NATO has assessed that the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is a question for the Kosovo authorities.

A NATO official told Radio Free Europe on Thursday that "any change in the structure, mandate, and mission of the KSF will require constitutional amendments" and that it "supports the development of the force “under its current mandate."

The KSF s also described as "a professional, multi-ethnic force, and a source of regional stability," Beta reported.

This comes as the government in Pristina approved a draft law "to gradually transform the KSF."

Previous intentions to turn the KSF into an army have been opposed by Serbia, the Serbs in Kosovo, but also "failed to win support from Kosovo's Western partners," Radio Free Europe said.

The US embassy in Pristina reacted now by saying it was "not consulted on the timing of this announcement” and will have to "analyze the draft laws to understand their purpose and effect."

"The United States has always supported Kosovo's sovereign right to an army and has worked closely with Kosovo on how to achieve this. We have counseled a deliberate approach that keeps Kosovo in sync with our NATO Allies on this important step. We were not consulted on the timing of this announcement and will have to analyze the draft laws to understand their purpose and effect," the embassy said, concluding:

"We have been focusing our efforts the last several weeks on building a domestic consensus for the important Dialogue with Serbia. We continue to believe that normalization between Kosovo and Serbia is the most important step for progress in the immediate future."

See at:https://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2018&mm=09&dd=14&nav_id=105067