Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia
 
05.08.2011.

Talks in Washington, DC contribute to the stabilization of situation in Kosovo



Minister of defense Dragan Sutanovac said yesterday in a statement to TANJUG news agency that the talks in Washington, DC had contributed to the stabilization of the current very tense situation in Kosovo and Metohija, which would further on ensure finding a peaceful solution which is yet to be confirmed in the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina.

In a statement to Tanjug, Sutanovac recalled that his visit to the USA had been scheduled months ago with a view of promoting bilateral military cooperation and its further development, however, the development of the current situation in Kosovo led to making it the main subject of his talks and finding solutions to preventing possible escalation of conflict.
“We talked today and yesterday with the civilian structures of the USA, and I believe that we have made significant contribution in stabilizing the current situation, and have set out to find sustainable solutions which are yet to be verified ion future negotiations of between Belgrade and Pristina”.

Furthermore, he also emphasized that he had received assurances from the US side that they had not participated or had even been apprised of the plans of KP to take over the border crossings by force.
“They were just as surprised as we were, and were firm in assuring us that they had given no authorization for such acts, reiterating they would never condone any kind of violence, or provocations, or any measures that would change the situation in the field by force”.

I have to tell you that we have been met with understanding on the part of the US armed forces, but also on the part of the civilian structures. We have been building trust gradually over the years, and we have come to the point when we can safely that the US side listens very carefully to what we have to say”.
Further on, in his statement, he remarked that he had reiterated what he had discussed with the NATO representatives, namely that the security situation should be analyzed most carefully, and that any reduction in the number of KFOR troops should be done based on serious analysis, and not on casual assessments.

Unfortunately, it turned out that there can be a dramatic change of situation in just an hour, proving that the current number of KFOR troops is unable to carry out its tasks in maintaining safety and peace, but it forced to bring in enforcement, and also recalled that he had had a long talk lasting several hours with the Allied Joint Force Command Naples Commander, US Admiral Samuel Locklear with a view of achieving mutual agreement on how to establish security.
All of us who deal with security in Serbia believe that KFOR, even though it has been neglected and taken for granted by the official Pristina, had actually prevented any further escalation of conflict in Kosovo and Metohija, as Sutanovac observed.
As regards the bilateral military cooperation, which was a topic that remained on the sidelines of the talks he had in Washington, Minister of Defense of Serbia announced that the USA would soon send a 2.9 million USD donation in military vehicles, with an additional donation of some 2.1 million USD.

Another topic of discussion was about the activities with respect to military cooperation, and boosting the capacities of the Serbian armed forces, as well as training Serbian officers and NCOs in the US army, and even the training of US army members in Serbia, and the assistance in converting the Jug military base into a multidimensional base.
AS regards the bilateral military cooperation, the cooperation between the US armed forces and the Ohio National Guard is one of the best examples, according to the US side.
During his visit, Minister gave a presentation of the reforms of the SAF in the Atlantic Council where experts in security assessed as remarkably successful, and even more successful than the reforms conducted in some NATO countries.

The visit encompassed a meeting of Sutanovac with the Assistant Secretary of Defense Alexandar Vershbow, the Chief of the US National Guard Bureau General Craig McKinley, and the commander of the Ohio National Guard general Deborah Ashenhurst.

The Serbian defense minister also met with Congressman Michael Turner from Ohio, and the Canadian ambassador Adam Blackwell, Secretary of Organization for Multidimensional Security of American states.

TANJUG new agency
 
MOD
Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia, Bircaninova 5 street, Belgrade
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