Kosovo 'mess' could spark ethnic violence: ex-KFOR chief 8 hours ago
LONDON (AFP) — The Kosovo situation is "a mess" that threatens to spill over into ethnic violence again, the man who first commanded NATO-led forces in the Serbian province said Sunday. General Sir Mike Jackson, the former British Army chief who commanded the Kosovo Force (KFOR) when it entered the province in June 1999, said there was a minefield ahead in which all parties must "tread carefully", in an article in the British weekly newspaper The Sunday Telegraph. Last-ditch talks between Serbia and ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo have failed and the southern province could soon declare independence once the United Nations deadline for sorting out its future expires on Monday. "It is, sadly, anything but clear: the Albanian Kosovars expect independence, which Belgrade refuses to concede. We should not underestimate the volatility of this situation," Jackson wrote. "While both Kosovar and Serb leaders claim to oppose the use of force to achieve their aims, the same cannot be said of the ethnic paramilitary groupings." UN Security Council resolution 1244 stipulated that Kosovo was to remain part of Serbia, but under UN administration. "At this point, we have a mess. It seems that UNSCR 1244 remains extant until the Security Council removes it -- but Russia will not allow this," Jackson said. "So what happens to the current UN mission in Kosovo? Do the staff of recognising countries leave, while those of non-recognising countries remain? What of KFOR? Will Kosovo qualify for UN membership? "All of this will provide much work for diplomats and lawyers -- but not, I fervently hope, for soldiers. "I do not believe the Serbs would be so foolish as to invade Kosovo in the face of KFOR, but I do fear further ethnic violence, and thus the need for KFOR reinforcement." NATO has said its 17,000 strong peacekeeping force would "resolutely" deal with any violence in Kosovo. "Perhaps the international community's aversion to boundary change should be re-examined in this case," Jackson added. "The largest concentration of Kosovo Serbs live north of the River Ibar, adjacent to Serbia proper. This small area was transferred from Serbia to Kosovo only 40 years ago. A restoration might have merit. "Overall, I suspect that the die is cast. Understandably, Kosovo's independence will go very hard in Serbia. "The Serbian government's current sad predicament is (former Yugoslav president Slobodan) Milosevic's wretched legacy, but all parties must now tread carefully. "If Kosovo's independence really is to be the last piece of the Balkan jigsaw, there must be an unprecedented generosity of spirit in all concerned." http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ie7RcMnMnejw01bISqr-E9r8sdWg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
