Arsic: KFOR guaranteed that no one would intrude on the University, I hope the agreement still holds

The Rector of the University of Pristina, based in Kosovska Mitrovica, Nebojsa Arsic, stated that last year the University had received guarantees from KFOR that no one would intrude on the faculties, adding that he hopes this promise still holds, Novosti reports.

Commenting on the statements made by Kosovo's Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, that education and healthcare will have a special status and will be separate from the closure of other Serbian institutions in Kosovo, Arsic noted that the University cannot guarantee overall security, but they are doing everything in their power to ensure the safety of students on campus.

"I hope that Svecla's statements will remain just words, because if education is considered a problem for someone, then there is something seriously wrong with that society," Arsic said.

According to him, the University is ready to start the new school year on October 1, with 13,000 students, of which 6,500 are "inactive."

"It is true that enrollment has decreased by about 10 percent, which is a result of rumors related to announcements from Pristina about plans to take over the Serbian educational system," Arsic added.

The Director of the Clinical Hospital Center in Kosovska Mitrovica, Zlatan Elek, told the newspaper that he was surprised by Svecla's statement and by the police's involvement in the healthcare system.

"In addition to the fact that we have no communication with representatives of Kosovo's healthcare system, I simply don't understand in what capacity Svecla is commenting on our healthcare system or whether, as a minister, he has some activities in mind that have so far been unilaterally implemented in northern Kosovo," Elek said.

He added that the Clinical Hospital Center in Kosovska Mitrovica, with around 1,800 employees, provides care to everyone, regardless of religious or national affiliation, noting that Albanians from other parts of Kosovo also come for treatment.