Kusturica: West Kicking Serbs Out of Kosovo

Serbian film director says landmark Serbia-Kosovo deal concludes international community's job of creating monolithic ethnic communities in the Balkans.

(kosovocompromisestuff) Friday, January 10, 2014

"The international community has driven the majority of Serbs out of Kosovo, and by signing the Brussels agreement, the Serbian authorities have left their remaining kinsmen in Kosovo at the mercy 'of the enemy', Kusturica told Serbian daily newspaper Blic on Sunday, referring to the Kosovo Albanians. He added that the EU-deal marked the final stage of the international community's plan to make six "monolithic ethnic communities" in the region. The movie director was referring to the landmark deal which Serbia and Kosovo agreed on April 19. The draft agreement envisions that the local Serbian community will choose local police commanders, while the composition of the police will reflect the ethnic structure on the ground. The draft also proposes more judges coming from the Serbian minority. A so-called Association of Serb Municipalities with broad powers will include the four Serb-run northern municipalities of North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok. According to Kusturica, Kosovo Albanians have not made a single gesture which would speak of their good intentions, yet politicians in Serbia appear to believe in them."The truth of this bothers me and as long I live I will do everything wherever I am to prove that this was robbery," Kusturica added. Kosovo declared independence in February 2008. Kusturica recently announced his withdrawal from public life. Twice winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes (for "When Father Was Away on Business" and "Underground"), he has been both praised for his work and criticised for his nationalist opinions. Earlier in April, Kusturica announced that his latest movie will deal with human organ trafficking, the focus of a current high-profile trial in Kosovo.