Minister: KFOR, EULEX intimidating Serbs

Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic has reacted to the operation launched by the EU mission in Kosovo, EULEX, and NATO-led forces KFOR, in northern Kosovo. Its goal was to intimidate Serbs in that part of the province, said the minister. Minister: KFOR, EULEX intimidating Serbs Bogdanovic added the operation was sending "a bad message to Serbs". "At a time when tension is running high in the north, the EULEX action aimed at investigating the killing of a Kosovo policeman included a large number of EULEX, KFOR and Kosovo police (KPS) members, and sent a bad message to Serbs, it influences Serbs badly, and could awaken mistrust between the Serb community and KFOR and EULEX," Bogdanovic told B92 on Wednesday. According to him, Serbia is supportive of actions meant to suppress crime, but condemns the use of "such force only against Serbs", but not in cases of incidents and crimes where Serbs were the victims. He added that the Serbian authorities always pointed out that there was "neither more nor less" crime in the north than south of the Ibar River, or in central Serbia. Serbia supports EULEX in the investigation into the killing of the KPS member and the attack on the Jarinje checkpoint, but, noted Bogdanovic, "not in a manner that should make nobody proud, especially since we know that murders of Serbs were never investigated with so many troops". "The murder of (Serb) children in Gorazdevac was not investigated, EULEX even gave up on it," the minister stated. Bogdanovic also criticized Kosovo Albanian Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's statement where he described Serbian institutions as "paramilitary". "Thaci is certainly looking to cover up his weakness and his own crime with such statements. Thaci, who was identified as participant in human organ trafficking in the Marty report, should not be talking about these things," said Bogdanovic. The minister went to state that the international community was tasked with fighting crime targeting Serbs, as well as criminal groups that cooperate with Hashim Thaci, and added that Serbia could not do this job because its police was not present in Kosovo. The operation in the north today was conducted to search four homes in the village of Zupce and "confiscate evidence, including weapons, related to the investigation into the murder of a policeman", according to EULEX. The incident happened in July, during the crisis in the Serb north. Tensions flared up in the wake of the Kosovo Albanian authorities' attempt to take over two administrative line checkpoints using members of the KPS ROSU unit. Goran Bogdanovic (Beta, file)

Minister: KFOR, EULEX intimidating Serbs

Bogdanović added the operation was sending "a bad message to Serbs".

"At a time when tension is running high in the north, the EULEX action aimed at investigating the killing of a Kosovo policeman included a large number of EULEX, KFOR and Kosovo police (KPS) members, and sent a bad message to Serbs, it influences Serbs badly, and could awaken mistrust between the Serb community and KFOR and EULEX," Bogdanović told B92 on Wednesday.

According to him, Serbia is supportive of actions meant to suppress crime, but condemns the use of "such force only against Serbs", but not in cases of incidents and crimes where Serbs were the victims.

He added that the Serbian authorities always pointed out that there was "neither more nor less" crime in the north than south of the Ibar River, or in central Serbia.

Serbia supports EULEX in the investigation into the killing of the KPS member and the attack on the Jarinje checkpoint, but, noted Bogdanović, "not in a manner that should make nobody proud, especially since we know that murders of Serbs were never investigated with so many troops".

"The murder of (Serb) children in Goraždevac was not investigated, EULEX even gave up on it," the minister stated.

Bogdanović also criticized Kosovo Albanian Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's statement where he described Serbian institutions as "paramilitary".

"Thaci is certainly looking to cover up his weakness and his own crime with such statements. Thaci, who was identified as participant in human organ trafficking in the Marty report, should not be talking about these things," said Bogdanović.

The minister went to state that the international community was tasked with fighting crime targeting Serbs, as well as criminal groups that cooperate with Hashim Thaci, and added that Serbia could not do this job because its police was not present in Kosovo.

The operation in the north today was conducted to search four homes in the village of Zupče and "confiscate evidence, including weapons, related to the investigation into the murder of a policeman", according to EULEX.

The incident happened in July, during the crisis in the Serb north. Tensions flared up in the wake of the Kosovo Albanian authorities' attempt to take over two administrative line checkpoints using members of the KPS ROSU unit.