SFOR continues to work together with other organs of the international community to create the conditions for the country to rebuild itself.

The conflict which erupted in Kosovo in 1999, the human suffering it involved, and the risks it represented for peace and stability, not only in the Balkans but in other regions, led to the decision taken by the governments of the Alliance, in March 1999, to take military action to bring the conflict to an end. An air campaign by Allied forces resulted in the withdrawal of Serb military, police and paramilitary forces responsible for the brutal repression and ethnic cleansing which was being conducted in Kosovo on the orders of the government of President Milosevic.

The air campaign was suspended on 10 June 1999 and agreement was reached on the stationing of an international military presence in Kosovo. The deployment of the multinational Kosovo force, known as KFOR, led by NATO, created conditions for the return of many thousands of Kosovar Albanian refugees who had fled the country and for the beginning of the process of reconstruction.

The crises in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo broke new ground in terms of the willingness of the international community to intervene in order to end repression and violence unprecedented in Europe since the end of the Second World War. The Kosovo conflict was inevitably at the top of the agenda at the Washington Summit in April 1999. NATO leaders assessed the situation with a view to reinforcing the determination of the international community to bring about a lasting political settlement and to create the conditions for the restoration of peace and the safeguarding of the future security of the region. The Summit also marked NATO's 50th anniversary. NATO leaders reaffirmed the enduring value of the transatlantic link and the fundamental purposes of the Alliance - the safeguarding of the freedom and security of its members, its commitment to the principles of the UN Charter, the upholding of democracy and the constant struggle for the peaceful resolution of disputes.

The Washington Summit was also an occasion for consolidating the changes that had taken place in NATO in the 1990s as the Alliance adapted itself to meet the requirements of today’s world. These include the enlargement process; the reshaping of the Alliance's military structures to enable it to handle new roles in the field of crisis management, peace-keeping and peace-support in the Euro-Atlantic area; and the strengthening of the European role in security matters.

As part of this transformation, NATO is forging a practical partnership with many non-NATO countries with the aim of creating a more transparent Europe in which the scope for misunderstandings and mistrust is reduced.