The government of Kosovo has postponed by one month, until September 1, the entry into force of new rules that prohibit the use of Serbian identity documents and number plates in the northern regions with a Serbian majority, according to the Russian agency Tax The announcement of the ban, which was to go into effect today, sparked violent reactions from Kosovo Serbs and dangerously reignited tensions between Pristina and Belgrade. During the night, demonstrators blocked the streets and gunmen fired into the air.
Kosovo, Serbian protests: “They deny us the vote”
Yesterday, while the strongest tensions were consumed, the international force KFOR led by NATO issued a statement announcing that it “closely monitors” the situation on the border between Kosovo and Serbia and is “ready to intervene if stability is endangered” in based on its mandate, sanctioned by the resolutions of the UN Security Council. And he stressed that he was in contact with both the Kosovar and the Serbian sides, launching an appeal for dialogue and reaffirming that “he will take whatever measures are necessary to maintain stability”.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, “welcomed Kosovo’s decision to move the measures to September 1. Now all roadblocks are expected to be removed immediately”. “Open issues should be addressed through EU-facilitated dialogue and attention to the global normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, essential for their EU integration paths,” Borrell added on Twitter. The idea of postponing the measures was also proposed by the American ambassador to Kosovo.
Instead, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Richard Grenell, former special envoy of the United States for the peace negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo, wands. “I have many friends in Kosovo who are very angry with Kurti,” Grenell tweeted. “The people deserve a leader who wants a job, not a conflict. Kosovo deserves better,” he wrote.