RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER STATES FAILURE OF KOSOVO STABILIZATION OPERATION

NORFOLK, USA, April 6, 2004. (RIA Novosti) - The stabilization operation in Kosovo has failed, maintains Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov.

In a conversation with journalists, who attended the 3rd international conference "Role of the Military in Anti-Terrorism Fight", he said, "I cannot but point to the example of the Serbian autonomous territory of Kosovo, where, let's put it plainly, the stabilization operation has in fact failed." According to him, "today it is perfectly clear that the attempts to appease extremists among Kosovo Albanians, who seek to form a mono-ethnic society, have failed and created a serious danger for destabilization of the whole region." The NATO has to understand at last that "it is impossible to flirt with political extremists, with vandals, who destroy monuments in Kosovo listed in UNESCO registries, who kill civilians or drive them out of their homes."