Srpska Lista reacted a day after the five-day deadline for small business owners and traders to clear out public spaces in North Mitrovica ended. The party appealed on behalf of the citizens to the international representatives to immediately react and avoid further escalation of the situation, while also detailong the democratic reaction of the citizens.
Serbs in the north boycotted local elections held in April, after they previously withdrew from most of Kosovo institutions, including municipalities operating within the Kosovo system.
New mayors – ethnic Albanians – entered office, and the local Serbs practically refused to recognize these municipalities, even though Serb officials are part of these municipalities.
Despite all of this, the municipality of North Mitrovica has made and implemented several decisions throughout the town, without major problems. One such decision was passed on August 9th, which stipulates that small business owners should remove their goods and property from public areas within five days. The deadline ended yesterday, however, without the decision being implemented in practice.
Small business owners and traders expressed concern, noting that they have no one to turn to. Those with whom we spoke yesterday confirmed that no one from the Provisional Authority contacted them, nor did they receive any instructions.
Former representatives of the authorities, who still de facto exercise power in the town, including the Provisional Authority, were silent until today regarding the decision to clear up public areas.
„After the latest decision of the illegal and illegitimate mayor of North Mitrovica regarding public areas, which is planned to cause new problems and further escalate the situation on the ground, on behalf of the citizens, we appeal to the representatives of the international community to immediately react and prevent Kurti’s mayor from creating an additional problem and additionally escalating the situation on the ground at a time when we have a fragile peace in the north of Kosovo,“ Srpska Lista today announced, adding:
„By raising tension with unreasonable decisions of a man who has no legitimacy yet calls himself the mayor, the survival of the Serb people engaged in economic and service activities, thus financially supporting hundreds of Serbian families is called into question.“
They described the decision as dubious, against the interests of the citizens of North Mitrovica, regardless of their ethnicity.
„It will create new problems in our town, and it is a continuation of the series of anti-Serb decisions made by this quasi-mayor.“
„It sounds unrealistic and unbelievable that a couple of stalls or a few garden sets are the biggest and most urgent problem in our society at the moment. Moreover, it seems as a deliberate mistreatment of citizens, denial of the right to work and survival in these areas, and all with the aim of repeating additional destabilization and escalation of the situation on the ground, contrary to all the efforts made by all of us together with the representatives of the international community.”
„We want to call on international representatives on behalf of the Serb people, but also all other citizens, to take preventive action, because the implementation of this decision will lead to a justified democratic reaction of all citizens, who will have the full support of SL,“ the party concluded, without providing further details.
The representative of the cabinet of the mayor of North Mitrovica, Visar Syla, confirmed for KoSSev last night that the decision to clear up public areas would be implemented in the coming days.
Also, as we learned unofficially, the employees of the Inspection Directorate plan to verbally inform the owners of shops and other facilities individually that „it is necessary to clear up public areas“.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
