31.08.2011.
Meeting between the Chief of General Staff and KFOR Commander
Serbian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Miloje Miletic and KFOR Commander, Major General Erhard Buehler, talked today in the Italian-base Villaggio in Pec. It was a high-level meeting of the Joint Commission for the implementation of the Military Technical Agreement. Generals Miletic and Buehler discussed the current general situation in Kosovo and Metohija, the concrete details of recent events in northern Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the measures taken in this regard by KFOR. On that occasion, General Buehler expressed his conviction that his mediation helped reaching an agreement and stressed that KFOR acted independently, guided solely by security reasons.
In the continuation of the discussion, General Buehler explained the control procedures and limitations imposed by KFOR on administrative crossings for safety reasons. He said that the passage is allowed to private vehicles and buses, while, except in exceptional cases, it is banned for trucks. The delivery of goods for the Serbian Orthodox Church and the humanitarian aid are allowed.General Buehler thanked General Miletic on exchanging information and good communication during the crisis. He talked about the calming effect of the temperate and useful statements by the Serbian military leadership in recent weeks and expressed confidence that the Joint Commission at all levels ensured its functioning and efficiency from the very beginning of the crisis during the night on 25 July.
Generals Miletic and Buehler assessed the cooperation between the Serbian Armed Forces and KFOR as good and professional, based on mutual respect, even in tense moments. Examples of this successful cooperation are the simultaneous patrols along the a/l, exchange of information relevant to the security situation between the KFOR multinational combat groups and the Serbian Armed Forces and the overall cooperation within the framework of the Joint Commission.
Generals Miletic and Buehler agreed that, except for incidents during the first week of the crisis, the general situation along the a/l is relatively calm and stable. Some criminal activities such as smuggling, illegal migration and illegal logging would be suppressed by professional security force cooperation on both sides of the a/l and simultaneous patrols along the a/l. This cooperation will be adapted to the new situation, what will be discussed at the Joint Commission. This was also the last meeting of General Miletic and General Buehler, who will command KFOR until 9 September 2011. The generals thanked each other for good and professional cooperation. They expressed the belief that high-level meetings of the Joint Committee will be held also in the future. After discussion, Generals Miletic and Buehler visited Decani.
Commission meetings have been held regularly at various levels since 1999, in accordance with the commitments under the Kumanovo Agreement. The primary objectives of these meetings are liaison, problem solving and monitoring the situation to meet the requirements of the Military Technical Agreement. This includes, for example, sharing information on the security forces on both sides of the administrative line (a/l), their exercises and operations or safety issues on a/l.
