Ex KFOR Commander: A Single Spark in Kosovo Could Set Off a Chain Reaction  

NATO, KFOR Kosovo (BETAPHOTO/ARMENIJA ZAJMI BESEVIC/EV)

The former Kosovo Force (KFOR) commander, Italian Gen. Salvatore Farina, has warned that a single spark could cause “a chain reaction,” stressing that “now, it is most important to avoid provoked or unintentional inter-ethnic conflicts which would lead to escalation.”

Gen. Farina has made the statement to Italian daily The Corriere della Sera, noting that “the current tensions in Kosovo have been happening in a very different international situation.”

Farina also said he doubted that “Pristina or Belgrade are set to make provocations, but certain measures need to be much more thoughtful, so it is already acceptable that Pristina has agreed to push back the deadlines and seek a more appropriate solution.”

Asked whether there was a risk of a wider scale conflict, Gen. Farina stressed that “unless provocations are created, there is no immediate risk, but actions have to be taken toward preventing them and not blowing on a fire... we cannot rewind the clock back to 1999, it cannot be allowed even by the world today.”