Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac Thursday ruled out military intervention in Kosovo even if ethnic Albanians unilaterally declare independence.
Serbia has vowed not to recognize an independent Kosovo and instead offered broad autonomy for the province, an idea the province's dominant ethnic Albanians have rejected.
Sutanovac's comments came amid fears Serbia could intervene militarily if Kosovo declares independence after a Dec. 10 deadline for negotiation expires.
"Such military action would take us back to the 1999 period," the Serbian minister said.
Sutanovac said he had received assurances that the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo, known as KFOR, is determined to prevent every attempt to destabilize the breakaway province.
Serbia joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program along with Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina last December.
Sutanovac said the Serbian army has cooperated well with the KFOR and that international peacekeeping troops are not enemy organizations.
He said the Defense Ministry has plans for the worst and best possible scenarios for Kosovo, but he did not elaborate.
Source: Xinhua
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