Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has commented on the rule of law situation in the north of Kosovo, including the presence of criminal gangs, repeatedly highlighted by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
The two leaders were due to meet on Wednesday in the Kosovar city of Gjakova, but Rama cancelled on Tuesday, citing impending Western sanctions against Kosovo and an unwillingness of Kurti to change the format and topic of the meeting.
Rama gave a press conference on Wednesday during which he said the identities of those involved in violent actions in the north had been ascertained, and Belgrade had been asked to ensure they are brought to justice.
“Criminal gangs exist in every country of the world, and criminal gangs have no compromise, this is not discussed; I am talking about threats of a different nature, criminal gangs. I can tell you that the Euro-Atlantic community is absolutely determined to support their dismantling and there is no discussion about this”, he said.
He added that the “Euro-Atlantic community” had been involved in verifying their identities and was liaising with Serbia for them to be arrested.
“The Euro-Atlantic community has verified the identities of those who participated in the violent acts and has clearly asked the government of Belgrade, regarding those who were imported, to be arrested and brought to justice and has given the Government of Kosovo the mandate to act, but there is a seemingly small problem, but which has become a big problem”, said Rama.
He added, however, that there are other fundamental matters that must be resolved, and then the war on criminals can continue with the full cooperation of other stakeholders.
On Tuesday, Kosovo Police arrested Milun Milenkovic -Lune, who, according to Minister Svecla, is one of the leaders of the Civil Defence group. Svecla said that Lune was one of the organisers of the attacks against the Police and KFOR. The arrest resulted in clashes between Serbs and Kosovo police in North Mitrovica.
The US and the EU have requested that the specialpolice unit members, which Pristina says are there to maintain peace and the rule of law, be withdrawn and that the mayors of the municipalities work in alternative facilities. Prime Minister Kurti has presented a 5-point plan, and the EU on Tuesday confirmed it was received but said Kurti has “not taken appropriate steps”.
EU spokesperson Peter Stano said possible measures against Kosovo are still being considered.
“Until now, we have not seen any immediate and decisive step by Prime Minister Kurti. The recent developments in the north of Kosovo only prove that the escalation is continuing and this goes against the interests of Kosovo and all the people in Kosovo”, said Stano.
The five-point plan put forward by Kurti includes the rule of law being restored in the north, the withdrawal of violent groups from Kosovo, joint security assessments by NATO and EULEX to guarantee security, new elections in northern municipalities, and a return to EU-backed dialogue with a high-level meeting to be held within this week.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
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Source: euractiv.com
