Serbia to de-escalate tensions in Kosovo

Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Sunday the country would look for ways to de-escalate tensions in Kosovo.

Speaking after a National Security Council meeting, he stressed that Serbs in Kosovo must not attack EU mission members and NATO troops in Kosovo, according to Reuters reporting.

“No one, under no circumstances, should be involved in attacks… on EULEX and KFOR,” he stressed and reiterated that Belgrade will seek to defuse the situation.

Groups of Serbs in Kosovo blocked motorways on Saturday following the arrest of a formers Serb policeman, with Kosovo police coming under small-arms fire on several occasions and a EULEX vehicle attacked with a stun grenade.

The incidents ended with no injuries.

The EU, the US and NATO called on both sides to defuse tensions and stressed the importance of removing barriers from motorways.

Vučić stressed that Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti is increasing tensions by making “countless unilateral moves,” pointing out “whenever one would think we have something solved, another problem emerges.”

Plans to ease tensions

Friction between Serbia and Kosovo increased over Pristina’s plan to replace old license plates issued by Belgrade with new ones issued by Kosovo. Roughly 600 Serb police officers, along with local judges and mayors, resigned in the north of the country in November in response the Pristina’s push to replace license plates.

Serbia announced Belgrade would stop issuing new license plates and Kosovo agreed to delay the push.

Vučić called for the release of recently arrested Serbs in Kosovo, stressing that “they are held on trumped-up charges.” He added that Kosovo police should pull out from the north of the country, in line with the EU-brokered deal.

“Kosovo police has nothing to do in the north,” Vučić stressed and pointed out that heavily armed police “causes uneasiness and fear among the Serb population.”

Vučić announced plans to ask KFOR for permission to deploy Serbian police and military in Kosovo, but predicted that the request will be denied.As part of its efforts to defuse tensions, the EU is hosting talks between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels, with EU officials stressing the importance of normalising relations.