Businessmen block majority of north Kosovo roads
Northern Kosovo businessmen blocked most of the roads in the north of the province for two hours Monday, including the integrated crossing Jarinje, close to Raska in central Serbia.
(KosovoCompromiseStuff) Monday, December 24, 2012
The businessmen protested over being allowed to import only up to three and a half tons of excise goods in gross weight, including the vehicle, from central Serbia.
Between 10 and 12 a.m. Monday, businessmen from Leposavic blocked the Jarinje crossing, where, as of recently, the control of transportation is performed by members of the Serbian Interior Ministry alongside EULEX and Kosovo police.
Due to the blockade of the crossing, located on the road between Raska, central Serbia, and Leposavic, northern Kosovo, lines of cars several kilometers long were created waiting to pass. The same road was also blocked in the village of Rudare in the Zvecan municipality.
Although it was announced that the Brnjak crossings, located on the road between Ribarice and Zubin Potok, which should become an integrated crossing by the end of the month, would be blocked, it did not happen.
Businessmen also kept streets leading to the village of Suvi Do and the Bosnjacka Mahala neighborhood in the northern part of the city of Kosovska Mitrovica under blockade for two hours. There have been no incidents during these protests.
Tihomir Djelosevic, one of the businessmen from Leposavic, said Monday that the dialogue in Brussels had only partially resolved the problems facing northern Kosovo businessmen.
Djelosevic told reporters at Jarinje that the businessmen from the north have a problem with the imports of goods to the north of the province because a gross, rather than net weight of imported excise goods must not exceed three and a half tons.
"This protest is also aimed at pointing to the situation in northern Kosovo. The customs and the crossings are not the only problems, as we want to remain citizens of Serbia, and therefore we want to be paying duties to Serbia lest we be called criminals or smugglers," he said.
Businessman Dragan Nedeljkovic, also from Zvecan, told reporters that some stores in the north were already running out of excise goods, which was particularly true of oil and oil products.
Our demand is that we are permitted to proceed with imports of any goods without any hindrance, just as we have been doing until recently, as we cannot function in this way, said Nedeljkovic.
The official implementation of the agreement between the Belgrade and Pristina working group teams, under which goods exempt from paying excise tax and excise goods in vehicles up to three and a half tons in gross weight are not to be cleared while entering northern Kosovo, kicked off Thursday.
Between 10 and 12 a.m. Monday, businessmen from Leposavic blocked the Jarinje crossing, where, as of recently, the control of transportation is performed by members of the Serbian Interior Ministry alongside EULEX and Kosovo police.
Due to the blockade of the crossing, located on the road between Raska, central Serbia, and Leposavic, northern Kosovo, lines of cars several kilometers long were created waiting to pass. The same road was also blocked in the village of Rudare in the Zvecan municipality.
Although it was announced that the Brnjak crossings, located on the road between Ribarice and Zubin Potok, which should become an integrated crossing by the end of the month, would be blocked, it did not happen.
Businessmen also kept streets leading to the village of Suvi Do and the Bosnjacka Mahala neighborhood in the northern part of the city of Kosovska Mitrovica under blockade for two hours. There have been no incidents during these protests.
Tihomir Djelosevic, one of the businessmen from Leposavic, said Monday that the dialogue in Brussels had only partially resolved the problems facing northern Kosovo businessmen.
Djelosevic told reporters at Jarinje that the businessmen from the north have a problem with the imports of goods to the north of the province because a gross, rather than net weight of imported excise goods must not exceed three and a half tons.
"This protest is also aimed at pointing to the situation in northern Kosovo. The customs and the crossings are not the only problems, as we want to remain citizens of Serbia, and therefore we want to be paying duties to Serbia lest we be called criminals or smugglers," he said.
Businessman Dragan Nedeljkovic, also from Zvecan, told reporters that some stores in the north were already running out of excise goods, which was particularly true of oil and oil products.
Our demand is that we are permitted to proceed with imports of any goods without any hindrance, just as we have been doing until recently, as we cannot function in this way, said Nedeljkovic.
The official implementation of the agreement between the Belgrade and Pristina working group teams, under which goods exempt from paying excise tax and excise goods in vehicles up to three and a half tons in gross weight are not to be cleared while entering northern Kosovo, kicked off Thursday.
