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Key players in the conflict
A brief look at some of the key players in the Kosovo conflict:
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. By exploiting Serbian nationalism when Yugoslavia's gradual disintegration began, Milosevic, 58, has remained in power through wars in Croatia and Bosnia. He considers the Western-brokered peace agreement for Kosovo tantamount to handing the territory over to the ethnic Albanian majority, which could cause nationalists to turn against him.
The Kosovo Liberation Army. It began as a rag-tag alternative to non-violent opposition by moderate ethnic Albanians to Serb rule in Kosovo but has grown into a full-fledged guerrilla army. It lacks the firepower and numbers to battle the Yugoslav army and Serb police head-on.
Ibrahim Rugova. The moderate ethnic Albanian leader in Kosovo has long been favored by the West for his non-violent opposition to Serb rule. But his support has dwindled as ethnic Albanians became convinced that only warfare could ever gain them independence.
Javier Solana. NATO secretary-general who authorized the alliance's airstrikes against Yugoslavia. He has led NATO since Dec. 19, 1995 -- the day the allies led 60,000 troops into Bosnia in the largest deployment Europe had seen since World War II. Solana, 56, is the scion of an illustrious liberal Spanish family. [ Extended bio ]
Gen. Wesley Clark. NATO's supreme allied commander and head of U.S. forces in Europe. He is directing the military action against Yugoslavia. Clark helped broker the 1995 Bosnia peace accord in Dayton, Ohio. Before NATO, he was in charge of the U.S. Southern Command in Panama, which oversees military operations in Central and South America.
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS, 03/234
Kosovo background
Map of region (37K) |
Video, timeline |
Chronology |
Key players |
Key documents
Kosovo links |
Past US action |
Q&A
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