Hill: Troop withdrawal and Radoicic's arrest are positive steps; a political solution is needed

US Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, stated today that the troop withdrawal from the administrative line and the arrest of Milan Radoicic were positive steps, and it was in Washington's interest to find a political solution to the situation in Kosovo, RTV reports.

"There is no doubt that there has been a withdrawal of a small part of the troops, and in that sense, things are moving in the right direction. I can also say that we have confirmation of a reduced number of troops. The problem here is not military but actually political," Hill said in an interview with Tanjug.

He added that the increased presence of troops along the administrative line with Kosovo raised concerns, and the US had requested Serbian leadership to withdraw troops.

"We are very pleased to say that it has happened," the US Ambassador noted.

Regarding the events in Banjska on September 24th, Hill said that the EU and the US wanted to know exactly what had happened at that time.

"I think the arrest of Radoicic, who seems to have admitted guilt for most of the things that happened, was a good step. However, I think we all want to know what this is really about, what they wanted to achieve, where all this weaponry and ammunition came from," the US diplomat said, adding that discussions about real problems depended "on a clear insight into what these people, alongside Radoicic, were actually trying to do and what they wanted to achieve".

Commenting on the fact that 11% of the Serbs have left Kosovo since Albin Kurti came to power, Hill stated that these figures were alarming.

"I think it speaks to the fact that we need a political solution. It is entirely clear that there is no military solution to this problem. We need a political solution, a solution that the Serbian community can feel comfortable with knowing what the future holds," the US Ambassador emphasized.

He added that the Serbs in Kosovo must know what to expect from life in Kosovo, and the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities needed to be established, while Pristina, in return, expected the possibility to join various international security and economic organizations.

"I think those elements that need to be on the table are there, and I know it's difficult to focus on them, especially when we've seen the crisis in the last few days, but a crisis doesn't mean you can ignore what you have to do, which is to find a political solution," Hill pointed out.

He stressed that it was in the interest of the US to continue to find a political solution "based on clear elements that are a part of the agreement reached five or six months ago".

"We want to see the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities. It is fair to say that Mr. Kurti is not enthusiastic about it, but I think he understands that it is one of the key elements on the table, just as we must continue with internationalization, which involves Kosovo's possibility of joining various international organizations. These are not easy steps for the Serbian side, but it is a part of the overall agreement," Hill stated.

He added that everyone needed to calm tensions and understand that soon the Serbs and the Albanians in Kosovo would have to find a way to live as neighbors.

"These crises must be replaced by a political process that makes everyone feel comfortable so that when they wake up in the morning, they don't have to worry about security problems. Our goal is to do that," Hill concluded.

When asked about the future of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the agreements from Brussels and Ohrid, the US Ambassador emphasized that "as difficult as the dialogue is for the participants, we must continue".

"As for the role of the United States, we are very committed to the dialogue. We are in daily contact with all parties, including Serbia, and representatives from Pristina, but especially with our partners from the European Union. I believe that everyone in the Balkans should understand that the US and the European Union have a lot of things they need to do together, and we will do them together. So, we will not be divided on issues like Kosovo; we will be united. I think we will return to the dialogue process, and Mr. Lajcak, who has borne the heavy burden of doing this, obviously will have to continue doing it for some more time," Hill said.

He added that the US was absolutely committed to the success of the dialogue process because they believed it was the only way to move forward.