Sutanovac: KFOR will not move from the Ibar Bridge even if the Pristina government decides to open it

If the Government of Kosovo, despite suggestions from the European Union and the United States, decides to unilaterally open the main bridge on the Ibar River to road traffic without an agreement from the dialogue, Dragan Sutanovac, President of the Council for Strategic Policies and former Minister of Defense of Serbia, expects that KFOR forces will not move from the bridge and will not allow it to be opened in the manner Albin Kurti desires.

“For who knows how many times, Kurti is using conflict politics to provoke a negative reaction from the Serbian side and create conflicts in which Serbs would primarily clash with KFOR. However, what’s interesting this time is that both the Quint ambassadors and the United States have made it very clear that the issue of opening the bridge on the Ibar is a matter to be addressed in the Brussels dialogue. What I expect from KFOR is to maintain the status quo in the current situation. KFOR is currently present at the bridge, and I believe their forces will not move from the bridge and will not allow the bridge to be opened in the way Kurti desires. I am convinced that Kurti is aware of this and that he knows it will remain as it is,” Sutanovac told Kosovo Online.

He added that Kurti, however, continues to fuel national tensions among Albanians in Kosovo through conflict politics, which clearly bolsters his position and provides the energy to continue pursuing anti-Serbian policies.

Regarding the assessments of some opposition MPs from Pristina that a conflict between the Kosovo Police and KFOR could occur if the Kosovo Government insists on opening the Ibar Bridge, Sutanovac says he does not believe Kurti would dare to confront the international community, especially not KFOR.

“Considering that the Kosovo Police is equipped by Quint countries and supported in training by KFOR, I think the possibility of a conflict between the Pristina police and KFOR units is out of the question. No one in their right mind would dare to do that,” Sutanovac said.

As for the chances of finding a solution to the bridge issue at the negotiating table, he said that while Kurti is being urged to resolve the issue at the Brussels table, he does not want to participate in the dialogue. On one hand, the status quo allows him to justify all his failures in governing Kosovo, while on the other, it raises national expectations, fuels nationalism, and feeds the public with messages that are clearly unrealistic, even for those who consider themselves allies of Kosovo.