Garic: EU, EULEX and KFOR shirking responsibility over opening of Ibar Bridge

Journalist Milos Garic assessed that the European Union, KFOR, and EULEX were shirking responsibility over the opening of the Ibar Bridge, as they maintained that the security situation was conducive to its opening even though, he said, this was by no means the case on the ground.

Garic believes that the situation is unfolding on two dangerous levels.

"The first is Albin Kurti's objective of completely breaking Serbian resistance and sending a message to his own public that the takeover of northern Kosovo and Metohija is a fait accompli and that the Serbs are incapable of resisting him. That is what keeps him in power and gives him popularity among the extremist segment of the Albanian population. The second level of the problem is that it is evident that the European Union, KFOR, and EULEX are shirking responsibility and want to create the space and conditions for Albin Kurti to achieve his objectives," Garic told Kosovo Online.

He said that the European Union's statement that the security situation had now reached a level at which the Ibar Bridge could be opened after 27 years—at a time when, according to Garic, the necessary security conditions effectively did not exist on the ground—best demonstrated how poorly and inadequately the European Union was approaching the entire issue.

"At this moment, we are witnessing the most appalling harassment and beatings of Serbs, including elderly and frail people, in northern Kosovo and Metohija and throughout Kosovo. This is no longer about terror perpetrated by extremists among the Albanians; this is institutional terror, primarily by the Kosovo Police, which is completely out of control and is doing the work of these extremist Albanian groups and extremist Albanian politics. In such an environment, after everything that has happened over the past several years, and particularly over the past several days and weeks, you receive a statement saying that the EU and KFOR security assessment is that there is no longer any reason for their presence and that they are handing this responsibility over to the Kosovo Police. That in itself shows just how unserious and irresponsible the policy of certain structures within the EU is," he said.

Garic believes that EU and KFOR representatives are attempting to present the situation as though tangible results have been achieved on the ground and all the necessary conditions have now been created for them to modify or reduce their role and presence, or subordinate their activities to those of the Kosovo Police.

"This truly demonstrates the scale this problem has now reached and the enormous danger facing Serbs and all of us throughout the region, because this could lead to extremely dangerous consequences," he stressed.

According to Garic, the issue of the bridge should unquestionably have been resolved through the Dialogue.

"This is an issue that could only have been resolved through the Dialogue, through an agreement between the two sides and on the basis of an absolutely objective assessment. There is no basis whatsoever for this, particularly not in the Brussels Agreement or in any of the other agreements that exist, including those KFOR has with the Kosovo authorities in Pristina. This is a completely unreasonable decision, something that cannot be justified from any perspective. We are now miles away from any kind of dialogue, from any possibility of a normal conversation, from seeking compromise solutions, and from everything we once believed could be implemented. We can see that, with the tacit consent and approval of the international actors in Pristina—above all the Western sponsors of Albanian separatism in Kosovo—a plan that is now completely visible is being put into effect. This gives us absolutely no reason to be optimistic about how the situation will develop from here," Garic said.

He assessed that Kurti would continue pursuing a policy aimed at preventing the Dialogue.

"He does not need the Dialogue. That is precisely why he is paralyzing the institutions in Pristina. What he needs is exactly this kind of environment, in which, without dialogue and without accountability, he can do whatever he wants. Where is Peter Sorensen? Is he on vacation at the moment? Where are the people who are supposed to address this issue seriously? What comes next? Is KFOR to withdraw completely from Kosovo? Is EULEX to withdraw completely and leave everything to this anarchy, allowing policy to be conducted in a dysfunctional protectorate that is incapable of enforcing the law or guaranteeing legal protection to the people who live there, particularly the Serbs? This truly represents enormous irresponsibility on the part of Western representatives, and at this moment it genuinely appears that many difficult times still lie ahead of us," Garic concluded.