Šutanovac: Kosovo, region, stabilizing

Dragan Sutanovac, DS, says military cooperation with countries recognizing Kosovo must continue. The outgoing defense minister said today in Belgrade that although the cooperation with those states that have recognized Kosovo Albanians' unilateral independence declaration will be degraded, "it must survive". Sutanovac: Kosovo, region, stabilizing Moves that could have as a result a deterioration of relations for many years to come must not be made, Sutanovac continued, and said that "every kind of military cooperation is strategically important for the country". "Monday, I will travel to Algeria with a Ministry of Defense delegation, on a defense-economic visit. I must stress that this cooperation is based on experiences of Algerian officers who studied in Belgrade," he said. Sutanovac added Serbia clearly demonstrated its dissatisfaction with the recognition of Kosovo by some countries. "Of course, we express our political stance very clearly, we protest Kosovo's recognition. Cooperation is on a lower level, but it must survive, because it is simply not in Serbia's interest that it should end," the high ranking Democratic Party (DS) official said. Notwithstanding the deadly violence in Kosovska Mitrovica Monday, Sutanovac says the situation is stable, while "things are stabilizing in the region, not only in Kosovo". "We have on that day exerted maximum efforts to stabilize the situation. On the other hand, we really tried to, in communication with KFOR, influence that there was no use of excessive force and to avoid fatalities," he continued. Sutanovac once again expressed his regret that there were victims. After KFOR and UNMIK troops stormed a local court in Kosovska Mitrovica where Serb judicial workers were protesting, violence spread to other parts of the town, killing one Ukrainian policeman and seriously wounding one Serb who is still in a coma. More than 130 people were injured on both sides. "I think this is a serious lesson for all those who have taken for granted the possibility [that they can] solve something with tensions," Sutanovac was quoted. "Loss of human life is something we must not allow under any circumstances". Sutanovac attends an army ceremony in the western Serbian town of Valjevo Saturday (FoNet)

Šutanovac: Kosovo, region, stabilizing

Moves that could have as a result a deterioration of relations for many years to come must not be made, Šutanovac continued, and said that "every kind of military cooperation is strategically important for the country".

"Monday, I will travel to Algeria with a Ministry of Defense delegation, on a defense-economic visit. I must stress that this cooperation is based on experiences of Algerian officers who studied in Belgrade," he said.

Šutanovac added Serbia clearly demonstrated its dissatisfaction with the recognition of Kosovo by some countries.

"Of course, we express our political stance very clearly, we protest Kosovo's recognition. Cooperation is on a lower level, but it must survive, because it is simply not in Serbia's interest that it should end," the high ranking Democratic Party (DS) official said.

Notwithstanding the deadly violence in Kosovska Mitrovica Monday, Šutanovac says the situation is stable, while "things are stabilizing in the region, not only in Kosovo".

"We have on that day exerted maximum efforts to stabilize the situation. On the other hand, we really tried to, in communication with KFOR, influence that there was no use of excessive force and to avoid fatalities," he continued.

Šutanovac once again expressed his regret that there were victims.

After KFOR and UNMIK troops stormed a local court in Kosovska Mitrovica where Serb judicial workers were protesting, violence spread to other parts of the town, killing one Ukrainian policeman and seriously wounding one Serb who is still in a coma. More than 130 people were injured on both sides.

"I think this is a serious lesson for all those who have taken for granted the possibility [that they can] solve something with tensions," Šutanovac was quoted. "Loss of human life is something we must not allow under any circumstances".