NATO encouraged by lack of inter-ethnic violence in Kosovo

Brussels - NATO is 'encouraged' by the fact that no inter-ethnic violence has broken out in Kosovo since the predominantly ethnic-Albanian province split from Serbia, the alliance's chief said Thursday. 'I think we should all be encouraged by what we have not seen inside Kosovo, since the declaration of independence: no inter-ethnic violence; no mass flows of refugees; no organised attacks on patrimonial sites,' said NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. NATO has been in Kosovo since 1999, when its 78-day air campaign ended inter-ethnic strife in the province, and currently has about 16,000 peacekeeping troops under a UN mandate. Noting that NATO 'has not the authority to recognize a country,' de Hoop Scheffer said the alliance's KFOR mission would 'continue to play its role' in protecting Kosovo's 'majority and minority alike.' More than 90 per cent of Kosovo's 2 million citizens are ethnic-Albanian. The Serb minorities are concentrated in the north, but there are also small Serb communities scattered around the province. Belgrade strongly opposes Kosovo's independence, which was declared on February 17, and is concerned that Serbian residents and holy sites may come under attack. The new state has already been recognized by the United States and by the majority of European capitals, but not by Russia. The secretary general was speaking at the start of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers which was focussing on the alliance's expansion into the Western Balkans. Albania, Croatia and Macedonia are already in NATO's Membership Action Plan (MAP) and hope to be invited into the alliance at a summit due to take place in Bucharest on April 2-4.

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TonyApr 28th, 2008 - 10:45:28

Whatever Liz. Stupidity has blinded you. I know the facts, along with 99% of the world. There is no point in leading you towards the truth. You and the rest of the Serbs are hopeless. I'm sorry I tried. It's apparent that the Serbs like to be isolated from the rest of the world, they can't even make up their mind if they want to be part of the EU or not. So back to the caves with you.....

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LizJul 11th, 2008 - 05:28:39

Tony, what you say reflects more about you and how pathetic a being you are. Again, you are to be pitied.

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