USA KOSOVO CRISIS WILLIAM COHEN INTERVIEW

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(25 Mar 1999) English/Nat • • The U-S Defence Secretary, William Cohen, on Thursday said Washington was ready to continue a sustained bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, but that it could end at any time if Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic returned to the peace table. • • Cohen warned the NATO airstrikes on Yugoslavia looked like being a long effort. • • He said all NATO planes had returned safely from the first day's assault on Serb targets, discounting reports that Yugoslav air defences had hit a U-S fighter plane. • • Cohen said the military operation on Yugoslavia would continue until Milosevic relented in his campaign of violence and repression against the ethnic Albanians in the Serb province of Kosovo. • • If NATO failed to achieve that, Cohen said, it wanted to make sure it had reduced the capacity of the Yugoslav army to cause further suffering among the ethnic Albanians in the future. • • There has been no confirmed damage assessment from the bombs but the U-S Defence Secretary confirmed that two Yugoslav MiG planes had been shot down by NATO planes in air-to-air combat. • • The airstrikes are expected to resume later on Thursday. • • SOUNDBITE: (English) • 'We are proceeding according to our military plan. This is just the first day that we have witnessed. There'll be more to follow unless Mr Milosevic chooses peace and stops waging war against innocent civilians. It has to be made very clear that this is not a U-S operation but a NATO operation in which all 19 countries are joined in support. So this is Mr Milosevic carrying on a war against innocent people within Kosovo contrary to all of the nations which have joined in denouncing him...... • QUESTION: What is the latest - have you seen any indication that he is backing down whatsoever? • ... I haven't seen any indication yet. That is the reason why we are continuing according to plan - again to deter him from moving against the Kosovo Albanians and slaughtering people. Failure to achieve that - to continue to reduce his capacity in waging that kind of assault in the future. ..... • QUESTION: What is the latest in terms of the Yugoslav migs that may have been shot down? • ....We have had confirmed reports that there are two aircraft - Yugoslavian aircraft that have been shot down. There may be more but we'll have to wait further confirmation of that...... • QUESTION: Can you give an adjective on how this campaign is going? • ...... I resist any temptation to use any adjectives. I am satisfied that we are progressing as we planned and beyond that it would premature and I don't want to get into the business of expressing any kind of euphoria or disappointment. This is going to be a long effort unless Milosevic understands that the best opportunity for him is to come to the peace table and embrace the principles of Rambouillet - that is open at any time -we hope he will choose that..... • QUESTION: News of extra resources? • ..... We have all the assets that we need to carry out the operation..... • QUESTION: What about a final warning to Milosevic? • ....There is no need for any final warning - that is the reason why Holbrooke went to Belgrade to meet with him - that this is the last chance to avoid a military confrontation. There is every opportunity at any time for Mr Milosevic to say he is prepared to stop the slaughter, to pull his forces back and to embrace Rambouillet's principles and to agree to a peaceful settlement to this conflict...... • QUESTION: Is there any nightmare that you've had? • SUPER CAPTION: William Cohen, U-S Secretary of Defence • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

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