„Xhelal Svecla is attacking the Vice-President of Srpska Lista Milan Radoicic, the state of Serbia, and president Aleksandar Vucic without providing any evidence,“ Srpska Lista chief, Goran Rakic, reacted today to last night’s interview of the Kosovo Minister of Internal Affairs with N1. Ten mayors of Serb-majority municipalities from the ranks of Srpska Lista joined in Rakic’s criticism of Pristina, while also vehemently coming to Radoicic’s defense.
Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said in an interview with N1 last night that the north of Kosovo was an El Dorado for criminals over the past twenty years.
He underscored that Serbs, Albanians, and Bosniaks alike are involved in criminal activities – all with the political support from Belgrade. As an example of a link between crime and politics, Svecla cited the SL Vice-President, Milan Radoicic, who is on the „black list“ of the USA. According to Svecla, Radoicic nevertheless enjoys the support of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic.
Earlier today, the head of the Kosovo Office, Petar Petkovic, commented on Svecla’s allegations, claiming that „those who are a hotbed of crime, want to criminalize Serbs in the north“.
The reaction of the Srpska Lista chief, Goran Rakic, soon followed.
„The fact that every Serb is a criminal for you, and the North is El Dorado, clearly shows that you are filled with hatred and the desire to turn the north into a place of conflict. You won’t succeed because neither the Serbs nor the Albanians will allow it as they won’t agree to suffer in order for you to score cheap political points,“ Rakic told Svecla.
In his words, it is hypocritical that anyone from Pristina is talking about the rule of law regarding Serbs, who are still waiting for those responsible for the attacks on them or the SOC to be punished, the land to be returned to the Visoki Decani, and for the ASM to be formed.
Soon after Rakic, all ten mayors of Serb-majority municipalities from the ranks of Srpska Lista also reacted, sending almost identical messages, while also coming to the defense of Milan Radoicic.
The Mayor of Zvecan Municipality, Dragisa Milovic, said that Kosovan officials, such as Xhelal Svecla, “need chaos, in order to cover up their own inability to solve the basic problems of the citizens.”
„That’s why we hear brutal lies on a daily basis about anyone who dares to defend their homes, and especially against Vice President Radoicic, whom Svecla constantly talks about, presenting him in the worst way without providing any evidence for it, nor will they ever have such evidence“ – reads the statement of the mayor of the Municipality of Zvecan.
The mayors of Ranilug and Gracanica said in identical statements that „Serbs in Kosovo listen with fear to the statements of Albanian political leaders who are at the head of institutions and openly propagate anti-Serb sentiment.“
Ljiljana Subaric and Katarina Ristic Ilic stressed that the statements made against the officials of SL – Radoicic above all – present „not an attack against him as an individual, but an attack on anyone who is not ready to be a humble servant of Pristina.“
In the meantime, as some media report, Ilic also shared a new statement.
While claiming that Radoicic „is not a criminal, but a man who politically fights for the interests of his people“, the mayor of Strpce, Dalibor Jevtic, also addressed the problems faced by the citizens of this municipality.
„And when Serbs like us in Strpce re-register our vehicles, take Kosovo documents, accept to be part of Kosovo institutions, then they will find other reasons to announce us as criminals,” Jevtic wrote in a Facebook post.
The mayor of Zubin Potok, Srdjan Vulovic, shared a similar message, saying that the Serbian people, especially the citizens of Ibarski Kolasin, „know very well what the intentions of Mr. Svecla and his entourage from Pristina are, just as they know who is responsible for their daily mistreatment.“
Vulovic also alleged that „Svecla’s intention to lie about prominent Serbs, such as Radoicic“ will not succeed in diminishing their responsibility for everything that is being done „against the bare-handed people and peace“.
The mayor of Novo Brdo, Sasa Milosevic, declared that instead of accusing Radocicic, Svecla should answer the following questions:
„When will they start fulfilling the promises he made in the campaign together with his colleagues? When will those responsible for attacks on Serbs be deprived of their freedom? When will 250,000 displaced persons be able to safely return? When will the property be returned to the Serbs? When will the bullying of our clergy stop? When will they publicly announce how many murders and other serious crimes took place in the last few years in areas where he has absolute power?”
Milosevic also said that Svecla is “more than obsessed with the north.”
The mayor of North Mitrovica, Milan Radojevic, said that Svecla’s accusations against Radoicic do not come as a surprise because they are „aware of his intention to justify the unfounded use of force, surpassing of authority and endangering the peace“.
Radojevic pointed out that the Serbs „know very well that all the attacks on Vice-President Radoicic are the result of the need to weaken the Serbs in Kosovo and conquer the North,“ noting that the result of this is exactly the opposite.
Once again, Radojevic’s statement was not forwarded to the KoSSev portal.
The president of the municipality of Partes-Pasjane, Dragan Petkovic, also reacted, stating that until Svecla answers the question of who is responsible for the attacks on the Serbian people and Serbian holy sites, his statements about legality and the rule of law sound like „a joke“.
„The effort to portray the Serbs as criminals has no basis and seems frivolous, because at the same time in Pristina, Pec, Djakovica, Gnjilane … where there are almost no Serbs, murders, armed attacks, and robberies of citizens happen every day,“ Petkovic said in a statement.
In the meantime, the mayor of Leposavic, Zoran Todic, and the mayor of Klokot, Bozidar Dejanovic, also reacted.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
