Burning a house of Serbian returnees in village Drsnik, Klina was the latest in a series of everyday incidents in Kosovo, which followed after political scandal in the football game between teams of Serbia and Albania in Belgrade.
Mostly returnees’ houses south of the river are burned and slogans with threats written on their walls. The flag of Serbia was burned; Molotov cocktails and stones were thrown at the former building of the Municipal Assembly. Official Belgrade rejected speculation that Pristina could use the turmoil to move the “border” north of the Ibar River, while Serbs from Kosovo and political analyst Dusan Prorokovic do not dismiss the possibility.
The Office of the Government of Serbia for Kosovo and Metohija cannot provide security assessments, but find it unacceptable to use the tension of the match Serbia – Albania as an excuse for violence and sabotage anywhere in Kosovo. Tuesday’s meeting of the heads of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija and UNMIK Marko Djuric and Farid Zarif should increase alertness and vigilance of KPS and EULEX to prevent provocations, state sources of Danas. In Pristina diplomatic circles is speculated that Belgrade allegedly secretly contacted some influential opposition leaders of the Kosovo Albanians.
SNS deputies in the Serbian Parliament, Momir Stojanovic and Milovan Drecun considered “insane estimates that Pristina could act in the north.” Stojanovic was sure that “international missions, which have all under control, will not allow a wider escalation of the conflict, especially north of the Ibar River,” and Drecun estimates that “Pristina must not make a mistake by taking extreme steps”. Drecun said to Danas that for the rest of the week on incidents in Kosovo will be discussed at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija. According to him, an agreement is pending with the representatives of the state institutions of Serbia and the international missions in Kosovo, who should attend this session.
– I cannot even imagine what would have happened if Pristina moves to the north. That would be an additional disaster. Tensions do not end here – you can feel the pressure and anxiety. Some unsubstantiated stories circulate that some doctors left the Health Centre, which further worsens the situation. We know Albanians the best and we are always very careful – told Danas, Ksenija Bozovic, President of the Municipal Assembly northern Mitrovica.
– It is difficult to estimate what might happen, because this drone in the match in Belgrade, which was supposed to prevent Putin’s visit to Serbia, went out of control. Pristina would never have intervened in the north on its own; they would do it only if they are told so. I think that it could not pass without a major break in the rest of Serbia, which would push the current government deeper into the arms of Russia – told Danas Dusan Prorokovic.
Priority and goal
– The priority of all the Serbs in Kosovo and the Serbian state should be the preservation of the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, because it is health and education centre, which are necessary for our future. I’m worried that after a long time in Mitrovica again fear and anxiety can be felt, which in many ways resemble the overture before the March pogrom on March 17 2004 and that increasingly prevails that the priority and objective of the Kosovo Albanians is the move of “border” north of the Ibar River – said to Danas, Rada Trajkovic from the European Movement of Serbs in Kosovo.
Joint consulates of Kosovo and Albania
In Canberra (Australia) soon will be open a joint Consulate of Albania and Kosovo, as in Milan, which was opened on September 16, reports the portal Kossev. Kosovo officials say it was a joint operation of Kosovo and Albania, envisaged by the Declaration on Strategic Partnership, signed in early 2014 in Prizren.
