The European Union and the US State Department also reacted after last week’s criticism by international officials in Pristina of a new series of resignations from the Kosovo Police by members of the Serb community. While the Kosovo police still remain silent, the EU spokesman Peter Stano announced that „intimidation“, including by „actors linked to Serbia“, is unacceptable. The State Department also described pressure on police officers as unacceptable, also mentioning „actors linked to Serbia“.
The news that three Serb members left the Kosovo Police was initially announced last week by EULEX mission chief Giovanni Pietro Barbano.
“Looking with concern at the recent resignations of three newly recruited Kosovo Serbs members of the Kosovo Police. EULEX is closely following these worrisome developments,“ he said.
Immediately, a number of international officials reacted to the news.
A little later, high-ranking Pristina officials also reacted, all of whom accused official Belgrade of „contributing“ to these resignations through pressure and threats.
During that time, the media unofficially reported that the number of new officers who resigned was on a rise and that in fact seven policemen from the Serb community had left the Kosovo Police.
In the meantime, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani confirmed that these allegations are true.
The Paparaci portal went a step further, claiming that the dismissals of these policemen were allegedly a „gentleman’s agreement“ between the Kosovo Police and the vice-president of the Srpska Lista, Milan Radoicic.
Soon, some media reported unofficial information that a total of nine policemen from the Serbian community had left the Kosovo Police.
The KoSSev portal did not manage to obtain confirmation of these allegations from the Kosovo Police, as all of our inquiries have remained unanswered.
And while the police remain silent, the confirmation on the number of Kosovo Serb police members who resigned, however, arrived from the European Union.
EU spokesman Peter Stano confirmed that nine police officers resigned, at the same time condemning the alleged threats against these officers.
„The EU is deeply concerned over the resignations of nine newly recruited Kosovo Serbs in the Kosovo Police. The composition of the Kosovo Police should reflect and represent the society it serves and protects,“ he said.
He added that members of the police from non-majority communities have a role to contribute to the security of their community through police work oriented specifically to that community.
„We regret the psychological pressure, intimidation and threats of retaliation against the members of the Kosovo Serb police, which allegedly motivated the resignations of newly recruited police officers,“ Stano said.
On the other hand, he emphasized that „intimidation“ is against the spirit of the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.
„Any intimidation or threatening behaviour towards Kosovo Serb police officers, including by actors linked to Serbia, is unacceptable and must be stopped immediately,“ Stano added.
The EU stated that they remain committed to de-escalation, and that calming tensions is a responsibility of both Serbia and Kosovo.
They once again called for an early local elections in all four municipalities as soon as possible with participation of Kosovo Serbs without preconditions.
„Kosovo institutions should be inclusive and multi-ethnic and the EU underscores that a sustainable solution to the issue of return of the Kosovo Serbs to Kosovo institutions has to be found within the EU-facilitated Dialogue.“
Last night, the US State Department joined the condemnations, similarly assessing it as unacceptable that anyone, „including actors linked to Serbia, exert political pressure on individuals who want to join the Kosovo police.“
„The Kosovo Police provides vital services to all communities and citizens of Kosovo. We condemn any effort to undermine diversity within its ranks,“ the State Department spokesman told Radio Free Europe.
The police station in the north gained 74 new police officers last month, all of them from non-Albanian communities. More than half (45) are ethnic Serbs, 16 are Bosniaks, 3 are Turks and 8 are members of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.
The officers are part of a group of 418 Kosovo Police cadets who recently completed their training. At a ceremony marking the end of the six-month police training course, which was held in mid July in Pristina, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti emphasized that this service is “the most reliable institution in Kosovo, a continuation of the Kosovo Liberation Army.“
The Serbs from the north of Kosovo left most of Kosovo’s institutions in November, including more than 500 police officers.
Since Serbs left the police force, their jobs have been taken by Albanian policemen from other regions throughout Kosovo.
The work of the regular police, however, has been overshadowed for months by the presence and deployment of special police units in the North, with at least four bases and several checkpoints.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
