Posted on 05/29/2023 9:39:21 AM PDT by McGruff
NATO peacekeeping soldiers formed security cordons around three town halls in Kosovo on Monday as police clashed with Serb protesters, while Serbia's president put the army on the highest level of combat alert.
The tense situation developed after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo's Serb majority area after elections the Serbs boycotted. In Zvecan, one of the towns, Kosovo police - staffed by ethnic Albanians after Serbs quit the force last year - sprayed pepper gas to repel a crowd of Serbs who broke through a security barricade and tried to force their way into the municipality building, witnesses said.
Serb protesters in Zvecan threw tear gas and stun grenades at NATO soldiers. Serbs also clashed with police in Zvecan and spray-painted NATO vehicles with the letter "Z", referring to a Russian sign used in war in Ukraine.
In Leposavic, close to the border with Serbia, U.S. peacekeeping troops in riot gear placed barbed wire around the town hall to protect it from hundreds of angry Serbs.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
“WWI started in the Balkans, just saying.”
Well, if the Russians and Chinese won’t take the bait and start World War 3, there’s always the Balkans.
Be interesting to see what cities are left in Europe if the Neocons are finally able to get their war started.
Kosovo is Serbia!!!!
Albanians back to Albania—especially the muslim ones!!!!
“The International Court of Justice, a U.N. creation, did rule in 2010 that Kosovo was a sovereign nation”
Hi Robert, what you posted here above is a really extreme misrepresentation of fact.
The ICJ did not rule that Kosovo is a sovereign nation.
Here is what it actually ruled.
In other words, the ICJ said that it cannot ever say that any declaration of independence ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AT ANY TIME violates international law, because there is no international law against declarations of independence.
So the ICJ didn’t rule anything specific to Kosovo at all, the only thing it noted is that the rules of the UN don’t apply to it because it is not a member state of the UN... Which is pretty much the opposite of what you implied.
Still today, Kosovo is not a member state of the United Nations.
Serb Bump
Thanks for the correction & clarification. I appreciate knowing the reality & truth. đź‘Ť (Thumb up symbol)
Western imposed “Democracy” in action.
Will the Russians beat them to the Pristina Airport this time?
Albanians back to Albania.
Invaders everywhere. Just coming to plunder, take and tear down what others have built.
Those who don’t respect civility forfeit its protection.
The ICJ issued its much-anticipated advisory opinion on July 22 2010, in which it declared, by ten votes to four, that “general international law contains no applicable prohibition of declarations of independence” and therefore the events of 17 February 2008 “did not violate general international law.” Thus, the ICJ essentially ruled that Kosovo’s declaration was neither legal nor illegal; simply that international law doesn’t address such matters.
Thanks again. 🙂
Yep
“And I see nothing but US Soldiers there.”
They are part of the UN-established peacekeeping force. NATO may lead it, but the forces are not exclusively NATO.
No, KFOR is purely a NATO force. No UN involvement. No bluers.
Yes, it operates (or was supposed to) under the mandate of UNSC 1244, but that’s it.
A parallel civilian UN mission (UNMIK) was established under UNSC 1244, but KFOR is not subordinate to it in any way. Anymore than our troops in Afghanistan were subordinate to a similar UN mission there (UNSC 1378).
UNMIK has by now been reduced to practically nothing, BTW.
“No, KFOR is purely a NATO force. No UN involvement.”
Here is a link showing the make-up of the peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo_Force
It is multinational. It was established from United Nations Security Resolution 1244.
There are NATO countries involved as well as non-NATO countries. While KFOR has a NATO command element, KFOR is not specifically a NATO force. It is, in reality, a UN force, as it was created by the UN.
Yes, it was authorized by UNSC 1244, and is supposed to carry out that mandate. But it is not a UN operation, is not part of UNMIK (ths UN civilian mission there) and is entirely under the command of NATO:
https://shape.nato.int/ongoingoperations/nato-mission-in-kosovo-kfor-
https://jfcnaples.nato.int/kfor
Again, KFOR is strictly a NATO mission, not part of a UN mission. It works alongside EULEX (the EU mission in Kosovo) and UNMIK (UN mission which has been drawn down to practically nothing now), but is subordinate to neither.
Yes, there are a few soldiers from non-NATO countries,* but they are under NATO command:
https://jfcnaples.nato.int/kfor/about-us/welcome-to-kfor/contributing-nations
None of these guys wear blue helmets or berets or have the UN patch on their uniforms, and none of their structures or vehicles fly the UN flag.
*Mainly for political reasons and as window dressing in the beginning, and to ensure passage of 1244 even though the US certainly had the catbird seat in the SC at the time and got pretty much whatever it dictated, but some things are a bridge too far. Remember, the 1999 bombing of Serbia was not authorized by any UNSC, and was in violation of both the UN Charter and the NATO Charter (and broke the Peace of Westphalia we used to go on about — inviolable national borders and all that — and set a dangerous precedent).
They don’t have to wear blue helmets to serve a UN function.
Blue helmets mean they are under UN command; KFOR — while a UN mission — is under NATO command. Operation Desert Storm in 1991 was authorized by UN Resolution 678, but it was not under UN command.
KFOR is acting pursuant to UN Resolution 1244; NATO didn’t create that. And you conflate the respective functions and purposes of EULEX and UNMIK and KFOR: They are different (yet all three are based on UN Resolution 1244).
Yes, I already said they were acting the authorization of 1244 and supposed to carry out the mandate and of 1244. What in the world are you arguing about?
KFOR is *not* a UN mission. UNMIK is. KFOR is a NATO mission. The UN’s DPKO has zero to do with it. EULEX is an EU mission, and not a UN mission. All three are authorized by UNSC 1244.
KFOR is not under UN command, only under NATO command, although NATO is technically obligated to follow the mandate of 1244.
Again, what in the world is your beef here?
“Again, what in the world is your beef here?”
I have no beef: YOU are the only who expressed high dudgeon when I pointed out that KFOR is multinational and is under NATO command, pursuant to UNSC 1244.
It’s similar to this: The Korean War 1950-1953 was fought against the communist North under the authority of the UN (hence, the troops that opposed the communists were called UN troops); and the UN placed overall command of those troops under US general Douglas MacArthur. Thus, it was not an AMERICAN war against the North, it was a UN war under the command of a US general.
I suppose you consider Afghanistan to be a “UN war” too?
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_8189.htm
To be more precise, the UN passed a resolution to place all UN forces under the command of the US military, and Truman named MacArthur as the supreme commander.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.