Halbauer: No military solution for northern Kosovo

Describing the present situation in Kosovo as peaceful and stable, with the exception of the Serb-majority north where it is peaceful and tense, the German general said the security situation in the four municipalities in the north is moving n a positive direction. KFOR will not meddle in the political process and the enforcement of law and order which is the duty of the Kosovo police and EULEX, but we will go into action if security is jeopardized, Halbauer told the daily Vecernje Novosti in an interview. He shares the opinion of Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff Gen Ljubisa Dikovic, with whom he is in touch, who sees positive changes in the north. Halbauer notes that the 5,000 KFOR troops currently stationed in Kosovo compared to the 50,000 deployed there in 1999 and 2000 are already a good sign that the situation has significantly changed for the better. The ongoing talks between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels are a very important step in the process. But a lot more work remains, said Halbauer. He recalled that the NATO general secretary has publicly said that KFOR will remain in charge of security and supports the ongoing political process, so nothing in KFOR's role is changing. KFOR is still guarding the Visoki Decani monastery and the Patriarchate of Pec, but we have began the handover of the Patriarchate. The process will go on for months because there are a lot of requirements the Kosovo police must meet. Kosovo institutions are forming a special unit for the protection of religious structures and it has come a long way. The whole process is headed in a good direction. I want to stress that the handover was carried out in agreement with Serbian Orthodox Church leaders in Kosovo, he said. KFOR has also supported the Kosovo Security Force since 2008, which NATO recently declared an organization with full operational capability. But this does not mean the KSF will change its role, which concerns security in the domain of civil protection, i.e. rescue in cases of humanitarian and natural disasters. This will remain unchanged for now, said Halbauer. He said agreements between the KSF and the Albanian armed forces are nothing new and are made to further training and readiness. But under UN Security Council Resolution 1244 the Albanian army would have to get my consent to enter Kosovo, so I see no danger there, said Halbauer. He reiterated that under Resolution 1244, KFOR is still tasked with maintaining security in an impartial and independent manner and will continue to operate like this. Halbauer said cooperation with Serbian forces, and General Dikovic in particular, is very good. He said KFOR has conducted joint patrols with the Serbian armed forces for years, but it cannot deal with the problem of illegal firewood cutting involving Albanians who cross over into central Serbia. This is not a border but an administrative line, so the problem must be solved politically. It must be resolved by Belgrade and Pristina, said Halbauer.