O'Brien speaks of Banjska: Communication with Belgrade has calmed the situation, will allow violence again

During a virtual conversation with journalists on January 11th, O'Brien called on Kosovo and Serbia to avoid provocative actions in the Serb-run north of Kosovo.

He also said he is satisfied with the co-operation and co-ordination of the Kosovo Police with NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR in the northern part of Kosovo, while recalling that the presence of international peacekeepers in this part has increased in recent months.

“also communication and co-operation with Belgrade has allowed us some sort of calming of the situation. We expect this to continue and in the coming months we expect more transparency and discussion. This is very important separately after the events last September, when a group tried to send an amount of weapons that would cause great violence if they could end their plans. I think this is something both sides understand that it will not be allowed to happen and nobody wants this to happen, he said.

O'Brien referred to the attack on Zvecan Banjska on the Kosovo Police by an armed group of Serbs. This group killed a police officer, while three attackers were also killed during the clashes.

Kosovo blamed Serbia for the attack, but Belgrade denied any involvement.

The responsibility for the attack, which Kosovo considers a terrorist, took over by Milan Radoic, former deputy chairman of the Serbian List, the main party of Serbs in Kosovo, which enjoys official Belgrade's support.

The senior American official said the Western Balkans “should be European, stable and secure, above all, the region needs economic integration”.

He said this issue is key for the six Western Balkan states, as their population is leaving because of the lack of economic perspective.

O'Brien reiterated that the US position has not changed in support of the dialogue process for normalising reports between Kosovo and Serbia, which is mediated by the European Union.

He called on the parties to implement their responsibilities stemming from this process. He said there has been progress in implementing dialogue pledges, such as the question of car license plates.

Otherwise, O'Brien has been part of the US delegation during negotiations in Rambouillet between Kosovo and Serbia in 1999.

By 2022, Jim O'Brian worked as chief of the Sanction Coordination Office, the ambassador's rank, in the U.S. State Department.

O'Brien previously served in the two American administrations as special presidential envoy. He served as senior adviser to former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and sent president to the Balkans.

O'Brien was also committed to finding a solution to the outcome of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and helped form the 1995 Dayton Agreement, which ended this war.

He also led US support for the International War Crimes Tribunal in the former Yugoslavia, headquartered in The Hague, which helped bring people responsible for war crimes and crimes to justice. / REL