KFOR leaving Serb enclave, residents worried

Strpce Municipal President Zvonko Mihajlovic told the Beta news agency that KFOR will patrolling the municipality, but said that this is not enough because the situation in the municipality is far from normal.

He said that the decision to remove the KFOR troops from Strpce is a farce that wants to show that the rule of law exists in Kosovo, that security is up to par, and that Serbs can move freely.

"The whole story regarding the transfer of authority from UNMIK to the temporary institutions and the exiting of KFOR from Strpce and the closing of check points, has the goal of showing the situation the way it is not in reality, that everything is under control, that rule of law exists and rights exist, that Serbs can move freely, but that is not the truth," Mihajlovic said.

"It is not a move in a good direction, because Serbs still have limited freedom of movement," he said, reminding that KFOR's presence offered the residents security.

Mihajlovic said that the Polish-Ukrainian KFOR contingent had a large role in the region and was a factor of stability and a guarantee that there will not be any escalations in the conflicts.

He said that KFOR's role cannot be taken over by police because it is not capable of dealing with the greater challenges.

There are 16 villages in the municipality of Strpce in which about 12,00 Serbs and 3,500 Albanians live.