Serbs rally, reiterate opposition to "independent Kosovo"

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA Protesters who gathered in Kosovska Mitrovica on Wednesday said that northern Kosovo Serbs would never agree to be a part of independent Kosovo. They added that they did not want a border between the province and central Serbia. Serbs rally, reiterate opposition to "independent Kosovo" Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantic has said that the northern Kosovo Serbs would not allow Pristina to impose its institutions in the north. “The international community knows very well that the fate of Kosovo and Metohija and the north of the province is in our hands and therefore we are sending a message that we will never agree to be a part of independent Kosovo, whether we have the support or not. Our fate is in our hands and we will not allow them to impose the Albanian institutions on us and make ‘Kosovars’ out of us,” he underscored. One of the reasons for the protest is an incident in the multi-ethnic neighborhood of Brdjani in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica. A shooting took place in the neighborhood on Tuesday but nobody was injured. Pantic said that ethnic Albanians were trying to bring Albanians who had never lived in Kosovska Mitrovica to the neighborhood and change the population’s ethnic structure and “ethnically cleanse Kosovska Mitrovica and they have the international community’s support”. “I called on UNMIK representatives Stefan Filbrich and his deputy to react and prevent illegal construction in the Brdjani neighborhood but they are seemingly on a vacation. KFOR took the Albanians’ side last year, not only that they do not allow us to have freedom of movement but they shoot at our brothers,” he said, pointing out incidents that took place in July 2011 in northern Kosovo. Pantic said that EULEX had come to Kosovo in order to create a state for the Albanians and help them with things they failed to do. He noted that the Serbian government needed to implement agreements reached in Brussels but that the international community was deceiving them by saying that the agreement on the integrated management of the administrative line did not mean the setting up of a border between Kosovo and central Serbia. According to the Kosovska Mitrovica mayor, they are trying to present it as an attempt to prevent illegal trade and smuggling on both sides of the administrative line. “We need to tell the international community and our government that KFOR, EULEX and the international community are on the Albanians’ side and that a real goal of the control of the administrative line is in fact to establish a border between central Serbia and its southern province,” he explained. The Kosovska Mitrovica-Raska road was blocked for an hour in all four northern Kosovo municipalities on Wednesday. Kosovska Mitrovica District Head Radenko Nedeljkovic has stated that northern Kosovo Serbs want to send a message, primarily to the state of Serbia, that they do not want a border between Kosovo and central Serbia, that they will not make their peace with the implementation of the agreement on the integrated administrative crossings management and the freedom of movement agreement. “We are telling the international community that they need to do their part of the job and that what is happening in Brdjani is a result of their idleness, I mean that of KFOR, EULEX and UNMIK,” he pointed out. Nedeljkovic said that UNMIK needed to say loud and clear that it had executive power in northern Kosovska Mitrovica and that UNMIK, as an administrator, was the one that needed to prevent illegal construction and an attempt to change the situation in the field. Krstimir Pantic (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

Serbs rally, reiterate opposition to "independent Kosovo"

Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić has said that the northern Kosovo Serbs would not allow Priština to impose its institutions in the north.

“The international community knows very well that the fate of Kosovo and Metohija and the north of the province is in our hands and therefore we are sending a message that we will never agree to be a part of independent Kosovo, whether we have the support or not. Our fate is in our hands and we will not allow them to impose the Albanian institutions on us and make ‘Kosovars’ out of us,” he underscored.

One of the reasons for the protest is an incident in the multi-ethnic neighborhood of Brđani in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica. A shooting took place in the neighborhood on Tuesday but nobody was injured.

Pantić said that ethnic Albanians were trying to bring Albanians who had never lived in Kosovska Mitrovica to the neighborhood and change the population’s ethnic structure and “ethnically cleanse Kosovska Mitrovica and they have the international community’s support”.

“I called on UNMIK representatives Stefan Filbrich and his deputy to react and prevent illegal construction in the Brđani neighborhood but they are seemingly on a vacation. KFOR took the Albanians’ side last year, not only that they do not allow us to have freedom of movement but they shoot at our brothers,” he said, pointing out incidents that took place in July 2011 in northern Kosovo.

Pantić said that EULEX had come to Kosovo in order to create a state for the Albanians and help them with things they failed to do.

He noted that the Serbian government needed to implement agreements reached in Brussels but that the international community was deceiving them by saying that the agreement on the integrated management of the administrative line did not mean the setting up of a border between Kosovo and central Serbia. According to the Kosovska Mitrovica mayor, they are trying to present it as an attempt to prevent illegal trade and smuggling on both sides of the administrative line.

“We need to tell the international community and our government that KFOR, EULEX and the international community are on the Albanians’ side and that a real goal of the control of the administrative line is in fact to establish a border between central Serbia and its southern province,” he explained.

The Kosovska Mitrovica-Raška road was blocked for an hour in all four northern Kosovo municipalities on Wednesday.

Kosovska Mitrovica District Head Radenko Nedeljković has stated that northern Kosovo Serbs want to send a message, primarily to the state of Serbia, that they do not want a border between Kosovo and central Serbia, that they will not make their peace with the implementation of the agreement on the integrated administrative crossings management and the freedom of movement agreement.

“We are telling the international community that they need to do their part of the job and that what is happening in Brđani is a result of their idleness, I mean that of KFOR, EULEX and UNMIK,” he pointed out.

Nedeljković said that UNMIK needed to say loud and clear that it had executive power in northern Kosovska Mitrovica and that UNMIK, as an administrator, was the one that needed to prevent illegal construction and an attempt to change the situation in the field.