Kosovo Security Force

PRISTINA - Kosovo President Hasim Taci has sent a formal request to Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli that a bill on transforming the Kosovo Security Force into an army not be put on the body's agenda, noting the process required constitutional amendments.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has asked the Assembly president not to put a draft law on establishing the army of Kosovo on the agenda.

Thaci said that the process of transforming the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into an army should be done "with constitutional changes."

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has asked the Assembly president not to put a draft law on establishing the army of Kosovo on the agenda.

A month after he launched his move to set up an army by submitting a bill to parliament to strengthen the Kosovo Security Force, Thaci did a U-turn on Tuesday and said that he has restarted attempts to ensure collective support among all Kosovo's communities to undertake the necessary constitutional changes.

Hashim Thaçi on Thursday gave up on his plans for a rapid transformation of the nation's defence force into an army, ceding to strong opposition from Western allies.

Slavko Simic, the leader of Srpska Lista, told BIRN on Monday that the bloc had ended its parliamentary boycott in order to prevent Pristina from making decisions that contradict the interests of Kosovo's Serb community. 

Representatives of "the Quint" in Kosovo have called on Kosovo authorities not to take unilateral actions regarding the establishment of an army.

"The Quint" is comprised of the US, Germany, France, United Kingdom, and Italy.

Pristina's intention to create Kosovo's Armed Forces is an extremely dangerous step for stability in the Balkans, and it contradicts the UN Security Council resolution, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

Belgrade's possible military alliance with Russia could add significantly to ensuring Serbia's security amid Kosovo's plans to create its own national army, Serbian military expert Goran Jevtovic told Sputnik Serbia.

BELGRADE - Norwegian FM Borge Brende has urged Kosovo authorities to "refrain from transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into an armed force without a constitutional change and an inclusive political process."