Ristuccia: The situation with the barricades was tense; the KSF went north only with the permission of the KFOR commander

KFOR commander Angelo Michele Ristuccia said that the recent situation of setting up barricades in the north of Kosovo had been quite tense, but that KFOR had never succumbed to provocations, Ekonomia online reports.

"The situation was very tense, there was enormous pressure from those with dirty interests, so the first thing we did was not to be a victim of pressure because the system was full of useless rhetoric from all sides characterized by an extraordinary sense of anxiety and insecurity among the population in the north," Ristuccia said.

He added that the only way to deal with it had been to have a clear understanding of what had been happening.

"We call on all parties to return to dialogue because that is the only way to reach a solution," he said.

Among other things, the commander of KFOR spoke about the possibility of moving the Kosovo Security Forces to the north, which, he said, should be decided with the consent of the commander of KFOR.

"Let me say very clearly that there is an agreement between the institutions of Kosovo, KFOR, and NATO, that the relocation of the KSF to the north requires the consent of the commander of KFOR," he said and added the following.

"The KSF can be moved to the north with the consent of the KFOR commander. We fully respect the levels of training and what they can do in the cases of unexploded ordnance in disaster and those cases regarding search and rescue."

Ristuccia emphasized that the current situation had been preceded by many crises starting in July last year.

"The situation culminated in a series of crises that broke out in the north starting in July. Any event could worsen the situation, so we adhered to our mandate, we were fully committed to it, I always invited the parties to return to the negotiating table and to avoid activities that would threaten stability, security, freedom of movement, and at the same time create space for negotiations," Ristuccia says.