Posted on 02/22/2008 6:19:41 PM PST by jhpigott
February 22, 2008, 23:17 Tensions rise as Serbs push into Kosovo http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/21256
Kosovo border police have reported Serb tanks are taking positions near the Kosovo-Serb border. On Friday, police in Kosovo's northern city of Mitrovica have been holding off thousands of Serb protesters who were trying to cross the bridge dividing the Serb and ethnic Albanian sides of the city.
Hundreds of ethnic Serbs have arrived in the province to show their support for the Serbian minority living there. Kosovo authorities have already introduced restrictions preventing Serbs from entering the region.
Police have been given the green light to use tough measures to keep any rioting under control but apart from isolated incidents, the rally passed off peacefully.
Authorities feared a repeat of the overnight violence that gripped the Serbian capital Belgrade, killing one and injuring around 130. The violence has also resulted in damage to a number of Western embassies.
In Belgrade President Boris Tadic has called on the Council for National Security to discuss the situation in the country.
He said there was no excuse for violence and nothing could justify Thursday's unrest.
Meanwhile, Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, says alliance officials in Kosovo should not overstep the bounds of their mandate.
“Some high-ranking NATO officials are giving orders that are obviously inconsistent with their authority, such as an order to block the border in northern Kosovo, where mostly ethnic Serbs live. This means that Kosovo Serbs are cut off from Serbia itself. If the Albanians decide to break away, that doesn't mean they can seize someone else's property and citizens.
The thing is that the Serbs in Kosovo, who were previously citizens of their country, suddenly do not know who they are - Kosovars or inhabitants of an independent territory. Besides, we're disturbed by reports, although it needs checking, that some NATO military chiefs are considering whether to stop representatives of the Serbian administration entering Kosovo. This is not in their mandate. For us, the main thing is that NATO shouldn't intervene in politics, but stick to a neutral position on Kosovo, as it always did,” Rogozin said.
Thanks. See this article, too “Netherlands cautious on recognising Kosovo”
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2008/02/netherlands_cautious_on_recogn.php
Well, considering that France is now more aggressive than America regarding ‘immigrants’ that will not assimiliate into the predominant culture... and is now more hawkish on Iran than our current administration, it’s not hard to see Russia/China on the right side of an issue in comparison to the US.
:-(
KFOR has tanks, anti-tank choppers, anti-tank munitions and everything to stop an incursion. Serbia has no military force that could take on what is currently in force and what could be brought to bare. Think airpower! Russia is hamstrung to get forces into Serbia and is not going to go to war over it.
in Kosovo itself,,,
It was posted that there are no US forces there,,,
I did find that the Serbs were re-armed by Russia.(2000?)
The Serbs also have the newer M-84/M-2001 MBT,which is very
similar to our M1-A1,with a 9km. range AT missile.(200+)
Airpower : USS George Washington (CVN 73) should be close
to the Adriatic by now,,,(Navy.mil.)
I wonder how many aircraft have been moved to Iraq,,,
Russia has about 1500-1800 air-miles to haul,,,
Their Tu-123’s will carry nearly anything they have,,,
I just hope and pray our guys can stay out of this mess...
Why do you think that there are no US forces there. The US has both soldiers and police stationed in Kosovo.
http://www.nato.int/kfor/structur/nations/placemap/kfor_placemap.pdf
http://www.tffalcon.hqusareur.army.mil/About.html
http://www.tffalcon.hqusareur.army.mil/AboutBondsteel.html
The Serbs have nothing to threaten KFOR with. They have no airpower and are not militarily strong enough to take on what is currently stationed in Kosovo. Think how quickly current KFOR could be re-enforced? Serbia has no airpower. It couldn’t hold ground without air protection. Serbia isn’t even contemplating an invasion of Kosovo and Russia isn’t going to come to its aid.
TANKS a bunch for those great links,,,
That’s the info we could not find,,,
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