo has failed to bring security and stability to the province. Neither the peacekeepers nor the Albanian residents, who hold the levers of power in Kosovo, did anything to prevent extremists from stirring up a bloody conflict.
The Russia-Belarus Parliamentary Assembly recalls that back in 1999, it qualified NATO's military operations against Yugoslavia as a direct aggression and called on the sides to resume political dialogue. But NATO took no heed then.
The Russian and Belarussian lawmakers blame the recent outburst of violence in Kosovo on NATO's and UN's flawed policies vis-a-vis Yugoslavia and warn that the Kosovo bloodshed may seriously undermine the United Nations' prestige in the world.
They express support for the Serb people's striving to defend their country's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and urge the UN Security Council to take decisive steps to ensure compliance with its Kosovo-related resolutions.
