"Kosovo armed forces unacceptable to Serbia"

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- The Serbian government expressed its "concern over the decision by the provisional authorities in Kosovo to form Kosovo armed forces and a defense ministry."

(Beta, file)

The government stressed after it met in Belgrade on Thursday that "only the international forces under KFOR have the mandate to cover all the military and security aspects in Kosovo."
"Priština's activities towards transforming the so called Kosovo Security Force into a typical military force are unacceptable to Serbia and constitute a violation of the standing UN Security Council Resolution 1244," the government said.

These activities lead to a destabilization of the situation in Kosovo and go against the normalization of the relations between Belgrade and Priština, the government stated.

UN: NATO has mandate

NATO's international security forces have the mandate to maintain security in Kosovo, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Thursday in a statement to Tanjug.

Referring to the announcements regarding the formation of armed forces of Kosovo, Haq confirmed that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office "took note of that," and added that under UN SC Resolution 1244, international security forces maintain order in this area.

Aleksandar Vulin, Serbia's minister without portfolio in charge of Kosovo, said earlier on Thursday that the Serbian government will call for an emergency session of the UNSC due to announcements concerning the formation of armed forces of Kosovo and Metohija and deterioration of the security and political situation in that area.

Vulin believes that the announcements that Kosovo security forces could be turned into a Kosovo army should give a cause for concern to the entire international community.

"That is unacceptable and contrary to Resolution 1244, which clearly states that there can be no army in the area of Kosovo and Metohija. That is the territory under the UN administration and only one armed force can exist, and that is KFOR," Vulin said.