USA: BILL CLINTON KOSOVO CRISIS SPEECH (2) скачать в хорошем качестве

USA: BILL CLINTON KOSOVO CRISIS SPEECH (2)

(22 Mar 1999) English/Nat U-S President Bill Clinton says the NATO allies agree - air raids must be launched unless the Serbs agree to an immediate peace settlement in Kosovo. Speaking to reporters outside the White House he warned Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic will not be allowed to "continue his aggression with impunity." Clinton's comments came as his envoy, Richard Holbrooke, began a meeting with Milosevic in Belgrade - a meeting described by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as a last chance for peace. President Clinton has given his views on the worsening situation in Kosovo, highlighting Serbian violations of agreements made in the past year. Clinton said he had spoken to world leaders including President Yeltsin, saying there is broad agreement on the proposed use of force. SOUNDBITE: (English) "There is strong unity among the NATO allies. We all agree that we cannot allow President Milosevic to continue the aggression with impunity. I have also sent letter to President Yeltsin about the urgency of the situation. Our objective in Kosovo remains clear: to stop the killing and obtain a durable peace that restores Kosovars to self-government, the self-government that President Milosevic stripped away from them a decade ago. We and our NATO allies and Russia all agree that this is the right goal. The Kosovar Albanians have accepted this course. Only President Milosevic and Serbia stand in the way of peace. Serbia's mounting aggression must be stopped." SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, US President The latest fighting has brought to almost 250-thousand the number of people displaced by the conflict in the province. Clinton warned of the possible ramifications of such huge numbers of refugees. And while he expressed hope that a peaceful solution could still be found, he issued one last warning to Milosevic. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Seeking to end this tragedy in Kosovo and finding a peaceful solution is the right thing to do. It is also the smart thing to do, very much in our national interests if we are to leave a peaceful, stable and democratic Europe to our children. We have learned a lot of lessons in the last 50 years. One of them surely is that we have a stake in European freedom and stability and security. I hope that can be achieved by peaceful means. If not we have to be prepared to act." SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, US President But he refused to comment on when any bombing raids might start. Meanwhile U-S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright commented on the last-ditch visit to Kosovo by special envoy Richard Holbrooke. Holbrooke is trying to persuade Milosevic to accept a plan to give ethnic Albanians self-rule in the disputed province. But Albright warned that should Holbrooke fail, punitive military action will be the only remaining resort. SOUNDBITE: (English) "He will make it clear that Milosevic faces a very stark choice to halt aggression against the Kosovar Albanians and accept an interim settlement with a NATO-led implementation force or bear the full responsibility for the consequences. We... time is running out. We have made this last effort because we believe it is the right thing as we put Americans into a NATO force that we have gone the last mile here. But time has run out and that's why Mr Holbrooke's mission is so important." SUPER CAPTION: Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State But with NATO troops massing in the Mediterranean and the Serb onslaught in Kosovo apparently increasing in intensity, time is running out for a negotiated settlement. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...