Change of situation in north through force "unacceptable"

Source: Tanjug

WASHINGTON -- Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac on Thursday met with U.S. Assistant Defense Secretary Alexander Vershbow, Tanjug news agency reported.

Dragan Šutanovac (file)

According to this, Šutanovac said that any unilateral measure which would change the situation in the field in northern Kosovo through force was "completely unacceptable".

During the visit to the U.S. Defense Ministry, Šutanovac and Vershbow discussed the Kosovo and Metohija issue after the unilateral action of the Kosovo Albanian authorities over the checkpoints in the north, said the reports, and Šutanovac voiced Serbia's stands regarding the current situation.

According to a release issued by the U.S. Defense Ministry, Vershbow "agreed that the solution to the Kosovo crisis should be sought by diplomatic and peaceful means, and he backed the activities of Serbian top government officials aimed at resolving the crisis by continuing the Belgrade-Priština dialogue".

Šutanovac underscored that cooperation with KFOR in the field would continue, adding that "this situation shows that Serbia opposes a reduction of KFOR forces".

During the visit to the U.S. Defense Ministry, Minister Šutanovac also conferred with Chief of the U.S. National Guard Bureau General Craig McKinley and Commander of the Ohio National Guard Adjutant General Deborah Ashenhurst.

Šutanovac informed the U.S. officials about the current political and security situation in Kosovo and Metohija and underscored the importance of reducing tensions, reaching an interim agreement and re-opening of the dialogue, and underscored that unilateral actions are not in the interest of either side nor are they conducive to preserving peace in the region.

General McKinley assessed that the Serbian side "did good when it used all available peaceful and diplomatic means because this is the only way to find right solutions", said Tanjug. The talks also covered military cooperation between the U.S. and Serbia.