VS: Military neutrality feasible

VS Chief-of-Staff Miloje Miletic says it is possible for Serbia to maintain military neutrality given the current balance of geopolitical forces in the world. “That’s illustrated by the existence of European countries that aren’t members of military-political alliances, but who are actively involved in the collective security system,” Miletic told daily Vecernje Novosti. VS: Military neutrality feasible Asked about criticisms that neither the National Security Strategy nor the Defense Strategy states whether Serbia should join NATO or remain militarily neutral, he said that the Serbian Army (VS) acted on the basis of decisions taken by parliament, which had adopted a resolution on military neutrality. Miletic added that any changes in that area were in parliament’s remit. Asked what currently constituted the biggest threat to the country’s security, the chief-of-staff replied that “not just for Serbia and the region, but for the whole of Europe, the greatest security challenge is the secession attempt by the autonomous province of Kosovo.” He said that security in Serbia and the region was much better than in previous years, but that it was still affected, to a great extent, by problems from the past. “National, religious, political extremism, besides the existing economic hardships are hampering democratization and transition for states in the Balkans,” Miletic said. Asked how great a threat to Serbia the Kosovo Security Forces were, the chief-of-staff responded that the force’s 2,500, chiefly lightly-armed members did not currently constitute a military threat to Serbia. “However, in the longer term, it could be a potential source of instability,” he said, adding that “creating new armed formations, which are not envisioned by UN resolution 1244 or any other international agreement, upsets the balance of forces in this region.” Asked about the initiative to do away with the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ), Miletic said that “certain political consultations on redefining the military-technical agreement with KFOR” were under way, adding though that it was hard to say when anything like that might happen for the time being. The chief-of-staff said that the VS was ready to assume control in the GSZ, stressing that the conditions were now in place to scrap the zone, as, he said, the situation had changed substantially in the last 10 years. “From a position of opposing sides, we’ve built a position of partnership relations,” he said. Speaking of the impact of the economic crisis, Miletic said that it would not halt reform of the VS, and that he expected Serbia to have a professional army by 2011 at the latest.

VS: Military neutrality feasible

Asked about criticisms that neither the National Security Strategy nor the Defense Strategy states whether Serbia should join NATO or remain militarily neutral, he said that the Serbian Army (VS) acted on the basis of decisions taken by parliament, which had adopted a resolution on military neutrality.

Miletić added that any changes in that area were in parliament’s remit.

Asked what currently constituted the biggest threat to the country’s security, the chief-of-staff replied that “not just for Serbia and the region, but for the whole of Europe, the greatest security challenge is the secession attempt by the autonomous province of Kosovo.”

He said that security in Serbia and the region was much better than in previous years, but that it was still affected, to a great extent, by problems from the past.

“National, religious, political extremism, besides the existing economic hardships are hampering democratization and transition for states in the Balkans,” Miletić said.

Asked how great a threat to Serbia the Kosovo Security Forces were, the chief-of-staff responded that the force’s 2,500, chiefly lightly-armed members did not currently constitute a military threat to Serbia.

“However, in the longer term, it could be a potential source of instability,” he said, adding that “creating new armed formations, which are not envisioned by UN resolution 1244 or any other international agreement, upsets the balance of forces in this region.”

Asked about the initiative to do away with the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ), Miletić said that “certain political consultations on redefining the military-technical agreement with KFOR” were under way, adding though that it was hard to say when anything like that might happen for the time being.

The chief-of-staff said that the VS was ready to assume control in the GSZ, stressing that the conditions were now in place to scrap the zone, as, he said, the situation had changed substantially in the last 10 years.

“From a position of opposing sides, we’ve built a position of partnership relations,” he said.

Speaking of the impact of the economic crisis, Miletić said that it would not halt reform of the VS, and that he expected Serbia to have a professional army by 2011 at the latest.