BELGRADE (Serbia), December 18 (SeeNews) – The decision of the government in Pristina to transform the Kosovo Security Force into a full-fledged army has further worsened relations with Serbia and the two countries should avoid any steps that could heighten tensions, a senior UN official said.
Serbia and Kosovo need to find ways to re-engage in the dialogue aimed at the normalisation of their relations, Jean Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations said, according to a UN press release issued late on Monday.
The UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is working closely with the NATO-led international peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR), and focusing on inter-community trust building, which is essential for the long-term normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, Lacroix said during an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council called to consider the decision of Kosovo's government to form a national army.
The meeting was requested by Serbia and Russia and was held in the presence of presidents Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia and Hashim Thaci of Kosovo.
Vucic called on the UN to assume a greater role in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1244. "We have nothing against the dialogue being under the auspices of the EU, but we want the United Nations to get more involved in the process," Vucic said at the meeting, streamed live on the website of the UN Security Council late on Monday.
Last week, Kosovo's parliament adopted three laws for initiating the process of KSF transformation into a professional army, finalising the full internal consolidation of the Republic of Kosovo.
The decision of the parliament in Pristina was backed by the US, while NATO warned that it was ill-timed, as it risks heightening tensions with Serbia which does not recognise the independence of Kosovo. A spokesperson for the European Commission commented that "like NATO, the European Union continues to share the view that the mandate of the KSF should only be changed through an inclusive and gradual process in accordance with Kosovo constitution."
"It was a normal, legal, just decision. If Kosovo was wrong in something, it was because it waited for five years for the formation of an army. The decision is delayed, but it is by no means wrong. We were late because we waited for the goodwill of those who had not shown it so far," Thaci said at the UN Security Council meeting.
Thaci dismissed Belgrade's accusations that the decision violated Resolution 1244. "Paragraph 15 of the Resolution speaks only of the demilitarisation of the UCK [Kosovo Liberation Army], which was completed in a record-short time in September 1999, without any accident," Thaci said.
On Friday, UN chief Antonio Guterres “noted with concern” Kosovo’s adoption of the draft laws to strengthen its Security Force, reiterating that only KFOR has the responsibility to ensure a safe and secure environment in the country, and calling on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from any actions that could raise tensions.
The EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina talks began in March 2011. Serbia claims Kosovo as its southern province under UN administration, and does not recognise its independence. Kosovo considers Serbia as a neighboring state.