Drecun: Security situation is concerning, Albanians will direct anger over Hague verdict toward Serbs

Milovan Drecun, chairman of the Serbian Parliament's Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs, said today that statements such as the one that „Kosovo, North Macedonia and Albania will burn“ in the event of a guilty verdict against former KLA leaders in The Hague should be taken extremely seriously. He said the security situation was concerning because, once the verdict is delivered, Albanians will direct their anger toward Serbs.

„When someone from the so-called association of KLA veterans threatens that Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Montenegro will be set on fire, that is consistent with the KLA's objectives. Just look at the oath that its members took, which speaks of liberating those allegedly occupied territories and creating a unified, ethnically pure Albanian state. That was the KLA's objective. They carried out indiscriminate ethnic cleansing, killing children, the elderly, women and men, primarily Serbs, but Roma also suffered greatly, as did Albanians whom they deemed disloyal“, Drecun explained.

He pointed out that very strong pressure was being exerted on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague to acquit Thaci and the others.

„That pressure is both institutional, coming from Pristina, and coming through that so-called veterans' association“, Drecun told RTS.

He recalled that the very same association had published documentation that was used in the court proceedings, which later resulted in them being prosecuted, adding that they expected the former KLA leaders to be acquitted despite the numerous testimonies, pieces of evidence and documents.

He also said he was unpleasantly surprised by Richard Grenell's statement that „the West wants Hashim Thaci in Kosovo“, on the grounds that Kosovo needs him as a politician and that he was constructive when Grenell was first engaged in Kosovo, during Donald Trump's first administration.

„That would mean that justice is being applied selectively, and that those who demonstrate a certain political willingness to accommodate or cooperate would have their crimes forgiven. That is an unacceptable statement. I do not know whether Grenell is speaking on his own behalf, with the intention of returning to Kosovo together with Thaci and taking on some role“, Drecun said.

In this context, he also mentioned Ramush Haradinaj's proposal that Thaci become president of Kosovo.

„They are now mobilizing public opinion, particularly the younger generation, which is sufficiently anti-Serbian because of Albin Kurti's anti-Serbian policies. What will their reaction be, and where will their anger be directed if there is a guilty verdict, which I believe there should be? Their anger will not be directed toward Albanians or KFOR, but toward Serbs“, Drecun warned.

In this regard, he also pointed out that KFOR's decision to reduce its presence at the bridge over the Ibar and near Visoki Decani was connected to this, which poses an additional danger to Serbs.

He said Kurti was also taking revenge through excavation work near Zubin Potok and by showcasing weapons, thereby preparing the ground and constantly fueling anti-Serbian sentiment.

„It is realistic to expect that anger over a guilty verdict will be directed toward Serbs and that there may even be attempts at physical attacks and threats to their lives. And at that point, KFOR will have a reduced presence both at the bridge and near Visoki Decani“, Drecun pointed out.

Asked whether he expected understanding, given Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's statement that he would appeal to everyone not to open the bridge over the Ibar, he replied that NATO, or KFOR, had stuck to its position and that the optimization of its deployment meant that part of the mission's mandate deriving from UN Security Council Resolution 1244 would be transferred to those who, he noted, are not even supposed to exist under that resolution, effectively legitimizing them.

„It is a devious, perfidious game, putting all these formations of the so-called Kosovo Security Forces, which are the main means of terrorizing Serbs, under the framework of Resolution 1244. I am concerned about the security situation for Serbs when the verdict is delivered, because the anger of Albanians will be directed toward Serbs“, Drecun said.

He recalled that Pristina had adopted a law on the values of the KLA's struggle so that no one could challenge the character of the organization's fight, which, he stressed, had the clear character of a criminal organization.

He stressed that KFOR must respond and ensure the safety of those most at risk, namely Serbs, rather than transferring its responsibilities to those who beat and terrorize Serbs.

„Everywhere Pristina terrorizes Serbs, the Kosovo Police appears, and KFOR should not concern itself with how Albanians will react, but should stick to its mandate“, Drecun emphasized.

He stressed that by doing so, KFOR was violating Resolution 1244.

„I think it would be good, as the president said, to convene a session of the UN Security Council, because we now have a completely new situation in which KFOR is reconfiguring its mandate without the approval of that body, transferring responsibilities to the Kosovo Police and subsequently, undoubtedly, to the KSF“, Drecun explained.

Speaking about Thaci's trial, he said Grenell was advocating his acquittal, but that the crimes he is accused of are so serious that anything other than the maximum sentence would amount to mocking the victims.

„If he is convicted, we will have to see what the verdict says and whether the entire KLA will be characterized as an organization that carried out a joint criminal enterprise, which would undermine the Albanians' narrative about the KLA's heroic struggle“, Drecun stressed.

He said he did not know how Thaci could replace Albin Kurti, given that Kurti and Self-Determination have the support of Albanians, while Thaci would not suit him because he needs someone loyal in government.

He stressed that the political situation was complicated because Thaci's DPK is the second-strongest party and could become even stronger with his return.

But, he said, Kurti would once again devise an electoral strategy involving the diaspora, making it difficult to remove Kurti from power.

„Kurti is counting on support from the diaspora, which supports the KLA's objectives, namely that there should be no Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. Thaci's return would certainly bring DPK more votes from those who support the KLA's objectives, and they are most numerous among the diaspora and young people“, Drecun said.

He stressed that it was clear that someone wanted Thaci to return to politics, someone very powerful who wanted to have a political figure with whom they could cooperate.

„However, Thaci was constructive for a period and listened to what the United States wanted, but primarily in order to avoid The Hague. If he were acquitted, he would be completely free of that burden“, Drecun warned.

Asked about the „fireball“ and the cutting of forests, he said that illegal logging had been taking place for decades and was carried out by organized gangs of armed Albanians who endanger residents along the administrative line.

The problem, he added, was that KFOR had not secured the administrative line, and that it also intended, at a favorable moment, to station KSF members and gendarmes along the administrative line.

„If gendarmes arrive at the administrative line, such deliberate attempts to start fires will be much more dangerous. When armed forces are present along the administrative line, they can always carry out acts of sabotage aimed at spilling destabilization over into central Serbia“, Drecun stressed, adding that this was an attempt to set the forest on fire with the aim of causing unrest and dissatisfaction with the Serbian president.