"Security situation in Kosovo is deteriorating"

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, KLINA The Kosovo Strategic Action Network (KSAM) has warned of a deteriorating security situation in the province, poor multiethnic relations and frequent incidents. The KSAM stressed in a release that incidents that happened in June and July showed that the position of Serbs in Kosovo was getting worse each day, pointing to some of the most serious incidents, including attacks on returnees and Kosovo police operations. "Security situation in Kosovo is deteriorating" The network called on representatives of the international institutions in Pristina to take all necessary measures and ease the tensions in Kosovo because the events from May, June and July showed that the security situation had deteriorated. “UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has sharply criticized Kosovo police over a series of mistakes in the last three months, stressing that the lack of action ‘seriously questions police’s ability to face crisis situations and win the public’s trust’,” the KSAM stressed. KSAM added that it supported the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue as means of finding solutions for many problems that people in Kosovo faced every day. “We expect that it will in the future be transparent and open for suggestions and recommendations that we as civil society would send to both sides,” reads the release. “In the review of the July events we want to stress that the issues of banks and the postal service should be a part of the technical negotiations and agreements of the Pristina and Belgrade authorities and that unilateral moves of the Inspectorate and police cannot contribute to normalization of the situation in Kosovo,” the network noted. It is necessary to secure personal and property safety to all citizens in Kosovo and stop the declarative respect of the human rights by the Kosovo institutions and those rights need to be implemented in practice, the KSAM concluded. “Returnees are used to incidents” Klina returnees’ representative Radomir Mikic has also warned of the poor security situation in Kosovo. He stated that the returnees were concerned about frequent attacks they had been exposed to lately but stressed that they were not afraid. Around 35 Serb families live in the town of Klina near Pec. Klina is one of the rare urban areas to which Serbs managed to return. Mikic told Tanjug that the returnees were used to the incidents but that they were worried what would happen next. He pointed out that the Serbs in Klina lived in difficult conditions due to the poor financial situation and inadequate health care and school system. “Around 35 families live in Klina and they are constantly in the town. Majority (of Serbs) do not live here anymore, some come occasionally, many apartments have been sold. Five children also live here and they go to school in the village of Vidanje three kilometers away and they go accompanied by their parents,” he explained. Mikic stressed that the Serb returnees in Klina, but also in other parts of the province, expected at least moral support, adding that they felt like the state was becoming more detached with each day that passed. “It looks like they are letting us go by the board, especially the Metohija part south of the Ibar River. We are hoping for a better treatment but I do not know how big their abilities are,” he said. Mikic pointed out that the returnees used to get some kind of help but that the majority was left without it now, adding that he did not know what needed to happen in order for the misplaced persons to be able to return to Kosovo. About a dozen returnees’ homes in Klina have been broken into and robbed in the last couple of months, causing several families to leave the town. Tanjug

"Security situation in Kosovo is deteriorating"

The network called on representatives of the international institutions in Priština to take all necessary measures and ease the tensions in Kosovo because the events from May, June and July showed that the security situation had deteriorated.

“UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has sharply criticized Kosovo police over a series of mistakes in the last three months, stressing that the lack of action ‘seriously questions police’s ability to face crisis situations and win the public’s trust’,” the KSAM stressed.

KSAM added that it supported the Belgrade-Priština dialogue as means of finding solutions for many problems that people in Kosovo faced every day.

“We expect that it will in the future be transparent and open for suggestions and recommendations that we as civil society would send to both sides,” reads the release.

“In the review of the July events we want to stress that the issues of banks and the postal service should be a part of the technical negotiations and agreements of the Priština and Belgrade authorities and that unilateral moves of the Inspectorate and police cannot contribute to normalization of the situation in Kosovo,” the network noted.

It is necessary to secure personal and property safety to all citizens in Kosovo and stop the declarative respect of the human rights by the Kosovo institutions and those rights need to be implemented in practice, the KSAM concluded.

“Returnees are used to incidents”

Klina returnees’ representative Radomir Mikić has also warned of the poor security situation in Kosovo.

He stated that the returnees were concerned about frequent attacks they had been exposed to lately but stressed that they were not afraid.

Around 35 Serb families live in the town of Klina near Peć. Klina is one of the rare urban areas to which Serbs managed to return.

Mikić told Tanjug that the returnees were used to the incidents but that they were worried what would happen next.

He pointed out that the Serbs in Klina lived in difficult conditions due to the poor financial situation and inadequate health care and school system.

“Around 35 families live in Klina and they are constantly in the town. Majority (of Serbs) do not live here anymore, some come occasionally, many apartments have been sold. Five children also live here and they go to school in the village of Vidanje three kilometers away and they go accompanied by their parents,” he explained.

Mikić stressed that the Serb returnees in Klina, but also in other parts of the province, expected at least moral support, adding that they felt like the state was becoming more detached with each day that passed.

“It looks like they are letting us go by the board, especially the Metohija part south of the Ibar River. We are hoping for a better treatment but I do not know how big their abilities are,” he said.

Mikić pointed out that the returnees used to get some kind of help but that the majority was left without it now, adding that he did not know what needed to happen in order for the misplaced persons to be able to return to Kosovo.

About a dozen returnees’ homes in Klina have been broken into and robbed in the last couple of months, causing several families to leave the town.