Mitic: Unacceptable for Serbia to face pressure over the arrest of Tefik Mustafa, the issue of KLA crimes is "far from closed"

Aleksandar Mitic, a research fellow at the Institute for International Politics and Economy, believes it is absolutely unacceptable for Serbia to face pressures due to the arrest of Tefik Mustafa on charges of war crimes against non-Albanian populations during the Kosovo war in 1999. He argues that Serbia initiated the process based on evidence, emphasizing that it is well-known that the period before, during, and after the NATO aggression was marked by attempts at mass cleansing and crimes against Serbs, both civilians and members of the security forces.

He believes it is completely legitimate, legal, and justified for Serbia to conduct such proceedings.

"In the past, we have witnessed attempts by Pristina, through those it considers its protectors, to politically influence through embassies in Belgrade and other high-level channels to prevent such issues from being opened," Mitic told Kosovo Online.

However, as he observes, the issue of war crimes by the KLA is "far from closed." He emphasizes that Belgrade will have to resist any pressure.

"There will certainly be some messages through certain channels, but I believe this arrest did not happen by accident. We know how cautious Belgrade has been in the past and this is not a matter of irritating anyone from Kosovo and Metohija. I expect Serbia to act according to the law," Mitic highlighted.

Serbia has, he recalls, paid a high price for what was a defense against "NATO aggression in collaboration with KLA terrorists, as NATO's infantry."

"This price was paid in the form of shameful verdicts and proceedings before the Hague Tribunal. Regardless of our perception, it has already paid that price," Mitic pointed out.

However, he notes that, on the other hand, the Albanians have not paid for what they did during the Kosovo war, primarily for what the KLA did.

"We know they did everything to provoke NATO aggression in 1998-99. We know the crimes they committed during the NATO aggression itself, and especially in the days after the aggression when they participated in various brutal crimes without any punishment, with the tacit approval or tolerance of the first KFOR troops that came to Kosovo and Metohija. We see that the processes that are taking place in The Hague are moving very slowly, there is a culture of impunity and an absolute failure to face responsibility for crimes when it comes to the Albanian side. It is only unacceptable for them to touch their narrative in which they believe that the culprits are on the Serbian side," Mitic concluded.