Tenth anniversary of Rambouillet talks

Ten years ago today, the Kosovo peace talks began at Rambouillet Palace near Paris. Participating in the talks were Serbian government and Kosovo Albanian representatives, in the presence of international officials. Tenth anniversary of Rambouillet talks The conference, which lasted 17 days, ended unsuccessfully, so the international Contact Group decided that talks between the two delegations should resume on March 15 in Paris. Head of the Serbian delegation Ratko Markovic said then that the meeting in Rambouillet “didn’t succeed because it didn’t begin from the foundations, but from the roof.” He went on to say that the conference in Rambouillet was a meeting where the two delegations who were supposed to talk and reach an agreement “never met, where the rules of procedure were never established, and which resulted in a statement, not an agreement, as is the case with most meetings of this kind.” The Kosovo Albanian delegation accepted in principle the Contact Group’s proposal for ending the conflict. The Serbian delegation also accepted the proposal in principle, but continued to insist that NATO troops should not be allowed to pass through the country, and that the international forces in Kosovo should be there under the auspices of the UN. Another round of Kosovo negotiations, which began March 15 in Paris, ended after four days, also unsuccessfully. The Serbian state delegation and the Kosovo Albanian delegation signed different agreements on March 18. The Kosovo Albanian delegation signed an agreement offered by international negotiators, while the Serbian state delegation signed their own proposed political agreement—an Agreement on Kosovo Self-Government. Special U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke was also unsuccessful in discussions with the Yugoslav representatives, in which international representatives for Kosovo Boris Mayorski, Wolfgang Petric and Christopher Hill also participated. Two days later, on March 24, NATO began bombing the then Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia in an operation that lasted 78 days and resulted in Yugoslav troops pulling out of Kosovo, and the establishment of a temporary UN administration in the region (UNMIK). Nine years later, on Feb. 16, 2008, the EU approved sending the EULEX mission to Kosovo, which would take over all UNMIK jurisdictions after a transitional period. The EU mission in Kosovo began operations on Dec. 9 last year.

Tenth anniversary of Rambouillet talks

The conference, which lasted 17 days, ended unsuccessfully, so the international Contact Group decided that talks between the two delegations should resume on March 15 in Paris.

Head of the Serbian delegation Ratko Marković said then that the meeting in Rambouillet “didn’t succeed because it didn’t begin from the foundations, but from the roof.”

He went on to say that the conference in Rambouillet was a meeting where the two delegations who were supposed to talk and reach an agreement “never met, where the rules of procedure were never established, and which resulted in a statement, not an agreement, as is the case with most meetings of this kind.”

The Kosovo Albanian delegation accepted in principle the Contact Group’s proposal for ending the conflict.

The Serbian delegation also accepted the proposal in principle, but continued to insist that NATO troops should not be allowed to pass through the country, and that the international forces in Kosovo should be there under the auspices of the UN.

Another round of Kosovo negotiations, which began March 15 in Paris, ended after four days, also unsuccessfully.

The Serbian state delegation and the Kosovo Albanian delegation signed different agreements on March 18.

The Kosovo Albanian delegation signed an agreement offered by international negotiators, while the Serbian state delegation signed their own proposed political agreement—an Agreement on Kosovo Self-Government.

Special U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke was also unsuccessful in discussions with the Yugoslav representatives, in which international representatives for Kosovo Boris Mayorski, Wolfgang Petric and Christopher Hill also participated.

Two days later, on March 24, NATO began bombing the then Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia in an operation that lasted 78 days and resulted in Yugoslav troops pulling out of Kosovo, and the establishment of a temporary UN administration in the region (UNMIK).

Nine years later, on Feb. 16, 2008, the EU approved sending the EULEX mission to Kosovo, which would take over all UNMIK jurisdictions after a transitional period.

The EU mission in Kosovo began operations on Dec. 9 last year.