Pristina  - General Sylejman Selimi is to become the first chief of staff of the Kosovo army, according to a decree signed on Saturday by President Fatmir Sejdiuin.

NATO forces will help train the fledging army, which is expected to have a strength of 2,500.

Serbian Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac called the formation of the army "unacceptable." Kosovo was a Serbian province under UN administration when it unilaterally declared independence in February.

Selimi, 38, was one of the founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army UCK that fought for independence for the Albanian-dominated territory.

He became commander of the Kosovo Protection Force after NATO airstrikes forced the Serb army out of Kosovo in 1999 and the NATO-led Kosovo Force KFOR took over security. (dpa)