Serbs in the north of Kosovo believe that the unification of Mitrovica will not take place and asses that such a thing could seriously jeopardize their survival, reports Mitrovica North based Kontakt plus radio.
Ruzica Simic from NGO Women's Right believe that the unification of Mitrovica will not happen.
Radio Kontakt Plus reports that today in South Mitrovica, at the proposal of Mayor Agim Bahtiri, signing of the petition for “unification” of Mitrovica has begun.
Bahtiri announced on Friday that he would launch the signing of a petition for the “unification” of Mitrovica together with the citizens of that municipality and that he hoped that the petition would be signed by Serbs from the northern part of the city.
Mitrovica Mayor, Agim Bahtiri, has strongly condemned the recent incidents in both the southern and northern parts of the city saying they were happening at a time when the situation is generally calm and the interethnic relations are improving. He said the latest incidents targeting members of Serbian as well as Albanian communities were unacceptable and called on law enforcement authorities to bring authors of these acts to justice as soon as possible.
Mitrovica South Mayor Agim Bahtiri told BIRN that due partly to increased political tensions in the northern part of Kosovo, the reopening of the bridge that links the Albanian and the Serb-inhabited parts of the divided city of Mitrovica has been postponed to May. “Problems that arose from the construction of the wall have resulted in the delay. We expect the bridge to be opened in the first ten days of May,” Bahtiri said. Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, said the process of reopening the bridge for pedestrians and vehicles is in its final phase.
Despite the Kosovo Albanian politicians claims, Federica Mogherini will not attend the opening of the main bridge on the Ibar in Kosovska Mitrovica on March 4.
The reason, according to Beta, that is quoting the daily Vecernje Novosti, is that the bridge will not be opened then.
Mayor of Northern Mitrovica Goran Rakic told the newspaper that according to the Brussels agreement, the bridge will be opened once the works in the pedestrian zone in Kralja Petra Street have been completed.
The move by Mitrovica municipal authorities to put up Albanian street names in the village of Suhodoll/Suvi Do has led to the reaction of Mitrovica North Mayor Goran Rakic who warned that “unilateral actions will not be tolerated.” “I reemphsise that the southern and northern municipalities of Mitrovica have not signed the memorandum on their boundaries therefore such actions are illegal and unacceptable,” Rakic said.
Mayor of Mitrovica, Agim Bahtiri, met the head of UNMIK’s Regional Office in Mitrovica, Danilo Rosales Diaz to discuss the overall situation in the municipality, with special emphasis on the security situation. Diaz said that the mutual cooperation between the two institutions is satisfactory and in the benefit of all citizens. He added that UNMIK's doors are always open for cooperation and will support all activities of the municipality aimed at complete stabilization of the security situation and the improvement of interethnic relations.
Mayor, Agim Bahtiri, met UNMIK Deputy Chief, Christopher Coleman, and his associates, whom he briefed on the current situation in the municipality and the challenges for this new year.
Kosovapress reported that officials from opposition parties in the municipal assembly of Mitrovica – the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) – walked out of the urgent meeting called to discuss the construction of the wall by Serbian leadership in Mitrovica North. The meeting was expected to result in a joint statement condemning the construction of the wall but the PDK and LDK representatives left the meeting after accusing Mitrovica Mayor Agim Bahtiri of not allowing a debate.
The Mayor of Mitrovica, Agim Bahtiri, told the news site that the works on building the wall in northern side of Iber River have been stopped. Bahtiri also said Kosovo side is cooperating with the European Union to seek answers from Serbia for the construction of this wall. “We are consulting with government officials in Pristina, and we're looking at what should be done in the coming days. We currently managed to stop the work and we are working closely with the European Union to resolve this problem,” Bahtiri said.