Russia to call on NATO to assure KFOR stays within its mandate
Russia will ask NATO, at an informal meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels on Friday and at the Council summit in Bucharest next week, that KFOR does not step outside its mandate in Kosovo.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Friday, March 28, 2008
The immediate cause for such a decision by Moscow is the use of force in Kosovska Mitrovica on March 17, but also Washington's decision to approve arms shipments for Pristina, a move that is interpretted in certain diplomatic circles as support to the creation of future security forces of Kosovo, as envisaged under the plan of Martti Ahtisaari.
According to Ahtisaari's plan, KFOR should prepare the creation of these security forces in Kosovo, but Russia believes that this would be a drastic overstepping of the mandate that was given to NATO on the grounds of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244.
The question will be raised by Russia's ambassador to NATO Dmitri Rogozin in Brussels, as well as by Russia's president Vladimir Putin at the Bucharest summit.
