Dictionary of Genocide - D Ank Unlimited

RAMBOUILLET CONFERENCE
The major leaders of RTLM were tracked down in the aftermath of the genocide and
indicted and tried before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on
charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. They were sentenced to long terms of
imprisonment.
Rambouillet Accords. Named for the chateau in the town in France where they were
signed on February 23, 1999, the Rambouillet Accords resulted from a series of negotiations
involving delegates from the United States, several European NATO countries (e.g.,
Britain, France, Germany), and Russia, Yugoslavia, and representatives of Kosovar Albanian
groups (in particular, the Kosovo Liberation Army). The meeting took place under
the shadow of NATO threats of military action against the actors involved in the conflict,
the Serbians and the Kosovar Albanians.
The three-year interim agreement arranged at Rambouillet for Kosovo addressed the
issues of a constitution, free and open elections, legal and legislative authority, democratic
self-government, security, and a mechanism for final settlement between Serbia and the
Kosovor Albanians. On the question of democratic self-government, it addressed such
concerns as: health care; education; economic development; legislative, executive, and
judicial branches of government and their protection; and national community institutions.
On the question of security, it addressed the removal of Yugoslav troops from
Kosovo, the deployment of international troops instead of the Kosovo Liberation Army,
local law enforcement, and federal security. It was agreed that final settlement issues
would be addressed at the conclusion of this interim agreement. The eight-chapter text of
the accord was divided along the following lines: Framework; (1) Constitution, (2) Police
and Civil Public Security, (3) Conduct and Supervision of Elections, (4a) Economic
Issues, (4b) Humanitarian Assistance, (5) Implementation I, (6) Ombudsman, (7) Implementation
II and Appendices, and (8) Amendment, Comprehensive Assessment, and
Final Clauses.
Rambouillet Conference. A series of negotiations involving delegates from the United
States, several European NATO countries including Britain, France, and Germany,
together with Russia, Yugoslavia and representatives of Kosovar Albanian groups, took
place in the chateau at Rambouillet, near Paris, between February 6 and March 19, 1999.
The meeting took place under the shadow of NATO threats of military action in the
event of an agreement not being made, but the very fact of getting everyone to a conference
table was, at first, held to be a positive step. The intention was to hammer out a settlement
that would be acceptable to all parties and would avoid the possibility of more
bloodshed in the internal conflict that, until then, had been taking place—with much
loss of life—between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians. The negotiations focused, in spite of
the initial optimism, around a set of points that were ultimately unacceptable to one or
other of the parties. The Kosovar Albanian delegates—who were disadvantaged by the
fact that the groups they represented were still in the field fighting and out of regular contact
with Paris—were absolutely unwilling to negotiate on anything that did not have an
independent Kosovo as its end. The Serbs would not countenance the possibility of Kosovar
autonomy (and even less, independence), nor would they accept any international interference
in Yugoslavia’s internal affairs. Both sides wanted their way, but neither was prepared
to allow their negotiating position to be held as being responsible for the failure of
the talks. Breaking through the impasse seemed impossible, until U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright (b. 1937) provided both sides with a single option: in response to a
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