Rambouillet Peace Conference - Hawaii Pacific University

Paris) as a last attempt to avoid war against Yugoslavia.
Boshkovich 42
The most important points from the statement of the Contact Group that was
issued on 29 th January are that regardless of efforts that were made by international
community violence was still part of daily life in Kosovo. At the same time ‗the massacre
of Kosovo Albanians in Racak‘ resulted in several thousands of people that had to escape
from their homes. Surprisingly, in second article of this statement one can found that the
Contact Group (CG) blamed both, Yugoslav armed forces and the KLA for escalation of
violence. Therefore, Ministers of the Contact Group urged both sides to accept
negotiations that would lead to political settlement. For that purpose the CG insisted that
all sides accept ‗the basis for a fair settlement must include the principles set out by the
Contact Group‘. Also, it was asked that negotiators include the elements of ‗substantial
autonomy for Kosovo‘ as a framework for the agreement. (Appendix, page 121)
The CG also demanded that both sides send their delegations to Rambouillet by
the sixth of February, where they would participate in the negotiation process led by co-
chairmen Hubert Vedrine and Robin Cook (French and British Ministers of Foreign
Affairs). This process was originally meant to last seven days, but as it will be explained
in the following chapters of this paper, it lasted longer. Additionally, the CG required that
both sides restrain from military actions, and said that ‗The Contact Group will hold both
sides accountable if they fail to take the opportunity now offered to them‘. 104
104 United Nations, Security Council, January 29, 1999, http://www.un.org/peace/kosovo/s9996.pdf this
statement will be also available in the appendix I of this research.