Future of the Balkans and U.S. Policy Concerns Page: 11 of 17
This report is part of the collection entitled: Congressional Research Service Reports and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
CRS-8
stop the destruction and looting of property. Some KFOR units reportedly failed
even to protect Serb civilians and U.N. police from violence." After the riots, KFOR
officers say they have taken steps to deal with these problems, including by
establishing clearer lines of authority and consistent rules of engagement.
EUFOR and KFOR have also played important roles in overseeing the military
forces of Bosnia and Kosovo. EUFOR inspects the military arsenals of Bosnia's two
armies. EUFOR continues to uncover illegal weapons caches, underlining that
tensions in Bosnia, while greatly lessened in the past decade, have not disappeared.
NATO and the Office of the High Representative worked together to reform the two
Bosnian armies and reduce them in size. These reforms include the unification of
Bosnia's two armies under a single command structure, including a Minister of
Defense and Chief of Staff. However, the armies remain separate at lower levels.
NATO set a united command as a key condition for permitting Bosnia and
Hercegovina to join the Partnership for Peace program. Bosnia's PFP membership
is now contingent on cooperating fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia.16
KFOR monitors the Kosovo Protection Corps, which was formed in 1999 from
the Kosovo Liberation Army. Although ostensibly meant to deal with civil
emergencies, the KPC is seen by many of its members and many Kosovar Albanians
as the nucleus of a future army of an independent Kosovo. In addition to overseeing
the KPC, KFOR also monitors Kosovo's borders to ensure ethnic Albanian
guerrillas do not use Kosovo as a springboard to destabilize neighboring countries,
and that Serbian military forces stay out of the province. KFOR played an important
role in forcing the dissolution of an ethnic Albanian guerrilla force in southern Serbia
in 2000. However, members of the KPC played leading roles in an ethnic Albanian
revolt against the Macedonian government. Although the conflict in Macedonia
ended in 2001 after talks brokered by the EU and United States, a shadowy ethnic
Albanian group calling itself the "Albanian National Army" continues to commit
scattered acts of violence in Kosovo, southern Serbia and Macedonia with the alleged
objective of uniting all ethnic Albanian lands.
In addition to hampering efforts by ethnic Albanian extremists to destabilize
neighboring countries, KFOR's presence also deters possible Serbian aggression or
military provocations against Kosovo, although an invasion of Kosovo by Serbian
troops is unlikely to occur under the current pro-Western government in Belgrade.
Nevertheless, escalation over flashpoints, such as the divided town of Mitrovica in
northern Kosovo, is possible. The danger could be increased if the ultranationalist
Radical Party comes to power in Serbia. Given these concerns, the stabilizing
presence of KFOR may be needed even after Kosovo' s status is determined, if a large
part of the Serbian public does not accept that determination. KFOR may also be
needed to help guarantee the rights of ethnic minorities in Kosovo.
15 For a detailed account of the riots and the response of UNMIK and KFOR to them, see
International Crisis Group, "Collapse in Kosovo," April 22, 2004, at the ICG website,
[http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?].
16 "Testimony of Gen. William L. Nash (ret.) at a hearing before the House International
Relations Committee, Subcommittee on Europe, April 10, 2003, Serial no. 108-13.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View one place within this report that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Woehrel, Steven. Future of the Balkans and U.S. Policy Concerns, report, January 18, 2006; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc812487/m1/11/?q=%22trade%22: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.