1968 - First pro-independence demonstrations by ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo, many arrested.
1974 - Yugoslav constitution redrawn, declares Kosovo an autonomous
province within Serbia.
1980 - Yugoslav leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito dies.
1981 - Ethnic Albanians hold street demonstrations demanding Kosovo
be declared a republic, dozens injured.
1989 - Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic strips Kosovo of
autonomy. More than 20 killed in protests.
1990 - Yugoslavia sends in troops to impose control. Serbia dissolves
Kosovo's government.
1991 - Separatists proclaim Kosovo a republic, which is recognized by
neighboring Albania.
1992 - Ibrahim Rugova, who advocates a peaceful path to
independence, elected president of separatist republic.
1996 - Pro-independence rebel Kosovo Liberation Army emerges, claims responsibility for bombing police targets.
Feb. 28, 1998 - Militant Kosovo Albanians kill two Serb policemen, leading to police reprisals by Milosevic, now the Yugoslav president.
March 1998 - Dozens killed in Serb police action against suspected Albanian separatists.
April 1998 - 95 percent of Serbs reject international mediation on Kosovo in referendum. International sanctions imposed against Yugoslavia.
May 1998 - Milosevic and Rugova hold talks for first time, but Albanian side boycotts further meetings.
July and August 1998 - KLA seizes control of 40 percent of Kosovo before being routed in Serb offensive.
September 1998 - Serb forces attack central Kosovo, where 22 Albanians found massacred. UN Security Council adopts resolution calling for immediate cease-fire and political dialogue.
October 1998 - NATO allies authorize airstrikes against Serb military targets, Milosevic agrees to withdraw troops and facilitate the return of tens of thousands of refugees. Belgrade agrees to allow 2,000 unarmed monitors to verify compliance.
October-December 1998 - US envoy Christopher Hill tries to broker political settlement. Scattered daily violence undermines fragile truce.
December 1998 - Yugoslav troops kill 36 KLA rebels. Six young Serbs killed in a cafe, prompting widespread Serb protests. Fighting in north kills at least 15.
Jan. 15, 1999 - 45 ethnic Albanians slain outside Racak, spurring international efforts for a peace settlement.
Jan. 29, 1999 - Serb police kill 24 Kosovo Albanians in a raid on a suspected rebel hideout. Western allies demand warring sides attend Kosovo peace conference or face NATO airstrikes.
Feb. 6-17, 1999 - First, inconclusive round of talks between Kosovo Albanians and Serbs in Rambouillet, France.
February-March 1999 - Yugoslav forces sweep through Macedonian border region, digging in across from where thousands of NATO forces gathering for a possible peacekeeping mission, and bombard KLA positions in the north. Rebels launch several attacks on Serbs.
March 18, 1999 - Kosovo Albanians unilaterally sign peace deal calling for a broad interim autonomy and 28,000 NATO troops to implement it. Serb delegation refuses and talks suspended.
March 20, 1999 - International peace monitors evacuate Kosovo, as Yugoslav forces buildup and launch offensives against rebels. NATO aircraft and ships ready for possible bombardments.
March 22, 1999 - US special envoy Richard Holbrooke visits Belgrade to warn Milosevic of airstrikes unless he signs peace agreement. Milosevic refuses to allow NATO troops in Yugoslavia.
March 23, 1999 - Holbrooke declares the talks have failed. NATO
authorizes airstrikes. Yugoslavia declares state of emergency - its first
since World War II.
