Pristina: U.S. supports creation of Kosovo army

Pristina: U.S. supports creation of Kosovo army

PRISTINA -- The U.S. Department of Defense Ministry has "expressed its support" for Pristina's efforts to transform the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into an army.

Tanjug is quoting a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo to say that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci and Minister for European Integration Bekim Colaku met at the Pentagon with with Evelyn Farkas, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia.

On the occasion, they "received words of support for the transformation of the KSF into the armed forces."

According to the release, the meeting concluded that "the current year would be crucial" when it came to the transformation.

Thaci said that the entire process of "reconsidering of the security sector" as well as the transformation of the KSF into an army "is carried out with the support of NATO and the United States."

Farkas said that Kosovo had "full support of the United States in the security area," adding that "the steps made so far in the transformation of the KSF into the armed forces were making the road to joining the Partnership for Peace program and NATO a lot easier."

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians in early 2008 unilaterally declared independence, which Serbia rejected as a violation of its territorial integrity and Constitution. Belgrade opposes the creation of an army in Kosovo.