Spain to maintain KFOR contingent

Spain’s decision not to recognize Kosovo will not stop it from participating in KFOR, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in Madrid yesterday. “NATO does not get involved in recognition, that’s not its mission, and Spain’s position on the matter is by no means out of line,” de Hoop Scheffer told a joint press conference with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. Spain to maintain KFOR contingent “Recognition (of Kosovo independence) is a legitimate position, but so too is non-recognition,” he said. The NATO chief stressed that KFOR forces were deployed in Kosovo to “bring security and stability to all Kosovars, be they Serbs or Albanians, minority or majority.” Around 40 of the UN’s 192 members have thus far recognized the province’s independence declaration of February 17, including the U.S. and leading EU states, while Serbia, with Russia’s support, opposes the move, reports AFP. Spain, faced with Basque and Catalan separatist movements, opposes Kosovo independence, and deems the unilateral independence declaration to be a breach of international law, and sees it as a potential source of tension in the Balkans. In spite of Madrid’s position on the matter, the government has nonetheless decided to retain its contingent of 585 soldiers within KFOR, leading to criticism in the country that their position lacks principle. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (FoNet, archive)

Spain to maintain KFOR contingent

“Recognition (of Kosovo independence) is a legitimate position, but so too is non-recognition,” he said.

The NATO chief stressed that KFOR forces were deployed in Kosovo to “bring security and stability to all Kosovars, be they Serbs or Albanians, minority or majority.”

Around 40 of the UN’s 192 members have thus far recognized the province’s independence declaration of February 17, including the U.S. and leading EU states, while Serbia, with Russia’s support, opposes the move, reports AFP.

Spain, faced with Basque and Catalan separatist movements, opposes Kosovo independence, and deems the unilateral independence declaration to be a breach of international law, and sees it as a potential source of tension in the Balkans.

In spite of Madrid’s position on the matter, the government has nonetheless decided to retain its contingent of 585 soldiers within KFOR, leading to criticism in the country that their position lacks principle.