Commander of KFOR, Major General Salvatore Cuoci told Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti in an interview that the decision on the formation of the armed forces of Kosovo is a decision of the Kosovo institutions, in accordance with constitutional procedures, and that KFOR continues to monitor the future of the KSF.
Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Kosovar authorities were trying to create a "fake juridical" ground for creation of Kosovo armed forces.
Most media report that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has sent a letter to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and NATO member states on the eve of the NATO summit, explaining the process of the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF). The summit, among other issues, is also expected to discuss Thaci’s initiative to amend the law on the Kosovo Security Force.
British historian, reporter and publicist, James Pettifer, wrote on his Twitter account today that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci’s decision to undertake all necessary actions for transforming the Kosovo Security Force into the Kosovo Armed Forces will help regional stability. “Good. A long overdue move which will help regional stability,” Pettifer tweeted.
President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, said that the process for establishment of Kosovo armed forces has not stalled but that there were unfortunate delays in the process. In an interview, Thaçi said it is very important that in the ongoing internal dialogue, representatives of Kosovo Serbs are not against the idea of establishing armed forces but that they insist on certain conditions being met. “I believe we will find an acceptable solution in the near future in order to have truly multiethnic and functional armed forces”, Thaçi said.
The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP Vjosa Osmani said that creation of Kosovo Armed Forces does not depend on the Serbian List MPs. “If we want an army, we can do this in a day. A name does not make an army but the weaponry, number, function, and competencies”, she said.
The US has been actively lobbying the idea of Kosovo joining NATO’s Partnership for Peace program. Kosovo’s president Hashim Thaci, who after a visit to the United States last year said that Washington approved the idea of establishing a Kosovo army operating under NATO, might now be happy about the new developments.
In June, will be two years since the last parliamentary elections in Kosovo, where Serbs voted for the Serbian list which represents them in the Kosovo Assembly. During this period the Serbian MPS have been faced with many challenges, but these days, the Law on the Army of Kosovo is one of the current challenges, the adoption of which would open the door to formation of the Armed Forces.
Top officials of Kosovo's Government, starting from the President and the Prime Minister, once again intensify the issue of transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into the Armed Forces.
Representatives of the Serbian List argue that no-one talked with them about the formation of the army of Kosovo. They add that the stand of the Serbian list remains the same, i.e. that they are against the transformation.
Kosovo Serb MP Nenad Rasic told the news site today that no one has informed or consulted Serb MPs about the voting on the law that will transform the Kosovo Security Force into the Kosovo Armed Forces. “Lately, we haven’t discussed this issue in the Serbian List, but our position remains the same. No one has discussed the matter with Serb representatives in Kosovo’s institutions … We have presented no conditions, and there have been no discussions or informative meetings. Kosovo’s authorities have not discussed the matter with Serb representatives.