“Kina was able to prevent many murders in Kosovo, but did not do”

Former Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworth has discovered that it was China that could play a central role in preventing mass killings during the Kosovo war.

In an interview for an interactive show on KTV, the man who led Canadian diplomacy during the war in Kosovo has said China did not allow the arrival of UN peacekeepers in Kosovo in 1997.

At the time we thought about what kind of intervention we need, there was a UN peacekeeping force in the region, at the borders of Macedonia. They were there to see to it that they did not allow people to cross into Macedonia and Greece. There were 3,000 UN peacekeeping troops in the region that could enter Kosovo within 6 hours”, he said.

What happened is that it was the Chinese who refused to extend the mandate for this peacekeeping body, as they were angry with the Macedonian government, why they didn't buy their laundrymen, or something similar”, he added.

He has said it was the great powers that abused their veto rights, and the mandate was not extended.

It would be very easy if these troops entered Kosovo, or at its borders. There would be far less murder, less conflict. That was in 1997-98”, the former Canadian Foreign Minister said away.

These troops were there for 2-3 years and had a mandate from the Security Council, but to work at the Macedonian border, even though this mandate could easily be extended. I don't know if he could stop the war, but there would be less consequences”, Axel said.

Axworth has said that Kosovo should work with China as well to convince it deserves a seat in the UN.

The career diplomat in 1999 had recommended to his government in Canada that it become part of the military intervention against Serbia to prevent the killings.

The former foreign minister has confirmed that Canada has been among the first countries to receive thousands of refugees, which individuals have done in addition to the government.