EU flees north, but vows to take control of all of Kosovo
Faced with Serb protests, the EU has retreated from the north of Kosovo over the weekend, but vowed on Monday to take control of the entire Serbian province, which proclaimed a unilateral secession a week ago.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, February 25, 2008
"We have temporarily brought back our personnel, but we will maintain our office in the north ... We hope that conditions will soon allow us to resume our activities," EU envoy Peter Feith said.
On Monday, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer vowed to control all of Kosovo after a meeting devoted to the situation in the Balkans.
Solana said that « in principle, we are not worried » about the possibility of partition of Kosovo.
"Unmik has responsibility there for the moment ... we are beginning to deploy, and our mission will be deployed in the entire territory of Kosovo", Solana said, adding that the retreat from the north was "only temporary".
Scheffer said NATO's views echoed that of the EU, and argued that « Kfor will be deployed on the entire territory of Kosovo ».
The Secretary-General criticized « unhelpful rhetoric » in Belgrade.
"I am the first to understand the frustrations in Serbia, but please, please, let's turn this page", Scheffer said.
