UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, June 1, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Blinken urges 'immediate de-escalation' in the north (Koha)
Osmani: Allies need to help us stop Serbia’s destabilising actions (Koha)
Kurti: The mayors in the north should be in the municipal buildings (Koha)
Osmani meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (media)
Borrell: Violence is not the right way, it must be punished (media)
Kovacevski: Peace in Kosovo means peace in the Western Balkans (Klan)
Kosovo Police: Calls for protest in Mitrovica South, ill-intended and suspicious (media)
Police investigating announced protest; suspected to be initiated from abroad (Kallxo)
Svecla: Calls for protest in Mitrovica South do not help Kosovo (media)
Musliu on calls to protest: They are suspicious and ill-intended (Indeksonline/KSP)
Albanian protesters leave: Did not even know who called the protest (Nacionale)
Kosovo’s special prosecution investigating two Serbs for terrorism (Kallxo)
Abdixhiku: Coordination is needed with international allies (Kosovapress)
VV MP on Haradinaj’s motion: Ridiculous and paradoxical, you lack votes (Gazeta Blic)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic: I asked north Kosovo Serbs to persevere in peaceful manner (Tanjug, media)
Osmani: Serbia has no place among European nations (Danas)
Goran Rakic thanked KFOR; the existence of the miners of the "Crnac" mine is threatened (Tanjug)
Former president of Zvecan Municipality: If ZSO had come to life, we would not have come to this situation (RTS, Tanjug)
Todic: We expect the international community to reason with Kurti (Kosovo Online)
The court in Pristina ordered the detention of two Serbs arrested in Zvecan, condemnation from Belgrade (Beta, NMagazin)
Atiq requested membership in the Association of Municipalities of Kosovo (Radio Mitrovica sever, KiM radio, KoSSev)
Andric Rakic: Kurti leads politics to the last NATO soldier (Beta, KoSSev)
Ristuccia: Kurti brought the mayors despite the doubts of the international community (Radio Mitrovica sever)
The former Minister of Agriculture of Kosovo, Nenad Rikalo, sentenced to three years in prison (NMagazin, Beta)
Mitrovica: Protest over, one incident recorded (KiM radio)

International:

Kosovo president calls on Serbia to stop destabilising country (Reuters)
NATO chief says alliance 'does not give up' on political solution to Kosovo clashes (AA)
EU Leaders To Discuss North Kosovo As Crisis Persists (RFE)
Kosovo Counts Cost of Delays to Integrated Health Database (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Blinken urges 'immediate de-escalation' in the north (Koha)

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called Kosovo and Serbia to take immediate steps to improve the situation in the north.

"Many allies express concern about the increase in tensions in the north of Kosovo and strongly condemn the recent attacks on KFOR, our Italian and Hungarian colleagues who were injured in that attack. We invite the government of Kosovo and Serbia to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and renew efforts to implement the normalisation agreement led by the EU," Blinken said at a press conference on Thursday in Oslo, Norway.

"We support the Euro-Atlantic integration process of Kosovo and Serbia, but the current situation hinders and does not help the movement in that direction," he said.

Osmani: Allies need to help us stop Serbia’s destabilising actions (Koha)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today that allied countries need to help Kosovo in stopping Serbia’s destabilising actions in the north of Kosovo and that the agreements reached in Brussels must be implemented.

At the summit of European leaders in Moldavia, Osmani said it was important for her to meet with European leaders and explain to them what is happening in the north. “Serbia has served as a proxy of Russia. I am here to ask for the support of partners to fight these tendencies and to prevent their influence … Vucic wants to destabilise through criminal gangs, and this must not be allowed … I will have meetings with all leaders that are attending this summit. It is important to seek support … and to move forward in the Council of Europe, but we also need to explain what is happening in the north. I will also ask for their support to fight the criminal gangs in the north that are destabilising our country,” she added.

Osmani also told reporters that “the criminal gangs were terrorising the people in the north too”. “It is important to ask Serbia to stop these destabilising actions and criminal gangs. These groups are blacklisted by the U.S. and UK. They are terrorising the people everyday … We need the help of our allies to be more focused in fighting these groups, but their orders come from Vucic. Someone is inciting them, so the pressure needs to be on Belgrade to stop the violence,” she said.

Osmani said that she has no plan to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and that she insists that the agreements reached must be implemented.

Kurti: The mayors in the north should be in the municipal buildings (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Abin Kurti has reiterated his position that the mayors of the three municipalities in the north should perform their work from the municipal buildings.

He said that today Kosovo is in a difficult situation because of armed groups that, according to him, pretend to be protesters "and in fact they are criminal gangs in the north of Kosovo from which our democratic Republic and the Serb community must be freed and for this we have the support of the USA."

He said that the elected mayors are legal mayors who have legitimacy, although not full and normal due to Serbia's pressure for the Serbs to boycott the elections.

"Those candidates who competed and won must do the work for which they are paid, and the mayor's workplace must be in the public building of the municipality because the public building is that of the municipality," he emphasised.

He said that he is convinced that they have done everything possible, mentioning the postponement of the elections. Kurti said that they also agreed not to have a party after the victories, but according to him, the work must begin.

"We cannot create parallel structures outside official facilities. When the mayors entered these offices, they were empty, abandoned. Those who participate democratically cannot be held responsible," he said.

Osmani meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (RTK)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, on the sidelines of the second summit of the European Political Community (EPC), met with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

She wrote on Twitter that she expressed her full solidarity with President Zelenskyy, reports RTKlive.

"In moments when it matters where you stand, I expressed our full solidarity to President Zelenskyy. No one understands the pain, struggle and resilience of Ukraine better than the people of Kosovo. Nothing can hinder the will of a people to be free," she said.

Borrell: Violence is not the right way, it must be punished (media)

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, commented on developments in the north today, saying that violence is not the right way and that it must be punished.

“We must insist that violence is not the right way. Violence must be punished, and the perpetrators of this violence must be brought to justice. Any kind of escalation and uncoordinated movements must be avoided,” Borell told reporters.

Kovacevski: Peace in Kosovo means peace in the Western Balkans (Klan)

North Macedonia Prime Minister, Dimitar Kovacevski, called on Kosovo and Serbia today to implement the agreements reached. “Peace in Kosovo means peace in the Western Balkans. The time of conflicts is far behind us. The implementation of the agreements reached and the annex, should be imperative for both countries … We call on both sides to defuse tensions and continue communication with the help of the U.S. and the EU,” he said.

Kosovo Police: Calls for protest in Mitrovica South, ill-intended and suspicious (media)

Kosovo Police said in a statement on Thursday that it is aware that in different social media by different persons and profiles, posts are being circulated with calls to Albanian citizens to take part in an alleged mass protest at 12:00 in Mitrovica South.

Police explained that following assessments by security institutions it was verified that many of the profiles in social media are suspicious and that these posts can be ill-intended and could damage the people and interests of Kosovo.

Police called on the citizens for calmness and not to fall prey to any alleged organisation by unknown persons but to allow security institutions, the institutions of Kosovo, to treat the situation with professionalism.

“We guarantee the citizens that the institutions of Kosovo in general, and the Kosovo Police in particular, are fully capable and committed to guaranteeing security, order and calmness for all citizens without any difference,” the police statement notes.

Police also said it highly appreciates the cooperation and support from Kosovo’s citizens in safeguarding peace and stability in Kosovo.

Police investigating announced protest; suspected to be initiated from abroad (Kallxo)

An unnamed source within Kosovo Police told the news website today that an investigation has been initiated to reveal who sparked the calls for a Mitrovica South today. The source said it is suspected that groups influenced from abroad with fake profiles initiated the illegitimate protest. According to Kosovo legislation, police must be notified about protests in order for them to be legitimate and so far no person has received permission for this protest.

Svecla: Calls for protest in Mitrovica South do not help Kosovo (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said today that calls for protest in south Mitrovica are unnecessary and do not help Kosovo. “This organisation on social networks is attempting to incite unnecessary gatherings. According to assessments by security institutions, this call is being spread by unknown persons and suspicious profiles on social networks. The great support of the citizens these days for the righteous and legitimate decisions of our government and institutions, are a guarantee for establishing constitutionality and legality in the north of the country. I call on all citizens not to fall prey to these suspicious calls and anonymous organisations,” Svecla wrote in a Facebook post.

Musliu on calls to protest: They are suspicious and ill-intended (Indeksonline/KSP)

Agim Musliu, security expert from the Pristina-based OCTOPUS Institute, said today that calls for a protest today in Mitrovica were made from fake accounts. He confirmed what Kosovo Police said earlier today that “following assessments by the security institutions it was confirmed that many of these profiles are suspicious and that the post can be ill-intended, to the detriment of the citizens and interests of the Republic of Kosovo”.

Musliu said: “protests allegedly organised by Albanians on the Russian communication channel, Telegram, where accounts are fake, are ill-intended and very suspicious! Kosovo Police made this conclusion too, therefore, we at OCTOPUS call on everyone not to be deceived in this situation!”

In an interview with Kosovapress news agency, Musliu claimed that the calls for protest were initiated by the Serbian intelligence agency and that they are aimed at creating tensions in Mitrovica North too.

Albanian protesters leave: Did not even know who called the protest (Nacionale)

The news website reports that Albanian protesters that gathered today near the Iber Bridge have ended their protest. Some of the protesters interviewed by the media did not even know who called the protest.

Kosovo’s special prosecution investigating two Serbs for terrorism (Kallxo)

Sinisa Jevtic and Ivan Sekulic, two Serbian nationals arrested on Wednesday by Kosovo Police at the Jarinje border crossing, are being investigated by the Special Prosecution for terrorism. The news website has secured the file of the prosecution against the two arrested. Both are suspected of preparing terror acts or criminal acts against the constitutional order and security in Kosovo, unauthorised ownership, control or possession of arms and participation in a crowd that commits criminal offence and hooliganism.

The prosecution file also notes that from data processed by the police it is suspected that members of the special units 63 and 72 of the Serbian army and the military police unit 125, took part in the violent protests on May 29 in the north of Kosovo.

Abdixhiku: Coordination is needed with international allies (Kosovapress)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku met today with French Ambassador to Kosovo, Olivier Guerot, and discussed the current situation in the north. Abdixhiku said the LDK believes that Kosovo needs to coordinate its actions with international allies. He also called for “support for law enforcement institutions with the aim of guaranteeing the security of institutions and citizens in the face of violence created by criminal gangs in the north of the country”.

VV MP on Haradinaj’s motion: Ridiculous and paradoxical, you lack votes (Gazeta Blic)

MP from the Vetevendosje Movement, Agon Batusha, in an interview with the news website, commented on AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj’s idea to initiate a motion of confidence against Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Batusha said: “those who hosted [Milan] Radoicic in the office of the Prime Minister now want to initiate a motion. Instead of supporting state actions for sovereignty and constitutionality, they are undertaking actions that don’t serve the state … This is both paradoxical and ridiculous. If they had the votes, they wouldn’t have to make vain statements. But they don’t. So what do they want? Political instability from within?! This is an anti-state and non-patriotic behaviour”.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: I asked north Kosovo Serbs to persevere in peaceful manner (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Tanjug on Thursday he had spoken with representatives of Serbs in the north of Kosovo in the morning to ask them to persevere in their fight for law and justice, but in a peaceful manner, especially during encounters with KFOR troops.

"Just like they were doing yesterday and the day before yesterday. For us it is important that there are continued attempts to make some people understand that 3.4 pct (turnout) is not legitimate elections and that they should not be imposing their will by force or sending special police troops and harassing and persecuting the Serbs," Vucic said in Chisinau.

He said he would meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron as well as with many other PMs and presidents during the day.

US has condemned Pristina's provocations for first time, Escobar and Lajcak next week in Belgrade

Vucic told Tanjug that the US was not changing its course on the Kosovo issue but had genuinely condemned Pristina's provocations against Serbs for the first time.

"Strategically speaking, of course there will be no particular changes in the overall attitude towards Kosovo and the situation in the region. However, it is important that, if anything, they can hear us," Vucic said from Chisinau.

Thanking the US for condemning Pristina's provocations, he said he expected EU member states to do the same but added that he was certain not all of them would.

"But there is nothing we can do about that. I expect Lajcak and Escobar to come to Belgrade next week - the situation is much more complicated. The problem with what was going on in Kosovo-Metohija three days ago is that we were able to predict it and we did, but we were unable to prevent it," Vucic said, adding that the "stubbornness and irresponsibility of one side" was a serious problem that was "difficult to solve."

Osmani: Serbia has no place among European nations (Danas)

Vjosa Osmani, the president of Kosovo, told Danas at the summit of the European political community being held in Chisinau, that Serbia and criminal structures are responsible for the escalation of violence in Kosovo and that Serbia has no place at this European summit, nor in the European community of nations.

- Serbia does not belong to the European community, said Osmani and added that members of criminal structures in the north of Kosovo are on international warrants and that the Serbian authorities are in very close relations with them, reported daily Danas.

Before Osmani, the official reception on the red carpet with the President of Moldova, Maya Sanda, was held for the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, who, when asked by a journalist whether he would meet with any of the Kosovo officials, said that he did not know who was there from Kosovo, although it was a little before him that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani came to the Summit.

"I have always been a leader who strives for peace, and we are doing a lot to preserve peace and stability in the region," Vucic told reporters at Mimi Castle near Chisinau.

Upon his arrival at the Summit, he said that the meetings with the French President and German Chancellor Emmanuel, Macron and Scholz would not be easy, but that they were important. He said that they will try to get things and the situation back to normal in the meetings with Scholz and Macron and other leaders and to de-escalate the situation in Kosovo, as well as to preserve peace and stability.

"It takes two to tango, not everything depends on us," said Vucic.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron want joint talks with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit announced, reported Danas, citing DW.

France and the US blame the leadership in Kosovo for the escalation of the situation, writes DW, and Macron said that "it is quite clear that the Kosovo authorities are responsible for the current situation."

It is also expected that the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will have a special meeting with the President of Serbia on the situation in the north of Kosovo.

"We must insist that violence is not the way. Everyone must avoid escalation," Borrell told reporters in front of Mimi Castle in Chisinau, where the summit is being held.

The three main topics that will be discussed at the summit are security, energy and connectivity, and the fact that 47 European countries will gather in the capital of Moldova, according to the French presidency, is a strong political message to Moscow.

The European Political Community is an informal diplomatic forum created last year at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The summit is attended by 27 EU member states, the entire Western Balkans (Albania, BiH, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia) and 14 other countries (Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Great Britain).

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and Roberta Mezzola, President of the European Parliament, as well as the newly elected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are also present, reported Danas daily.

Goran Rakic thanked KFOR; the existence of the miners of the "Crnac" mine is threatened (Tanjug)

The president of the Serbian List, Goran Rakic, thanked the colonel in chief of the American KFOR for his fulfilled promise to deploy his forces on the approaches leading to the center where citizens gather, and warned that the miners of the "Crnac" mine are threatened by the incursion of special forces into the north of Kosovo.

Rakic addressed the gathered citizens who are still peacefully protesting in front of the Zvecan Municipality building.

"I thank them for deploying their forces at five points in the city to prevent the entry of the special unit of the police to avoid an incident. I use this opportunity to thank the colonel for his understanding because it means a lot to us. As you have seen all these days, the Serbian people have no problem with KFOR soldiers and I use this opportunity to invite all citizens to be at the service of KFOR soldiers if they need any assistance or help, because they are here to protect this people who are protesting peacefully," said Rakic.

Former president of Zvecan Municipality: If ZSO had come to life, we would not have come to this situation (RTS, Tanjug)

The former president of the Municipality of Zvecan, Dragisa Milovic, assessed today that the scenes in the north of Kosovo could have been avoided if there had been goodwill and emphasized that the messages of French President Emmanuel Macron and US Ambassador Geoffrey Hovenier were encouraging, reported Tanjug.

Milovic, who was one of the injured Serbs, expressed his regret that the rhetoric in Pristina does not go in the direction of calming tensions and stressed that the Serbs must remain calm because peaceful resistance is the strongest weapon they have.

He told RTS that all events stem from the agreement that Pristina is not implementing.

Todic: We expect the international community to reason with Kurti (Kosovo Online)

Leposavic former mayor, Zoran Todic, said that the building of Leposavic municipality is occupied, and that they expect the international community to exert pressure and reason with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, reported Kosovo Online.

He stated that the demands of the Serbs this time coincide with the statements of the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, and the demands of the members of the Quint countries.

“Force cannot do anything, they can continue to use force, but they cannot take our souls. Hetemi cannot represent the interests of the Serbian people. The best thing he can do for these people is to leave the building and return to the place where he took over the mandate” Todic said.

He repeated that the Serbs from that municipality will be persistent in their demands, to return to their workplaces.

“The only communication we have is with the members of KFOR, they are talking to Hetemi and his associates who have been in the municipal building since Monday, and it is since then that the residents of Leposavic are protesting peacefully, expressing their dissatisfaction and waiting for their demands to be fulfilled,” Todic said.

Todic said that life in Leposavic has stopped, children cannot go to school in these conditions.

“The situation is difficult. For the past 24 years, the Serbian people have been experiencing and facing various difficulties that come from Pristina, but in the last two years, the pressure is daily,” Todic said.

The court in Pristina ordered the detention of two Serbs arrested in Zvecan, condemnation from Belgrade (Beta, NMagazin)

The Basic Court in Pristina ordered a one-month detention for two persons with the initials R.P. and D.O, arrested on Monday in Zvecan, Kosovo, and the official Belgrade condemned that decision, reported portal NMagazin.

It is suspected that they participated in the clashes between Serbian demonstrators and members of the NATO Mission in Kosovo (KFOR) in Zvecan, the media reported.

As it was announced in Pristina, they are suspected of criminal acts of "association for the purpose of unconstitutional action, with the aim of attacking the constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo", for "endangering a person under international protection" and for "attacking an official".

The director of the Office of the Government of Serbia for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, announced that the detention of those persons he mentioned: Rados Petrovic and Dusan Obrenovic, is "a continuation of the naked violence of the Pristina regime against the Serbs".

"Petrovic and Obrenovic were imprisoned without any evidence that they participated in any criminal act, and the only fault is that they have a Serbian name and surname, and this is a clear attempt to intimidate and threaten every Serb," Petkovic said in a statement.

He added that "Obrenovic, as confirmed by his defense attorney, was savagely beaten by Kurti's police".

Petkovic announced that with that decision "of the politically trained judiciary, Kurti continues to defy and spite the international community", which, he added, clearly demands from him to de-escalate the situation and to stop conducting violence in the north.

"On the other hand, the villain in a police uniform who cold-bloodedly shot the bare-handed Serb Dragisa Galjak in the back with an automatic rifle (on Monday, in Zvecan) is walking freely," he said.

He also assessed that the "behavior of Kurti's police and his inquisitorial judiciary" continues to move away from any attempt to normalize relations and, as he added, "confirms the determination of Pristina to continue the escalation to the end, not caring about the health and lives of people".

Atiq requested membership in the Association of Municipalities of Kosovo (Radio Mitrovica sever, KiM radio, KoSSev)

The newly elected mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atiq, made an official request to the President of the Association asking that the municipality he leads become part of the community that includes all the municipalities of Kosovo, reported Radio Mitrovica sever, citing Koha.

"As the mayor of the municipality of North Mitrovica, I inform you that in order to protect and promote common municipal interests, based on Articles 31 and 32 of the Law on Local Self-Government, in cooperation with the Assembly of the Municipality of North Mitrovica, we have initiated procedures for the membership of the Municipality of North Mitrovica in the Community municipality of Kosovo," he wrote on Facebook.

The Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKK) announced for Koha that it accepted the request for membership from Mayor Atiq.

"Yes, we officially accepted the membership request today. We replied and showed him the procedures for membership," said Sazan Ibrahimi, director of AKK.

Andric Rakic: Kurti leads politics to the last NATO soldier (Beta, KoSSev)

KoSSev portal reports that political analyst Milica Andric Rakic stated that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti intends to lead a one-sided policy in the north of Kosovo until the last NATO soldier.

Andric Rakic told the Beta agency that she does not expect members of the Kosovo special police units to withdraw from the municipal buildings in the North of Kosovo soon.

Commenting on the decision of the United States of America (USA) to cancel Kosovo's participation in the "Defender Europe 2023" exercise, the ban on Albin Kurti's government officials from further visiting America, as well as the possible introduction of an international protectorate in the north of Kosovo, Andric Rakic said that Kurti has been prevented from traveling to the USA for years as an official representative of Kosovo.

"Kurti never met with high-ranking representatives of the American administration in the US but visited representatives of the Albanian diaspora. The strained relations between the US and Kurti have been going on for years, and now they have escalated due to the threat to the safety of NATO soldiers in Kosovo," she assessed and stated that the introduction of a protectorate is not realistic.

The current crisis in the North of Kosovo, she added, has put NATO soldiers at risk because of people who want to manage the majority Serbian community with 100-150 votes.

"NATO is not ready to spend capacity for such minor things. The countries of the Quint recognized the legality of the past local elections in the North of Kosovo but indicated that the legitimacy was very low. They repeatedly warned the Kosovo government that newly elected mayors would have to stick to technical mandates and avoid municipal buildings where they are not welcome," Andric Rakic recalled.

The latest decisions of the US towards Kosovo, she said, represent pressure from the international community on the Kosovo government to withdraw special police units from three municipal buildings in the north of Kosovo.

When asked what the outcome of the current situation will be, Andric Rakic said that the crisis in the North will not end anytime soon.

"Ultimately, Pristina will have to meet the demands of the international community, but that won't happen anytime soon. Kurti has paid too high a price to withdraw now, and his mayors and police officers are not threatened because they are sitting inside municipal buildings. Kurti is trying to hold a 'principled' position until the last NATO soldier in Kosovo," said Andric Rakic and concluded that Albin Kurti entered an open conflict with the American administration.

Ristuccia: Kurti brought the mayors despite the doubts of the international community (Radio Mitrovica sever)

KFOR commander, Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, commenting on KFOR's intervention in the north of Kosovo, stated that the risk was connected to the fact that the Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, decided to continue with the inauguration of mayors in four municipalities in the north, despite the protests of the Serbs and the doubts of the international community, reported Radio Mitrovica sever.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper "La Repubblika", he said that the situation in Zvecan is extremely volatile and can change suddenly during a very short period of time, reported the radio.

Ristuccia said, according to Radio Mitrovica sever, that precisely because of this, on Monday, he prepared a large contingent in four municipalities with a Serbian majority for the inauguration of the recently elected Albanian mayors.

"The stubbornness of the Albanian local authorities not to act in accordance with the indications received from the Western partners, indications that serve to facilitate the dialogue, especially in the light of the progress made by the agreements in Brussels and Ohrid, has greatly weakened the balance. To be even more precise, I say that if today we are not here to mourn the dead among the Serbian population or among the Albanian police officers, it is because KFOR intervened and managed to restore calmness," Ristuccia said.

He added that "the protest got out of control of the Serbian demonstrators themselves, and if the Kosovo police had intervened, the situation would have gotten even worse. So, we intervened, as required by the rules of engagement of our mandate," he stated.

"Nothing has changed for us, and nothing has changed since the May 29 conflict. The mandate of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 remains unchanged. And we are ready for any case,'' said the KFOR commander.

The former Minister of Agriculture of Kosovo, Nenad Rikalo, sentenced to three years in prison (NMagazin, Beta)

The former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development of Kosovo, Nenad Rikalo, was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of corruption, reported portal NMagazin.

In this case, together with Rikalo and Halimi, six other officials were accused - Shefki Zeqiri, Ekrem Djoka, Shkelzen Morina, Leon Thaci, Lindar Krasniqi and Albana Zeqiri, who were acquitted.

For Rikalo and Halimi, the court announced an additional sentence, a ban on performing public functions for a period of three years, after serving the prison sentence.

According to the indictment of the Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo from December 26, 2019, the defendants Nenad Rikalo, Kapllan Halimi, Shefki Zeqiri and Ekrem Djoka, facilitated the illegal acquisition of benefits to companies during 2018, such as the consortiums "Novus", "Dhemetra", "DOO Zubin Potok" as well as the NTP consortium "Arena Engineering" from Pec.

Mitrovica: Protest over, one incident recorded (KiM radio)

KiM radio reported that not far from the main bridge over the Ibar in South Mitrovica, several dozen Albanians have gathered, carrying the flags of Greater Albania and the KLA.

Increased presence of the Kosovo Police was visible and little later, the Carabinieri increased their presence on the bridge itself.

According to KiM radio, after the protest, one incident was recorded. Two Albanians moved from the southern part of the city to the northern part of the city, and at the end of the promenade they were beaten by the Serbs. The police soon appeared, but the participants in the fight ran away. The radio reported that KP is investigating the short fight on the promenade in North Mitrovica.

After the protest, crossing of the main bridge was allowed again, but the metal fences were not removed.

According to KiM radio, mostly young and very young people were at the protest, and it was organized at the invitation of an Albanian rapper. "Kosovo is one country" and "Mitrovica, Mitrovica" was chanted. However, although Kosovo was being talked about and patriotic songs were being played, only the flags of the Republic of Albania were visible at the protest.

There were also derogatory names for Serbs, "Shkije", as well as "Serbia .... your mother", as well as "Kosovo is Albania".

This protest is followed by a large number of journalistic teams.

KiM radio recalls that this gathering followed the previous days when Serbs began to gather in Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok.

International

Kosovo president calls on Serbia to stop destabilising country (Reuters)

Serbia needs to stop its activities aimed at destabilising Kosovo in order to end the violence in the north of the country, Kosovo's president Vjosa Osmani said on Thursday.

"The challenge comes from Serbia, a country that still needs to come to terms with its past," Osmani told Reuters on the sidelines of a European summit in Moldova.

"The situation is tense, but we need to make sure that we restore rule of law in Kosovo and understand that the threat is coming from Serbia's denial of Kosovo's existence as a sovereign state."

Osmani said Serbia was actively supporting "illegal structures" in Kosovo to destabilise the country from within.

"President Vucic needs to stop supporting criminal gangs if he truly wants peace," she said. "He is yet to show that."

NATO chief says alliance 'does not give up' on political solution to Kosovo clashes (AA)

NATO chief on Thursday said that sending additional troops to Kosovo "does not mean" that the alliance gives up on a possible political solution to the ongoing clashes.

Jens Stoltenberg’s remarks came during his doorstep before the informal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Norway's capital Oslo.

Responding to Anadolu's question on whether sending additional 700 NATO troops to Kosovo and keeping a battalion ready in case of a further need means that the alliance expects the clashes may turn into a bigger conflict in Europe after Russia's war in Ukraine, Stoltenberg said: "This does not mean that we are giving up on a political solution."

“Our message to both Belgrade and Pristina is that they have to engage in good faith in the EU-facilitated dialogue, that's the only path to peace,” he urged.

He added: "But at the same time, NATO has the responsibility to ensure stability in Kosovo. That's why we have been there for many years and are now increasing our presence in the region."

Reiterating that attacks on NATO peacekeepers are "totally unacceptable," the NATO chief said that additional troops will be stationed in Kosovo to "ensure a safe and secure environment, and calm down the tensions."

He said the first batch of additional 700 troops is on its way.

EU Leaders To Discuss North Kosovo As Crisis Persists (RFE)

European Union leaders are due to discuss the situation in Kosovo on June 1 as part of international efforts to end a crisis that for days has drawn ethnic Serbian demonstrators into the streets of northern towns of the former province of Serbia.

Ethnic Serbians gathered again on June 1 in the towns of Zubin Potok and Zvecan, the theater of violent clashes on May 29, but in smaller numbers than in the previous days, amid a vow from the largest Kosovar Serbian party to continue protests over the presence of the mayors, who were recently elected in a vote boycotted by ethnic Serbs.

During a summit of EU leaders and their partners that is taking place in Moldova, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is expected to meet there with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani.

Borrell reiterated on the sidelines of the summit in Moldova that violence in Kosovo had to be condemned.

The leaders of France and Germany have also announced plans to meet with top Serbia and Kosovo officials at the summit in Moldova.