Priština: Disabling of phones not pressure

Kosovo Albanian authorities in Pristina claim that the disabling of Serb phone networks in Kosovo is not a form of pressure against the Serb community. They said that the action was in fact aimed against “illegal operators”. Pristina: Disabling of phones not pressure While Kosovo Serbs are protesting, Belgrade is contemplating its next moves in order to solve this situation. The international community in Pristina and the Kosovo government are saying that it is necessary that “only legal telephone operators work in Kosovo”. Belgrade announced that it would be challenging the action, but there is no information yet of what its plans will include. There have been rumors that Belgrade will demand a meeting with EULEX, which has given a short statement that it “supports legal phone operators in Kosovo”. EULEX spokesperson Irina Gudeljevic did not want to give any more information on the matter. ”EULEX is not involved in questions related to the transmitters and was not part of the action of demolishing them. We are still maintaining our stance that we respect the decision of the Kosovo Regulatory Agency for Telecommunications and we respect the decision to implement a new network by a legal operator,” she said. Meanwhile, Kosovo Albanian government spokesperson Memli Krasniqi accused Belgrade of “political manipulation”. “This is not only against these operators that have bases in Serbia and are functioning illegally in Kosovo, it is not important where they are from, if they are not authorized to work in Kosovo,” he said. There are also rumors that Belgrade could be turning off the 038 phone code for Pristina in response to the forceful disabling of landline and mobile networks that left tens of thousands of Serbs south of the Ibar river without service. “If Serbia turns off 038 in Kosovo, it would be a good start for the international mechanism of taking into consideration the need for state codes in the future. I think that it not in the economic interest of Serbia to take such steps. And if it is, then there will be no fatal consequences for us,” Regulatory Agency member Lulzim Kurtaj said. This agency stated that it has begun disabling “illegal mobile phone operators” on the entire territory of Kosovo, “excluding the northern part of (Kosovska) Mitrovica”.

Priština: Disabling of phones not pressure

While Kosovo Serbs are protesting, Belgrade is contemplating its next moves in order to solve this situation.

The international community in Priština and the Kosovo government are saying that it is necessary that “only legal telephone operators work in Kosovo”.

Belgrade announced that it would be challenging the action, but there is no information yet of what its plans will include.

There have been rumors that Belgrade will demand a meeting with EULEX, which has given a short statement that it “supports legal phone operators in Kosovo”.

EULEX spokesperson Irina Gudeljević did not want to give any more information on the matter.

”EULEX is not involved in questions related to the transmitters and was not part of the action of demolishing them. We are still maintaining our stance that we respect the decision of the Kosovo Regulatory Agency for Telecommunications and we respect the decision to implement a new network by a legal operator,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kosovo Albanian government spokesperson Memli Krasniqi accused Belgrade of “political manipulation”.

“This is not only against these operators that have bases in Serbia and are functioning illegally in Kosovo, it is not important where they are from, if they are not authorized to work in Kosovo,” he said.

There are also rumors that Belgrade could be turning off the 038 phone code for Priština in response to the forceful disabling of landline and mobile networks that left tens of thousands of Serbs south of the Ibar river without service.

“If Serbia turns off 038 in Kosovo, it would be a good start for the international mechanism of taking into consideration the need for state codes in the future. I think that it not in the economic interest of Serbia to take such steps. And if it is, then there will be no fatal consequences for us,” Regulatory Agency member Lulzim Kurtaj said.

This agency stated that it has begun disabling “illegal mobile phone operators” on the entire territory of Kosovo, “excluding the northern part of (Kosovska) Mitrovica”.