For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 14, 2003
Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate
May 14, 2003
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
In my report to the Congress of November 15, 2002, I provided
information regarding the continued deployment of combat-equipped U.S.
military personnel as the U.S. contribution to the NATO-led
international security force in Kosovo (KFOR) and to other countries in
the region in support of that force. I am providing this supple-mental
report prepared by my Administration, consistent with the War Powers
Resolution (Public Law 93-148), to help ensure that the Congress is
kept fully informed on continued U.S. contributions in support of
peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo.
As noted in previous reports, the U.N. Security Council authorized
member states to establish KFOR in U.N. Security Council Resolution
1244 of June 10, 1999. The mission of KFOR is to provide an
international security presence in order to deter renewed hostilities;
verify and, if necessary, enforce the terms of the Military Technical
Agreement between NATO and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; enforce
the terms of the Undertaking on Demilitarization and Transformation of
the former Kosovo Liberation Army; provide day-to-day operational
direction to the Kosovo Protection Corps; and maintain a safe and
secure environment to facilitate the work of the U.N. Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
Currently, the U.S. contribution to KFOR in Kosovo is about 2,250
U.S. military personnel, or approximately 9 percent of KFOR's total
strength. Additionally, U.S. military personnel occasionally operate
from Macedonia, Albania, and Greece in support of KFOR operations.
Nineteen non-NATO contributing countries also participate with NATO
forces in providing military personnel and other support personnel to
KFOR.
The U.S. forces are assigned to a sector principally centered
around Gnjilane in the eastern region of Kosovo. For U.S. KFOR forces,
as for KFOR generally, maintaining a safe and secure environment
remains the primary military task. The KFOR forces operate under NATO
command and control and rules of engagement. The KFOR coordinates with
and supports UNMIK at most levels, provides a security presence in
towns, villages, and the country-side, and organizes checkpoints and
patrols in key areas to provide security, protect minorities, resolve
disputes, and help instill in the community a feeling of confidence.
The UNMIK continues to transfer non-reserved competencies under the
Constitutional Framework document to the Kosovar Provisional
Institutions of Self-Government (PISG). The PISG includes the
President, Prime Minister, and Kosovo Assembly, and has been in place
since March 2002. Municipal elections were successfully held for a
second time in October 2002.
NATO continues formally to review KFOR's mission at 6-month
intervals. These reviews provide a basis for assessing current force
levels, future requirements, force structure, force reductions, and the
eventual withdrawal of KFOR. NATO has adopted the Joint Operations
Area plan to regionalize and rationalize its force structure in the
Balkans. The KFOR has transferred full responsi-bility for public
safety and policing to the UNMIK international and local police forces
throughout Kosovo except in the area of Mitrovica, where the
responsibility is shared due to security concerns. The UNMIK
international police and local police forces have also begun to assume
responsibility for guarding patrimonial sites and established
border-crossing checkpoints.
The continued deployment of U.S. forces has been undertaken
pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign
relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive. I appreciate
the continued support of the Congress in these actions.
Sincerely,
GEORGE W. BUSH
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