“Release of Serbs is proof of Priština’s provocation”

BELGRADE -- Release of Serbs arrested on Christmas in Gračanica is a proof that Priština did everything just to provoke and ruin the great holiday, says Aleksandar Vulin.

Aleksandar Vulin (Tanjug, file)

The Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo director stated late on Tuesday that it was not his intention to make a “political show” out of the issue.

The ten Serbs were released pending trial on Tuesday night.

“As you can see, the boys did not commit any crime, they did not deserve in any way to experience this,” Vulin told Tanjug and added that he was very sad about what their families had to go through for no reason.

“But if there is anything I am proud of, it is that it has been shown, just like always, that Serbia is dedicated to peace while Priština simply is not,” he underscored.

The Office for Kosovo said that he hoped that the international community would after the incident seriously think about giving its unequivocal support to institutions that arrest youth just because they are Serbs.

He added that he hoped that the international community would not understand why President Tomislav Nikolić was not allowed to visit the Gračanica monastery and why he and other Office for Kosovo officials had so many problems with freedom of movement in Kosovo.