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

The instability of situation in the north of Kosova on June 14 was fueled even more by the kidnapping of 3 Kosova border policemen by Serbian forces. This classic style kidnapping took place in the territory of the Republic of Kosova, namely in the location of Tresave/Bare in Leposaviq, in the northern part of Kosova.

This is the second scandal of this kind that the Serbian forces have done to the Kosovar Authorities, the first was in 2012, when the special units of Serbia had arrested two border policemen of Kosova in the village of Dumnica in Podujeva, and the second one now on June 14, by kidnapping 3 border policemen in Leposavic.

The Government of Kosova responded quickly to this event by demanding the immediate release of the policemen and by blocking all border entrances and exits with Serbia, as well as not allowing the entry of Serbian goods into the Republic of Kosova. To be surprised was the lack of international reaction for two days about this scandal.

From another point of view, this action is seen as a counteraction by the Serbian forces to the arrest of the Serbian criminal Millun Millenkovic that the Kosova Police made on June 13. Millenkovic is one of the organizers of the attack that Serbian criminal gangs made on KFOR forces in Zvecan on May 29. He is also known by the Kosovo Police for other crimes, such as assaults and smuggling.

After these events, several police stations in Zveçan and North Mitrovica were attacked with stun grenades by Serbian parallel-criminal structures. These developments are taking place at a time when tensions in the north of Kosova, inhabited by a majority of Serbs, have increased.

The tensions started on May 26, when the new Albanian mayors of the municipalities in the north, under the assistance of the Kosova Police, entered the municipal buildings to exercise their duties, amid the objections of the local Serbs.

During all this time, the attitude of our international allies regarding these developments is very insincere. They are continuing to put pressure on the Prime Minister of Kosova to de-escalate the situation in the north, insisting that he leaves aside all instances of establishing law and order in the north and forms the Association of Serbian Majority Municipalities as soon as possible! This association is on contrary to the constitutional order of the Republic of Kosova.

The rule of law is the primary thing to proceed towards the normalization of the situation in the northern part of the state. According to law enforcement authorities, Serbian criminal gangs have two options, withdraw or leave to Serbia or face justice in Kosova.

KFOR, on the other hand, is continuing to contribute to this situation with the vague statements about the kidnapping of Kosovar policemen. They announced that they were in the place where the kidnapping took place, but they had no will to reveal the truth, which shows that they lean more towards the political side of the solution, and that is in line with the bizarre policies of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell.

Borrell’s role in the negotiations for the normalization of Kosova-Serbia relations is very unfair. He continues to criticize only the Kosovar side for not implementing the agreement on the establishment of the Association of Serbian Majority Municipalities. So far he has not condemned the kidnapping of Kosovar policemen.