NATO commanders expect increased ethnic tension in coming months
NATO commanders expect increased ethnic tension in Kosovo in the coming months, following Serb parliamentary elections on May 11 and the coming into effect on June 15 of the Kosovo constitution voted by the Albanian majority.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Friday, April 25, 2008
"The overall situation in Kosovo is always unpredictable," said British Major General Martin Rutledge.
Reports say Britain has agreed to a request from NATO to send a battlegroup based on 2 Rifles, a light infantry battalion of about 600 soldiers, to help maintain "public order" in Kosovo.
For the first six months of this year, Britain is responsible for providing Nato's standby reserve force for the Balkans. British defence sources said yesterday the deployment of 2 Rifles would not have a significant impact on the army's other commitments, notably in Iraq and Afghanistan - but that depended on how long the force will be asked to stay in Kosovo.
Britain has told NATO it is willing to deploy the battalion, but for no longer than a month. A decision to deploy the troops is expected to be approved by the cabinet on April 29, say British defence officials. They will be dispatched at the end of May.
