UNMIK in north, Serbs warn of "red lines"

Serb municipality presidents in north Kosovo and UNMIK officials agreed to resume cooperation at a meeting in Zvecan. “Together with the UNMIK administration, we call, above all else, for peace and dialogue, to settle all our problems through negotiations and talks,” said Zvecan Municipal President Dragisa Milovic on Wednesday, adding that it had been agreed with UNMIK to continue cooperation over implementing Security Council Resolution 1244. UNMIK in north, Serbs warn of "red lines" Special political adviser to the regional UNMIK representative Andrey Efimov said that all problems should be solved through dialogue. “We want to work together with representatives of the northern municipalities in order to implement Resolution 1244, and in so doing contribute to peace and stability,” explained Efimov. Zubin Potok Municipal President Slavisa Ristic said that the municipal presidents had “expressed their doubt that it was anyone’s decision for an incident to occur, such as the one in Kosovska Mitrovica, in order for UNMIK to leave the area.” Ristic said that the Serbs would respect Resolution 1244, but that they could not accept any international structure forcibly carrying out political decisions taken by an independent Kosovo. “That’s a red line we cannot cross, simply because we believe that we are entirely within our rights to state the fact that if the international community did not impose its political will on the Albanians by force, because for years they said they did not want Belgrade’s political will, then what right has anyone from the international community or the current mission to Kosovo to impose its political will by force on the Serb side,” he complained. Head of the Kosovska Mitrovica District Momir Kasalovic told B92 that UNMIK police and the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) were due to assume control of the town’s police station by Saturday. “UNMIK police together with the KPS have returned to their premises in the northern part. Yesterday we had a meeting with people responsible for the UNMIK regional police, and they told us that UNMIK police would be in the north again from today, which has happened, while KFOR is also slowly withdrawing. KFOR should have withdrawn completely by Friday, so that UNMIK police will reassume security in northern Kosovska Mitrovica in tandem with KPS Serb officers,” said Kasalovic. However, it is still not clear whether the latest moves by the Serbs in northern Kosovo are part of a government action plan. Asked who controlled the Kosovo Serbs, he replied: “Who controls them? Well, I can tell you nobody controls them. They all have to abide by the rules and regulations that apply in this region that is under the control of international forces. Quite simply, you know what you can and can’t do here. There are also Serbian state regulations round here, however much that might annoy some people: our court here continues to exist and work, admittedly not criminal matters and things like that that can’t be done for reasons that are well known, but it processes wills, inheritance and such like. What I mean is that the laws and regulations of the Serbian state apply to the Serbs in northern Kosovo." Kosovo Serb representatives yesterday asserted that KFOR and UNMIK’s brutal and groundless arrest of Serb judges in northern Kosovska Mitrovica had sparked the incident where a hundred or so people were injured, and one UNMIK police officer killed. The incident was provoked by Washington, Brussels and Pristina in order to cause chaos, President of the Serb National Council of Kosovo Milan Ivanovic and President of Serb Enclaves and Municipalities Marko Jaksic told a press conference. Ivanovic said that the incident in the courthouse had taken place after the needless arrests of Serb justice employees, among whom were women, that were thrown to the floor, handcuffed, and then taken to Pristina. He added that an American policeman “who was in a jeep, fired at the crowd,” which provoked the Serbs’ justified reaction. Ivanovic said that the international forces’ brutal operation was intended “to create chaos, in order to introduce the EU’s illegal mission to the north of the province with the help of tanks.” Jaksic stressed that following the brutal arrest of 53 justice employees, a big crowd had spontaneously and quite justifiably gathered, as the Serbs could not tolerate the humiliation and injustice of seeing their fellow citizens so badly treated. He said that UNMIK police had completely disregarded the agreement reached six hours before the police raid with the Kosovo minister to avert any armed operation at the courthouse.

UNMIK in north, Serbs warn of "red lines"

Special political adviser to the regional UNMIK representative Andrey Efimov said that all problems should be solved through dialogue.

“We want to work together with representatives of the northern municipalities in order to implement Resolution 1244, and in so doing contribute to peace and stability,” explained Efimov.

Zubin Potok Municipal President Slaviša Ristić said that the municipal presidents had “expressed their doubt that it was anyone’s decision for an incident to occur, such as the one in Kosovska Mitrovica, in order for UNMIK to leave the area.”

Ristić said that the Serbs would respect Resolution 1244, but that they could not accept any international structure forcibly carrying out political decisions taken by an independent Kosovo.

“That’s a red line we cannot cross, simply because we believe that we are entirely within our rights to state the fact that if the international community did not impose its political will on the Albanians by force, because for years they said they did not want Belgrade’s political will, then what right has anyone from the international community or the current mission to Kosovo to impose its political will by force on the Serb side,” he complained.

Head of the Kosovska Mitrovica District Momir Kasalović told B92 that UNMIK police and the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) were due to assume control of the town’s police station by Saturday.

“UNMIK police together with the KPS have returned to their premises in the northern part. Yesterday we had a meeting with people responsible for the UNMIK regional police, and they told us that UNMIK police would be in the north again from today, which has happened, while KFOR is also slowly withdrawing. KFOR should have withdrawn completely by Friday, so that UNMIK police will reassume security in northern Kosovska Mitrovica in tandem with KPS Serb officers,” said Kasalović.

However, it is still not clear whether the latest moves by the Serbs in northern Kosovo are part of a government action plan. Asked who controlled the Kosovo Serbs, he replied:

“Who controls them? Well, I can tell you nobody controls them. They all have to abide by the rules and regulations that apply in this region that is under the control of international forces. Quite simply, you know what you can and can’t do here. There are also Serbian state regulations round here, however much that might annoy some people: our court here continues to exist and work, admittedly not criminal matters and things like that that can’t be done for reasons that are well known, but it processes wills, inheritance and such like. What I mean is that the laws and regulations of the Serbian state apply to the Serbs in northern Kosovo."

Kosovo Serb representatives yesterday asserted that KFOR and UNMIK’s brutal and groundless arrest of Serb judges in northern Kosovska Mitrovica had sparked the incident where a hundred or so people were injured, and one UNMIK police officer killed.

The incident was provoked by Washington, Brussels and Priština in order to cause chaos, President of the Serb National Council of Kosovo Milan Ivanović and President of Serb Enclaves and Municipalities Marko Jakšić told a press conference.

Ivanović said that the incident in the courthouse had taken place after the needless arrests of Serb justice employees, among whom were women, that were thrown to the floor, handcuffed, and then taken to Priština.

He added that an American policeman “who was in a jeep, fired at the crowd,” which provoked the Serbs’ justified reaction.

Ivanović said that the international forces’ brutal operation was intended “to create chaos, in order to introduce the EU’s illegal mission to the north of the province with the help of tanks.”

Jakšić stressed that following the brutal arrest of 53 justice employees, a big crowd had spontaneously and quite justifiably gathered, as the Serbs could not tolerate the humiliation and injustice of seeing their fellow citizens so badly treated.

He said that UNMIK police had completely disregarded the agreement reached six hours before the police raid with the Kosovo minister to avert any armed operation at the courthouse.