Spanish opposition calls for immediate retreat of troops from Kosovo

Spanish opposition calls for immediate retreat of troops from Kosovo

Spain's opposition Popular Party (PP) has demanded immediate retreat of Spanish troops from Kosovo now that the new Kosovo Constitution has come into force as a result of of its unilateral declaration of independence.

The Constitution has invested the Serbian province with the powers of a state, while leaving the supervision of justice and police, as well as border control, to the international community.

The PP spokeswoman for the Parliament's Defence Committee Beatriz Rodríguez-Salmones said the Government must be "coherent" in its policy.

"The Government has not recognized the independance of Kosovo, therefore Spain must take steps for a careful retreat of the Spanish military from the region", Rodríguez-Salmones said.

She warned the Government that, keeping the Spanish military in Kosovo on the basis of some "semantics" was tantamount to "endorsing the legitimacy of a State that we do not recognize".

Rodríguez-Salmones, a PP member of Parliament, also said that the situation in Kosovo "has got worse since the unilateral declaration of independence".

"A large number of States have not recognized it, and that means that Spain must avoid walking on razor's edge and keep in Kosovo a mission that is contrary to the UN law", she said.

The PP member of Parliament therefore demanded that the Government "give up ambiguous speeches" and "big declarations of friendship with Serbia" and rather pull the Spanish military out of Kosovo "if we keep not recognizing it as an independent State".

She also emphasized that she will require some explanation from Defence Minister Carmen Chacón on June 30th, when she will be addressing the Defence Committee of the Parliament to present the guidelines of the Defence Ministry's policy in the years to come.

Spain has 621 soldiers in Kosovo at the moment, according to official governmental figures.

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