"Reduction in the number of KFOR soldiers in Kosovo is worrying"

Said Archimandrite Sava Janjic at the Decani Monastery, adding that the KFOR reduction can cause a security vacuum in the province.

(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, January 03, 2011

KFOR has announced that by the end of spring there will be only 5,000 international soldiers in Kosovo.

Janjic expressed misgivings that the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) is capable of providing security in Kosovo, adding that it is therefore very important for the Serbian holy sites to remain under protection of the international military forces.

The dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is expected to table this issue so as to find a mutually acceptable solution for the protection of the Orthodox holy sites in Kosovo, he said.

Janjic underscored that history and the incidents that took place in the last few years - when Orthodox churches and monasteries were attacked by ethnic Albanians - "have shown that the Serb shrines in Kosovo are jeopardized, and that it is highly likely that they will be damaged in future as well".

"The preservation of the Serb identity and monasteries is very important and represents the key to survival of Serbs in Kosovo," Janjic believes.