NATO’s Military Committee, the primary source of military advice for NATO’s decision-making bodies, concluded a visit to Kosovo by saying that soldiers would remain in the country owing to the upsurge in tensions in the Serb-run north.

“Recent incidents of violence prove the need for NATO and partners to continue to provide a safe and secure environment in the region,” Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola was quoted as saying on NATO’s website.

In a meeting in Pristina with Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci at the headquarters of KFOR, the NATO-led force in Kosovo, Paola said that all actors in Kosovo needed to coordinate in order to guarantee freedom of movement and security.

He was briefed by KFOR’s outgoing Commander, Erhard Buehler, on the recent situation, with emphasis on the troubled north.

On July 25, Kosovo special police attempted to seize control of two border crossings in the Serb-run north. The action provoked violence on the streets and prompted NATO”s intervention to calm the situation.

Prime Minister Thaci blamed the recent violence in the north on 12 years of tolerance of crime and smuggling.

He said the northern, Serb-run districts were governed by illegal and criminal structures that have made good use of the absence of law and order.

“The disputes in the north are not between the Kosovo government and citizens of Kosovo but between the government and criminal structures that are challenging not only the government but also KFOR, [the EU law mission] EULEX, the Kosovo Constitution, as well as UN Resolution 1244,” Thaci said.

Resolution 1244 is the resolution adopted in June 1999 that established a UN interim administration in the former Serbian province.

Admiral Di Paola expressed his satisfaction for the work done by KFOR and the Kosovo Security Force.

As of today, KFOR forces continue to be present at the two border crossings in the north.

Major General Erhard Buehler will hand over the command of KFOR to Major General Erhard Drews today.