Kosovo says army 'irreversible' ahead of UN meeting

Kosovo's president said the country's decision to build an army was "irreversible" before heading to a UN Security Council meeting on Monday about the move, which has drawn the ire of former war foe Serbia. The Kosovo parliament's Friday vote to transform a lightly-armed emergency force into a standing army was carried out with strong support from the United States, which hailed the move as historic. But the decision has angered Belgrade and its key ally Russia, who both refuse to recognise the independence of the former Serbian province. At Serbia's request, the UN Security Council will hold a public meeting on the issue Monday. It will be the second meeting after a closed-doors emergency session was held Friday. Before travelling to New York late Sunday, Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci told reporters that "regardless of upcoming discussions, the Kosovo army is an irreversible process". "The right of Kosovo institutions to form a Kosovo army is historic, right and in accordance with the will of the people of Kosovo, all ethnicities," he added. Since breaking away from Serbia in a 1998-99 guerilla war, Kosovo's security has been protected by international peacekeeping troops. Belgrade insists the army violates a UN resolution that ended the war. Serbia's foreign minister Ivica Dacic said Sunday that it was "important that the voice of Serbia and condemnation of Pristina's activities be heard". Earlier, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic lashed out at Kosovo for "crossing the line" with the army move, while also blaming the US and other western countries who lent their support. While it will take years for the army to be operational, Belgrade has cast it as a dire threat to a minority Serb population still living in Kosovo. NATO and the European Union also criticised the vote as hasty and lacking the consent of Serbs, whose MPs boycotted the parliamentary session on the issue. Kosovo's independence, declared in 2008, has been recognised by more than 100 countries. But it remains shut out from the UN, with Serbia's Russian and Chinese allies ready to veto any membership bid. burs-ssm/dl