Leader of the Civic Initiative SDP Oliver Ivanovic stated that the real reason behind his arrest is elimination from the political life in Kosovo, whereas it is ‘a paramount insult that EULEX refused guarantees extended by the Serbian government’.
“My arrest may be in connection, but doesn’t have to, with my almost certain election for the mayor of Northern Mitrovica. The main reason might be in EULEX’s need to reduce dissatisfaction amongst Albanians due to extension of its mandate to 2016,” said Ivanovic to daily Politika.
He stressed that a guarantee of the Serbian government has been sufficient for releases pending trial ‘in cases with incomparable political significance at Hague Tribunal’.
He went on to say that discrepancy between the Serbian government and four presidents in northern municipalities with Serbian majority must not happen ever again no matter on who is in the government.
“That is the key of our survival: cooperation with Pristina should be at the extent which has to do with mutual interests, that is, without any political concessions unless it is agreed with Belgrade,” underlined Ivanovic.
He assessed that there is a possibility that several eminent Albanian politicians from Kosovo could end up under the war crimes investigation what could lead to situation that ‘big love toward Kosovo’s friends would get blurred’.
Ivanovic is currently in the detention center in Northern Mitrovica, where he was transferred from Pristina, after staging a week long hunger strike in March. He was arrested on 27 January 2014 under charges for committing a war crime in 1999 and aggravated murder in 2000.
