Tensions are rising again in the North of partially recognized Kosovo, with Serbs blocking roads. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has decided to call a meeting of the National Security Council.
The Serbian President held a Security Council
After the Security Council meeting, Vucic called on Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija to keep the peace. At the same time, he said that this evening (December 11 – ed.) was probably the most difficult during his tenure as President of Serbia.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister appealed to NATO
On the other side, Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti appealed to the NATO mission. He asked to remove the barricades on the roads, which Serbs set up in the North of the partially recognized state on December 10.
Albin Kurti stressed that such an act by Serbs is unacceptable and should not be repeated.
NATO intervention is asked in Kosovo
“Once again, we call on KFOR (NATO Force in Kosovo – ed.) to guarantee freedom of movement. KFOR in Kosovo is for a peaceful and secure environment, which also means freedom of movement without discrimination”, – said Kurti.
The head of the Kosovo government stressed that “blocking of traffic, blocking of public roads with heavy vehicles to prevent freedom of movement, criminal shooting by gangs at the police and EULEX police (EU mission in Kosovo – ed.) is not only unacceptable but should not be repeated in the future.”
Serbian police and military are ready for any order
“We are up against the wall. This is the most difficult day for me since I have been the President of Serbia or the head of the government”, – Vucic said.
According to Vucic, Belgrade has guarantees from NATO and the European Union that no force will be used against Serbian demonstrators. The President added that the Serbian “police and military are ready for any order.”
Vucic said that Serbs do not build barricades on a whim or because they like to freeze. He said it is a protest against arrests, abuse of people, and the failure to implement the Brussels agreements.
Escalation in Kosovo is approaching the point of no return
The United States called on the Serbian and Kosovo authorities to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation in the North of the province. But Serbian Prime Minister Vucic said that the US and Pristina do not adhere to any agreement reached on Kosovo.
Serbian Foreign Minister Nemanja Starovic said that the situation in Kosovo is approaching the point of no return.
“We are approaching the point of no return tonight in Kosovo, as acting Prime Minister Kurti prepares his paramilitary police to destroy the North and exterminate local Serbs”, – he tweeted.
We're nearing the point of no return tonight in #Kosovo* as interim PM Kurti prepares his militarized police to raze the North and wipe out local Serbs. The whole pattern of his unilateral actions in the last 18 months led to this. Willful blindness of the West equals complicity.
— Nemanja Starović (@nstarovic) December 11, 2022
Serbian special forces headed to the border with Serbia
On the evening of December 11, footage appeared on the network that allegedly Serbian special forces moved to the borders of Kosovo. However, it is not known how reliable the video is.
Local publics in Belgrade, citing a source in the Serbian Ministry of Defense, report that a large military group of elite brigades of the Serbian army set off from Belgrade in the direction of the Serbian city of Krusevac.
How escalation started
On December 10, another escalation with the participation of Serbs began in the North of Kosovo. All because of the detention of a former Kosovo police officer of Serbian origin, Dejan Pantic.
He was detained on December 10, returning from Serbia to Kosovo with his wife. Police officers from the partially recognized state took him to a police base in northern Kosovo.
On December 10, Serbs protested the arrest by building barricades on several roads leading to Serbian towns. Kosovo police blocked Jarinje and Brnjak, the border crossings with Serbia. KFOR forces and international police are patrolling the streets.
Director of the Kosovo and Metohija Administration Petar Petkovic said that Kosovo security forces stormed the Gazivod dam. After that, he appealed to the European Union.
Image: kosovo-online.com
