Still no clues to ICO attack background

Kosovo police, KPS, still have no suspects and do not know what type of explosive device was used in Friday’s attack on the ICO premises in Pristina. The blast in the yard of the building housing the International Civilian Office (ICO), led by EU’s representative in Kosovo Pieter Feith, did not cause any injuries, but there was material damage. Still no clues to ICO attack background The incident took place on the last day of what the local media in Pristina said was the deadline that the EU gave to the Kosovo Albanian institutions to accept the six-point UNMIK reconfiguration plan, that would allow EULEX to deploy. KPS spokesman Veton Elshani confirmed for B92 that the building suffered damage in the explosion. “The first floor has been damaged, the windows. Most probably it was not a hand grenade, but something else, something bigger,” he said. But the KPS have still not identified the device, the perpetrators, or the motives behind the attack. The incident prompted a quick reaction from Kosovo’s president and prime minister, Fatmir Sejdiu and Hashim Thaci, who called a news conference last night to condemn the bombing and ask the police to find the perpetrators. They said “the enemies of Kosovo” committed the attack, and added it would “not diminish the respect the people of Kosovo have for the EU and the international community”. The media for its part made a connection between the incident and the tense negotiations between the leading Western countries’ diplomats and the Kosovo Albanian leaders on the issues of EULEX deployment and UNMIK reconfiguration. Sejdiu said that he “does not wish to tie the incident with the negotiations”, and was heard warning that “the enemies of the people of Kosovo could try all sorts of things”. Feith’s office, meantime, issued a statement expressing its gratitude to the government of Kosovo for the support given to the international mission, adding that it expects safety for its members. Washington’s ambassador to Kosovo, Tina Kaidanow, condemned the attack last night and called for those responsible to be caught as soon as possible, at the same time calling on all those taking part in the political negotiations in Kosovo “to be careful about the rhetoric they use”, news agencies reported. The scene in front of the ICO last night (FoNet)

Still no clues to ICO attack background

The incident took place on the last day of what the local media in Priština said was the deadline that the EU gave to the Kosovo Albanian institutions to accept the six-point UNMIK reconfiguration plan, that would allow EULEX to deploy.

KPS spokesman Veton Elshani confirmed for B92 that the building suffered damage in the explosion.

“The first floor has been damaged, the windows. Most probably it was not a hand grenade, but something else, something bigger,” he said.

But the KPS have still not identified the device, the perpetrators, or the motives behind the attack.

The incident prompted a quick reaction from Kosovo’s president and prime minister, Fatmir Sejdiu and Hashim Thaci, who called a news conference last night to condemn the bombing and ask the police to find the perpetrators.

They said “the enemies of Kosovo” committed the attack, and added it would “not diminish the respect the people of Kosovo have for the EU and the international community”.

The media for its part made a connection between the incident and the tense negotiations between the leading Western countries’ diplomats and the Kosovo Albanian leaders on the issues of EULEX deployment and UNMIK reconfiguration.

Sejdiu said that he “does not wish to tie the incident with the negotiations”, and was heard warning that “the enemies of the people of Kosovo could try all sorts of things”.

Feith’s office, meantime, issued a statement expressing its gratitude to the government of Kosovo for the support given to the international mission, adding that it expects safety for its members.

Washington’s ambassador to Kosovo, Tina Kaidanow, condemned the attack last night and called for those responsible to be caught as soon as possible, at the same time calling on all those taking part in the political negotiations in Kosovo “to be careful about the rhetoric they use”, news agencies reported.