15 minutes agoRKS, NATO plates: Send additional troops in case of tensions in the north
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)NATO is willing to increase the number of troops in Kosovo, if there are increasing tensions among the Serb minority, regarding the Kosovo Government's decision to register cars with RKS ʹ Republic of Kosovo license plates. “We are vigilant and willing to act... if we have increased tensions, but [...]
“We are vigilant and willing to act... if we have increasing tensions, but we can also increase the number of reserve forces... we can make this decision in a short time”, NATO Mission deputy commander in Kosovo (KFOR) Luca Piper said.
He made those statements before journalists at KFOR headquarters in Pristina.
The situation in northern Kosovo has been tense on July 31st, a day before the Kosovo government began implementing the decision on entry/exit documents and registration of car plates in the RKS.
Local Serbs have placed barricades on the roads leading to border crossings between Kosovo and Serbia, Jarinje and Brnjak.
Due to tensions, and at the request of international mechanisms, the Government of Kosovo had postponed implementing the decision for a month and the barricades were later removed.
Meanwhile, the parties have agreed on the issue of the documents for entry/ exits, while the decision to register cars has entered into force on September 1st and will last until October 31st.
Authorities in Kosovo have offered no details as to how they will act after the deadline is expired.
In Kosovo it is estimated that there are about 10,000 Kosovo city license plates mostly KM (Kosovo Mitrovica), which Serbia releases.
Kosovo considers these illegal plates, since Pristina and Belgrade have agreements on freedom of movement since 2011.
Piper has said the situation is currently calm, but fragile, so NATO does not rule out the possibility of new tensions, or violence, when the registration deadline expires on October 31st.
If the situation gets worse, we are ready to intervene, we are willing to be between protesters and security organisations”, he has said.
We have enough force to deal with the situation. With such a number of troops, we can end any type of tension”, Piper said, referring to troops outside Kosovo that could engage NATO as reinforcements.
Authorities in Serbia have said such decisions by the Government of Kosovo are aimed at ousting Serbs from the north of Kosovo.
However, they have not presented a test for such claims.
The dialogue on normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia started in 2011.
The sides have signed several agreements, but not all have been implemented.
Kosovo insists that dialogue be finalised with mutual recognition, until Serbia cites compromise solutions. / REL
