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THE CNN EFFECT IN ACTION
Group was arranged on March 9, after news of the incident reached
the West. The meeting was marked by much debate and eventual
compromise, with the United States and Russia taking opposing
positions on the degree of action necessary. Representing the United
States was Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who saw the Kosovo
crisis as a continuation of Serbian ethnic cleansing practices that had
dominated the region for much of the decade. She believed that it was
important to act immediately and decisively to prevent another Balkan
tragedy—a position that would put her at odds with other NATO
countries and members of her own country’s National Security
Council (NSC).
After this meeting, the group released a statement that placed
much of the responsibility for the violence on the FRY. The statement
called on the FRY authorities to enact a number of measures within
ten days. These included the withdrawal of special police units, access
for representatives of the Red Cross and humanitarian organizations,
and a commitment to dialogue with the Kosovo Albanian political
leadership. If compliance could not be achieved, the Contact Group
threatened to impose a limited package of sanctions involving an arms
embargo, visa restrictions on senior government officials, a moratorium
on government credit for investment and trade, and limited economic
9
sanctions. Although the first sanction was directed to the UN Security
Council, the next two were to be enforced by the nation-states of
the Contact Group. At the UN, following the recommendation of the
Contact Group, the Security Council met and adopted Resolution
1160 on March 31, 1998, which established an arms embargo against
the FRY, including Kosovo. 10 This resolution was enacted under
Chapter VII of the UN Charter and condemned the FRY for using
excessive force against civilians in Kosovo.
This was the strongest action by the West against a Serb-dominated
regime since the decision to bomb the Bosnian Serbs in 1995.
Although the West was now active on the Kosovo issue, there was no
serious consideration at this stage of any military involvement.
According to Robin Cook, in press comments after the Contact Group
meeting, “we did not discuss military intervention, that is not on the
11
agenda at the present time.” At NATO, there was condemnation for
the violence, but no threat of military action. 12 The goal at this early
stage was to use diplomacy and the threat of mostly economic sanc-
tions to coerce the FRY authorities into the desired behavior.
In terms of U.S. bilateral action, some in the United States initially
considered whether the FRY had crossed the “Christmas Warning”—
a threat sent by President George H.W. Bush at the end of his term