BELGRADE, March 18 (Hina) - Serbian police units which are positioned along the administrative border between southern Serbia and Kosovo have raised the level of combat readiness to the maximum after "dramatic developments in the
province", the Serbian Interior Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
BELGRADE, March 18 (Hina) - Serbian police units which are positioned
along the administrative border between southern Serbia and Kosovo
have raised the level of combat readiness to the maximum after
"dramatic developments in the province", the Serbian Interior Ministry
said in a statement on Thursday.#L#
Police and other security services have stepped up security measures,
the statement reads.
"The Interior Ministry of Serbia is waiting for decisions and
instructions from the Serbian government and the Supreme Defence
Council of Serbia and Montenegro, ready to protect, at any moment, the
rights, lives and property of Serbs and all its citizens, as well as
state interests on the entire territory of Serbia," reads the
statement.
At an extraordinary session this morning, the Supreme Defence Council
called on the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Kosovo Force (KFOR) and
other international institutions to protect the lives and property of
Kosovo Serbs and Montenegrins, as well as fulfil other obligations
from the UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
The Supreme Defence Council expressed readiness for "the Army of
Serbia and Montenegro to assist international forces in stabilising
the situation in Kosovo, within the framework of Resolution 1244 and
the KFOR and UNMIK missions".
"This proposal has been forwarded to the KFOR Commander, who is the
only authorised person to make decisions on the matter, as well as to
the Security Council. The situation is more than serious and calls for
increased security measures," Serbia and Montenegro Defence Minister
Boris Tadic told Radio B92.
Serbia and Montenegro Army Chief-of-Staff Branko Krga told Serbian
Radio-Television that "the army is ready to take all the measures
required by the security situation in the country", but that the
possible engagement of the Army of Serbia and Montenegro in Kosovo
must be in line with Resolution 1244 and other decisions of the UN
Security Council.
Resolution 1244 envisages the presence of the Army of Serbia and
Montenegro in Kosovo in four situations - the maintaining of contact
with international forces, participation in mine removal, presence on
border crossings and the protection of cultural and religious
facilities.
(Hina) rml