Radakovic: Every autumn in the north is "hot", I fear mass arrests

Dusan Radakovic, Executive Director of the NGO Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture in North Mitrovica, warns that, following the failed round of dialogue in Brussels, there could be mass arrests of Serbs in northern Kosovo and incidents that could escalate seriously, such as entering the premises of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija in North Mitrovica.

"I'm afraid that after the failed negotiations, there will be more reactions from Kurti and Pristina, opening new hotspots. I fear break-ins into the premises of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, next to the former fire station, or maybe even mass arrests. It's not at all about drug or weapon production here; they're looking for a bigger incident that will escalate into an even bigger crisis, problem, and more threats and pressure on the Serbian community, primarily on Serbs living in northern Kosovo," Radakovic says for Kosovo Online.

Radakovic emphasizes that every autumn in northern Kosovo is "hot," and once again, he says he fears arrests or a significant incident that could directly escalate into an even bigger conflict or perhaps a repetition of the situation from May 26 or 29, when Serb protests began in the north due to the imposition of illegitimately elected Albanian mayors and the occupation of municipal buildings by Kosovo police officers.

The failure of negotiations, on the other hand, will create even greater pressure on the Pristina side, on the government, and on the Prime Minister of Kosovo, as Radakovic explains.

"I hope that the parties will return to the negotiating table because this situation is even worse than before September 13, before the unsuccessful negotiations," Radakovic says.

After the failure of the last round of dialogue in Brussels, due to the refusal of the Pristina side to accept the EU's compromise proposal on the path to normalization, Kurti stated that the Serb List would "suffer and pay." Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla followed up with an open threat that President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic would be arrested if he came to the north without the permission of Pristina institutions. Yesterday, Kosovo police arrested three Serbs.