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.
Leader of the opposition Movement of Free Citizens (PSG), Sasa Jankovic told USA State Department official Wess Mitchell “it is an illusion that Kosovo issue can be solved in a dictatorship instead democracy,” Serbian media reported.
Jankovic also added “Mitchell leaves the Balkans obviously more concerned than when he arrived.”
Jankovic said that the Association of Serb Municipalities, the collective rights of Serbs and extraterritoriality of monasteries are achievable.
Senior US official Wess Mitchell confirmed America’s support for the establishment of a regular army in Kosovo during his visit to Serbia – which strongly opposes the idea.
US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell reaffirmed Washington’s support for the establishment of a Kosovo army after a meeting with Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vucic, on Wednesday.
USA Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, Wess Mitchell urged both parties to implement the obligations from the Brussels agreement, Serbian media reported.
Speaking at a press conference, following the meeting with the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Mitchell said that Kosovo has the right to establish professional forces that would deal with security, and it would be no threat to Serbia and Serbs.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he had "a good, open, content-rich and important conversation" with a visiting US State department official.
According to Vucic, the conversation with Wess Mitchell was important for relations between Serbia and the United States, and they talked about several topics, but above all about Kosovo and Metohija.
Serbia's First Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has met with US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell.
During the meeting in Belgrade late on Tuesday, they spoke about the topics related to regional stability, European path of Serbia and the continuation of the Brussels dialogue, the government announced.
Chairman of the Committee for KiM Milovan Drecun told RTS that senior US official Wess Mitchell has come to send a message that the Kosovo issue will be treated in the context of their geopolitical confrontation with Russia and that they will continue to have a one-sided approach to the Kosovo problem.
Milovan Drecun says that it is clear that there is no "American package for Kosovo" about which the media speculates.
The US "package" for Kosovo will put Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic in "a very delicate position."
That's according to Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti, which adds that "the package" could be presented to Serbian officials on Wednesday, when US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell will visit Pristina, and then Belgrade.