The responsible NATO mission sends additional soldiers to the north of Kosovo. There, Belgrade is encouraging the Serbian minority in their efforts to achieve autonomy. The situation is so serious that it could lead to another violent conflict, says Prime Minister Brnabic.
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic has warned of an escalation of the situation in view of the growing tensions in northern Kosovo. "We are really on the verge of armed conflict," she said in Belgrade. She blamed the government in Pristina for the tensions.
Kosovo, with its majority Albanian population, declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but is still considered a breakaway territory by Belgrade. Just a few years ago, both countries fought a bloody war. Despite the EU's attempts at dialogue, they have repeatedly been at odds for years. Belgrade is encouraging the Serb minority in northern Kosovo in their attempts to defy Pristina's authority.
Tensions on the border with Serbia increased again in December. Shots fired at police officers at night and an attack on the EU mission EULEX with a stun grenade had raised international concerns. The NATO-led KFOR mission said it sent "additional troops and patrols" to northern Kosovo this week.
The Serbian military had recently applied to KFOR for permission to move into Kosovo with 1,000 men. A Serbian army delegation handed over a letter to this effect to KFOR officers at the Serbian-Kosovar border crossing at Merdare, as Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic announced.
US diplomats had already stated in advance that such a permit would not be granted. Nevertheless, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Thursday evening on the state television channel RTS that he would apply for it. It is clear to him that KFOR will not approve this application, he said. However, the deployment of Serb troops would "reduce ethnic tensions" in Kosovo.
Vucic referred to a 1999 UN Security Council resolution that mentions the presence of Serb security forces in Kosovo as a possibility. However, this would be limited to a narrow mandate and strictly dependent on the approval of KFOR. In principle, the peacekeeping force can authorize several hundred Serbian security forces in Kosovo - 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.
