BBC News Online: World: Europe

The problems now facing Nato

Some analysts believe that the real test for Nato is not so much the winning the war in Kosovo, but how the alliance manages its aftermath now that an end to the conflict may be approaching.

The decision by the Serbian parliament in Belgrade to back a peace plan to end the war in Kosovo signals that the conflict could be drawing to a conclusion.

Nato has long insisted that the first key step towards a deal must be a verifiable withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo.

If such a withdrawal begins it will trigger rapid diplomatic and military steps to bolster the fledgeling peace deal.

UN mandate

After months of conflict the implementation of a peace deal could take merely a matter of days.

But Nato has already made it clear that its air campaign will not be halted until it is certain that Belgrade has accepted all of its demands.

The alliance is insisting upon actions rather than words. It wants to see the start of a verifiable withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo.

One key problem is to ensure that Yugoslav units that re-group prior to pulling-out are not attacked. But once a withdrawal is underway this will trigger a pause in the Nato onslaught.

Things will then begin to move swiftly on both the diplomatic and military fronts. At the United Nations in New York a resolution will have to be passed to provide the mandate for the international peace force that will go into Kosovo.

Rebuilding Kosovo

Meanwhile Nato will have to bolster its forces in Macedonia ready to fill the vacuum in Kosovo once Yugoslav forces leave.

Russian troops will also be involved and Nato and Moscow do now seem to have agreed on the command arrangements for the force that will satisfy the Alliance's demand for a unified chain of command and Moscow's insistence that it will not put its troops into an explicitly Nato force.

Then of course the real work will begin to rebuild Kosovo's shattered infrastructure and to allow the Kosovo refugees home.

Only then will the scale of the catastrophe that has befallen the Kosovo Albanians become clear.

The waves of refugees have destabilised the whole region. Getting them home is an urgent priority and some analysts believe that the real test for Nato is not so much the winning of this conflict, but how the Alliance manages its aftermath.

Relevant Stories

Serbia accepts peace plan (03 Jun 99 | Europe)
Blair's cautious welcome for peace deal (03 Jun 99 | UK Politics)
FAI chief attempts to stand alone (02 Jun 99 | Football)
Clinton considers Kosovo invasion (02 Jun 99 | Europe)
Analysis: Bridging the diplomatic gap (02 Jun 99 | Europe)
Judges deliver Yugoslav decision (02 Jun 99 | Europe)

Internet Links

Nato
Serbian Ministry of Information
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Kosovo Crisis Centre
Eyewitness accounts of the bombing

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

In this section

Violence greets Clinton visit
Russian forces pound Grozny
EU fraud: a billion dollar bill
Next steps for peace
Cardinal may face loan-shark charges
Vodafone takeover battle heats up (From Business)
Trans-Turkish pipeline deal signed
French party seeks new leader
Jube tube debut
Athens riots for Clinton visit
UN envoy discusses Chechnya in Moscow
Solana new Western European Union chief
Moldova's PM-designate withdraws
Chechen government welcomes summit
In pictures: Clinton's violent welcome
Georgia protests over Russian 'attack'
UN chief: No Chechen 'catastrophe'
New arms control treaty for Europe
Mannesmann fights back (From Business)
EU fraud -- a billion-dollar bill
New moves in Spain's terror scandal
EU allows labelling of British beef
UN seeks more security in Chechnya
Athens riots for Clinton visit
Russia's media war over Chechnya
Homeless suffer as quake toll rises
Analysis: East-West relations must shift