Chat with Col. Mitch Mitchell

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

April 29, 1999 / 7:07 PM EDT / CBS

On April 28, 1999, CBS News and the America Online audience chatted with CBS News Military Analyst Col. Mitch Mitchell about the crisis over Kosovo. Here's the transcript of that live, interactive chat.

Audience question: Can you share with us the latest developments in the Kosovo crisis?

Col. Mitchell: From the political side the most interesting event has been the dismissal of Vuk Draskovic who had been Milosevic's deputy prime minister and an out spoken critic in most recent days of Milosevic's stubbornness. Vuk Draskovic stated that Milosevic should stop telling lies and recognize that Russia would not come to its aid and that the attacking NATO forces would not crumble. In addition he advocated an armed UN peacekeeping force with NATO participation in Kosovo. NATO allies were indicating a weakening of Milosevic's regime. His firing laid that rumor to rest.

Now apparently, the air strikes are continuing with more than 1000 planes participating. The strikes are still hampered by poor weather. Only 1/3 of the days are considered acceptable for large scale strikes. There has been some build up of ground forces by the allies in Macedonia and Albania as well as the recent arrival of 24 Apache helicopters. The Apache's should go into work soon.

The president gave approval to call up 33,000 reservists. The first 2,100 have already received their notice. Most will be used for aerial refueling and to assist the pilots and ground personnel. In addition in the next few months we should see 25,000 Airforce reservists called up. 6,100 Army reservists will perform civil affairs. That will include rebuilding infrastructure and aiding refugees. There are no plans at the moment for large ground scale advancement. This should take many months.

Audience question: So is Draskovic's removal from office a sign that Milosevic won't back down any time soon? How do you see this crisis ending?

Col. Mitchell: I think it was generally considered that Draskovic was NATO's big hope for an early ending to the crisis. His removal signals Milosevic's refusal to acknowledge the presence of legitimate opposition in his country. It is also indicative that he is loosing touch with the reality of his predicament. Yugoslav infrastructure is slowly being destroyed. The longer he waits the greater the problems of rebuilding the country once the issue is settled.

Audience question: In light of all the Reserves being called to duty, will there be a draft?

Col. Mitchell: There is very little chance that a draft would be instituted. In the Gulf war we called up 240,000 reserves without instituting the draft. So we have a long way to go to reach that number. It is interesting to note, however, that certain skilld people in the airforce are not permitted to leave the service when their time has expired. Their critical skills are keeping them longer than their terms of service due to their being needed in the current crisis. This indicates how difficult it is to be involved in more than one crisis and how we need to call up our reserves.

Audience question: Is Mr. Draskovic concerned with his safety?

Col. Mitchell: I don't know, but I would surmise that he is in no immediate danger because he has become a public international figure. Milosevic would gain nothing by killing him that he hasn't already gained by removing him from power. As a spokesperson for Yugoslavia he has been well spoken and heard. Now he has gone silent.

Audience question: Can you give us an update on the 3 POWs? Will Jesse Jackson will be able to help secure their freedom?

Col. Mitchell: The information we have from the POWs from their letters home and through the observations from the Red Cross is they are alive and in fairly good condition. They were in terrific shape at the time they were captured and that physical strength as well as their military training should serve them well in what promises to be prolonged captivity.

The Jackson mission is well intended, a noble gesture, but Jackson's appeal to Milosevic is destined to fail. He will use the POW's for propaganda purposes and try to convince the world they are being treated in compliance with the Geneva Convention. But, closer examination reveals at least 25 violations. Too many to be sure.

Audience question: Is the US really going to get 20,000 refugees? If so, how will initial medical care be given to these sick people after they arrive in the US?

Col. Mitchell: Their first destination is going to be Fort Dix, NJ, where they will be isolated and given medical treatment by a composite team of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. They will be given inoculations and vaccinations will be administered. Immediate medical attention will be given to those who are sick or in need of it. Those who come to the United States are the lucky ones. They will receive the best medical care and they will pose no threat to any community because of the excellent medical care they will receive. There should be no concern of the spread of disease to the general population.

The plight of the refugees remaining in Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro is indeed desperate. Relief agencies are warning that conditions in all 3 countries are ripe for major disasters. Over crowding can produce riots at anytime. And will surely lead to the spread of communicable diseases which under such conditions will kill many of the refugees. This is the most important issue on land in the regiotoday and it will continue to be NATO's biggest problem.

Audience question: Do you think Vuk Draskovic was fired so he could play good cop to Milosevic's bad cop in the negotiations?

Col. Mitchell: There is a theory which says you can play that game, but I don't believe that is the case in Yugoslavia. I am also certain in a post conflict era that Vuk Draskovic could well be a person NATO turns to for the restoration of a legitimate government in Yugoslavia. So he may not yet be out of the picture, but because of Milosevic's central authority fixation I don't think the good cop, bad cop card will be played. That was a great question.

Audience question: Will they ever send in ground troops it seems that the only way to end this is through ground troops?

Col. Mitchell: No matter what the pronouncements are today and no matter if the public polls in favor of ground troops begins to drop, ground troops will have to go into Kosovo so that the refugees can return without fear of Serbian attacks. If Milosevic refuses to capitulate after most of the air campaign, no matter how drastic the conditions in Yugoslavia, the issues will have to be settled with ground forces. Ground forces will have to be used to remove him from power.

What most planners are hoping for is war weariness among the Serbian people that will ultimately lead to such discontent with the quality of their lives that they will demand the overthrow of Milosevic and call for a replacement who can end the conflict. At the present time none of that is occurring. NATO would be wise to continue the planning of a significant ground force.

Audience question: According to KLA field bulletins, several more Serb soldiers have been captured. Have any more been turned over to NATO forces?

Col. Mitchell: To date there has been only 1 soldier turned over. He is in the custody of US Military police in Albania. We have received reports that other Serb Soldiers have been captured but they have not surfaced yet in any NATO camp. I doubt that they will.

CBS News hosts a regular chat forum on AOL every Monday through Thursday evening at 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm CT. Join us on AOL at Keyword: Live.