"Withdraw Gendarmes unconditionally"

Presevo municipal president and one of the leaders of ethnic Albanians in the south Ragmi Mustafa has accused MUP Gendarmerie officers of "brutality". "They brutally raid Albanian homes and mistreat even small children," Mustafa was quoted as saying. "Withdraw Gendarmes unconditionally" The Gendarmerie (Zandarmerija) is the Serbian police (MUP) elite formation, deployed in this region along the administrative line with Kosovo, known as the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ). "If the Gendarmerie continues with such brutal action, every yard and every house in Presevo and nearby villages will be open, since we don't want them to break down gates, doors and windows in order to enter. Everything will be accessible and open to them," said Mustafa, and added there will be "no reason for the local government to work unless the repression ends". "We will open the building of the municipality and other institutions, and let police and Gendarmerie appoint their authorities. We will not take part in it. Under these circumstances, when Gendarmes brutally burst into people's houses and mistreat even small children, we have nothing else to say but that we will withdraw from the official municipal organs, if this continues," said he. According to Mustafa, who heads the ethnic Albanian DPA party, "similar things happened in Kosovo" during the 1990s. "Police acted in the same manner in Kosovo, and we know what happened there. Serbia lost Kosovo. Is the Presevo Valley being pushed toward Kosovo in this way," he wondered. Mustafa also complained about the local officials' inability to reach government representatives. "Nobody communicates with us, we only read their statements in the newspapers. There's a big problem here and someone must talk to the people, to see how to solve it," he was quoted. The area in the south of Serbia, known as the Presevo Valley – home to the largest ethnic Albanian community in the country outside of Kosovo itself – almost descended to an all-out war after the end of the 1999 conflict in the province. This region has recently seen a spate of incidents, including an RPG attack on a Gendarmerie vehicle that injured two officers, and a bomb blast in front of a residential building that houses policemen and their families. Both attacks were described as terrorism by the Serbian authorities. After the last incident, police launched a series of operations to cut arms smuggling and arrest suspects. Accused of brutality: MUP Gendarmes in the GSZ (Tanjug) "Withdraw Gendarmes" Meanwhile, the Presevo municipal assembly met on Sunday and asked for an "unconditional withdrawal of Gendarmerie members from its territory". The councilors also asked for the responsibility of the Serbian government and that of Interior Minister Ivica Dacic to be determined due to what they referred to as "excessive use of force by police during searches of Albanian houses in the Presevo Valley". The assembly decided to send the conclusions from today's session to the government, all embassies in Belgrade and the OSCE. The councilors expressed concern both over the recent search operations, and those conducted late last year as a group of ethnic Albanian terrorism suspects was apprehended in the same area. They described the Gendarmerie's actions as "brutal", asked for a start of talks between the legitimate representatives of Albanians from the region and the government, "in order to overcome the newly created situation". The conclusions also say that "unless the municipal assembly's legitimate demands are taken into account the functioning of local authorities will be brought into question".

"Withdraw Gendarmes unconditionally"

The Gendarmerie (Žandarmerija) is the Serbian police (MUP) elite formation, deployed in this region along the administrative line with Kosovo, known as the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ).

"If the Gendarmerie continues with such brutal action, every yard and every house in Preševo and nearby villages will be open, since we don't want them to break down gates, doors and windows in order to enter. Everything will be accessible and open to them," said Mustafa, and added there will be "no reason for the local government to work unless the repression ends".

"We will open the building of the municipality and other institutions, and let police and Gendarmerie appoint their authorities. We will not take part in it. Under these circumstances, when Gendarmes brutally burst into people's houses and mistreat even small children, we have nothing else to say but that we will withdraw from the official municipal organs, if this continues," said he.

According to Mustafa, who heads the ethnic Albanian DPA party, "similar things happened in Kosovo" during the 1990s.

"Police acted in the same manner in Kosovo, and we know what happened there. Serbia lost Kosovo. Is the Preševo Valley being pushed toward Kosovo in this way," he wondered.

Mustafa also complained about the local officials' inability to reach government representatives.

"Nobody communicates with us, we only read their statements in the newspapers. There's a big problem here and someone must talk to the people, to see how to solve it," he was quoted.

The area in the south of Serbia, known as the Preševo Valley – home to the largest ethnic Albanian community in the country outside of Kosovo itself – almost descended to an all-out war after the end of the 1999 conflict in the province.

This region has recently seen a spate of incidents, including an RPG attack on a Gendarmerie vehicle that injured two officers, and a bomb blast in front of a residential building that houses policemen and their families. Both attacks were described as terrorism by the Serbian authorities.

After the last incident, police launched a series of operations to cut arms smuggling and arrest suspects.

"Withdraw Gendarmes"

Meanwhile, the Preševo municipal assembly met on Sunday and asked for an "unconditional withdrawal of Gendarmerie members from its territory".

The councilors also asked for the responsibility of the Serbian government and that of Interior Minister Ivica Dačić to be determined due to what they referred to as "excessive use of force by police during searches of Albanian houses in the Preševo Valley".

The assembly decided to send the conclusions from today's session to the government, all embassies in Belgrade and the OSCE.

The councilors expressed concern both over the recent search operations, and those conducted late last year as a group of ethnic Albanian terrorism suspects was apprehended in the same area.

They described the Gendarmerie's actions as "brutal", asked for a start of talks between the legitimate representatives of Albanians from the region and the government, "in order to overcome the newly created situation".

The conclusions also say that "unless the municipal assembly's legitimate demands are taken into account the functioning of local authorities will be brought into question".