Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

23 March 2004

KOSOVO

• According to AFP, a White House spokesman indicated Monday that President Bush had thanked NATO Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer for his fast action in Kosovo. Bush called Scheffer to thank him for “reacting so quickly on Kosovo,” the spokesman reportedly said, adding that the president “reiterated continuing U.S. commitment to peace in Kosovo.”
  
  
• The Financial Times reports that signaling new efforts by Moscow to take a leading diplomatic role in the Balkans, President Putin has sent Sergei Shoigu, his emergencies minister, to Kosovo. According to the newspaper, Shoigu flew to Serbia-Montenegro with a promise of aid for 3,600 Kosovo Serbs, who were last week forced from their homes by ethnic Albanians. The article notes that as calm was being restored, Putin stated at the weekend that “Russia cannot indifferently watch what is happening” in the province and Shoigu’s visit was swiftly arranged with leaders in Belgrade. It concludes that Putin’s quickness to act betrays an eagerness to re-engage in the Balkans.

In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, March 22, COMKFOR, Lt. Gen Kammerhoff, noted KFOR’s swift reaction to last week’s incidents in Kosovo.
While acknowledging that “we have all been surprised by the events,” Gen. Kammerhoff reportedly dismissed views that KFOR troops were overstretched and were unable to prevent the violent deaths of 28 persons. He was quoted saying: “In parallel to the graduate reduction of KFOR, a police force has been developed during the past few years. There are 3,600 UN police officers serving in Kosovo, and a local police force that now has 6,000 members, including 400 Serbs. KFOR has confined itself to creating a secure environment, supporting the work of the UN administration and safeguarding the borders. In Kosovo, with its 200 plus enclaves and 3,000 isolated farmsteads, it is not possible to guarantee 100 percent security. If a crowd of between 500 to 1,000 violent attackers suddenly arrives at a village that is only protected by separate patrols, then the police cannot cope. They cannot protect all 120,000 Serbs in Kosovo. Within hours after the outbreak of the unrest, KFOR replaced the police. But we had to be mindful of the need to keep things in proportion over the use of weapons. We could not simply shoot into the crowd. We started with tear gas, used rubber bullets, and aimed only at those who were throwing hand grenades, or themselves firing…. I have to pay full tribute to the efforts of my troops from many different states.”

NATO-RUSSIA

• AP reports a Foreign Ministry spokesman warns in Moscow Tuesday that NATO’s plans to deploy its forces in the Baltic states affects Russia’s security and may prompt Moscow “to react accordingly.” NATO’s intention to deploy military aircraft and anti-missile systems in the Baltic countries “has a direct impact on Russia’s security,” the spokesman reportedly said at a briefing, adding that there were no direct security threats that could prompt such a move by NATO. The spokesman is further quoted saying: “We would like to stress that the logic of NATO actions conforms poorly with the spirit and the objectives of the current partnership of Russia and NATO.”