Removal of Rudare barricade “takes time”, says official

Serbian Ministry for Kosovo State Secretary Oliver Ivanovic said on Wednesday that the Rudare barricade did not represent a major problem. He explained that KFOR was aware that removal of the Rudare barricade would take a bit more time because it was technically complicated and consisted of construction machines. Removal of Rudare barricade “takes time”, says official “KFOR needs a passage and they have an alternative route that we pointed out in the first phase when we opened up a part of the road as a precondition for talks and let them pass through (Kosovska) Mitrovica, meaning through Zvecan,” he told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS). When asked when he expected the barricades to be removed, he explained that “KFOR partially feels guilty for all this, regardless of the fact they do not say it aloud, but it is more than obvious that they acted contrary to what they normally do in situations like this”. “As a part of that quilt and as an attempt to compensate it somehow they are leaving a bit more tolerant deadline and it is quite logical that we cannot just say to people who came after one call ‘go home now, everything is fine’”, Ivanovic pointed out. Oliver Ivanovic (Tanjug, file) “Failure to hold meeting will harm Serbs” Commenting on the fact that four northern Kosovo municipal representatives did not hold a meeting in Leposavic, Ivanovic stressed that “disagreements among municipalities can only harm us”. “When one municipality fails to bring its representatives and the other immediately decides to withdraw its barricades, we cannot talk about unity, and unity is the idea that preserved us,” the state secretary said commenting on the fact that Zubin Potok representatives did not attend the Tuesday meeting in Leposavic while the barricade in Leposavic was removed during the night. Ivanovic believes that this disunity does not jeopardize the interim agreement between the Serbian government and KFOR, but “it still causes harm to us, because the moment disunity becomes visible, we become a target for many who do not have a benevolent attitude toward us.” He thinks that there are “party goals and party policies that have interfered” and that those who are watching it, regardless of whether they are in well-intentioned circles in the international community or among the Albanians, conclude that it is easier to put such people in a vulnerable position. “We badly need unity, and parties, partisanship and party policy can wait until some pre-election period,” he pointed out and expressed expectation that people would slowly gain confidence in terms of the agreement and its implementation, adding that “we need to consider KFOR because it is an international factor with which we had relatively positive cooperation so far.” Four municipalities’ representatives were supposed to discuss the agreement between the Serbian government and KFOR on Tuesday, but the meeting was postponed due to Zubin Potok municipal representatives’ absence. The Zubin Potok municipal representatives believe that the Serbian parliament should decide on removal of barricades in north Kosovo and not Kosovo municipal councilors. Serbia’s Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic has assessed that postponement of the meeting is a “bad message”. Ivanovic pointed out that Kosovo Serbs could become a target of foreigners and Kosovo Albanians because of their disagreement with Belgrade.

Removal of Rudare barricade “takes time”, says official

“KFOR needs a passage and they have an alternative route that we pointed out in the first phase when we opened up a part of the road as a precondition for talks and let them pass through (Kosovska) Mitrovica, meaning through Zvečan,” he told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).

When asked when he expected the barricades to be removed, he explained that “KFOR partially feels guilty for all this, regardless of the fact they do not say it aloud, but it is more than obvious that they acted contrary to what they normally do in situations like this”.

“As a part of that quilt and as an attempt to compensate it somehow they are leaving a bit more tolerant deadline and it is quite logical that we cannot just say to people who came after one call ‘go home now, everything is fine’”, Ivanović pointed out.

“Failure to hold meeting will harm Serbs”

Commenting on the fact that four northern Kosovo municipal representatives did not hold a meeting in Leposavić, Ivanović stressed that “disagreements among municipalities can only harm us”.

“When one municipality fails to bring its representatives and the other immediately decides to withdraw its barricades, we cannot talk about unity, and unity is the idea that preserved us,” the state secretary said commenting on the fact that Zubin Potok representatives did not attend the Tuesday meeting in Leposavić while the barricade in Leposavić was removed during the night.

Ivanović believes that this disunity does not jeopardize the interim agreement between the Serbian government and KFOR, but “it still causes harm to us, because the moment disunity becomes visible, we become a target for many who do not have a benevolent attitude toward us.”

He thinks that there are “party goals and party policies that have interfered” and that those who are watching it, regardless of whether they are in well-intentioned circles in the international community or among the Albanians, conclude that it is easier to put such people in a vulnerable position.

“We badly need unity, and parties, partisanship and party policy can wait until some pre-election period,” he pointed out and expressed expectation that people would slowly gain confidence in terms of the agreement and its implementation, adding that “we need to consider KFOR because it is an international factor with which we had relatively positive cooperation so far.”

Four municipalities’ representatives were supposed to discuss the agreement between the Serbian government and KFOR on Tuesday, but the meeting was postponed due to Zubin Potok municipal representatives’ absence. The Zubin Potok municipal representatives believe that the Serbian parliament should decide on removal of barricades in north Kosovo and not Kosovo municipal councilors. Serbia’s Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanović has assessed that postponement of the meeting is a “bad message”. Ivanović pointed out that Kosovo Serbs could become a target of foreigners and Kosovo Albanians because of their disagreement with Belgrade.