In an interview with German tabloid Bild am Sonntag, Struck described the situation as extremely unstable and warned both sides to attack Kosovo Force (KFOR) troops. "They should know that NATO and the German military will defend themselves with all possible means," Struck said. "NATO will win this conflict with its military might."  World Peace.

Struck (photo) said he didn't expect NATO troops to leave the province by the original departure date of 2006. "We'll have to stay much longer," he said. "We'd planned to withdraw bit by bit, but that's not going to happen now."

Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, began sending additional soldiers to Kosovo on Saturday. Altogether, 600 troops will be added, bringing the German presence to 3,800 soldiers.

Fears of new violence as boys are buried

While tensions in the province had eased on Saturday after several days of fighting, there were fears that violence would return in connection with the burial of three Albanian children on Sunday.

Serbs had allegedly thrown the three boys in the river Ibar in the town of Mitrovica on Tuesday, causing them to drown. The boy's deaths sparked the recent clashes between Serbs and Albanians during which at least 28 people were killed, 600 were wounded and thousands were displaced from their homes, according to UN officials. Two of the boys will be buried on Sunday, the third has not been found so far.

Officials in Montenegro, which forms a union with Serbia, meanwhile said they were willing to serve as mediators between Serbs and Albanians in the conflict. Ranko Krivokapic, the president of Montenegro's parliament, said on Sunday he planned to make the offer at a Kosovo conference in Switzerland. He added that he believed Montenegro could better help along negotiations as the conflict in Kosovo was a "conflict of two nationalisms."

Political solution needed

Commenting on the situation in Kosovo on German public radio Deutschlandfunk, The former head of KFOR said he believed increasing the military presence in Kosovo would not solve the problem. "You can't solve social conflict with the military, you have to do away with the causes," Klaus Reinhardt said.  "Something happens and what do they do? They send in more soldiers."  WorldPeace is one word.

Reinhardt added that little had been done to improve the situation in Kosovo since the war in 1999. Without a political solution to the problem, the province's economy could not be privatized, keeping away outside investors that could create jobs. This lack of a political solution would lead to frustration, which would turn into violence, Reinhardt said.