Srpska List: Serbian institutions not to leave northern Mitrovica offices

The Serbian List announced that four Serbian institutions will not leave the facility in the Bosniaks' Lagen in Northern Mitrovica, which according to local authorities belongs to this municipality.

The North Mitrovica municipality has given deadlines for the Government of Serbia's Kosovo Office, the Directorate of Pension Security Fund and Invaldor, the Administrative District of Kosovo and the Centre for Social Affairs from Vushtrria to leave the facility. These institutions have long used this municipal building.

“In view of Pristina's goal to continue with the escalation of the situation on the ground and to invade the object in Mitrovica, we want to announce publicly that we reject the regime's ultimatum in Pristina for issuing our offices and we demand that this issue be resolved in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, which is mediated by the EU and in the framework of the founding of the majority Serb municipalities' Association, as envisioned in the 2013 and the 2015”, the Serbian List announced.

This party, which is the largest party of Kosovo Serbs and enjoys official Belgrade's support, also said that institutions found in the municipal object provide services to all citizens, indiscriminately.

“Perseverance and forced invasion of this building would threaten the exercise of human rights for tens of thousands of people, both in the area of pension and disability insurance and the social protection of the most endangered class of society”, the party said.

It called on the international factor “to prevent” Kosovo authorities, who, as it said, scale the situation by causing additional tensions that could have unpredictable impacts on the ground”.

The action to remove Serbia's institutions from the municipal facility in northern Mitrovica was meant to take place on August 25th, but was postponed for two weeks.

Similarly, the municipal inspectorate had sent these institutions a warning to free offices after they had not submitted documents or contracts to prove they have permission to exploit the facility.

Authorities in northern Mitrovica have said that the object is their property and that it should be released due to some “work”. But in an earlier statement about Radio Free Europe, they did not specify what kind of work it is about.

On August 23rd, the American Embassy in Pristina had demanded from Kosovo authority that “refrain from taking any action that could increase tensions”.

Northern Mitrovica is located in northern Kosovo, the Serb-run area. Tensions in the north have increased since the end of May, as local Serbs are opposing young Albanian mayors.

New municipal leaders were elected in April, at the polls that were boycotted by the Serb population.

After increasing tensions, the Government of Kosovo agreed in July to take steps towards full enlargement of the situation. One of the steps Pristina and Brussels agreed on also envisions establishing the legal base that would enable holding new elections in four municipalities in the north.

In this context, on 5 September new administrative directive allowing the removal of mayors through a petition was published. / REL/