January - ACO - NATO

contact with local authorities and people that live inthose areas. The command point in Novo Selo will stillbe authorised for the north, and will still be led by theFrench Commander. I want to use this opportunity toclarify something that had been wrongly interpreted inthe media recently: latest units, so-called “Multinationalbattle groups” cease to exist. As KFOR Commander,from 01 March 2011 I will have 2 multinational battleunits, in the size of battalions, which will be ready tooperate in the whole Kosovo territory, and exclusivelyaccording to my orders. These two units are not tied andresponsible for any particular area. They have noauthority to maintain the systematic or permanentconnection with authorities or political representatives.And it is very important to emphasize that KFOR is aNATO operation, and not an operation of separatecountries. Other media reports related to U.S. or Frenchzones of responsibilities are incorrect. It is alsoimportant to say that if needed KFOR also has 3 reservebattalions, which are located in NATO countries. Thesebattalions are located it Italy and the Czech Republic,while the battalion in Germany is combined withAustrian units. They are ready to act in Kosovo within avery short time-frame. However, I can state with a highdegree of certainty that these battalions will not beneeded.Is Dick Marty’s report affecting the security situation?– This report and its consequences should be left topolitical and judicial bodies. Sadly, instability anduncertainty occur when unconfirmed information anddoubts are spread. And there were such cases during thelast few weeks. That is why I welcome the readiness ofall sides to cooperate with the commission forinvestigations. Finally, we must ensure appropriateevidence, ready for judicial use. Confidential statementsof protected witnesses must be secured. That is howthings work in legally organised countries – where thereis no evidence, there is no guilt. And it goes withoutsaying that KFOR respects this principle of the legalstate.You have confirmed that KFOR has a central archivewith documents from the start of its mission (12 June1999). Is that archive accessible? KFOR has opened aninternal investigation related to the secret documentwhich was reported on by “Guardian” and “LeMonde”?– Of course, KFOR has an archive, which collectsmaterial on activities from the start of the mission.Documents are labelled as “Classified” and “Secret”,which is why they’re not available to the public.Initially, that is our internal archive for our own needs,and only NATO in Brussels decides whether thosedocuments could be published. By the way, thedocument published in “Le Monde” and “Guardian” islabelled as “Releasable to KFOR”, which means that itoriginated from another source and could be delivered toKFOR for its insight. I also want to point out that thisdocument is 6 years old. As a reaction to the publicationof this document, I have created a commission that willinvestigate its source. This investigation is still ongoingand I’m personally interested in its result.KFOR’s mandate has been regulated by the KumanovoAgreement and UNSC’s Resolution 1244. In connectionto that, safety-related issues along the ABL fall underauthority of the SAF and KFOR. The Administrativeboundary line with Macedonia has been recentlyhanded over to Kosovo Police Service.– KFOR’s mandate is based on the UN SC Resolution1244. Some KFOR functions have been defined andestablished by the Kumanovo agreement. When we’retalking about the administrative separation, KFOR’sside has its Joint Implementation Commission, whileSerbian Armed Forces have the Commission for theImplementation of the Military Technical Agreement.Responsible officers care about security on both sides ofseparation and carry out the so-called synchronisedpatrols with KFOR and SAF, with one of the tasks beingto suppress human trafficking. Cooperation betweenKFOR and SAF is very good, and I have very goodrelations and cooperation with Serbian Chief of GeneralStaff General Miletic. We have recently met and talked,as part of the meeting of NATO’s Military Committee.This cooperation will be continued. In connection tothat, I want to point out that I hold no mandate to makeany changes in the Administrative line.SAF and KFOR have evaluated their cooperation as“very good, highly professional and based on mutualrespect”.What is the result of that cooperation?– The result is – success. We didn’t have any seriousincidents on the ABL during the last 12 years. Trustbetween SAF and KFOR has been gradually built duringall these years. Joint exchange of information hasbecome even more intesified and trustworthy.KFOR Chronicle, January 201119