NATO To 're-examine' Kosovo Mission After Army Vote
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published December 14, 2018 | 07:48 PM
NATO will "re-examine" its 19-year-old mission in Kosovo, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Friday, after Pristina vowed to build an army in a move that inflamed tensions with Serbia.
Stoltenberg said he regretted the decision to create a professional army of 5,000 troops, hailed by many Kosovo Albanians as an assertion of statehood.
Peacekeeping forces led by NATO have guarded Kosovo since it broke away from Serbia in a bloody war in 1998-99, but Stoltenberg said that the 4,000-strong mission would now have to be reassessed.
"NATO supports the development of the Kosovo Security Force under its current mandate. With the change of mandate, the North Atlantic Council will now have to re-examine the level of NATO's engagement with the Kosovo Security Force," Stoltenberg said.
Belgrade has condemned the move, voicing alarm for the safety of 120,000 Serbs living in Albanian-majority Kosovo.
NATO's KFOR mission, which is more than 4,000 strong, down from a peak of 50,000 in 1999, has been deployed in Kosovo since the end of the 1998-99 war, which left more than 13,000 dead.
"All sides must ensure that today's decision will not further increase tensions in the region," said Stoltenberg, calling on "responsible political actors" to focus on dialogue.
"I reiterate my call on both Pristina and Belgrade to remain calm and refrain from any statements or actions which may lead to escalation." Kosovo and Serbia have struggled to make progress in faltering EU-led talks to normalise their ties.
The relationship took a serious plunge last month after Kosovo slapped a 100-percent tariff on Serbian goods in response to Belgrade's attempts to undermine it on the world stage.
Serbia has blocked Kosovo from various international organisations, including the United Nations, and also lobbied foreign governments to revoke their recognition of its statehood.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
At least 10 people killed in Brazil fire: officials
Shahzaib Rind calls on Deputy Speaker Balochistan
Ahsan chairs 13th CPEC-JCC preparatory meeting, reviews arrangements for high-le ..
DC Tharparkar inaugurates anti-polio campaign
HDA Mehran workers demand salaries
Taxila police nab motorcycle lifter gang
Inter-university weightlifting championship kicks off at SAU
Walk held in a series of enrollment campaigns
Team from Gaza mediator Egypt arrives in Israel for truce talks
Kids murders: IHC orders psychiatric examination of mother
Health minister credits PML-N for advancements in organ transplantation
Court grants interim bail to Azam Swati in cyber crime case
More Stories From World
-
At least 10 people killed in Brazil fire: officials
1 hour ago -
Team from Gaza mediator Egypt arrives in Israel for truce talks
1 hour ago -
Kenya flood death toll since March climbs to 70
1 hour ago -
Two Kyiv hospitals evacuating over feared Russian strikes
1 hour ago -
Junta-led Burkina Faso suspends BBC, Voice of America for two weeks
2 hours ago -
Romania court opens way for start of influencer Tate's trial
3 hours ago
-
Kenya flood death toll since March climbs to 70
3 hours ago -
At least 10 people killed in Brazil fire: officials
3 hours ago -
Russia targets Ukraine railways as Western aid due to arrive
3 hours ago -
Miner Anglo American rejects BHP's near $39-billion takeover bid
3 hours ago -
At least 10 people killed in Brazil fire: officials
3 hours ago -
Junta-led Burkina Faso suspends BBC, Voice of America for two weeks
3 hours ago