. . . Milosevic Plays Games

Making diplomatic hay at a moment of military confusion, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has announced the withdrawal of some of his forces from beleaguered Kosovo province. Doubtlessly he hopes this will play well in NATO capitals. President Clinton has responded by saying he is “encouraged by any good word.” But the president and his NATO colleagues well know that you cannot go to the bank with a promise from Milosevic. The remaining Kosovars will believe a withdrawal promise only when they see the backsides of the last Serbian soldiers and police headed north.

If Belgrade is prepared to return matters in the province to their prewar status, and to embrace an international solution, Milosevic knows the requirements. All his police and army units must withdraw and be replaced by an international force. His security apparatus can in no way hinder the return of the hundreds of thousands of Kosovar refugees who were hounded across Yugoslavia’s frontiers into Macedonia and Albania. The political future of Kosovo must be resolved openly and democratically.

So what’s in the mind of Milosevic? No. 1 surely is to devise a political deal to stop the air war. The errant NATO bombs that hit the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade gave him an opening to play his withdrawal card. He’s probably counting on the furor in Beijing and the damage to NATO’s military credibility to improve his bargaining position.

The embassy bombing could change the politics of the conflict in unpredictable ways. But American and European leaders must remain firm. This war began with the bully in Belgrade. It will not end with a partial withdrawal of his troops from Kosovo.