Incidents warn hot April in the north

Incidents that have occurred in northern Kosovo in recent days, where eight cars have been burned, most reregistered with RKS signs, are signals that in that part of the country there are trends for tension and escalation of the situation, estimate political processes connoisseurs, Agon Maliqi and Veroleb Petroniq.

An eventual escalation of the situation in northern Kosovo, according to them, would be efforts to prevent implementation of the agreement towards normalising Kosovo-Serbia relations, which Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti -- and Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq -- agreed on March 18th in Ohrid.

Kosovo police, on April 1st, have arrested a member of the Serb community in northern Mitrovica under suspicion that, among other things, they have participated in burning a car.

The Constitutional Court in Pristina has assigned the detention measure for a month to indictee M. B, under suspicion of committing five criminal acts.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, on April 3rd, has said the incidents in northern Kosovo are orchestrated by the <x0). The illegal structures supported by Belgrade”, aimed at the “intimidation and rowage of the local Serbian population, as well as the creation of a climate of fear and uncertainty”.

On April 2nd, Serbia's Foreign Minister, Ivica Dacic, has accused Kosovo government of wanting to destabilise the situation and avoid obligations it has undertaken through the Ohrid Agreement.

The Kosovo government has not responded to Radio Free Europe's questions about whether it views these incidents as a signal for straining the situation in the north and sees an eventual escalation as an obstacle to implementing the basic agreement.

All these developments have taken place on the eve of meeting between Kosovo's top negotiators and Serbia, Besnik Bislimi and Petar Petkov, which is held April 4th in Brussels.

This is the first meeting of the parties after the Ohrid meeting on March 18th.

Incidents in the North, signals from criminal groups

The recognition of the political processes, Agon Maliqi, estimates that the incidents in northern Kosovo are provocative steps that specific structures, which rule in the north, take in hopes to boost the response of Kosovo institutions. In effect, according to him, it was Dachiqi's statement.

“Kurti publicly stated that Kosovo will implement (form) The association, we have seen a range of international statements that, in some form, the ball for the next steps is thrown into Belgrade. So it is clear that the address of provocations is that of organised crime structures in the north, which are trying to give a kind of sign, a certain threat, but also make some kind of provocation, so that Kosovo can intervene and then be blamed for straining the” situation, Maliqi says.

He adds that the tense atmosphere in the north has also contributed to the determination of the Serbian List ʹ the largest Kosovo Serb party to not participate in the elections for chairmanship of the four northern Kosovo municipalities, declared on April 23rd.

These elections are organised in the four northern municipalities -- northern Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok -- following their mayors' resignations in November last year, as a sign of disappointment with the Kosovo Government's decision to reregister the Serbian license plates in the Kosovo Republic.

Verolub Petronic, from the nongovernmental organisation, the Humanitarian Centre ão Mitrovica, says the incidents in the north are in the function of straining the situation, so that parties later blame each other for any possible crisis. Car burning, according to him, is done by certain persons who are in control of criminal groups, which, as he says, are linked to the governing structures in northern Kosovo, but also in Pristina.

It is obvious that Pristina and Belgrade are sending signals each other through those criminal groups. I think they're (structurals) controlled or they're new,cytted people, with the reasoning that they should burn cars to the stock of Kosovo license plates, and that's all”, Petroniq says.

Maliqi: The escalation of the situation sabotages implementation of the agreement

The burning of cars in northern Kosovo has been condemned by Western countries. They have also expressed regret over not participating in the Serbian List in the April 23rd elections.

US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier has said his country condemns “criminal cars in northern Kosovo”.

German Ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rode wrote why the Serb List of Serbs in Kosovo did not condemn the incidents in municipalities in the north.

Serbian List Deputy Chairman Igor Sinheri has stated that these claims by the German ambassador are incorrect, because, as he said, together with Serbian List Chairman Goran Rakic, have condemned the burning of cars in the north.

At a media conference on April 2nd, Sini said that the burning of Kosovo license cars is an unacceptable “”.

In a statement by this party, on April 1st, it has been said that unless the person (M.B) is released under suspicion of burning a car, the Serbian “responding will be caused.

The European Union has said it hopes that what happened in Kosovo's north will not affect the meeting of Pristina and Belgrade's chief negotiators, Besnik Bislimi and Petar Petkovovic, who will meet in Brussels on Tuesday, April 4th.

Analyst Agon Maliqi, the opinion that the tense situation in the north could impede implementation of the agreement leading to the normalisation of Kosovo relations ʹ Serbia.

In this dispute, as he points out, EU mediators in dialogue, but even American partners would have to be attentive and understand who is responsible for obstructing implementation of the agreement.

These developments may have an impact on the agreement, because the most important elements of the agreement cannot be implemented without the participation of the Serb community in the north. With a group of sabotagers, which operates on its own or is co-ordinated with Belgrade, causing incidents and is willing to escalate the situation. The agreement becomes difficult to implement, and this could, however, affect Kosovo's credibility and readiness to move ahead with the” agreement, Maliqi emphasises.

Petroniq: We're entering critical situation.

Verolub Petronic estimates that the situation in northern Kosovo is straining increasingly. A large number of Serbian citizens in northern Kosovo, according to him, have removed the plates issued by Serbia because they have been given the registration deadline.

As he says, these citizens are found between two fires, because they cannot circulate by vehicles without license plates, for fear that police authorities can seize their cars.

On the other hand, he points out, citizens are afraid to re-register vehicles with RKS license plates, for fear that individuals or specific structures could burn them.

The situation, according to him, has reached the brink of an explosion.

I think we're entering a very extreme and very serious situation. Perhaps we already have, though not. But this period, by election (April 23rd), will be critical. April will be hot. There is a great possibility that we can achieve to escalation right now. Then they will blame each other and further accuse each other of either the security vacuum or the legal vacuum, of failing to function the prosecution, trials and all the other”, Petronic says.

He adds that already among Serbian citizens, rumors are circulated that barricades will soon be established to block roads in the country's northern municipalities.

Groups of Serbs in the north blocked several roads in northern Kosovo at the end of last year, and one of the reasons for the move was the Kosovo government's decision that all vehicles with Serbian illegal license plates be reregistered in the RKS.

Also, at the end of the year, in the country's north there were reported burning cars with RKS license plates.

With the European Union's mediation reached, a license agreement was reached
Kosovo gave up punitive measures, unless car reregistering takes place, meanwhile, Serbia has said it will no longer issue new license plates to Kosovo.

Radio sources Free Europe in Brussels have said that at the April 4th meeting, between chief negotiators Bislimi and Petkovovic, the issue of license plates is expected to be discussed. / REL