President Vjosa Osmani announced on Saturday, December 12, that she and representatives from political parties had reached an agreement to postpone elections in four municipalities in the country’s north to April, with the specific date to be communicated to citizens in the near future.
In a press conference following the discussion with political party representatives, Osmani cited the CEC officials’ hurdles as well as the attacks on police officers and the media.
She stated that she requested a security report from the Police and the Kosovo Intelligence Agency prior to the polls in the north, which she received a few days ago.
Armed attacks on Kosovo police in the country’s north
According to a news release issued by the Kosovo police on Saturday, masked individuals opened fire on a police patrol, forcing it to retaliate in kind.
Fortunately, no one was hurt in the incident, and the perpetrators are being pursued by authorities.
“Persons from specific criminal gangs who have blocked many routes in the north of the nation from various locations have shot with firearms at police units on three occasions near the dam of Lake Ujman, on the road leading to the Border Point of Brnjak.
In self-defense, police units were obliged to use weapons to retaliate against criminal individuals/groups that retreated and fled in an unknown direction. Gunshots were also reported in multiple other areas, according to information provided by police units on the ground.
For security considerations, the police had earlier stopped the highways leading to the border posts of Jarinja and Bernjak.
Increased police presence on the Ibri bridge, Serbs sound the alarm in Leposaviq, Zubin Potok, and Zveçan
Kosovo Police, as well as Italian carabinieri, reinforced their presence on the Ibri’s main bridge in Mitrovica.
The alarm that went off about 15:00 p.m. is still being heard throughout Mitrovica.
According to reports, the Serbs have also triggered the alert in the towns of Leposaviq, Zubin Potok, and Zveçan, and they have invited locals to congregate at the barricades based on prior traditions.
“Serbia intends to aggravate the situation,” Media in Kosovo: KFOR and EULEX have also been attacked
Belgrade intends to escalate the situation in Kosovo’s north, with provocations and even actual attacks by members of organized crime.
According to information provided by KosovaPress, the police, as well as KFOR and certain EULEX members, could be the targets of the attack.
According to these sources, Serbia is assembling representatives of the criminal world in the north, particularly those affiliated with the “Severna Brigada” organization, which is suspected of a variety of unlawful operations.
One of the group’s leaders, Vladimir Radiojevic, a Zvecan resident, is known as “Mami” and is reported to have contacts with the Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, as well as the world of Serbian crime.
One of the group’s leaders, Vladimir Radiojevic, a Zvecan resident, is known as “Mami” and is reported to have contacts with the Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, as well as the world of Serbian crime.
According to Kosova Press, another of the attackers could be Aleksandar Jevremovic from Leposavici, the grandson of Goran Bogdanovic, the former Serbian minister for Kosovo under Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic.
The report claims that Uglesa Jaredic, who once oversaw the Kosovo Police’s Rapid Response Unit for the north but recently left the organization, is another suspect.
Serbian attack against EULEX condemned by the EU, NATO and international partners who appeal for calm
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s high representative, condemned the attack on EULEX, adding that criminal aggression in Kosovo’s north will not be condoned.
“Calm must be restored,” the Union official writes. “Any such attack is abhorrent, and those responsible must be held accountable,” said NATO spokesman Oana Lungescu.
She goes on to say that KFOR is alert and fully prepared to carry out its mandate in Kosovo. Many foreign ambassadors in Pristina, notably the American, German, and Italian, condemned the attacks.
The Serbian List urged citizens in northern Kosovo not to hinder the work of EULEX and KFOR, whose presence is mandated by international law.
Vucic asks NATO to send the Serbian army to Kosovo
Serbia will request that NATO peacekeepers allow its army and police to deploy to Kosovo.
This was revealed by Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic, who appears to have accepted reality, indicating that he understands his request will not be approved by KFOR.
“We have agreed on a text in which, in compliance with Security Council Resolution 1244, we request that the commander of KFOR authorise the deployment of elements of Serbia’s army and police to the region of Kosovo. The government will complete this on Monday or Tuesday. But, once again, we have no illusions and are well aware that they will not accept it. They will find a plethora of excuses to assure us that it is not necessary and that they have everything under control. Of course, they have no legal right to do so. We will continue to forge new legal paths in order to guide Serbia in the future “Vucic stated.
“We are ready”, Kurti: Vucic seeks war, funding, and leadership in Kosovo
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has urged Serbian citizens in Kosovo to disassociate themselves from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s government, which they claim is sponsoring them and desiring war. Following the recent hostilities in the north of Kosovo, Kurti stated in an exceptional press conference held after the Security Council meeting that Serbia wanted instability in the region.
“I extend an invitation to all Serbs in Kosovo to work, live, and govern alongside us. We want a thriving democratic and European future, not a return to wartime Serbia. Serbians in Kosovo must not accept to a return to the past. Bygone eras stay in the past. Kosovo Serbs must disassociate themselves from criminal organizations and the Vucic dictatorship, which funds and directs them and seeks conflict after war. We are the government of peace, and we aim to keep everyone safe, regardless of religion, ethnicity, age, or gender.”
Due to Serbian ambitions for territorial incursion and regional instability, the leader of the Kosovo administration stated that the institutions of Kosovo are fully prepared.
“Serbia’s militarization over the years has brought us to this point. This militarization, coupled with ambition, poses a threat to the entire region. They intend to destabilize the entire region by undermining our territorial integrity. More alertness and readiness in Kosovo’s institutions to enable the establishment of peace, security, legality, and constitutionality “.
In an extraordinary meeting with Interior Minister Xhelal Svelça, Kurti declared the situation in Kosovo’s north is intolerable and urged Serbs to cooperate, emphasizing that lawlessness will not be accepted in any region of the country.
“This is intolerable in a democratic and European state where the rule of law is unquestionable. Over the government, we have a republic, and we have common rule over all partial policies. The Kosovo government is interested in working with Kosovo Serbs who have the right to utilize its institutions. The Serbian community in our country should take the places they deserve, elect their leaders, and make choices together. We have transmitted these signals everyday. Serbia, through criminal groups, and because the lack of law in the north, is witholding the lives of the Serbian residents. We have tolerated repeated postponements in the implementation of our decisions. We have not abandoned any choice because we do not abandon law, constitutionality, or our commitments. In whatever corner of our country, lawlessness will not be allowed.”
Tensions in Kosovo’s north, American embassies in Pristina and Belgrade condemn “illegal Serbian blockades”
Washington’s approach to the critical situation in Kosovo’s north follows that of the European Union and NATO.
In response to the arrest of a former Serbian policeman, Dejan Pantic, who is accused of attacking the offices of the Central Election Commission, the US voiced “great concern about the current situation in northern Kosovo and asked for the urgent dismantling of the built barriers,” meaning those erected by Kosovo Serbs in Leposaviq, Zveçan, and Zubin Potok, blocking road traffic in that area.
Despite the urge for all parties to exhibit “maximum prudence,” the American message from Belgrade appears to be more concentrated this time. The US embassies in Pristina and Belgrade warned in a joint statement that “this arrest is being exploited as justification for illegal roadblocks, as well as threats and intimidation of Kosovar authorities and the local community.”
Meanwhile, official Pristina has denied the Serbian List’s assertions that special forces are prepared to enter the north. According to Kurti, a government spokeswoman interviewed by Radio Evropa e Lire’s Pparim Kryeziu, fake news is being broadcast in order to maintain the barricades in place.
Albania reacts to tensions in Northern Kosovo
Olta Xhaçka, Albanian Foreign Minister, has responded to the tensions in the north of Kosovo.
Olta Xhaçka, Albanian Foreign Minister, has responded to the tensions in the north of Kosovo.
On Twitter, the minister stated that Albania firmly condemns the attacks in the north on EULEX and Kosovo police.
On Twitter, the minister stated that Albania firmly condemns the attacks in the north on EULEX and Kosovo police.
“Albania firmly condemns the attacks in Kosovo’s north against EULEX and the Kosovo Police. We join our foreign partners in demanding that the Kosovo Serb organizations remove the barricades immediately. It is critical to reestablish peace and the rule of law “, writes Xhaçka on social media.
Tensions, Rama: Belgrade should exert influence over the Serbs of northern Kosovo
Prime Minister Edi Rama has responded to the recent situation in Kosovo’s north. In a tweet, the prime minister urges Belgrade to exert influence over the Serbs who live in Kosovo’s north, while simultaneously insisting that their acts be held accountable.
Rama further criticizes the attacks on EULEX and Kosovo police, noting that the return of barricades in Kosovo’s north violates the law and the spirit of dialogue that should exist between the two countries.
The postponing of the polls in the North, according to Rama, is a “important signal” that the senior authorities in Belgrade should respond to with the same spirit of responsibility and not allow the situation to deteriorate further.
The tense situation in Kosovo, Berisha reacts: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is playing with fire
Following the hostilities in Kosovo’s north, the Democratic Party’s chairman replied. Berisha, declared that Aleksandar Vucic is playing with fire, and his vows that he will send 1,000 soldiers to Kosovo are a war-mongering call.
Dear friends, the President of Serbia, tiny Putin, is currently blowing the horns of a new conflict in the region. The paramilitary, its special forces, and the criminal gang with Wagner’s mercenaries are all working to destabilize the Republic of Kosovo’s north. Every night, they set bombs and fire at the Kosovo Police troops, who maintain order, life, and routine activity for the people of Kosovo’s northern territories. These criminals have used firearms to injure members of the Kosovo police force, block roads, and burn cars. All of Belgrade’s subversive, criminal activities toward Kosovo is directly led by Aleksander Vucic, or tiny Putin, who has transformed Serbia into a small Russia by supporting the barbaric aggression against Ukraine and Putin’s goals in the Balkans. These days, Aleksander Vucic, whose deserves to be in the Hague Court, as Milosevic’s Geobels and the principal inspiration for the Serbian genocide in Bosnia and Kosovo, expresses his support for the deployment of 1000 Serbian soldiers to Kosovo. De facto, he declares for the beginning of a new conflict in Kosovo. He is supported not only by his master in the Kremlin, but also by his vassal in Tirana, Edi Rama, who is a true enemy of the Albanian nation and a slanderous defender of his master’s attitude toward Russia. On behalf of the Democratic Party, which strongly supports Kosovo’s authority, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, I strongly condemn Serbian President Vucic’s efforts to spark a new conflict in the region. I also urge the world community to bring him before the Court and international law as soon as possible for genocide and war crimes as a precondition for establishing sustainable peace in our region.”
Kurti: I am only discussing the final arrangement with Serbia. Haradinaj: We need a meeting in the United States
Albin Kurti, Kosovo’s prime minister, addressed concerns regarding the country’s north and the negotiations with Serbia during an interpellation held by the opposition. His key appeal was that people not propagate false information because the police are present and patrolling in the north, even though he stated that the situation there is not and has never been normal. He stated that Serbs should be replaced in institutions, particularly the police, by persons who are not ordered by Serbia.
He stated that Serbs should be replaced in institutions, particularly the police, by persons who are not ordered by Serbia.
“There must be new job applications where there is a vacuum. The political decision to quit must be followed by professional applications from people who want those jobs, not by political appeals to return “Kurti stated.
Furthermore, he stated that Kosovo now has a government that is independent of the Serbian List for the first time. Kurti also addressed the problems with the European Union over license plates, emphasizing that he had told the mediators in Brussels that he had gone to the final deal with Serbia as prime minister, not as a policeman or customs officer from Kosovo.
“We have paused our actions to allow for an agreement based on the European or Franco-German proposal, which we have called a good starting point for discussion from the start because it is based on values other than the ideology of a unique solution to problems special with endless detail that bores everyone. It is now up to the plan’s supporters to secure an agreement on relations normalization as quickly as feasible “, he added.
The opposition leveled a slew of critiques and charges at the way the situations in Brussels and the north of Kosovo were handled. Ramush Haradinaj, chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, issued a resolution for discussion with Serbia, including six principles. “A summit in the United States is essential until the agreement with Serbia is completed,” Ramush Haradinaj stated. The resolution of AAK, the party that also asked for the interpellation, did not pass the assembly, however, because the majority opposed it.
Another explosion in Kosovo’s north this Monday, highways still blocked by barricades
Another explosion in the north of Kosovo, the roads are still blocked by barricades
Another explosion was heard in the late hours of the night in the northern part of Mitrovica, generating alarm among inhabitants.
Unknown and masked individuals threw the explosive device near the technical school before fleeing.
EULEX units have remained near the school, while the number of Kosovo Police officers has grown at the intersection in the Bosnian Quarter.
According to preliminary information, the explosion was produced by a stun bomb and hence did little damage.
Serbs with trucks and buses are currently blocking the road to Jarinje in the settlement of Rudar and that of Brnjak.
“We’ll try to ease tensions,” Vucic: The Kosovo Police should leave and the detained Serbs should be released
Serbia wants the recently flared tensions to be reduced but also demands the release of all Serbs detained in the north and the expulsion of the Kosovo Police from Serb-majority areas.
This was said on Sunday night by President Aleksander Vucic in an interview with the news agency Reuters.
“Dejan Pantic and numerous other Serbs who have been detained must be freed because there is no evidence against them. They made up the accusations against them; the Kosovo police are useless in the country’s north, especially people armed to the teeth; “claimed the president of Serbia.
Following the Security Council meeting in Serbia, Vucic urged the Kosovo Serbs not to attack NATO and EULEX personnel. When asked if Belgrade would try to defuse the situation, he said: “Certainly”, but he failed to elaborate on the actions that had been approved by the Security Council.
Serbia’s president accused Pristina’s authorities, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, of provoking tensions through unilateral acts.
“Prishtina is to blame for everything. No one questions why barricades have been placed in the middle of the road by someone. A demonstration is being held against illegality, unlawful arrests, and treatment of the Serbian population “Vucic added.
Although he conceded there is no possibility Belgrade’s request will be granted, Vucic earlier stated he will ask NATO peacekeepers to permit the Serbian army and police into Kosovo.