OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Italy’s Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger expressed today their outrage at the murder of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanović and offered their heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

We are shocked by the murder of Oliver Ivanović. We condemn it in the strongest possible terms and we ask that a swift and thorough investigation shall be conducted immediately in order to identify those responsible for such a heinous crime,” said Alfano and Greminger.

MEP Igor Šoltes, Rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament (Group of the Greens/EFA) is horrified over the murder of Serb political leader in Kosovo Oliver Ivanović which happened in northern Mitrovica:

“I strongly condemn the murder which is throwing a dark shadow on the rule of law and dialogue. I call on all relevant institutions to make everything in their power to bring the culprits in front of the justice.”

Oliver Ivanovic will most probably be buried in Belgrade, as per request of his family, Tanjug news agency reports.

The autopsy of Oliver Ivanovic will be done in the Clinical-Hospital Centre in Mitrovica North, Director of the Hospital, Milan Ivanovic confirmed to Tanjug.

The representatives of EULEX and Institute for Forensic Medicine from Pristina will also take part, Ivanovic told Tanjug.

Ksenija Bozovic: You kill man in middle of day, people are disturbed

Ksenija Bozovic, party colleague and a close association of Oliver Ivanovic told Serbian media today, that no one in the party of Oliver Ivanovic knew if there were threats against him, and that he was a man protecting others and never complaining.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the murder of Oliver Ivanovic is a terrorist act and Serbia will treat this act as such, B92 reported.

Addressing the Serbian media, after the meeting of the National Security Council, held following the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, Vucic personally, on behalf of the Serbian state and on behalf of the government expressed the condolence to the family of Oliver Ivanovic.

“For the state of Serbia this is a terrorist act and in line with that we will treat this act as such,” Vucic told the media.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK, Zahir Tanin, was shocked by the murder of Oliver Ivanović – leader of the civic initiative Freedom, Democracy, Justice – near his office in North Mitrovica this morning, and strongly condemns the act.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, has condemned the murder of the Serb Civic Imitative “Freedom, Democracy, Justice,”, Oliver Ivanovic.

Haradinaj called this act criminal and punishable.

He also wrote that Kosovo remains determined on creation of a safe and secure environment for all its citizens.

Oliver Ivanovic’s murder under unclear circumstances and unknown motives, is a criminal and punishable act.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, condemned murder of the leader of the SDP civic initiative, Oliver Ivanovic, who was killed in Mitrovica North.

“I strongly condemn the murder of the leader of the Civic Initiative “Freedom, Democracy, Justice,” in the north of the country, Oliver Ivanovic,” wrote Thaci on his Facebook profile.

“I call on order bodies to swiftly shed light on the circumstances of his murder and bring perpetrators in front of justice.”

PRISTINA (Reuters) - A Kosovan Serb leader, Oliver Ivanovic, who was awaiting trial over the killings of ethnic Albanians during the 1998-99 war, was shot dead outside his party office in the northern town of Mitrovica on Tuesday, a state prosecutor said.

In a protest against the killing, Serbia said it would quit the ongoing round of a European Union-sponsored dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina on the normalization of relations that was due to take place in Brussels.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister, Zorana Mihajlovic reacting to Oliver Ivanovic’s murder told Serbian media, it cannot contribute to the peace and security in Kosovo and that she hopes the perpetrators would be found and face the justice.