D'Alema: Serbia occupied Kosovo, NATO had to bomb

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema has today looked back at 1999 and the NATO war against Serbia. In the words of the diplomat, "NATO intervention in Kosovo was necessary, unlike the invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq and a possible attack on Iran." D'Alema: Serbia occupied Kosovo, NATO had to bomb Those campaigns D'Alema described as "major mistakes." "The Kosovo case is rather different," D'Alema said in an interview with India's daily Hindu. "The Serbs occupied Kosovo and our aim was to stop the war," he told the paper. "We tried to use diplomacy but we failed." "When NATO attacked, Kosovo was under the Serb occupation and three million refugees crossed over to Albania," said the minister, adding that the European Union had the Security Council resolution before entering Kosovo. He, however, failed to specify which resolution. The only resolution the UN Security Council has adopted on Kosovo at the time was Resolution 1244, but it was the basis for the arrival of international troops in Serbia's southern province after the NATO intervention. D'Alema served as Italy's prime minister during the 1999 war.

D'Alema: Serbia occupied Kosovo, NATO had to bomb

Those campaigns D'Alema described as "major mistakes."

"The Kosovo case is rather different," D'Alema said in an interview with India's daily Hindu.

"The Serbs occupied Kosovo and our aim was to stop the war," he told the paper.

"We tried to use diplomacy but we failed."

"When NATO attacked, Kosovo was under the Serb occupation and three million refugees crossed over to Albania," said the minister, adding that the European Union had the Security Council resolution before entering Kosovo.

He, however, failed to specify which resolution.

The only resolution the UN Security Council has adopted on Kosovo at the time was Resolution 1244, but it was the basis for the arrival of international troops in Serbia's southern province after the NATO intervention.

D'Alema served as Italy's prime minister during the 1999 war.