Italian party: Withdrawal of KFOR from Serb monasteries - hasty and thoughtless

The decision to withdraw Italian troops is hasty and thoughtless, Italian opposition Democratic Party MP Sandro Gozi has said.

He added that Kosovo Albanians had destroyed 150 Serb churches in Kosovo over the past 12 years, despite the presence of NATO troops. Their withdrawal will only increase tension, said Gozi.

According to previous announcements, KFOR will hand over the guarding of the Serb monasteries of Gracanica, Gorioc and Budisavci in Kosovo to the local police by the end of August.

Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa has clarified that the Italian government did not make any unilateral decisions in regard to Kosovo, but that it is acting only within the framework of international agreements and the current mandate, Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported.

The decision to hand over the guarding of monasteries to the Kosovo police had caused reaction in Belgrade. Representatives of the authorities and the Serbian Orthodox Church agree that the decision may have unforeseeable negative consequences and that it is premature.

Recently, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that this decision jeopardizes the safety of monasteries and called on the decision-makers in the province to be guided by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244.