What causes Serbs to leave KSF?

The Kosovo government and the international presence in Kosovo are concerned with “fears, which are becoming to members of the Serb community, part of the Kosovo Security Force (FSK), comments DW. According to Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, the pressure and intimidation being put on them from Serbia is causing these Serb KSF members to leave this organisation.

More than 20 members of the Kosovo Security Force from the Gjilan region have collectively submitted demands to withdraw from this force, due to reported pressure from Belgrade, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said, following a meeting of the Kosovo Security Council. According to him, Belgrade's “attacks and blackmail on Serb members of the Kosovo Security Force have prompted the latter to seek release from the service at KSF”.

Move motive: pressure from Belgrade

The “is also reported on in the media, for gun attacks and explosive devices that endanger the lives of Serb KSF members. These have occurred in the past in the north, then it has been reported further threats, but recently it has resulted in the request for the KSF's release from a number of Serb members -- from a Kosovo region, which is not north in this case”, Prime Minister Haradinaj said. The prime minister said their “most of the reasons for release present direct pressure exercised by official Belgrade authorities”.

<x0) Pressures are of different natures, whether during trips to Serbia, bans and interrogations, threats of life and their families to other instruments that have been used, including other mechanisms of parallel institutions operating in Kosovo”, says Prime Minister Haradinaj.

Regarding this created situation and after the request of a group of Serb KSF members to be released from this force, the United States ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawi, also reacted on Twitter.

Fear of Serbs, Unacceptable

The external suspension of members of the Kosovo Security Force is unacceptable. KSF diversity is a model for the country. It should be celebrated, not destroyed”, the American ambassador wrote on Twitter.

A month ago, several attacks on the properties of two Serb KSF members took place in northern Kosovo, whose authors have not yet been uncovered by police, despite reported intensive investigations. Worried with these “attacks, which seemed to be co-ordinated”, on the properties of several Serbs members of the Kosovo Security Force (FSK), were also expressed by representatives of the “list. Srpska”, which is part of the government coalition, but they are not currently attending government meetings. Goran Rakiq, the chairman of this political subject, had said that Kosovo's “institutions are being shown passively regarding these attacks on Serbs throughout the territory of Kosovo”.

The latest “Sulmet against Serbs and their properties on the territory of Kosovo, on children and women, inaction of Kosovo institutions, impunity of crime, and irreversive behaviour towards them have prompted us to start consultations with our state, and with President Vuciq”, the local Serbian media quoted Goran Rakic as saying. The list of Republika Srpska, which in the Kosovo assembly has 10 deputies, was declared to leave the government following police arrest for illegal entry into Kosovo by office chief for Kosovo in Serbia's government, Marko Djuric. He, according to the media in Serbia, had threatened all Serbs who want to become part of the Kosovo Army.

“Serbs not to participate in the formation of the Kosovo Army, but to help solve Kosovo's problem and deal with the security of Serbs in Kosovo”, Marko Djuric had said, naming the formation of the Kosovo Army as an illegal “ ”, in which, according to him, Serbian citizens should not participate.

Constitution Change

At present, 10 %s of the Kosovo Security Force (FSK) consists of members of minority communities, while 2 percent of that force is made up of members of the Kosovo Serb community.

Pristina authorities have repeatedly declared their intention to turn the KSF into the Kosovo Army. To do that, the change of the Kosovo constitution, which requires the approval of Serb deputies in the Kosovo Assembly, which have been declared several times they will not support the formation of the Kosovo Army at any price.

Situated in this situation, the Kosovo institutions' leaders said the KSF's transformation into the military would do so with a separate law, said to occur by the end of this year. However, for the KSF to become the military through a law and not constitutional changes, it is not acceptable for the QUINT states. They say Kosovo has the right to have its army, but this should be done only with necessary constitutional changes.