Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic held a press conference in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, after the clashes between the police and the Serbian group in the north of Kosovo. Vucic stated that 4 Serbs lost their lives in the events and said that his country and its people were going through one of the most difficult days since the period between 2004 and 2008.
The Guardian newspaper emphasized that the clashes were one of the most serious crises experienced in Kosovo in recent years, following the increasing tensions for months and the halt of negotiations between the two countries.
Stating that he could not make a statement before because he had to examine what was happening in the north of Kosovo as of this morning, Vucic said, “At around 02.46, a group of Kosovo Serbs placed two trucks in Banjska in the north of Kosovo to create a barricade. After this, Kosovo police came and tried to remove the barricade. “After this, a conflict broke out with the Serbs who set up the barricade, and in this conflict, one Kosovo police officer died and another person was injured,” he said.
Emphasizing that the Serbs rebelled because they no longer wanted to submit to Kurti’s policies, Vucic said, “Although we said many times that these things could happen, very few people listened to us.”
Stating that Kosovo police received approval from NATO’s Kosovo Force KFOR for the intervention, Vucic said, “According to the information we received, 3 Kosovo Serbs lost their lives, two of them by sniper fire, 2 of them were seriously injured and there is concern that 1 more person may have been killed. “They also opened fire on the houses,” he said.
“WE WILL ACT PATIENT AND RESPONSIBLE”
Emphasizing that they were at the National Security Council meeting throughout the day, Vucic said, “We will act patiently and responsibly, we will make our decisions carefully, we will prepare the decisions in detail and we will appear before our people with these decisions.”
Vucic, who said that Serbian police should serve in the north of Kosovo and called on the international community to establish the Union of Serbian Municipalities, claimed that this was the only way to avoid conflict. Stating that they invite the Serbian people to peace and moderation, Vucic said, “We request this from them. We want them to trust their states. That’s all I can say. Our duty is to do our best to avoid bloodshed. “Our duty is to try to keep the peace,” he said.
“KURTI IS THE ONLY GUILTY”
Stating that he never approved the killing of the Kosovo police and that this was a reprehensible act, Vucic said, “The only culprit of the events in Kosovo is Albin Kurti. Even though he has received support from the international community, it is only Kurti who wants war and conflict. “Drawing us into conflict with NATO is his biggest wish in his life,” he said.
“KILL US ALL IF YOU WANT, BUT WE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE KOSOVO”
Vucic: “There is pressure on Serbia to recognize Kosovo. We will never know. “Kill us all if you want, but we will not recognize Kosovo,” he said.
CONFLICT IN THE NORTH OF KOSOVO
An armed group of Serbs in the north of Kosovo barricaded the bridge at the entrance of Banjska village of Zveçan Municipality in the Leposavic border region in Northern Mitrovica with two unlicensed trucks, blocking traffic and opening fire on the police who went to the area upon notice. As a result of the fire, 1 police officer died and 1 police officer was injured. The attackers were later deployed to Banyska Monastery. During the operation of the Kosovo police, 3 Serbian attackers were neutralized.
Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti said that the attack was organized with the support of Serbia and announced that there were 30 people armed with heavy weapons in Banjska village. Stating that these were professional army and police forces and that they came to Kosovo to fight, Kurti pointed out that the uniformed attackers were using armored vehicles. (UAV)