Monday, May 29th 2023

Editorial: Jetmir Maloku
Prizren Post – Editor-in-chief

The police have enabled the new mayors of the northern municipalities in Zveçan, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok to enter the facilities of the municipal offices.

This action was taken on May 26 and this order of the Ministry of the Interior is still being executed, in accordance with all the means defined by the Constitution and the law.

The new Albanian mayors were assisted by the Kosovo Police, after groups of local residents in these Serb-majority municipalities objected to their going to the offices previously used by Serbian officials.

A day earlier (May 25), some of them swore in schools and other public buildings of these municipalities, for security reasons.

The police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters, who threw stones at the police and burned several cars.

The actions of the Kosovo authorities in the municipalities in the north have been condemned by the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who has called on the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, to immediately stop the “violent measures and refocus on the facilitated dialogue of the European Union”.

The reactions continued even from the diplomatic corps in Kosovo, forgetting that weeks ago the same ones had supported the legitimacy of the mayors of the northern cities.

Clashes that broke out between Serbian protesters and police prompted Serbia to put its military on alert.

Serbian protesters gathered in front of municipal buildings in Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposaviq on Monday to oppose the new Albanian mayors.

The NATO mission, KFOR, intervened to disperse the protesters in Zveçan.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, defended and still continues to defend the actions of the police, saying that any other option would be “non-fulfillment of the constitutional obligations of the Government towards the new presidents”.

In Zveçan, the road leading to the municipality building was blocked, KFOR peacekeeping forces, equipped for crisis situations, also blocked the road to the municipality.

On the other hand, rebellious groups of Serbs gathered in front of the municipality building in Leposaviq to oppose the takeover of local power by the new Albanian mayor, Lulzim Hetemi.

While the protesters in Zveçan started to attack the police with the trigger to enter the municipality building, the Police responded by throwing tear gas to disperse the crowd, after KFOR had previously let them gather in front of the Zveçan municipality building.

After that, the representative of the Serbs from the ranks of the Serbian List, Goran Rakic, came with the request of the Serbs that the new mayor of this municipality, Ilir Peci, should not enter the municipal facility. He also requested from KFOR that the Kosovo Police withdraw special units from this area.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, said that the duty of KFOR is to “disable the unilateral acts of Pristina”.

“Now they are guarding the mayors under the pretext of maintaining peace. It seems that they are protecting them from the owners of the facilities, the Serbs, from those who work there, who are employed there. They cannot be mayors in Serbian municipalities, where the Serbs have not elected them”, said Dacic for Radio-Television of Serbia.

The Serbian community boycotted the elections of April 23, from which the new Albanian mayors of the Serbian-majority municipalities emerged: North Mitrovica, Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposaviq.

Dacic added that the armed forces of Serbia are in a state of readiness.

Serbian authorities have decided that their armed forces will remain at the highest level of readiness until further notice, due to the situation in northern Kosovo.

KFOR said that, in accordance with its mandate, it is ready to “undertake all measures to provide a safe environment, in a neutral and impartial manner”.

This mission confirmed that on the morning of May 29, it increased its presence in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo, after the increase in tensions.

The ambassador of the United States in Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, said that he talked with the presidents of Zubin Potok and Zveçan about the current situation in the north of Kosovo.

Speaking to reporters, Hovenier said that “it is important to avoid situations in which public officials enter public buildings through the use of force.”
Hovenier said this is the position of the US and the other Quint countries: the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany.

Hovenier said that he also met the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, with whom he said that he discussed the situation in the north.

At noon, the Kosovo Police used spray against some Serbs, who tried to forcibly enter the municipal building of Zveçan.

Let’s not forget that the Kosovo Police has been acting in a professional and proportionate manner since May 26 when it assisted the new mayors to settle in municipal facilities in Leposaviq, Zveçan and Zubin Potok.

The rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon, expressed concern about the situation in the north of Kosovo during a media conference in Pristina, where she said that the Government of the country “seems to be risking a lot with these maneuvers in the north”.

“Obviously, the elected presidents were elected legally. But, this does not mean that they have the legitimacy to enter these facilities and have access by force. “No one can lead with one or two percent of the vote,” Von Cramon said.

On the other hand, the Serbian Minister of Defense, Miloš Vučević, said that by 14:00 the full deployment of the units of the Armed Forces of Serbia will be completed, in accordance with the order of President Aleksandar Vučić to increase combat readiness.

The NATO peacekeeping mission, KFOR, intervened to disperse the protesters in Zveçan. He previously warned the protesters to disperse, but they did not obey.

“You are causing a disturbance. You are endangering yourself and your community. Leave the area and go home – otherwise KFOR will be forced to intervene,” was KFOR’s audio warning.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, said that it is important that the elected mayors of municipalities in the north start providing services to citizens as soon as possible.

Bislimi made these comments during a meeting with the rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon.

Through a post on Twitter, President Osmani condemned the violence in the north, from where she accused the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, of destabilizing the north of the country. “These unacceptable acts of violence must be condemned by all. Those who implement Vučić’s orders for the destabilization of the north of Kosovo, must face justice”.

It is reported that during the fight of the Serbs, among them many masked and criminals, some KFOR soldiers suffered serious injuries…

Etiketa: Editorial