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EU mission in Kosovo may be fully deployed in December

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EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the European Union justice mission to Kosovo (EULEX), which has been opposed by Serbia, could be fully deployed in December, Belgian media reported on Tuesday.
BRUSSELS, October 28 (RIA Novosti) - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the European Union justice mission to Kosovo (EULEX), which has been opposed by Serbia, could be fully deployed in December, Belgian media reported on Tuesday.

EULEX, comprising around 1,900 police and judicial personnel, was established by the EU on February 16, a day before Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. The mission was expected to enter its "operational phase" last June, but only around 400 personnel have been deployed so far.

The EU said that the UN mission would be rather reconfigured by transferring powers in the areas of police, justice and customs to the EU-led mission.

"The shift in vocabulary represents confirmation that a compromise is emerging in the UN over the approval of the EU mission in Kosovo," EurActiv cited diplomats as saying.

The EU mission, viewed by Kosovo Serbs as a symbol of Kosovo's independence, is intended to replace the UN mission, which has been in charge of the territory since the end of the conflict between Kosovo Albanians and Serb forces in 1999.

The EU mission is opposed by Belgrade and Russia, who believe that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon exceeded his authority in bypassing the UN Security Council and calling for a reconfiguration of the UN mission in Kosovo.

The U.S. announced on October 22 that it would be transferring 80 police officers and eight judges to the EU mission.

U.S. participation sets "a precedent for [...] future cooperation between the United States and the European Union," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Dan Fried said after signing the agreement with Solana in Brussels.

Kosovo, with a 90% ethnic-Albanian majority, has been formally recognized as a sovereign state by 43 UN member states, including the U.S. and most EU members since it proclaimed its independence from Serbia on February 17.

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