Simic: Kurti is not ready to resolve open issues through dialogue

The vice-president of the Serb List, Igor Simic, said that the position of the Serbs in the north of Kosovo is very difficult and stated that the pressures will increase in the coming period.

He stressed for TV Pink that the actions of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti against the Serbian people are everyday, and that Serbs can no longer tolerate institutional violence.

"Serbs with Kosovo and Metohija are facing strong pressure from Kosovo institutions, and on the other hand, with the silence of international representatives. This creates a situation in which Kurti has full support to carry out violent actions, but also gets an alibi. The pressure that is also exerted on the president Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic comes from those who support Kurti and the opposition in Serbia to start protests, all with the aim of weakening the position of our negotiating team and the president. Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are in a complicated situation. The only support is President Vucic and our country Serbia," Simic said.

As he stated, the latest decision of the Basic Court, by which the Albanian member of the Special Unit of the Kosovo Police, who shot Milovan Jovanovic on the Bistrica Bridge, is released to house arrest, says that the injustice done to Serbs is ignored.

"It is the second time in just a few months that they shoot Serb civilians, and after a few days they are released under house arrest," added Simic.

He stated that during yesterday's meeting, they pointed out the situation in which the Serbs are to the EU envoy for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.

"We talked about the fact that the security of the Serbs is at risk, because Kurti's special forces are shooting at our citizens. This continues with the seizure of land from the Serbs in Leposavic and Zubin Potok, all with the aim of building some kind of parapolice bases where there would be uninational special units," Simic pointed out.

According to him, Lajcak is well informed about the situation in Kosovo.

"But I'm not sure that Kurti is ready to resolve open issues through dialogue, but is trying to achieve his political goals with unilateral moves and the use of force," Simic stressed.

The announcement that Kurti and the new mayors will invade the municipalities in the north, says Simic, causes anger and concern among the Serbian people.

"We will be with our people and we will fight with all legal and democratic means for their basic human rights. We cannot remain silent and watch our basic human rights being trampled on," says Simic.

He adds that all this is in favor of Kurti, who wants to solve the problems between Albanians and Serbs according to the Croatian model.

"Yesterday, we conveyed this to Lajcak, that the Serbs perceive it as a threat, that some kind of ethnic cleansing will be carried out in these areas, like "Oluja" and "Bljesak" operations in Croatia," adds Simic.

He points out that not a single international representative reacted to the statement of DPK deputy Hisenij Berisha that Kosovo is ready for war.

"When Serbs are threatened, there is no support from the international community. One part of the international community will obviously, whatever Kurti does, put the blame on the Serbs," emphasized Simic.

He called on Serbs from Kosovo to behave responsibly, because, as he stated, the pressures will be increasing.

He also called on citizens to send a message of peace at a rally in Belgrade on May 26, adding that only a strong Serbia, as led by Vucic, is the guarantor of the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo.