Serbia wants urgent UN Security Council session

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- The Serbian government will call for an urgent UN Security Council session, in the wake of announcements that the armed forces of Kosovo would be formed.

Vulin addresses reproters on Thursday in Belgrade (Tanjug)

Another reason is "deterioration of the security and political situation in Kosovo," Aleksandar Vulin, Serbian minister without portfolio in charge of Kosovo and Metohija, said on Thursday, Tanjug reported.
At a news briefing in the Serbian government, Vulin expressed the government's concern over the deterioration of the security and political situation in Kosovo and Metohija, starting from stoning of Serb pilgrims in Đakovica to banning Serbian citizens from entering Kosovo.

"However, there has been no open and strong condemnation of scandalous and vandal developments," he said.

The announcement of transformation of the Kosovo security forces into the Kosovo armed forces is particularly worrying, Vulin said, stressing that this should also worry the entire international community.

“This is unacceptable and contrary to Resolution 1244, which clearly reads that there should be not army in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. This territory is under the UN administration and there can be only one armed force that is KFOR,” Vulin said.

He noted that the Kosovo security forces cannot enter northern Kosovo "on any pretext."

“The north is a zone in which there should be no armed forces. We have the firmest guarantees of the international community that no member of the Kosovo armed forces can go northern of the Ibar River,” he said.

Violence against Serbs has become part of the everyday life in Kosovo, Vulin said.

In this respect, the minister mentioned recent arrest of Serbs in Štrpce, detention of Serbs despite written guarantees by the Serbian government, ban on Serbian ministers' entrance to Kosovo and Wednesday's ban on entrance of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) officials.

The Serbian government condemns Wednesday's incident when (DSS officials) Vojislav Koštunica and Slobodan Samardžić were prevented from entering Kosovo and urged EULEX to explain who has the right to stop any Serbian citizens and violate the agreement on free movement, the minister said.

Vulin also spoke about Oliver Ivanović, who this week embarked on a hunger strike, to say the decision was forced by the "inhumane, inhuman" treatment he was receiving.

"He is on strike with the sole request to be transferred to a detention unit in Kosovska Mitrovica, which is not any kind of favor, but simply a transfer to another prison where he can feel safe, where he won't have to fear other prisoners," Vulin said of Ivanović, who is incarcerated in Priština, and added he "did not leave his cell for 20 days."

The minister then pointed out that the resolution of this problem was "up to EULEX, not Priština," and added:

"Tell us already whether you will help him, not only him but also other detainees, including the latest ones arrested in Štrpce."