Kosovo Serbs condemn series of attacks
The Serb People's Council of Kosovo-Metohija condemned in the strongest terms in Gracanica on Wednesday the growing number of attacks at Serbs and Serb places of worship in Kosovo.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, February 19, 2009
"Without this being an accident and with a clear message that Serbs do not belong in Kosovo, these attacks are launched at the time of celebration of the first anniversary of the self-proclaimed independence of the province," the Council said in a statement.
The entry of a Kosovo Albanian in a Serb cafe in Strpce with an explosive device, wounding of a young Serb in Donja Budriga near Gnjilane and hoisting of the Kosovo flag at the Serbian Orthodox Church in the village of Brod are more than worrying, the Council noted.
The Serb People's Council requested from international representatives in Kosovo, primarily UNMIK and EULEX, to find the perpetrators of these attacks in accordance with their competences.
It is also said that the provisional institutions of Kosovo have hoisted the flag of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo at a police station in central Gracanica and that such an "illegal action of (Kosovo) Albanian institutions is very provocative, irritating, dangerous and completely unacceptable for Serbs."
Meanwhile, State Secretary at the Serbian Ministry for Kosovo Oliver Ivanovic on Wednesday described as worrying the latest incidents in Kosovo and particularly the fact that they occured "in series."
Ivanovic said that he would discuss the incidents, in which fortunately there had been no victims, with UNMIK head Lamberto Zannier on Thursday.
"Unfortunately, there will be nobody from EULEX at that meeting, who could directly influence an improvement of the security situation in the province," Ivanovic said.
Ivanovic said that he expected communication to be established with EULEX in the next few days "to see what action EULEX wants to take and how."
"The present political vagueness regarding who should be in charge of police and judiciary in Kosovo may result in incidents in the province," the state secretary said.
He believes that a test for EULEX and its success in Kosovo will have to be based on the level of freedom of movement of Serbs and their feeling of security.
