Who should remove the barricades?

For connoisseurs and political and security circumstances, the issue violates public order and tranquillity, but, however, requires political solutions.

Some Serbian citizens, surveyed in northern Kosovo, say the barricades should be removed from the very ones they have established, but after a political agreement on such a thing is reached.

Groups of local Serbs erected the barricades since December 10th, following the arrest of a former Serb police officer by Kosovo Police.

Dejan Pantic was arrested under suspicion that he has participated in an attack against Central Election Commission officials in the north.

Since then, roads leading to border crossings with Serbia, Jarinje and Brnjak remain blocked.

The violent “removal of the barricades, with consequences

Mentor Vrajolli, executive director of the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies, says blocking roads with barricades is a matter of breaking order and rule of law and that the institution responsible for their removal is Kosovo Police.

Authorities in Kosovo have blamed <x0 criminal gangs”, supported by Serbia, for setting up barricades.

Barricades are also supported by the Serbian List of Serbs in Kosovo, as well as by authorities themselves in Serbia.

Vrajolli says that, in the establishment of barricades, elements from the state of Serbia are also involved, then they present “cencing the territorial integrity of Kosovo”.

In this situation, according to him, KFOR's intervention to remove barricades is necessary. But, Vrajolli says, it is obvious that authorities are giving time to a political solution.

“Anyway, these barricades will not stay on the road long. I think that Kosovo police take appropriate action that enables these barricades to be removed peacefully. However, if this does not happen, not only the police, but all responsible security bodies in the northern part of Kosovo should be co-ordinated together and these barricades removed”, Vrajolli tells Radio Free Europe.

Even Miodrag Milliqevik, executive director of the nongovernmental organisation active in Northern Mitrovica, says that, under normal circumstances, barricades would have to be removed from Kosovo police.

But, according to him, circumstances are not common, due to bad reports between Kosovo authorities and representatives of Serbs in the country's north.

At this point, Milliqevic says, a political solution should be found, because the use of violence for removing barricades, he adds, would escalate the situation.

The existing situation in northern Kosovo is extremely charged with powerful emotions and tensions. I'm afraid that any violent removal of the barricades would cause far greater consequences than in the event of a peaceful settlement”, Milliq says.

Remove “barricades after required”

Citizens surveyed by Radio Free Europe in northern Mitrovica say a compromise should be reached with Kosovo authorities so that the barricades can be removed, but do not specify much what compromise they think.

But who should turn them away?

The “those that set them up. Then both would be pleased. So when they agree to a deal. But it seems to me that the situation is uncertain and bad”, says Milan, a Serb citizen from North Mitrovica.

Miodrag has similar thoughts. But, according to him, Kosovo authorities must meet some demands of Serbian citizens in advance.

The people will remove the barricades when the conditions are met. Police officers who have been arrested, defend themselves in freedom”, Miodragu says.

Another citizen, named Slobodan, says the barricades should not be removed before the situation is adjusted, according to him.

“must meet conditions, [must be formed] The association of Serb-run municipalities, police, to withdraw from here until Serbs return to 48x1> institutions, Slobodani says.

Kosovo verbal clashes- Serbia

Kosovo authorities have said that the country's institutions “have capacity to remove the barricades” and that “are assessing the situation for a response”.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has told the British daily Guardian that he has agreed to give the NATO mission in Kosovo time, KFOR, to convince those at the barricades, to withdraw.

However, Kurti has said the barricades cannot be allowed to stay long.

He has expressed concern that the removal of these barricades cannot exclude the victims”.

And that's why we want to be as careful as possible, to make sure there is no destabilisation and there will be relative peace and security. But, we cannot forever allow this violation of legitimacy and constitutionality”, Kurti said, says Guardian.

The chief of the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government, Petar Petkovovic, has said Kurti must release the arrested former police officer and “withdraw special police forces” from Kosovo's north, although Kosovo authorities have denied sending special forces to the north.

The “Kurti should not think of removing the barricades by violence, because they were initially decided to counter violence and any violent new movement by Kurti would risk causing an uncontrolled escalation of”, Petkov said on December 19th.

Goran Rakiq, chairman of the Serbian List ʹ the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo, supported by Belgrade, has said the <x0-receta for removing barricades is the release of all Serbs arrested, the withdrawal of all police units from northern Kosovo and the removal of all secret lists for the murder of Serbs”.

Rakiq has not brought any evidence that would support his claims, while the Kosovo government has rejected several previous claims by officials in Belgrade that it targets the “persecution of Serbs from Kosovo”.

Mission NATO in Kosovo, KFOR has reiterated the stance expressed in a response on 16 December, that “expects all sides to co-ordinate closely with this mission and refrain from provocative display of force”.

We call on all sides to engage constructively to provide security and freedom of movement in Kosovo. The solution must be found through” dialog, said KFOR.

US envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar has said in an interview for Radio Free Europe on December 13th that barricades must remove those who have established them.

Political solution could remove barricades

Mentor Vrajolli says the Kosovo side should continue to be cautious in reactions regarding barricades in the north.

For their departure, he says, Kosovo authorities must co-ordinate with international partners in order to put pressure on Serbia's authorities.

“Those structures are set up by Serbia's policy, and if pressure increases on the Serbian state to remove the barricades, then they can leave without having to intervene police”, Vrajolli says.

Miodrag Milliqev estimates that for the removal of the barricades, Kosovo authorities should not pressure local Serbs in the country's north, but must find a solution with Serbia's authorities.

“Belgrade is asked for everything here [in northern Kosovo]. Possible and desirable is only a political agreement and compromise, not only for Kosovo's north, but generally for all open issues. Everything else will be like a very bad scenario, which will not end well”, Milliqevic says.

How did it get to tensions?

Tensions in Kosovo's Serb-run north have culminated on December 10th, following former Serb police officer Dejan Pantic's arrest by Kosovo Police.

Pantic is accused of involvement in an attack against Central Election and Police Commission officials in the north.

Kosovo authorities tried to organise elections in the four municipalities in northern Kosovo -- northern Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Zvecan and Leposaviq -- following the decision by representatives of Serbs there to leave Kosovo institutions.

Abandoning institutions, with Serbia's support, occurred following the Kosovo government's decision to reregister cars with illegal Serb license plates in northern Kosovo.

With the suggestion of the EU and the US, elections were postponed for the spring of next year.

The United States and the European Union constantly call on Kosovo and Serbia to reduce tensions and return to talks on normalising relations. / REL