Petkovic: Serbs in the north respect KFOR and EULEX, but they should not remove the barricades

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said today that the Serbian people in the north of Kosovo respected the International Peacekeeping Force KFOR and the EU Rule of Law Mission EULEX, but that it was not their task to remove the barricades, Danas reports.

"We have nothing against them being in the north of Kosovo, they should be there to protect the Serbian people. They are not there to remove barricades and it is a good statement of the KFOR commander that the issue must be resolved through dialogue, nothing by force, nothing like the way Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti threatens," Petkovic told for TV Pink.

In response to announcements by Kosovo officials that they will remove the barricades if KFOR and Eulex do not do so, Petkovic says that Kurti "should not play with the Serbian heads".

"One drop of spilled blood can lead us into a spiral of violence, and we certainly do not need that. We are the ones who are always advocating for peace and how to preserve the lives of our people in Kosovo. It is difficult, but it is our job to protect our people", Petkovic pointed out.