Tadić: No MUP presence in Kosovo

President Boris Tadic says there are no Serbian police officers in Kosovo. Tadic told journalists today in Knez Mihajlova Street, where he was attending the opening of the “For a European Serbia” election campaign, that the claims of certain UNMIK representatives that Serbian MUP officials had been present in Kosovo were untrue. Tadic: No MUP presence in Kosovo “There are people who used to work for MUP prior to 1999 living in Kosovo, and they have every right to live there, because they lived there earlier. No-one can chase them out of their own homes,” he pointed out. The president stressed that any kind of activity by Serbian police forces in Kosovo would represent a breach of Resolution 1244, which would be dangerous from the point of view of defending Serbian interests in the province. UNMIK members claimed that Serbian officers had been present when Serb justice employees had been arrested in the Kosovska Mitrovica courthouse on March 17, while Pristina daily Koha Ditore published information that UNMIK secret services had information that about ten Serbian MUP offices were operating throughout Kosovo. Tadic added that he was constantly working on solving the problem of supplying health centers and hospitals in Kosovo, as it was a very important issue. “The situation is drastic, and I’ll put all my efforts into tackling it,” the president vowed. UNMIK: No proof about MUP in Kosovo The storming of the courthouse in the north K.Mitrovica on March 17 was a joint UNMIK/KFOR operation, says a UN official. Speaking in the Serb enclave of Caglavica, Police Deputy Commissioner Jim Lias stated yesterday that the storming of the court in Kosovska Mitrovica had been planned a few days earlier. “It was a coordinated operation by UNMIK police and KFOR,” said Lias. One UNMIK police officer from Ukraine was killed and about 150 civilians, soldiers and policemen were injured in the clashes that broke out in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica on March 17, following the arrest of 53 Serbs who were staging a protest inside the court. One Serb remains in a critical condition. Also on Friday in Caglavica, Lias said the international police force had no proof of the presence of Serbian police (MUP) stations in Kosovo. "Here, (in Kosovo) there are only Kosovo Police Service (KPS) stations. Although the information about the police stations has been revealed, we have absolutely no proof. If you have proof, send it to the police and they will conduct an investigation," he said. Asked by reporters about the claims reported over the past few days by the Albanian-language Pristina papers, KPS representative Reshat Maliqi also rejected these claims. "We have no knowledge of facilities being used by parallel structures. So far, we have no such information and are aware only of facilities used by the UNMIK police and KPS,” Maliqi confirmed. The UN and Kosovo Police Service representatives said that they believed that the Serb KPS members would return to work, after refusing to accept its command following Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence. “That problem has been solved, and they are welcome to return to the KPS whenever they wish. At present, they are suspended with pay, but I expect them to return soon and work together with their ethnic Albanian colleagues,” the KPS official underlined. Lias said that all KPS personnel should operate within the Kosovo police chain of command, something the Serb officers refuse.

Tadić: No MUP presence in Kosovo

“There are people who used to work for MUP prior to 1999 living in Kosovo, and they have every right to live there, because they lived there earlier. No-one can chase them out of their own homes,” he pointed out.

The president stressed that any kind of activity by Serbian police forces in Kosovo would represent a breach of Resolution 1244, which would be dangerous from the point of view of defending Serbian interests in the province.

UNMIK members claimed that Serbian officers had been present when Serb justice employees had been arrested in the Kosovska Mitrovica courthouse on March 17, while Priština daily Koha Ditore published information that UNMIK secret services had information that about ten Serbian MUP offices were operating throughout Kosovo.

Tadić added that he was constantly working on solving the problem of supplying health centers and hospitals in Kosovo, as it was a very important issue.

“The situation is drastic, and I’ll put all my efforts into tackling it,” the president vowed.

UNMIK: No proof about MUP in Kosovo

The storming of the courthouse in the north K.Mitrovica on March 17 was a joint UNMIK/KFOR operation, says a UN official.

Speaking in the Serb enclave of Čaglavica, Police Deputy Commissioner Jim Lias stated yesterday that the storming of the court in Kosovska Mitrovica had been planned a few days earlier.

“It was a coordinated operation by UNMIK police and KFOR,” said Lias.

One UNMIK police officer from Ukraine was killed and about 150 civilians, soldiers and policemen were injured in the clashes that broke out in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica on March 17, following the arrest of 53 Serbs who were staging a protest inside the court. One Serb remains in a critical condition.

Also on Friday in Čaglavica, Lias said the international police force had no proof of the presence of Serbian police (MUP) stations in Kosovo.

"Here, (in Kosovo) there are only Kosovo Police Service (KPS) stations. Although the information about the police stations has been revealed, we have absolutely no proof. If you have proof, send it to the police and they will conduct an investigation," he said.

Asked by reporters about the claims reported over the past few days by the Albanian-language Priština papers, KPS representative Reshat Maliqi also rejected these claims.

"We have no knowledge of facilities being used by parallel structures. So far, we have no such information and are aware only of facilities used by the UNMIK police and KPS,” Maliqi confirmed.

The UN and Kosovo Police Service representatives said that they believed that the Serb KPS members would return to work, after refusing to accept its command following Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence.

“That problem has been solved, and they are welcome to return to the KPS whenever they wish. At present, they are suspended with pay, but I expect them to return soon and work together with their ethnic Albanian colleagues,” the KPS official underlined.

Lias said that all KPS personnel should operate within the Kosovo police chain of command, something the Serb officers refuse.