NATO general says able to ensure security in Kosovo

The commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo insisted Friday he has the troops and capability to ensure security, after Serbia called for the return of its military there.

Serbia's defence minister had earlier called for 1,000 of his troops and police officers to be allowed into Kosovo amid mounting tensions in the north of the former breakaway province.

But Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, leader of NATO's KFOR peacekeepers, insisted his force was still in a position to control the situation.

In a statement released by NATO, the Italian general did not directly address the Serbian request, which was delivered on Friday at a Kosovo border crossing.

But he warned: "We expect all actors to closely coordinate with KFOR and refrain from provocative shows of force, to ensure the safety and security of all communities.

"KFOR has full capability, including personnel, to provide a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities, everywhere in Kosovo," he said, citing his force's UN mandate.

"Since October, we have been reinforcing our presence, including with additional troops and patrols in northern Kosovo this week," he added.

This month in Kosovo, hundreds of ethnic Serbs, outraged over the arrest of an ex-police officer, set up roadblocks that have paralysed traffic through two border crossings with Serbia.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority declared independence in 2008 but Belgrade still does not recognise this and encourages the territory's Serbs to defy Pristina's authority.

Serbia's Defence Minister Milos Vucevic said on Friday that the Serbian army had handed over a request for the "return of 1,000 Serbian soldiers and police officers".

President Aleksandar Vucic said late Thursday that such a move would be "important for the protection of the Serb population" in Kosovo and "dramatically reduce tensions".

But Vucic admitted that it was "almost certain" the idea would not be accepted, and his Kosovo counterpart Vjosa Osmani dismissed the idea as a provocation.