Serbia has requested permission from NATO security force KFOR to send its own security forces to Kosovo. Police officers and soldiers should be stationed in areas in the north of the country inhabited by the Serbian minority to “reduce ethnic tensions there,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on state television on Thursday.
At the same time, the head of state stressed that he was well aware that NATO would reject the request. In principle, the KFOR deployed in Kosovo can authorize hundreds of Serbian security forces – but only for a few activities, such as protecting religious sites or joint border surveillance. General security tasks, for example in Serbian settlement areas, are excluded.
On Thursday, Kosovo applied to become a member of the European Union – above all a symbolic act, because five EU countries also do not accept Kosovo as an independent state. Formally, the country only has an “EU accession perspective”. Serbia strongly refuses to recognize the independence of the former Yugoslav province of Kosovo, which was declared in 2008.
Local elections postponed
Only a few days ago it was announced that the local elections in northern Kosovo, originally scheduled for December 18 and 25, will be postponed to April. The reason is increasing ethnic tensions. At the same time, these had made the new elections necessary in the first place.
Source: Krone
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