Implementation to be stopped if more Serbs get arrested

The members of the team who were elected during the negotiations in Brussels, namely, Igor Kalamar (from Kosovska Mitrovica), Dragan Jablanovic (from Leposavic), Ljubomir Maric (from Zvecan) and Dejan Radojkovic (from Zubin Potok), spoke with Zbogar and his associates on Tuesday, the release said. The team lodged a strong protest with the EU high representative over “unjustified and unlawful arrests of Serbs from the north of Kosovo,” after four Serbs were arrested under different accusations in northern Kosovo over the last few days. “It was agreed that the EU high representative should take the necessary steps and address the competent bodies to resolve the situation regarding the arrests and urgent release from detention of all arrested persons, and that competent judicial authorities should go on to launch proceedings against the arrested if there are grounds for that,” according to the release. The team states that it was jointly agreed that in the future, EULEX should not take any unilateral action, and especially not take any action in cooperation with members of the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) from the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, without a coordination and assistance from the KPS commander in north Kosovska Mitrovica. The appointment of chief of KPS operations in northern Kosovo, which was conducted by the Kosovo police minister, is contrary to the Brussels agreement, the release said, stressing that the EU will issue an order for Pristina to immediately dismiss the appointed person and appoint another one in accordance with the agreement, and this time the participation of the KPS regional commander in the KiM north will be mandatory. Under the agreement, the KPS regional commander for the Kosovo north shall be from the Serb community and the first elected commander is Nenad Djuric. The Serb team for the implementation of the Brussels agreement said that they made it clear to the EU high representative that if EULEX mounts yet another arrest operation in northern Kosovo without the knowledge and assistance of the KPC commander in the north, they will urge the commander to call off further cooperation with EULEX and the Kosovo Interior Ministry. The KPS in the north will continue to maintain order and protect citizens and their property in that region, in line with the Brussels agreement and relevant laws, the statement said.