Tadić, Army discuss Kosovo

Boris Tadic and the chiefs of staff have been looking at ways to counter violence, and deemed the situation in the south as stable. The president and Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac attended a meeting of Army Headquarters chiefs of staff and the commanders of units and brigades, where they discussed current measures for dealing with emergency situations. Tadic, Army discuss Kosovo However, Sutanovac did not divulge many of the details of the meeting, and in a concise statement, he said that he and the president had been informed of the Army’s recent activities and of the security situation in the country. According to the statement, Lieutenant Zdravko Ponos told Tadic and Sutanovac that the security situation in south Serbia in the Ground Safety Zone was stable, and stressed the significance of the hitherto good relations between the army and KFOR. Even though, as was stated, measures had been considered to avert emergency situations, the defense minister did not go into any further details. “Apart from the fact that it was a detailed conversation, and that we discussed serious plans affecting not just the current situation, but also serious plans for the future development of Serbia’s and the Serbian Army’s defense system, I can tell you no more. The current situation is always a theme, but, there is nothing in particular to suggest any specific engagements in the next few days,” he maintained. Also on Tuesday, after a meeting with the Romanian defense minister, Sutanovac said that he had received firm assurances from KFOR and NATO that international forces would prevent any outbreak of violence. “There is a latent danger of violence and conflict in Kosovo, but all the relevant actors who have troops within the international contingent in Kosovo, from ministers to generals in charge of NATO and KFOR, have given me firm assurances that there won’t be any surprises, but that they will act and prevent any conflict,” the defense minister told daily Vecernje Novosti. Asked whether there was any possibility of the Serbian Army entering Kosovo and protecting the Serbs there in the event of the Albanians attacking northern Kosovska Mitrovica, he said that the army would never come to blows with KFOR. “Among all these scenarios, the only illogical one is clashing with KFOR, that would involve once again clashing with the international community,” Sutanovac stated. The defense minister said that “16,500 highly-trained KFOR troops” were stationed in Kosovo, “who were there to create a buffer between the Serbs and Albanians.” “If KFOR engages in a manner and degree that it can, there will be no need for others to react,” he assured. Sutanovac concluded by saying that he did not expect a decision on Kosovo’s status to be taken until the spring, and reiterated that the Kosovo crisis could not be solved through war. Ponos, Sutanovac and Tadic (Tanjug)

Tadić, Army discuss Kosovo

However, Šutanovac did not divulge many of the details of the meeting, and in a concise statement, he said that he and the president had been informed of the Army’s recent activities and of the security situation in the country.

According to the statement, Lieutenant Zdravko Ponoš told Tadić and Šutanovac that the security situation in south Serbia in the Ground Safety Zone was stable, and stressed the significance of the hitherto good relations between the army and KFOR.

Even though, as was stated, measures had been considered to avert emergency situations, the defense minister did not go into any further details.

“Apart from the fact that it was a detailed conversation, and that we discussed serious plans affecting not just the current situation, but also serious plans for the future development of Serbia’s and the Serbian Army’s defense system, I can tell you no more. The current situation is always a theme, but, there is nothing in particular to suggest any specific engagements in the next few days,” he maintained.

Also on Tuesday, after a meeting with the Romanian defense minister, Šutanovac said that he had received firm assurances from KFOR and NATO that international forces would prevent any outbreak of violence.

“There is a latent danger of violence and conflict in Kosovo, but all the relevant actors who have troops within the international contingent in Kosovo, from ministers to generals in charge of NATO and KFOR, have given me firm assurances that there won’t be any surprises, but that they will act and prevent any conflict,” the defense minister told daily Večernje Novosti.

Asked whether there was any possibility of the Serbian Army entering Kosovo and protecting the Serbs there in the event of the Albanians attacking northern Kosovska Mitrovica, he said that the army would never come to blows with KFOR.

“Among all these scenarios, the only illogical one is clashing with KFOR, that would involve once again clashing with the international community,” Šutanovac stated.

The defense minister said that “16,500 highly-trained KFOR troops” were stationed in Kosovo, “who were there to create a buffer between the Serbs and Albanians.”

“If KFOR engages in a manner and degree that it can, there will be no need for others to react,” he assured.

Šutanovac concluded by saying that he did not expect a decision on Kosovo’s status to be taken until the spring, and reiterated that the Kosovo crisis could not be solved through war.