"EULEX will not take north by force"

Source: Beta
PRIŠTINA -- EULEX head Xavier Bout de Marnhac has said that the EU mission in Kosovo does not plan to take control over northern Kosovo by force.

He however reiterated that the rule of law and more visible presence of international institutions has to be established in the predominantly Serb area.

In an interview with Beta news agency, De Marnhac said violence was not the way to solve problems, elaborating, in the interest of clarity, that he did not believe violence could produce any positive result. He added that there was definitely no intention on the part of EULEX to resort to violence.

De Marnhac, who in 2007 and 2008 as an active French general spearheaded KFOR, added that he understood there was a certain amount of concern among the Serb population in northern Kosovo about international presence there.

However, he pointed out that it was for the benefit of the Serb community that EULEX wanted to establish firmer rule of law there, to ensure economic advancement and other forms of progress in the area.

He reiterated that establishing the rule of law, whose presence in northern Kosovo he did not rate highly, was one of his priorities. De Marnhac went on to say that there were indications that this was what the local community wanted too and that he would therefore visit that part of the territory soon.