DW: EU Ready for Punishment Measures against Kosovo, Serbia

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, after the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg said on Monday (2606) that EU member states would be willing to take measures on both Kosovo and Serbia unless progress is noted in the extension of the situation in northern Kosovo. Borrell briefed the foreign ministers of member states on the situation in northern Kosovo and last week's separate talks with Prime Minister Kurti and Serbia's president, Vuçiq.

Borrell: New elections must be held

The European Union has welcomed the release of three Kosovo police officers, who were arrested on 14 June by Serbia's police and stressed the need to hold new elections in the north. We agree that the elections should be held. We cannot have mayors in offices protected by NATO forces forever, being elected by 2 or 3 percent of voters. This is not a sustainable solution. So if it is not sustainable, it must be replaced by other solutions and the other solution can only come from new elections, and that's what both sides should do. Elections with Serb participation, otherwise will be the same situation as today”, Josep Borrell said.

EU requirements for Kosovo, Serbia

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia's President Aleksandar Vuciq were in Brussels last week, but did not meet each other. Both held separate meetings with European mediators, but no progress was noted in the dialogue except for pledging to reduce tensions. The European Union has clear requirements: Kosovo requires suspension of police operations in municipal buildings in the north, and four mayors of municipalities must temporarily carry out duties outside municipal offices. And from Serbia, meanwhile, is required to ensure that protesters leave the municipal buildings at the same time as leaving Kosovo police. If there is no progress on these points, punitive measures against Kosovo and Serbia, “will be political and financial”, European diplomacy head Josep Borrell said.

Antony Blinken engages in resolving the situation in the north

Recently the international community's efforts to reduce tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have intensified. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conducted separate telephone conversations with Prime Minister Kurti and President Vuciq on Monday for tensions in northern Kosovo. “Prime Minister Kurti and Secretary Blinken discussed the situation in Kosovo's four northern municipalities, the new elections that must be preceded by rule of law, the violent extremists that attacked KFOR soldiers, Kosovo Police and journalists, for the three Serb deputy mayors in Leposaviq, Zvecan and northern Mitrovica, for the seizure of multiple ammunition in a Belgrade license vehicle, for the need for full implementation, sequenced straight from the conditions of the Brussels Agreement, said the report.

Earlier Monday, Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, also announced the telephone conversation he had conducted with Secretary Blinken and the insistence on calming the situation in northern Kosovo. “I said Secretary Blinken, that Serbia behaves seriously and responsibly, but Kosovo Police Special Units are arresting members of the Serb community every day completely arbitraryly and asked for the release of all Serbs arrested”, Vuciq wrote in the Institute. Vuciq says that during his conversation with Blinken, he has stressed that “the resignation of four new Albanian mayors in northern Kosovo municipalities and the withdrawal of Kosovo Police Special Units from municipal buildings are of key importance to lower tensions in this area”.

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia deepened late last month, where groups of Serbian citizens are continuing to oppose being placed in the municipal offices of Albanian mayors. As a result, there were also clashes with KFOR troops. NATO added their presence in Kosovo even more than 700 soldiers, ready to keep the situation under control. / DW