Protest at northern checkpoint ends peacefully

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA The protest of northern Kosovo business community at the administrative crossing of Jarinje ended without incidents after several hours. They were demanding immediate and unconditional passage for excise-duty and other goods across Jarinje. Protest at northern checkpoint ends peacefully The Raska-Leposavic highway was blocked in front of Jarinje from 10:00 until 12:00 CET. EULEX prevented the entrepreneurs from protesting at the new checkpoint which operates according to the system of integrated border crossing. EULEX police officers rolled out barbed wire and set obstacles on the Raska-Leposavic main road in front of the Jarinje administrative crossing and thus prevented businessmen from getting to the integrated crossing. EULEX members, customs officers, representatives of the Serbian Interior Ministry and the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) were present at the crossings. Nebojsa Radulovic from Leposavic stated that northern Kosovo businessmen will not accept at any time to be introduced into the so-called independent state of Kosovo through the back door. “We have our country, the Republic of Serbia and we feel we belong to it and we will protect our country here,” Radulovic said and added that this is the platform of northern Kosovo Serbs which has not changed over the past 13 years. During the meeting, businessman Rados Petrovic from Kosovska Mitrovica said that northern Kosovo businesspeople do not accept Kosovo customs officers nor a border line at Jarinje. It is obvious who is violating human rights here, he said and added that EULEX members are violating the right to the freedom of movement since they prevented businessmen from getting to Jarinje integrated crossing. Northern Kosovo businessmen want the authorities to enable immediate and uninterrupted passage for excise-duty and other goods to northern Kosovo, and they notified EULEX representatives about this on Monday. They filed their request to representatives of international administration at Jarinje and announced a block of the crossing, but they were stopped in front of the administrative line on the Kosovo side of the crossing. The businesspeople were protesting because of the violation of the agreement reached between Belgrade and Pristina on "integrated border management (IBM)". At the same time, they called on the Serbian government to change the decree on the implementation of the Law on VAT in the territory of Kosovo during the mandate of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and restore northern Kosovo businessmen into the VAT system of the Republic of Serbia. They also called for observance of the Point 5 of the conclusion which the Serbian government adopted on December 6 regarding the uninterrupted flow of goods for northern Kosovo and noted that if this decision is not respected, businessmen want the government to suspend further implementation of the agreement on integrated border management. Businessmen called on the prime minister and the director of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo and Metohija to address them and they set a deadline of 72 hours for this. They also called for removal of all institutions of quasi-state of Kosovo from crossings Jarinje and Brnjak, and they also asked EULEX and KFOR to behave in keeping with their mandate and maintain a status-neutral stand instead of serving under Pristina's command and implementing the laws of the so-called "Republic of Kosovo". They warned that they would radicalise the protest unless their requests are immediately fulfilled, which will entail complete block of the Jarinje administrative crossing. The technical dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina continues in Brussels and the main topic on the agenda covers the distribution of revenues raised by customs clearance on integrated crossings on the administrative line. PM Ivica Dacic told reporters in Belgrade on Monday that "working groups meeting in Brussels should clarify all conflicting points" regarding the implementation of the agreement. (Beta/AP, file) Tanjug

Protest at northern checkpoint ends peacefully

The Raška-Leposavić highway was blocked in front of Jarinje from 10:00 until 12:00 CET.

EULEX prevented the entrepreneurs from protesting at the new checkpoint which operates according to the system of integrated border crossing.

EULEX police officers rolled out barbed wire and set obstacles on the Raška-Leposavić main road in front of the Jarinje administrative crossing and thus prevented businessmen from getting to the integrated crossing.

EULEX members, customs officers, representatives of the Serbian Interior Ministry and the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) were present at the crossings.

Nebojša Radulović from Leposavić stated that northern Kosovo businessmen will not accept at any time to be introduced into the so-called independent state of Kosovo through the back door.

“We have our country, the Republic of Serbia and we feel we belong to it and we will protect our country here,” Radulović said and added that this is the platform of northern Kosovo Serbs which has not changed over the past 13 years.

During the meeting, businessman Rados Petrovic from Kosovska Mitrovica said that northern Kosovo businesspeople do not accept Kosovo customs officers nor a border line at Jarinje.

It is obvious who is violating human rights here, he said and added that EULEX members are violating the right to the freedom of movement since they prevented businessmen from getting to Jarinje integrated crossing.

Northern Kosovo businessmen want the authorities to enable immediate and uninterrupted passage for excise-duty and other goods to northern Kosovo, and they notified EULEX representatives about this on Monday.

They filed their request to representatives of international administration at Jarinje and announced a block of the crossing, but they were stopped in front of the administrative line on the Kosovo side of the crossing.

The businesspeople were protesting because of the violation of the agreement reached between Belgrade and Priština on "integrated border management (IBM)".

At the same time, they called on the Serbian government to change the decree on the implementation of the Law on VAT in the territory of Kosovo during the mandate of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and restore northern Kosovo businessmen into the VAT system of the Republic of Serbia.

They also called for observance of the Point 5 of the conclusion which the Serbian government adopted on December 6 regarding the uninterrupted flow of goods for northern Kosovo and noted that if this decision is not respected, businessmen want the government to suspend further implementation of the agreement on integrated border management.

Businessmen called on the prime minister and the director of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo and Metohija to address them and they set a deadline of 72 hours for this.

They also called for removal of all institutions of quasi-state of Kosovo from crossings Jarinje and Brnjak, and they also asked EULEX and KFOR to behave in keeping with their mandate and maintain a status-neutral stand instead of serving under Priština's command and implementing the laws of the so-called "Republic of Kosovo".

They warned that they would radicalise the protest unless their requests are immediately fulfilled, which will entail complete block of the Jarinje administrative crossing.

The technical dialogue between Belgrade and Priština continues in Brussels and the main topic on the agenda covers the distribution of revenues raised by customs clearance on integrated crossings on the administrative line.

PM Ivica Dačić told reporters in Belgrade on Monday that "working groups meeting in Brussels should clarify all conflicting points" regarding the implementation of the agreement.