NATO has deployed 700 additional troops to northern Kosovo to assist de-escalate violent protests, after confrontations with ethnic Serbs there injured dozens of their troops.
The newest unrest in the region has fueled fears of a re-enactment of the 1998-99 crisis in Kosovo, which killed over 10,000 lives, displaced over one million people. The 1998 was culminated for a NATO peacekeeping force that have been stationed in that region for nearly a quarter-century.
The clashes erupted last week after ethnic Albanian candidates were elected in massively opposed elections by Serbs, who stormed municipal facilities to seize the premises. When Serbs attempted to obstruct the elected mayors, Kosovo police used minimum force to disperse the mob.
The Serbs clashed with the police and NATO forces which escalated the fighting. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made known that, an extra backup unit would be placed on high alert in case more troops would be required. “These are prudent steps,” said Stoltenberg.
The NATO-led peacekeeping force in that zone has been known as KFOR, and now has nearly 3,800 personnel. Also, the KFOR’s multinational forces reinforced outposts in the flashpoint areas. The army fenced off the municipal building in Zvecan, where the protests heightened tensions.
On the other hand, Kosovo, a former region of Serbia, declared independence in 2008, but Belgrade do not recognize its legitimacy. The majority of the people are ethnic Albanian, though in the north of the country, bordering Serbia, are made of discontented Serb minority.
Stoltenberg criticized the clashes, and cautioned that NATO forces would “take all necessary actions to maintain a safe and secure environment for all citizens in Kosovo.” He urged both sides to refrain from “further irresponsible behavior” and to return to EU-backed negotiations.
Beijing Backs Belgrade
Following increased clashes involving ethnic Serbs and NATO peacekeeping troops in Kosovo, China has affirmed its solidarity for Serbia’s attempts to “safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The governing Communist Party has consistently been hostile to NATO. The hatred originates in part from the deadly attack of Chinese embassy in Belgrade, during Serbia’s ruthless assault on ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo in 1999.
The attack which killed three Chinese journalists, has always been used by Beijing to incite anti-Western animosity. The United States expressed regret for the strike, faulting it on flawed intel. In the aftermath, the US diplomatic facilities in Beijing and other Chinese cities suffered attacks, sending relations between the two powerful on a downhill, that has grown increasingly severe in recent years.
China, like Russia and Serbia, have refused to acknowledge Kosovo’s sovereignty. The Foreign Ministry press secretary Mao Ning blamed the riots on a failure to acknowledge Serbian political rights. “We oppose unilateral actions by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo,” Mao said at a daily news briefing, in referral to the Kosovo’s government.
Despite the fact that Serbs boycotted recent local elections and attempted to stop ethnic Albanian mayors from assuming office, Mao implied that, Serbs must be given authority in towns where they have the majority.
“We urge NATO to earnestly respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the relevant countries and truly do what is conducive to regional peace,” Mao said.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has been scheduled for talks with Russian and Chinese diplomats in an attempt to demonstrate that his policies are well-supported.
NATO’s military involvement in 1999 subsequently compelled Serbia to withdraw from the land, but the dispute continues to be bone of contention throughout Eastern Europe.
Last year, Russian ally Serbia received a powerful Chinese anti-aircraft weapon in a covert operation, amid Western suspicions that an armaments accumulation in the Balkans during Ukraine’s conflict could jeopardize the region’s shaken stability.
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