Serbia should not agree with the formation of the Kosovo army even at the cost of EU integration, said former US ambassador to Serbia William Montgomery.
“Enough is enough”, Montgomery answered when asked by Tanjug how he sees messages delivered to Belgrade by US State Department official Wess Mitchel, including the open support of the US to the Kosovo Army.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday criticized the idea to create an army in Kosovo.
"The creation of armed forces of Kosovo - a structure that has never in any way approached a state structure - is making the situation even more tense," Zakharova said at a regular press conference, commenting on the statements made this week by US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Wess Mitchell.
The extraordinary session of the Kosovo Assembly scheduled for yesterday was postponed in order to ensure the presence of the majority of MPs required for the ratification of the agreement on the demarcation with Montenegro.
The postponement was requested by Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj.
Haradinaj says that all issues that have so far been part of the dialogue in Brussels have no weight, because the main question between Kosovo and Serbia has not been resolved, and that is Kosovo's recognition by Serbia.
Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj was a guest in TV Show "Slobodno Srpski" on Sunday night; among the reasons is the first 100 days of the government that he is in charge.
Former KLA commander and Deputy Minister of the Security Forces of Kosovo Agim Ceku told RTV Kim in the TV Show ''Dogovor!?'' that he is ready to defend himself before the Special Court, in case he would be one of the war crimes suspects, reports KIM radio portal.
Agim Ceku is just one of the Albanian officials mentioned by media in Kosovo and Serbia as potential suspect before the court, reports KIM radio.
Srpska Lista rejected all insinuations that its representatives are negotiating with the authorities in Pristina on the transformation of the Kosovo security forces into armed forces, and said their stance in this regard is clear and unchanged, RTS reported.
This reaction came following the statement of the Kosovo deputy minister of defence, Agim Ceku, who said there are talks with the Srpska Lista on the transformation of the Kosovo security forces into the armed forces.
Belgrade based daily Danas writes today that the Haradinaj government's program does not specify a concrete plan for transforming the Kosovo security forces into the armed forces.
Danas recalls that Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has declared that the EU will grant visa liberalization for Kosovo in March "right after the celebration of the tenth anniversary of independence," and that the Kosovo army will be formed the same month.
NATO, neither have plans to leave Kosovo nor to reduce the presence there, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today, Blic daily reported.
“We have no plans to leave Kosovo. KFOR plays an important role in Kosovo and help secure stability and peace. Any reduction of the mission would depend on the situation on the ground. It is not on the agenda now. We are following the situation, and the situation is as such now that the presence of NATO is necessary,” Blic quoted NATO SG Stoltenberg.
The attack on the homes of Serb members of the Kosovo Security Forces, this morning was "harshly" condemned by the municipality of Zubin Potok, describing it as a "act of vandalism", reports RTK2.
Serbia is against the establishment of the so-called Kosovo army and has strong legal grounds for such stance, Serbian Government Office for Kosovo Director, Marko Djuric told the SRNA news agency.
These grounds are based on the UN SC Resolution 1244 and Kumanovo Military-Technical Agreement.
He reminded that KFOR is the only army in Kosovo and theoretically, upon NATO approval, it can be the Army of Serbia.