Kosovo Serbs to remove barricades that triggered tensions, says Serbia’s President
Belgrade, The Gulf Observer: Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said late Wednesday that Serbs will start removing their barricades in Kosovo on Thursday in a move that could deescalate tensions that triggered fears of new clashes in the Balkans.
The agreement was reached at a late-night crisis meeting with the leaders of Kosovo Serbs, Vucic said.
It followed the release of a former Kosovo Serb police officer, whose detention triggered a major crisis between Serbia and Kosovo that provoked international concerns. He has been ordered released from prison and placed under house arrest.
“This means that from tomorrow (Thursday), from the morning hours, the removal of barricades will begin,” Vucic said after the meeting. “This is not a simple process, and can’t be done in two hours, as some imagined.”
″“Within 24 to 48 hours the barricades will be removed,” Vucic said. “But the distrust is not removed.”
The Dec. 10 arrest of the former officer, Dejan Pantic, led to protests by Kosovo Serbs who erected multiple roadblocks in the north of the country.
Pantic was detained for “terrorism” after allegedly assaulting a Kosovo police officer during an earlier protest.
Kosovo’s prime minister, Albin Kurti, criticized the court’s decision to release Pantic on house arrest.
The statement welcomed what it said were assurances from Kosovo’s leaders that there exist no lists of Kosovo Serbs to be arrested or prosecuted for peaceful protests or erecting barricades.
“At the same time, rule of law must be respected, and any form of violence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” it stressed.
The German government said it is “very concerned” about the tensions in northern Kosovo.
“The illegal barricades erected by Kosovo Serbs must be taken down as quickly as possible, and yesterday’s blockade of the Merdare border crossing on the Serbian side exacerbates the situation further,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said in Berlin.
France’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday warned any travelers near the Serbia-Kosovo border to exercise “the greatest vigilance” and avoid gatherings as long as the tensions last.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Western attempts to mediate a negotiated settlement to normalize relations between the two have failed, with Serbia refusing to recognize Kosovo’s statehood.
