Dacic: Kurti is guilty of everything; we demand that KFOR fully take over the security function in the north

The First Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Serbia and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic, has stated that Albin Kurti is the sole culprit for everything happening in Kosovo because if it weren't for Kurti's policies, the incident in Banjska would not have occurred. He emphasized that this was why Belgrade was demanding that KFOR fully assume the security function in the north, in Serb municipalities, to avoid the possibility of conflict.

Dacic also stressed that Serbia would not allow further escalation of the situation to prevent a situation that could not be contained.

While appearing on RTS (Radio Television of Serbia), Dacic mentioned that a regular session of the United Nations Security Council, which would include the UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo) report and practically the entire situation in Kosovo on its agenda, would most likely be held on October 23rd, and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic would attend it.

Dacic pointed out that, after the incident in Banjska on Sunday, this is one of the most challenging moments in the last 15 years for Serbia and the Serbs. He questioned the presence of 460 special forces personnel with armored vehicles near the Banjska Monastery, which dates back to the 14th century as a testament to Serbian identity and continuity.

"Is there even one Albanian living there? We're talking about the territorial integrity of Kosovo on the land near a monastery that speaks to Serbian identity and continuity from the 14th century to today. What is the Kosovo police doing there? By which article of any international document?" Dacic asked.

He mentioned the unilateral actions of Pristina, the terror endured by the Serbs during Kurti's rule, the refusal to establish the CSM, provocations, arrests, the ban on Serbian goods, shootings of children, and the wounding of Galjak without any indictments.

"Are they (Serbs) terrorists now because they threaten the constitutional order of so-called Kosovo? We've mixed things up a bit. Kosovo originated from the terrorist activities of the so-called KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army). Did anyone react to the KLA flags at the policeman's funeral? What was the KLA armed with? Were they carrying confetti or weapons? We've been telling everyone that Kurti will light the powder keg. We're coming to a point where those who oppose Kurti's terror are labeled terrorists. So, Albanians had the right to fight against Serbian authorities, but the Serbs don't even have the right to express peaceful protests, let alone organize and fight for their rights," Dacic observed.

He pointed out that this did not in any way justify violent actions and expressed sorrow for the loss of both the Albanian police officer's life and the Serbs in Banjska. He emphasized that what had happened on Sunday was not in Serbia's interest, but it was paradoxical that it was unclear where the harshest accusations were coming from—those who had participated in the aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or from certain domestic media outlets or opposition parties.

"Efforts are being made to suggest that Radojicic or Veselinovic were the ones behind these actions... They would have preferred to find Milan Mojsilovic, Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, because they need a link to Belgrade. They want to claim that this is being imported from abroad. But when 700-800 Albanian fighters crossed over Kosare to Kosovo, that was considered a fight for freedom," Dacic added.

He pointed out that in Serbia, on one hand, President Aleksandar Vucic was criticized for allegedly placing all the blame on the Serbs from Kosovo, while on the other hand, there were claims that Belgrade was behind everything.

"We support the Serbs in Kosovo, we fight for peace, for their rights. We will not allow further escalation of all this so that we don't end up with a fire that can no longer be contained. We will participate in negotiations, but this is a miserable way to try to prove, at the expense of its state, that Serbs are terrorists," Dacic said.

He emphasized that the sole culprit for everything was Kurti, and if it had not been for his policies, there would have been no incidents.

"That's why we demand that KFOR takes over the security function, completely, in the north, in Serb municipalities, to prevent the possibility of conflict," Dacic concluded.

Smajlovic: It seems that the footage of armed people was not taken on the same day and someone used it as a pretext for intervention

Journalist Ljiljana Smajlovic mentioned that she had seen footage today showing armed individuals in broad daylight, filmed from a drone.

"It was said that the reason for the intervention, for those 460 police officers, was that they had learned at 2:30 in the morning that the Serbs had set up two trucks... My impression is that someone from a drone had filmed people in Banjska the previous day and decided to intervene at night with 460 police officers under the pretext of a roadblock. It's unusual and inexplicable," Smajlovic pointed out.

Dacic added that it was obvious the footage was from another day, another "ploy" by Pristina. He also noted that in such situations, one typically waited for KFOR intervention and asked where the report from international forces was.

"This could have been resolved differently. Some have even said that two Serbs were killed after surrendering, shot by snipers from a distance," Dacic noted, adding that there had probably been logistical support from international forces, and the biggest support had been that they had stepped back.

"This was undoubtedly a planned action aimed at presenting the Serbs as terrorists and accusing Belgrade of jeopardizing security in the region," Dacic said.

Kovacevic: Significant escalation of violence that is spreading

Despot Kovacevic, an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, said it was frightening that there was a significant escalation of violence in the region, including northern Kosovo, and it was spreading.

"If we compare it with North Macedonia, we saw a swift response from the international community to stop the spread of violence there. It seems that we don't have such a response here. Stano said this was a dangerous situation, Borell said he had talked to both sides, but we haven't seen what has been done to de-escalate the situation," he said, pointing out the inconsistency of the international community.

He stated that the international community either could not or did not want to influence Pristina.

"If they don't want to, it's bad for democratic capacities, and if they can't, it's bad news for their power and strength—whatever it is, it's bad for them," Kovacevic said.

Dacic: Regular UN Security Council Session likely on October 23

Speaking about the UN Security Council session that Serbia would request, Dacic said that the scope of these sessions was always limited, meaning that no decisions were made during them, but it was important to discuss these matters.

He reminded that Brazil would preside over the UN Security Council in October.

"President Vucic will participate in the regular session of the UN Security Council, where the UNMIK report will be presented, but it always relates to the overall situation in Kosovo. It may be held on October 23," Dacic said.

Kovacevic: The scope of the session may not be extensive, but the messages are significant

Kovacevic said that the scope of the UN Security Council session might not be extensive, but the messages it conveyed could be significant.

"It seems to me that the UN Charter is fundamentally violated, and the best example is Kosovo, where people do not have basic human rights, which should be given considerable attention. Dialogue is necessary," Kovacevic said.