Warnings of the opening of the Ibri Bridge, former KFOR Commander Bühler: The government should listen to Allied counsel

Last year the municipal assembly in northern Mitrovica has made a decision to open bridges separating South Mitrovica and North. But this decision has not yet been implemented.

This theme was re-united in recent days after Deputy Police Director for the Northern Region Veton Elshani said that the Ibri Bridge would open “very soon”.

I consider the time when this bridge will be opened and how it will be opened. We once mentioned that it was possible to open bridges and fill with self - help in a certain country, but we're discussing with our superiors how this could be done. I consider that there is no more room for concern for the northern citizens of the country. The form of how it will be opened is a little bit different, but I consider that we will soon have our own hidden” bridge, Elshani said on May 30th.

But internationals, more precisely the EU and KFOR, are demanding that any decision related to the Ibër Bridge should be discussed in Brussels.

In a response to the Journal Express, the former German commander of KFOR,2010-2011), Erhard Bühler, has spoken on the issue. He said the government of Kosovo should listen to KFOR, the EU and the QUITTI ambassadors' advice.

He indicated he would like the bridge opening decision to be implemented, but according to him the situation in northern Mitrovica is unpredictable.

Bühler said any turmoil could damage Kosovo's image and relations with allies.

The German general finally said there should be more listening to friends and more patience.

My recommendation is that the Government of Kosovo should follow the councils of KFOR, the EU and the ambassadors of QUINTTA. I would like the municipal assembly's decision to follow. However, the security situation in northern Mitrovica is unpredictable. Any further unrest could again damage Kosovo's image in Europe and damage Kosovo's relations and its closest friends. So listen to your friends and be patient”, Bühler said.

The European Union has said that the opening of the Ibri Bridge belongs to dialogue and any related decision should be discussed within the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

“The opening of the Mitrovica bridge is the subject of two agreements reached by the parties within the EU's relaxed dialogue in 2015 and 2016. Despite EU efforts at relief over the years, the bridge remains closed to traffic. Since this is an issue that concerns EU-mediated dialogue, negotiations and any decision regarding the bridge should be made within dialogue with the participation of the official delegations of Kosovo and Serbia”, Stano has said.

Same attitude for the Ibër Bridge has the mission of NATO in Kosovo, KFOR. This mission has called for any decision on the Iber bridge to be taken within the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

“KFOR continues to implement the mandate appointed by the United Nations to ensure a safe environment for all Kosovo residents at any time, impartially, including the presence on the Mitrovica bridge and patrols in the area around”, it has said. KFOR in an answer to RELUI.

On the other hand, the Local Power Management Ministry has warned that the Ibër Bridge could open this summer. Deputy Prime Minister Arber Vokry has said there is no exact date, but according to him there is no reason to expect autumn. He says conditions have been created for opening the bridge, as opportunities for unrest have been reduced.

“I'm sure of the exact timing, of course, that it has been discussed more than once among the institutions of our state, and there are reasons why the decision on implementation has not been postponed since it has voted the Municipal Assembly of the Northern Mitrovica. So, the reason has been simple so that we don't seem to be trying to provoke the situation, but in time the potential for the turmoil is clearly diminished. I think before the fall of the summer. But we don't have a precise date. I think there's no need to wait autumn at least”, he said in Tv1.

While the Serbian list warned of opening the bridge has called “unnecessary and unacceptable moves”, adding that the “objective is to destabilise the” situation.

LLS has called on KFOR, EULEX and representatives of Brussels “to react and prevent another crisis from occurring”.

“Call for Kfor, EULEX, but representatives of Brussels also prevent Kurti from causing another crisis and hindering his plan to expel Serbs from Kosovo. We call on you to respond urgently and to show the regime in Pristina that the opening of the bridge cannot be done without the consent of Serbs living in northern Kosovo, especially in Mitrovica, Kosovo, for this reason, by a few thousand Serbs, only one priest lives in southern Mitrovica with his family under continued police observation”, they have said from the Serbian List.