Serb municipality in north ends cooperation with EULEX

Members of the police of the EU mission in Kosovo, EULEX, today searched the home of the Veselinovic family in the village of Doljani, near the town of Zvecan. The operation started at 05:00 CET in this northern Kosovo village, and included EULEX members who arrived in two helicopters and several armored SUVs. Serb municipality in north ends cooperation with EULEX The parents of controversial businessman Zvonko Veselinovic live in the house. Veslinovic himself was arrested in central Serbia last December. Media reports described him as "the leader of organized crime in Kosovo". In response to Tuesday's events, Zvecan Mayor Dragisa Milovic said that the municipality was ending any further cooperation with EULEX "until further notice", accusing the mission of deceiving the locals on Tuesday and carrying out their raid in a brutal manner. The EULEX members who searched the Veselinovic home today left in helicopters, but their colleagues securing the scene in their vehicles found themselves blocked by local Serbs. The locals said they suspected that members of the Kosovo police (KPS) ROSU unit were among the EULEX personnel, and that the Veselinovics were deceived when they were told that the search was being carried out "on the orders of the special prosecutor in Belgrade". But the wife of Zvonko Veselinovic showed reporters and the locals a warrant issued by the prosecutor's office in Kosovska Mitrovica, carrying the seal of "the republic of Kosovo". Despite a downpour, the Serbs refused to move and let EULEX leave the scene until Mayor Milovic arrived and persuaded them to do so. But he pointed out that today's events meant that the municipality would not cooperate with the EU mission in the future. Milovic accused EULEX of being an inefficient mission that invested large funds in order to assist the Kosovo institutions, while it was at the same time unable to solve any of assault and murder cases where Serbs were victims. The Veselinovic family today also told reporters that the search of their property was carried out in a "fair manner", that policemen involved "did not break their furniture", and that they were looking for weapons. They found a hunting rifle and an air rifle, for which the family had appropriate permits. However, another family - that of Miladin Tanaskovic, also in Doljani - accused EULEX of breaking into their home early this morning by tearing down the door, and mistreating them. A one-year-old baby was among the family members in the house. According to this, EULEX raided the house my mistake, believing that it was the home of the Veselinovics. Meanwhile, Zvonko Veselinovic is detained in Serbia on charges of fraud - the Organized Crime Prosecution suspects that he and two others "misappropriated 32 freight vehicles belonging to Hypo-Alpe-Adria Leasing". In the province, the NATO mission, KFOR, accuses him of organizing riots in the summer of 2011 when the administrative checkpoint of Jarine was set on fire, after Serbs held the outpost blocked for several days. The barricades were put up after the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Pristina sent their police units to take over the two checkpoints located between northern Kosovo and central Serbia. Serbs are the majority population in the north and reject both the authority of the government in Pristina, and the unilateral declaration of independence made by ethnic Albanians in early 2008. Tanjug

Serb municipality in north ends cooperation with EULEX

The parents of controversial businessman Zvonko Veselinović live in the house.

Veslinović himself was arrested in central Serbia last December. Media reports described him as "the leader of organized crime in Kosovo".

In response to Tuesday's events, Zvečan Mayor Dragiša Milović said that the municipality was ending any further cooperation with EULEX "until further notice", accusing the mission of deceiving the locals on Tuesday and carrying out their raid in a brutal manner.

The EULEX members who searched the Veselinović home today left in helicopters, but their colleagues securing the scene in their vehicles found themselves blocked by local Serbs.

The locals said they suspected that members of the Kosovo police (KPS) ROSU unit were among the EULEX personnel, and that the Veselinovićs were deceived when they were told that the search was being carried out "on the orders of the special prosecutor in Belgrade".

But the wife of Zvonko Veselinović showed reporters and the locals a warrant issued by the prosecutor's office in Kosovska Mitrovica, carrying the seal of "the republic of Kosovo".

Despite a downpour, the Serbs refused to move and let EULEX leave the scene until Mayor Milović arrived and persuaded them to do so. But he pointed out that today's events meant that the municipality would not cooperate with the EU mission in the future.

Milović accused EULEX of being an inefficient mission that invested large funds in order to assist the Kosovo institutions, while it was at the same time unable to solve any of assault and murder cases where Serbs were victims.

The Veselinović family today also told reporters that the search of their property was carried out in a "fair manner", that policemen involved "did not break their furniture", and that they were looking for weapons. They found a hunting rifle and an air rifle, for which the family had appropriate permits.

However, another family - that of Miladin Tanasković, also in Doljani - accused EULEX of breaking into their home early this morning by tearing down the door, and mistreating them. A one-year-old baby was among the family members in the house. According to this, EULEX raided the house my mistake, believing that it was the home of the Veselinovićs.

Meanwhile, Zvonko Veselinović is detained in Serbia on charges of fraud - the Organized Crime Prosecution suspects that he and two others "misappropriated 32 freight vehicles belonging to Hypo-Alpe-Adria Leasing".

In the province, the NATO mission, KFOR, accuses him of organizing riots in the summer of 2011 when the administrative checkpoint of Jarine was set on fire, after Serbs held the outpost blocked for several days.

The barricades were put up after the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Priština sent their police units to take over the two checkpoints located between northern Kosovo and central Serbia.

Serbs are the majority population in the north and reject both the authority of the government in Priština, and the unilateral declaration of independence made by ethnic Albanians in early 2008.