James W. Pardew

Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia

Pardew was appointed as the Secretary of Defense Representative to the U.S. Negotiating Team following a tragic vehicle accident in August, 1995 in Bosnia that killed his predecessor, Dr. Joseph Kruzel, and two other members of the Negotiating Team.^[5] Pardew participated directing in the negotiating process led by Ambassador Richard Holbrooke from his appointment until the parties reached an agreement at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio in November, 1995. He participated in the international signing ceremony hosted by President Jacques Chirac of France in Paris in December, 1995 as the representative of the Secretary of Defense.^[6]

Bosnia Train and Equip Program

Pardew was assigned to direct an interagency team in Washington in 1996 to implement an informal agreement between U.S. President Clinton and the Bosnian President Alija Izetbegović to assist the Bosnian Federation in developing a national defense system which would provide military security within Bosnia.

This unique endeavor, known as the Bosnian Train and Equip Program, consisted of staff officers from the Department of Defense, State Department and the Intelligence Community. Using international donor funding and equipment and equipment made available to the program by the U.S. Congress, the T&E program assisted the Federation in developing a defensive military capability which ultimately enabled U.S. and NATO forces to reduce their presence in Bosnia. Additionally, the program, valued at an estimated $500 million dollars USD, reduced the influence of extremist elements in the country, oriented Bosnia toward NATO and Europe and served as the basis for full military integration with Bosnia in a consolidated Ministry of Defense.

War and peace in Kosovo

From 1999-2001, Pardew was the Deputy Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for Democracy in the Balkans during the NATO conflict in Kosovo and the subsequent peace settlement. In that capacity, Pardew engaged directly in negotiations over Kosovo with President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia and with a variety of Kosovo political leaders. He was the Washington coordinator for the international Kosovo Verification Mission. Following the successful NATO bombing campaign, Pardew assisted in establishing U.S. and international civilian presences in Kosovo and in the development of local Kosovo institutions of government and security.

Ohrid Framework Agreement in Macedonia

Secretary of State Powell dispatched Ambassador Pardew to Macedonia in the early summer of 2001 to seek a solution to an ethnic conflict with the potential to escalate into a full-scale civil war with consequences for the entire region. Pardew, as the U.S. negotiator, joined with Francois Leotard of France, the European Union negotiator, to seek a peaceful settlement to the disputes. After weeks of negotiations in Skopje and at the Presidential retreat on Lake Ohrid, the parties agreed to the Framework Agreement for Macedonia. The Ohrid Agreement was signed by the parties and witnessed by Pardew and Leotard in August 2001.

U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria

During his tenure as the United States Ambassador to Bulgaria from 2002-2005, Bulgaria became a full member of NATO and completed all accession negotiations for European Union membership. Bulgaria also cooperated closely with the U.S in establishing a joint military training facility in Bulgaria and in destroying missiles and other military technology left over from the Cold War. In addition, Ambassador Pardew oversaw the completion of a new $70 million U.S Embassy complex in Sofia.

NATO: Afghanistan, Iraq, and the independence of Kosovo

Pardew was Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Operation and Crisis Management, Brussels, Belgium, from 2005-2008. During that period, he directed an international staff organization engaged in operational policy development for the Secretary General of NATO for NATO operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo and the NATO training mission in Iraq.

Based on his extensive background in Balkan conflicts, Pardew also participated in the international Contact Group deliberations dealing with international policy toward Kosovo as the NATO representative. He also provided NATO input to the United Nations organization with produced the Ahtisaari Plan resulting in the independence of Kosovo.