Kosovo ministry officially seeks UN probe

The Kosovo Ministry has today sent an official request for opening of an investigation to the UN headquarters. The ministry, led by Slobodan Samrdzic, DSS, wants an independent team of investigators to look into the actors and the circumstances of Monday's violence in the northern, Serb part of Kosovska Mitrovica. Kosovo ministry officially seeks UN probe One UNMIK policeman died, while more than 100 Serb civilians were injured, two seriously, as UNMIK and KFOR stormed the local court to arrest protesting Serb judicial workers demanding their jobs back. Samardzic told state broadcaster RTS tonight that his ministry is demanding the investigation "for the sake of the truth", and rejected claims by UNMIK police that its members did not use firearms against the Serb demonstrators. As proof UNMIK did not tell the truth, Samradzic produced a sniper bullet that the doctors had recovered from the arm of one of the injured civilians in Kosovska Mitrovica. "We have more evidence and we will give it to the investigative commission," the minister said, and stressed that the demonstrators came under sniper fire. He sees intimidation of the Serbs in Kosovo as the goal of the operation carried out by KFOR and UNMIK two days ago. The raid was supposed to frighten them and persuade them not to resist Kosovo's unilateral secession, according to Samardzic. "The aim was to demonstrate that there is some kind of uncontrollable power that can arrest innocent people, in this case the judges," he continued. Now, the question Belgrade wants answered is, who ordered this, Samardzic said. He also denied there were any members of the Serbian police, MUP, in the courthouse in Kosovska Mitrovica. "If UNMIK had any proof of these claims, they would have made them public by now," the minister said. No MUP in north Speaking to B92 earlier, the Ministry’s State Secretary Dusan Prorokovic, DSS, refuted statements made by NATO and UNMIK officials, who said that Serbian police (MUP) officers had been inside the municipal court building in Kosovska Mitrovica as violence broke out Monday. He said that there had been no Serbian MUP officers located in northern Kosovo, and also denied accusations of the Serbian government’s involvement in organizing the violence. Prorokovic said that, according to initial statements, the international forces had not used any firearms, and then then changed, but it had been added that they had only fired into the air. Therefore, Prorokovic said, it was necessary to investigate and confirm what exactly happened. “Unarmed people who were standing by the bridge were shot at by snipers. We have photographs of the wounds, and bullets of those who were hit, and witnesses who all saw this and are ready to speak about it,” the Kosovo Ministry official said. He said that the disagreement with the court employees would have been solved in a peaceful way if the international forces had not intervened Responding to accusations that the violence had been organized, Prorokovic said that he did not know if anyone from Belgrade had advised people in Kosovska Mitrovica to take “such a step,” adding that the reason behind everything that had happened was the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence. With regards to Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac’s statement that he knew nothing of the contents of the Kosovo Ministry’s action plan, he said that this was hard to believe, because the government had adopted the action plan together, and that plan had been given to the president. The Kosovo Ministry official said that an inter-ministry group had been formed to manage the entire crisis and people from almost every ministry were involved, including the Defense Ministry. He said that the documents given by Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardzic to UNMIK Deputy Chief Larry Rossin had been confirmed by all the competent ministries, including the Foreign Ministry. Prorokovic said that these documents were meant to help with the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and the establishment of regular communication between Belgrade and UNMIK, adding that there were unofficial reports that “some kind” of agreement was signed between EULEX and UNMIK, and that the UN mission was expected to pull out of Kosovo after 120 days.

Kosovo ministry officially seeks UN probe

One UNMIK policeman died, while more than 100 Serb civilians were injured, two seriously, as UNMIK and KFOR stormed the local court to arrest protesting Serb judicial workers demanding their jobs back.

Samardžić told state broadcaster RTS tonight that his ministry is demanding the investigation "for the sake of the truth", and rejected claims by UNMIK police that its members did not use firearms against the Serb demonstrators.

As proof UNMIK did not tell the truth, Samradžić produced a sniper bullet that the doctors had recovered from the arm of one of the injured civilians in Kosovska Mitrovica.

"We have more evidence and we will give it to the investigative commission," the minister said, and stressed that the demonstrators came under sniper fire.

He sees intimidation of the Serbs in Kosovo as the goal of the operation carried out by KFOR and UNMIK two days ago. The raid was supposed to frighten them and persuade them not to resist Kosovo's unilateral secession, according to Samardžić.

"The aim was to demonstrate that there is some kind of uncontrollable power that can arrest innocent people, in this case the judges," he continued.

Now, the question Belgrade wants answered is, who ordered this, Samardžić said.

He also denied there were any members of the Serbian police, MUP, in the courthouse in Kosovska Mitrovica.

"If UNMIK had any proof of these claims, they would have made them public by now," the minister said.

No MUP in north

Speaking to B92 earlier, the Ministry’s State Secretary Dušan Proroković, DSS, refuted statements made by NATO and UNMIK officials, who said that Serbian police (MUP) officers had been inside the municipal court building in Kosovska Mitrovica as violence broke out Monday.

He said that there had been no Serbian MUP officers located in northern Kosovo, and also denied accusations of the Serbian government’s involvement in organizing the violence.

Proroković said that, according to initial statements, the international forces had not used any firearms, and then then changed, but it had been added that they had only fired into the air. Therefore, Proroković said, it was necessary to investigate and confirm what exactly happened.

“Unarmed people who were standing by the bridge were shot at by snipers. We have photographs of the wounds, and bullets of those who were hit, and witnesses who all saw this and are ready to speak about it,” the Kosovo Ministry official said.

He said that the disagreement with the court employees would have been solved in a peaceful way if the international forces had not intervened

Responding to accusations that the violence had been organized, Proroković said that he did not know if anyone from Belgrade had advised people in Kosovska Mitrovica to take “such a step,” adding that the reason behind everything that had happened was the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence.

With regards to Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac’s statement that he knew nothing of the contents of the Kosovo Ministry’s action plan, he said that this was hard to believe, because the government had adopted the action plan together, and that plan had been given to the president.

The Kosovo Ministry official said that an inter-ministry group had been formed to manage the entire crisis and people from almost every ministry were involved, including the Defense Ministry.

He said that the documents given by Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardžić to UNMIK Deputy Chief Larry Rossin had been confirmed by all the competent ministries, including the Foreign Ministry.

Proroković said that these documents were meant to help with the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and the establishment of regular communication between Belgrade and UNMIK, adding that there were unofficial reports that “some kind” of agreement was signed between EULEX and UNMIK, and that the UN mission was expected to pull out of Kosovo after 120 days.