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| James Foggo |
The Commander of NATO Forces headquartered in Naples, American Admiral James Foggo said on Wednesday in Skopje that "the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is a sovereign decision to be taken by Kosovo's deputies".
He made these comments after meeting with Macedonian Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska."Kosovo is a democratic state, as you are and as is Serbia. In democracy you choose people who will make decisions on your behalf. The transformation of Kosovo's security forces is a sovereign decision that Kosovo parliament must take," he said, underlining that "we are prepared for any decision that Parliament will bring this week. We are there to guarantee Kosovo's security," he said, answering the question about the Alliance's position on Kosovo's plans for adopting legal changes that will enable the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into its army.
The Kosovo Parliament is expected to convene to adopt these changes Friday, December 14th.
Last week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Kosovo "will face serious consequences if it continues to transform the Kosovo Security Force into its army."
Stoltenberg said this process is happening in an "inappropriate period. This goes beyond the consultations of many NATO officials, and may have serious consequences for the future of the Euro-Atlantic integration of Kosovo."
He said that if Kosovo concludes the transformation of the Security Force, then "NATO will consider its commitment to Kosovo", but for that must decide the Council of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Pristina, Philip Kosnett, said on Thursday that the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into the Armed Forces is a positive step and it is more natural for Kosovo as a sovereign and independent country to have self-defense capabilities.
In an interview to Radio Television of Kosovo, he said that "Washington has consistently supported the development of the KSF and its development in the Armed Forces. The United States has invested a lot of money; we spent a lot of time training; we have done many exchanges between the KSF and the US Army. We think that the evolution of KSF in the Armed Forces of Kosovo is a positive step and it is more natural for Kosovo as a sovereign, independent country to have self-defense capabilities. "
On Wednesday, the British ambassador to Kosovo, Ruairi O'Connell, said his country supports the establishment of the Kosovo army.
Voting warning on Friday has fueled Belgrade's angry reaction. Even Serbian Prime Minister Ana Bregadic said last week that "the use of the army" is one of the possibilities if Kosovo continues with the plans for the formation of its army ", for which Belgrade claims that its main goal is to" take the north Kosovo Serb majority and expel Serbs from there. "
Such allegations have been dismissed from Pristina. Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said that the creation of the Kosovo Army is not about militarization of the country, but according to him is a deliberate propaganda by Serbia.
"It is not dedicated to the creation of an attack army in the north. It's their lie as they know how to do it and make mistakes that intimidate the Serbian people. We will undertake clarifying actions for Kosovo Serbs, "he said among other things.
The Kosovo Security Force, which will continue with the same name, is expected to have 5,000 active troops and 3,000 lightly armed reserve.
Authorities in Kosovo claim that the establishment of the army will be a process that will last 10 years and will not replace NATO forces that continue to have about 1,000 troops, some of which are Americans.
NATO settled in Kosovo in 1999 at the end of its airstrike to end the atrocities of Serbian forces in Kosovo.
Nine years after the intervention, in February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence with the support of the United States and the main European Union countries.
Serbia continues to oppose its independence but is involved in a process of normalizing relations with Kosovo as a condition for European integrations. But talks on this normalization have stalled, and a new crisis has included them after Kosovo's decision to set a 100 percent tax to Serbian goods as a reaction to the allegedly aggressive campaign of Serbia against Kosovo's statehood.