Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti warned Monday that the barricades set up by Kosovo Serb citizens in the north despite appeals from the international community «will not be tolerated for long» and noted that the NATO mission in Kosovo (KFOR) has asked for «a little time».
Kurti, who noted that the local authorities are coordinating with the international mission, said that the barricades «will not constitute a form of civil protest as long as there are armed people who want Kosovo to return to 1999».
His words come as barricades continue in northern Kosovo despite calls from the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom, which have called for a de-escalation of hostilities in the area after Serb citizens came out to protest the arrest of two former Kosovo Serb policemen.
The crisis has been escalating and has led Serbia to ask NATO to allow the deployment of its own security forces in Kosovo as part of the international mission, an unprecedented request. KFOR, for its part, has already increased its presence in the area, especially at the Jarinje crossing, bordering Serbia.
Kurti himself has strongly criticized Serbia’s request and has assured that the Kosovo Police is more than ready to protect the population in Kosovo Serb areas.
Kurti has insisted that the Special Police of Northern Kosovo is dedicated to «protecting citizens and arresting criminals», namely «organized crime bigwigs, according to the instructions of the Prosecutor’s Office».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
