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Europe

The Latest: US hails Kosovo parliament vote to form new army

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Members of Kosovo Security Force line up for inspection by Kosovo president Hashim Thaci in capital Pristina, Kosovo, on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. Kosovo lawmakers are set to transform the Kosovo Security Force into a regular army. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

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    Kosovo president Hashim Thaci salutes as he inspects members of Kosovo Security Force in capital Pristina, Kosovo, on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. Kosovo lawmakers are set to transform the Kosovo Security Force into a regular army, a move that significantly heightened tension with neighboring Serbia. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

PRISTINA, Kosovo – The Latest on Kosovo's vote to create an army (all times local):

12:10 p.m.

The United States has hailed Kosovo's parliamentary vote to form a new army as a first step and reaffirmed "its support for the gradual transition ... to a force with a territorial defense mandate, as is Kosovo's sovereign right."

Kosovo's parliament on Friday overwhelmingly approved the formation of an army, a move that has angered Serbia which says it would threaten peace in the war-scarred region.

A U.S. Embassy statement in Pristina urged Kosovo to continue "close coordination with NATO allies and partners and to engage in outreach to minority communities."

The statement also said "regional stability requires that Kosovo make genuine efforts to normalize relations with its neighbor Serbia, and we encourage both sides to take immediate steps to lower tensions and create conditions for rapid progress on dialogue."

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11:50 a.m.

Serbia's prime minister says the formation of an army in Kosovo goes against efforts at stability in the volatile Balkans.

Ana Brnabic said Friday that "Serbia will try to continue on the path of peace and stability, the road of prosperity." Brnabic adds that "we should sit down and talk about building a better future."

"Today is not the day that contributes to cooperation and stability in the region," she added.

Serbia doesn't recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence and has been fiercely opposed to the formation of the Kosovo army, saying it threatens the Serb minority.

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11:30 a.m.

Kosovo's parliament has overwhelmingly approved the formation of an army, a move that has angered Serbia which says it would threaten peace in the war-scarred region.

All 107 lawmakers present in the 120-seat parliament on Friday voted in favor of passing three draft laws to turn the existing 4,000-strong Kosovo Security Force into a regular, lightly armed army.

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10 a.m.

Kosovo's parliament is convening to approve the formation of an army, a move that has angered Serbia which says it would threaten peace in the war-scarred region.

The 120-seat parliament on Friday will vote on three laws to turn an existing 4,000-member Kosovo Security Force into a regular lightly armed army. Ethnic Serb lawmakers were expected to boycott the vote.

Serbia fears the move's main purpose is to ethnically cleanse Kosovo's Serbian-dominated north, something strongly denied by Pristina.

Kosovo's 1998-199 war ended with a 78-day NATO air campaign in June 1999 that stopped a Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists.

Kosovo's 2008 independence isn't recognized by Serbia.