Jahjaga: Armed forces would contribute to security

NEW YORK - Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga has said that the creation of Kosovo armed forces would contribute to overall security in the Balkans and called on all ethnic communities to take part in the process.

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting that considered the UN secretary-general's latest report on developments in Kosovo late on Tuesday, Jahjaga said that the armed forces would be a smaller military and the creation process would be long, requiring the support and participation of all ethnic communities in Kosovo.

She recalled the fact that 15 percent of Kosovo police and nine percent of the Kosovo Security Force were made up of people from minority communities.

Speaking about the upcoming parliamentary elections, she said that she had called on all citizens to exercise their right and choose their representatives and in that way contribute to strengthening democracy.

Jahjaga said that Kosovo had made progress in recent months, contributing to the stability of the region.

When it comes to the Brussels-based dialogue with Belgrade, Jahjaga said that she appreciated Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic’s support of the process, adding that "while we have our differences over Kosovo, it is important that we have recognized the reality of Kosovo's independence and its irreversibility."

Kosovo remains committed to dialogue with Serbia, she said.

Jahjaga said that Serbian municipalities now had the opportunity to establish the community of Serbian municipalities in compliance with the Kosovo Constitution, adding that the body would be an integral part of Kosovo’s institutional system.

She expressed the expectation that the issue of courts would be resolved in the...