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

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