Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo ramped up on Wednesday ahead of Kosovo's planned vote on the formation of a standing army.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told reporters that Belgrade is concerned that a regular army in Kosovo, which has a predominantly ethnic Albanian population, could be used to drive out the remaining Serbs from the country's north. That could, he added, provoke a Serb military intervention.

"I am hoping we would never have to use it [the army], but this is currently one of options on the table as we do not want to watch this ... ethnic cleansing," Brnabic said.

Kosovo's parliament is due to vote on transforming its 4,000-strong defense force into a regular army on December 14.

NATO also weighed in on the issue, with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warning Kosovo that the move was "ill-timed" and could carry "serious repercussions."

Kosovo has relied heavily on NATO-led forces to ensure security since the end of a 1998-1999 war that saw the former Serbian province attempt to break away from Belgrade. Kosovo eventually declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Belgrade refuses to recognize.

Watch video 12:04 Share Kosovo: End of mission for German armed forces Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/32cHz Kosovo: End of mission for German armed forces

Kosovo slams Serb 'lie'

Kosovo's prime minsiter, Ramush Haradinaj, rejected the notion that the army could be used against the Serb-dominated north as a "pure lie."

"The army will not be for the north of Kosovo;" he said, adding: "The army will be used to help NATO in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Should the parliament in the Kosovar capital of Pristina vote in favor of the army, it could still take years to transform the country's lightly-armed emergency force.

Furthermore, Balkans analysts said that any action by Serbia's 28,000-strong army against Kosovo is highly unlikely due to Serbia's aspirations to join the European Union.

Kosovo also wishes to join the EU, but Brussels has said that both countries must normalize relations and resolve territorial disputes as a condition for progress towards EU membership.

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia Traces of war In the late 1990s, the conflict in Kosovo was escalating as tens of thousands of people fled the region. After all efforts at pacifying the region failed, NATO began carrying out air raids on military bases and strategic targets in Serbia on March 24, 1999. Eleven weeks later, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic finally gave in.

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia Peaceful resistance fails In the mid 1980s, protests began in Kosovo against government attempts to curtail the rights of the Albanian majority. The reprisals worsened in the 1990s. Ibrahim Rugova, leader of the political movement in Kosovo since 1989, tried to make Milosevic change course using peaceful resistance - without success.

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia Armed guerilla warfare An armed resistance formed in Kosovo. The self-appointed liberation army UCK started a brutal guerrilla war and carried out violent attacks against Serbs and Albanians whom they saw as collaborators. Serbia reacted with retaliatory measures: Houses were torched and shops plundered, as hundreds of thousands fled the region.

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia Systematic expulsion As time passed, the war became ever more brutal. Serbian forces increasingly attacked civilians with the aim of breaking the UCK's resistance and its support among the population. Many people looked for refuge in the forests. Trains and trucks transport thousands of people to the borders - without passports or other documents which could prove that their home had been in Kosovo.

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia Last attempt at negotiation Under the auspices of the US, France, the UK, Russia and Germany, the conflicting parties attended a conference in Rambouillet, France in February 1999 with the aim of working out a limited settlement guaranteeing Kosovo's autonomy. Representatives of Kosovo accepted the conditions of the deal, but their Serbian counterparts were not willing to make any concessions. The negotiations failed.

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia 'Humanitarian intervention' On March 24, 1999, NATO began bombarding military and strategic targets in Serbia and Kosovo in order to stop the violence against Albanians. Germany joined the military action, known as Operation Allied Force. It was NATO's first war in its 50-year history - and that without the official backing of the UN Security Council. Russia sharply condemned the intervention.

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia Infrastructure destroyed Next to military installations, NATO also attacked transportation networks such as railroad tracks and bridges. During the following 79 days and nights, the alliance carried out more than 37,000 operations with 20,000 rockets and bombs striking Serbian territory and killing countless civilians - what NATO referred to as "collateral damage."

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia Poison clouds over Pancevo Industrial sites were also among the targets. NATO bombs hit chemical plants and a fertilizer factory in the town of Pancevo near the capital, Belgrade. Huge amounts of toxic substances made their way into rivers, soil and the air, with grave health consequences for the local population. Serbia accused NATO of having used depleted uranium ammunition, as well as cluster and fragmentation bombs.

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia War against war propaganda In order to deprive Slobodan Milosevic of his most important propaganda tool, NATO decided to attack Serbia's public television station in Belgrade. The Serbian government, although told of the attack in advance, withheld the information from the public. Sixteen people lost their lives in the bombing.

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia Off target In Kosovo, NATO bombs inadvertently hit a group of Albanian refugees, killing an estimated 80 people. More "collateral damage" occurred when NATO bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing four people. The incident led to a severe diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Washington.

1999: NATO intervention against Serbia Horrific outcome In early June, communications out of Belgrade showed that Milosevic was finally willing to make concessions. NATO brought an end to its raids on June 19. During the air strikes, thousands of people were killed, 860,000 refugees were displaced and Serbia's economy and infrastructure were largely destroyed. Kosovo was placed under the administration of the United Nations. Author: Sonila Sand / ad



Mounting tensions

Serbia and Kosovo's already tense relations were soured further in late November when Pristina slapped Serbian goods with 100 percent tariffs.

Kosovo justified the move by saying it was revenge for Serbia's efforts to shut it out of global organizations, including Interpol, the international police body.

Serbian leaders said the new tariffs would halt trade with Kosovo and cost Serbia €42 million ($47.6 million) per month.

Watch video 05:01 Share Kosovo: Independent and divided Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2sXpI Kosovo: Independent and divided

rs/amp (AFP, Reuters)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.