President Clinton has spelled out the conditions under which NATO will agree to "a bombing pause" and begin the return of Kosovan refugees. While the President took a conciliatory tone, US officials insisted there was no change of policy.
Speaking to the media shortly before beginning discussions with the Russian special envoy for the Balkans, Mr Viktor Chernomyrdin, Mr Clinton said that for a bombing pause "we want to be clear that all the Kosovans can come home, that the Serb security forces will leave, that we will have clear and unambiguous evidence that a withdrawal is under way and that the other conditions of self-government, and especially the international security force have been accepted. Then we can have a bombing pause". Mr Clinton said that President Milosevic "has said things to us before that didn't come to pass. We want to see some action". Mr Chernomyrdin said after his meeting with the President that "We got closer to a diplomatic solution". The President emphasised that the conditions he laid down were not meant to declare a NATO or US "victory" over Mr Milosevic.
The allies wanted to have a "humane, secure existence for the Kosovans when they go home which will not spawn yet another war in the aftermath of this conflict". Mr Clinton said there would be "room for discussion" with Mr Milosevic "within limits" on who would make up the international security force and on what would have to be done for Serbia, Albania and Macedonia economically when the fighting was over.
The President said that he believed that "the NATO group will have to be a big part" of the security force as "otherwise the Kosovan Albanians will not want to come back". Up to now, Mr Milosevic has rejected the idea of NATO involvement in the proposed security force but Mr Clinton's language indicated flexibility on the size of any NATO forces where before the US used to insist on a "NATO-led force". As President Clinton was speaking during a joint press conference with the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Keizo Obuchi, the Rev Jesse Jackson was arriving back in Washington from his successful mission to Belgrade to secure the release of three captured US soldiers.
Rev Jackson also brought a letter to President Clinton from Mr Milosevic requesting a meeting to discuss a diplomatic solution. Rev Jackson said on arrival that "We must seize this moment to take the step to dramatic diplomacy from bloody, protracted war". Meanwhile, in the Senate a resolution to give the President "all necessary force" to wage the conflict over Kosovo was cut to four hours and then shelved without a vote. Most senators in both parties were reluctant to have a full debate and vote at this sensitive stage.