Holding together the fragile peace

UK soldiers escape from demonstrating Albanians

The Kosovo war tested New Labour's ethical foreign policy but in a much less dramatic way. It has been Kosovo's peace that has perplexed those trying to run a different sort of foreign policy.

Tony Blair laid out his principles outside Downing Street as the peace deal was signed.

When the end finally came, and Serbian troops had gone, they left behind a devastated and partly deserted land.

The specific questions that had been deferred during the conflict had to be faced: could Kosovo possibly remain within Serbia, could the West accept an independent Albanian state, who would provide the security and rebuild a civil administration, and who would foot the bills?

What, in fact - apart from stopping Slobodan Milosevic in his tracks - had been the purpose of it all? This was Tony Blair's answer at the Lisbon Summit in March this year.

UK PM Tony Blair greets a young Albanian in Pristina

On the ground, rival communities still snarled at each other and often resorted to violence.

The international community didn't provide enough police. And the refugee camps took an agonising time to empty. The actress Julie Walters kept an audio diary of her trip to the province on behalf of UNICEF.

No go Slobbo

Throughout all this, the malign presence of Slobodan Milosevic sat in Belgrade, biding his time. Until - to widespread astonishment - he failed to win the Presidential elections of late September. But would he really step down? Robin Cook was addressing the Labour Party conference.

And a week later, to universal astonishment, he had indeed gone - driven from office not by the pleas of foreign dignitaries, but by an angry and frustrated people.

This was an unexpected bonus for those who had conducted the Kosovo campaign. The arrival of President Kostunica also meant that the West had no further excuse for not adopting a radical approach to the region.

The retiring head of the transition government, Bernard Kouchner, said that - at the start - he felt 'left hung out to dry' by the international community's lack of help.

Give us our independence

Canadian troops serving in K-FOR

While Bernard Kouchner grappled with the day-to-day difficulties, others were looking further ahead. The people of Kosovo in October voted overwhelmingly, in their first free elections, for parties committed to securing an independent future.

Judge Richard Goldstone, who chaired a UN Commission on the future of the province, has some sympathy.

The former Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Paddy Ashdown has always taken a close interest in the Balkans, acting for a time as an adviser to Tony Blair on the subject.

He has been in Kosovo within the past two months.

Listen to the analysis in full by clicking on the audio icon on the left-hand side of the page.