Kosovo police in Jarinje and Brnjak are again threatening Serbs that they cannot drive cars with KM license plates

Some Serbs from northern Kosovo municipalities had problems in the past few days when crossing Brnjak and Jarinje by car because the Kosovo police stopped them and warned them that they had no right to use their vehicles since they had extended their registration after December 5 last year.

Several Serbs from Zubin Potok and Leposavic contacted the Kosovo Online editorial office in the previous two days with this information. They say that they are completely confused because this behavior of the Kosovo police deviates from the agreement that was reached at the end of November in Brussels.

Let's remind that after several months of tension, deadlines, and threats from Pristina that it would begin to fine Serbs who did not re-register their cars with "RKS" license plates, it was agreed with Washington and the EU mediation that the Kosovo authorities would suspend action regarding the re-registration of vehicles until further notice and that Belgrade would stop issuing new license plates with the names of Kosovo cities.

According to that agreement, extending the validity of registrations for old license plates should not be disputed, but as we learn, the opposite is happening in Brnjak and Jarinje these days.

A resident of Zubin Potok with the initials A. S., whose full name is known to the editorial staff, was inconvenienced yesterday at the Brnjak crossing by a Kosovo police member who asked her for an insurance policy in addition to her driving license and identity card, and after reviewing the documents, told her that she could no longer drive her car in Kosovo because her KM license plates were no longer valid.

The woman points out that she renewed the registration for her Dacia Sandero car on December 12, and that she has had no problems so far. A. S. adds that the police officer from the Kosovo side in Brnjak was quite rude and angrily told her that her license plate was no longer valid and that she would not be able to return to Kosovo territory the next time she traveled.

The interlocutor of our portal told us that at the Brnjak crossing, she noticed that, another vehicle with KM plates was stopped and detained at the same time as her, and that the driver passed with the same warning.

This morning we received several more calls from Leposavic residents, who reported that they had the same problem at the Jarinje crossing.

The Kosovo police did not respond to our phone calls and the emailed questions this morning. If this threat comes true, it would be a harsh violation of the agreement reached in November with the mediation of Miroslav Lajcak and Josep Borrell, and it would certainly be an introduction to a new dangerous crisis in northern Kosovo.