"Priština's ultimatum counterproductive"

Ministry for Kosovo State Secretary Oliver Ivanović on Monday qualified as counterproductive a call to Serb policemen in Kosovo to return to work.

Izvor: Tanjug

Monday, 11.05.2009.

18:17

Default images

Ministry for Kosovo State Secretary Oliver Ivanovic on Monday qualified as counterproductive a call to Serb policemen in Kosovo to return to work. The Kosovo police, KPS, chiefs have demanded that the Serb officers return to their jobs by mid-May. "Pristina's ultimatum counterproductive" Kosovo Albanian government Interior Minister Zenun Pajaziti called on all the suspended police officers of Serb ethnicity to return to their jobs by May 15, or be fired from their jobs. According to Ivanovic, this is "senseless and counterproductive", because, as he assessed, "Serbs cannot be blackmailed, especially not because such an attitude creates new tensions that will not make the policemen rejoin KPS". “There will be no yielding, and they have to realize that it is possible to integrate these people into the system only if they get what we have been asking for - that the chain of command goes via international representatives. Without this, our people will not return to KPS,” Ivanovic underlined. "Unless matters are settled in this way, we will have consequences on all sides," Ivanovic warned, pointing out that "if there were no Serbs in uniforms in the small settlements south to the Ibar River, that would threaten the Serb community and continue to make them feel unsafe". Ivanovic said that "representatives of Kosovo institutions cannot blackmail or threaten anyone" and that with its unilateral proclamation of independence, "the Kosovo government had caused a reaction of the Serb members of the KPS". “Unilateral independence has brought about certain consequences and they had to count on that. It cannot be that they expected the Serbs to accept it just like that. I think they will concede, because this is a serious matter,” Ivanovic said. Over 300 Serb policemen have been on paid suspension since last February, when they left the Kosovo police chain of command following the province's ethnic Albanians' secession declaration. They demand that KPS operates as part of the command chain of UNMIK or EULEX.

"Priština's ultimatum counterproductive"

Kosovo Albanian government Interior Minister Zenun Pajaziti called on all the suspended police officers of Serb ethnicity to return to their jobs by May 15, or be fired from their jobs.

According to Ivanović, this is "senseless and counterproductive", because, as he assessed, "Serbs cannot be blackmailed, especially not because such an attitude creates new tensions that will not make the policemen rejoin KPS".

“There will be no yielding, and they have to realize that it is possible to integrate these people into the system only if they get what we have been asking for - that the chain of command goes via international representatives. Without this, our people will not return to KPS,” Ivanović underlined.

"Unless matters are settled in this way, we will have consequences on all sides," Ivanović warned, pointing out that "if there were no Serbs in uniforms in the small settlements south to the Ibar River, that would threaten the Serb community and continue to make them feel unsafe".

Ivanović said that "representatives of Kosovo institutions cannot blackmail or threaten anyone" and that with its unilateral proclamation of independence, "the Kosovo government had caused a reaction of the Serb members of the KPS".

“Unilateral independence has brought about certain consequences and they had to count on that. It cannot be that they expected the Serbs to accept it just like that. I think they will concede, because this is a serious matter,” Ivanović said.

Over 300 Serb policemen have been on paid suspension since last February, when they left the Kosovo police chain of command following the province's ethnic Albanians' secession declaration. They demand that KPS operates as part of the command chain of UNMIK or EULEX.

Komentari 13

Pogledaj komentare

13 Komentari

Možda vas zanima

Stiže novi "pakao"; Spremite se 1
Društvo

Stiže novi "pakao"; Spremite se

Kao u prvih 15 dana aprila, ovaj mesec će se završiti natprosečnim temperaturama. Prema najavi RHMZ u nedelju i do prve polovine naredne sedmice temperature će dostići letnje vrednosti.

7:21

26.4.2024.

23 h

Podeli: