Serbian president urges Serbs in Kosovo to respect NATO, EU forces

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday urged Serbs in Kosovo to respect the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) and European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) forces.

Vucic’s remarks came in his address to the nation after a meeting of the security council in the capital Belgrade.

”We have received assurances from both EULEX and KFOR that they will not take violent action against the protesters. I hope this is the case. We continue to talk to all parties. We will do our best to maintain peace and stability,” he said.

Vucic underscored that there should not be any attacks on KFOR and EULEX “because Albanians want to build the whole story on this. Because they have nothing else to show the world.”

According to Vucic, the latest developments are “an attempt by Kosovo to end the ‘Serbian problem’”.

“It is about an attempt to end the Serbian problem in Kosovo, in which (Kosovo Prime Minister Albin) Kurti, the authorities in Pristina and a good part of the international community participate,” he said.

Commenting on a call by the US embassies in Belgrade and Pristina for the removal of barricades in northern towns of Kosovo, Vucic said he understands the message very well but is disappointed.

Kosovo, predominantly inhabited by Albanians, broke from Serbia in 1999 and declared independence in 2008. But Serbia has not recognized the independence and sees its former province as a part of its territory.

Tensions between the two flared last month when Kosovo attempted to require ethnic Serbs to change their vehicle license plates that date before 1999 to Pristina-issued plates. The decision led ethnic Serbs in Kosovo to withdraw from local institutions.