Vucic: Lists of Serbs found with arrested Kosovo policemen

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated that KFOR had already been informed that the Serbian police, as well as the Army, had not crossed the administrative line, and that lists of Serbs had been found with the arrested Kosovo policemen.

Vucic told RTS that members of the Kosovo Police had been arrested 1,800 meters from the administrative line.

"When Kurti says he is 300 meters away, we know that they were at least 300 meters away on the other side, and we arrested them 1.8 kilometers deep in our territory," Vucic explained.

He pointed out that the Serbian Army was mostly stationed in the area of the town of Rudnica, which is 5.1 kilometers away from the place of arrest as the crow flies, and that the claims of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti that the army arrested Kosovo Special Forces were incorrect.

"Our army is essentially 20 kilometers away from the place where the arrest took place. So much for the nonsense that Kurti claims. Neither the army nor the police crossed the administrative line. What they were doing there, if they were chasing someone, and someone crossed, that's not our business. And they didn't say anything about that. All they said was that they didn't know they had crossed the line, and that some of them didn't know how to use GPS," Vucic said.

He stated that the arrested Kosovo Special Forces were now being dealt with by the police and prosecutors because he stated, it was not possible to enter the territory of a country with such weapons. He added that the arrested had not been mistreated, as is the case with the arrested Serbs in Kosovo.

"We are ready to provide all the information. We are a serious country and I would say that because of the families of those people, none of them were beaten, mistreated, or disfigured, which is what happens to the Serbs arrested by Kurti's police. We are a serious country and we behave seriously. We have no problem with anyone showing us any objection to professionalism. We take into account how civilized societies behave," Vucic emphasized.

He said that Pristina said that the Serbs were terrorists, not their policemen who had entered Serbian territory.

"It tells us that someone wants to provoke conflicts at any cost. We have no problem if everyone shows us their satellite images, where you can clearly see where our army and police are. But KFOR already knows that. Whether they will say it or not is another matter. I know that they know," Vucic explained.

When asked if the Ministry of Internal Affairs classified today's incursion by Kosovo Special Forces as a terrorist act, the president said that certainly "when someone with a weapon comes in like this, you have to look at it as a terrorist act."

"It is possible that they had more serious plans because we found lists of some Serbs. They had certain information and they were waiting for some people, whether for liquidation or arrest. You have to keep in mind that they have nothing to look for in the north and KFOR warned them,” Vucic said.

In response to the journalist's statement that their presence in the north has become an everyday occurrence, Vucic says that not only is their presence an everyday occurrence, but every day someone is shot, beaten, or arrested.

He also points out that all citizens of Serbia must bear in mind that the training and equipment of Serbian police officers are at a much higher level than Kosovo police officers.

"The training of our police officers and theirs, with all due respect, is a huge difference", Vucic said and congratulated the Ministry of Internal Affairs on, as he says, brave guys who without firing a shot had defeated those who had invaded the territory of Serbia and who had not wanted to defeat them by liquidating them.

Vucic points out that the Serbs in Kosovo must know that the state of Serbia is with them.

"I tell the heroes who guard our hearths, name, and surname, that as last night I did not close my eyes, because I know what the problems and what intentions the Albanians had, which I informed KFOR about, to know that Serbia will always be with them, but that we must see to it that we act wisely. Our country must not be under the influence of sanctions, it is okay if they are fabricated, but we must not provoke them," Vucic pointed out.

He added that there was a difficult fight ahead, a difficult time and that there were no easy things.

"But we have to endure and persevere; I know that our people in Kosovo will continue to fight in Leposavic, Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok, but also in Morava Valley, Strpce, and the whole of Kosovo. I know about enormous pressures, but all that terror we have to endure, to try to preserve the peace and ensure the safety of our citizens," Vucic said.