KFOR, the NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, has rejected Serbia’s request to return Serbian security forces to the country’s north following rising tensions over the last month.
The request to send in 1,000 military and security forces was made by Serbian President Aleksander Vucic on 16 December 2022, and he announced the news of the refusal on Sunday.
“It seems to me that we all knew and expected that answer. They have answered, of course, that they believe there is no need to return the Serbian Army and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Serbia, referring to Resolution 1244.”
He added that KFOR said their role in the region is sufficient and did not provide a specific point of refusal as such as thing does not exist in the legal framework.
The situation in the north of Kosovo has deteriorated in the last month over the planned ban on Serbia-issued license plates, the mass resignation of ethnic Serbs from Kosovo institutions, planned but then postponed elections to replace them, and the arrest of a Serb policeman over allegations he attacked central electoral commission premises. He was since put under house arrest, significantly reducing tensions.
On 29 December, following the intervention of key international stakeholders, Serbs started removing the blockades, and some of the border crossings closed by the action reopened. The last barricades were removed by KFOR last week.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, ethnic Serbs protested in Shterpce, a Serb-majority part of Kosovo. The protest took place in front of the House of Culture and saw the closure of the Shterpce-Prevale regional road.
The demonstration was a response to an attack on two minors in the village of Drajkovc, reportedly by Kosovo Albanians. They were reportedly shot by two suspects from a moving vehicle. Police have apprehended one individual, and the wounded youths were treated in hospital but are not in critical condition.
The US Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeff Hovenier, condemned the attack and congratulated the authorities for acting quickly and arresting a suspect.
“The EU strongly condemns the injury of a child and a young man in Kosovo yesterday,” commented EU spokesperson Peter Stano.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti also commented on the incident, writing on Twitter that “I unequivocally condemn the assault on two Kosova citizens today in Shtërpcë. A suspect has been arrested & will be dealt w/ promptly & fairly by our justice system. I commend Kosova Police for its quick action & full engagement in ensuring the safety of all, w/o discrimination.”
Tensions also simmered across the border in Serbia when a bus carrying Kosovar passengers from Peja to Germany via Serbia was attacked. According to witnesses and footage from the scene, the bus was pelted with stones and hard objects, smashing several windows. There were no injuries reported.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Source: euractiv.com
