Vucic Calls For Elections In Northern Kosovo, Return Of Serbs To Institutions

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on September 13 laid out a long list of demands that he said must be met in order to make progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Vucic said the demands include local elections in northern Kosovo, an area populated largely by ethnic Serbs, where tensions have remained high since Kosovo shut down several Serbia-backed parallel institutions at the end of August.

Speaking at a news conference, Vucic named several other demands, including the return of ethnic Serbs to the police force and the judiciary and the withdrawal of Kosovo's special police forces from the north.

Vucic also announced that the Serbian parliament would adopt a decision declaring illegal all bodies and institutions established in Kosovo since the former Serbian province's declaration of independence.

Serbia has not recognized Kosovo's independence, which it declared in 2008. Russia and China are among the other countries that do not recognize it.

The situation in northern Kosovo has been volatile for months. The latest escalation in tensions occurred after the Kosovar authorities closed the parallel Serbian institutions, which Serbs consider unconstitutional and illegal. Vucic said the move cost 5,880 people their jobs and halted 25 administrative services for Serbs.

Vucic said Serbia also is demanding to “return to what has been agreed and achieved so far in the dialogue” between Belgrade and Pristina, which has been mediated by the European Union since 2011.

“What we are demanding is respect of European norms and dialogue,” Vucic said. “We do not want war.”

Vucic’s demand for "free and democratic" local elections in northern Kosovo would include the participation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe under the supervision of the European Union.

The demand for the return of Serbs to the regional directorate of the Kosovar police force in the north should take place in accordance with the Brussels Agreement, he said.

Asked about a recently announced indictment of Milan Radoicic and 44 other individuals in connection with an armed attack in Banjska last year, Vucic said that Serbian authorities are conducting their own investigation. Radoicic, the fugitive former vice president of the Serbian List party accused of leading and organizing the attack, is believed to be in Serbia.

Prosecutor Naim Abazi said those indicted had different roles within their criminal group "ranging from organizing and directing terrorist activities to financing and money laundering."

Vucic said that, for Serbia, the Banjska case "is by no means terrorism."

Shortly before Vucic spoke, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that Serbia decided to repeat threats and ultimatums to Kosovo instead of repenting for the crimes it committed during the past.

The Serbian government's approach toward Kosovo is "very depressing," but Kosovo is not afraid of threats, Kurti said on Facebook.

With reporting by AP