Belgrade: EULEX police did not do anything to prevent incidents
Serbian Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic on Sunday stated that the EU mission in Kosovo (EULEX) had done very little or almost nothing to prevent the latest incidents that took place in Kosovska Mitrovica
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, January 05, 2009
"I have to conclude that Serbia had good will and was tolerant in regards to the deployment of EULEX in this area, but EULEX had done very little or almost nothing to prevent the incidents that took place in the past several days," said Bogdanovic.
After his meeting with presidents of municipalities in the north of Kosovo and head of the Kosovska Mitrovica district, Bogdanovic said that it is absolutely unacceptable to have a security vacuum since the deployment of EULEX on December 2008 and not to know whose responsibility the security of citizens in Kosovska Mitrovica is.
Bogdanovic appealed to the citizens of Kosovska Mitrovica to refrain from incidents and to ignore every provocation coming from any direction.
Bogdanovic said a meeting will be held with EULEX representatives this month, evaluating those meetings as very important for prevention of incidents and neutralization of the legal vacuum in the north of Kosovo.
"We will surely discuss the six-point plan, the way of implementing it in the field, affirmation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which is important for the survival and return of Serbs to Kosovo and Metohija," said Bogdanovic.
Meanwhile, the State Secretary at the Serbian ministry for Kosovo, Oliver Ivanovic, said Monday that the police, EULEX and Kfor should determine who initiated the most recent incidents in northern Kosovska Mitrovica.
Ivanovic said that there should be no speculation about who caused the latest incidents in Kosovska Mitorvica, and that the police should conduct a comprehensive investigation of the events so that the perpetrators should be brought to justice.
He stated that tensions have been in evidence in northern Kosovo since February 17, 2008, when Pristina unilaterally declared the independence of Kosovo and the Serbs clearly stated they would not accept such a decision.
Ivanovic said that he is an optimist with regards the stabilization of the situation in Kosovska Mitrovica, adding that the fact that Kfor has upped its presence and deployed its troops in the city is encouraging.
