Perovic meets Gazivode cottage owners; Mihajlovic: We are ready for any agreement except demolition

The Mayor of Zubin Potok, Milos Perovic, met today with owners of cottages and houses in the Gazivode Lake area after the public water management company Ibar-Lepenac served them with demolition orders. Perovic said the municipality would provide full legal assistance to the owners, stressing that it opposes the planned demolitions and that the municipality had neither been informed of nor consented to the measure.

Perovic stated that the Municipality of Zubin Potok had informed international representatives about the case and requested an urgent response.

"The announced demolition of cottages at Gazivode Lake constitutes unlawful action and represents a continuation of pressure on our people. As mayor, I met with the owners of the cottages and houses, and we have provided them with every form of assistance, including legal support. We have informed international representatives of the situation and requested an urgent response. We have also pointed out that the Municipality of Zubin Potok received no notification, did not grant permission for the demolitions, and will not do so. Unfortunately, the regime in Pristina is using force to achieve its objectives," Perovic said.

According to him, the owners expressed their willingness to pay property tax or lease fees.

"I wish to emphasize that the Municipality of Zubin Potok and I, as its mayor, are absolutely opposed to this course of action by the authorities in Pristina. There are numerous properties throughout Kosovo whose ownership status has not been fully regulated, yet they are not being demolished. Moreover, many of those structures were built on Serbian-owned land. In this case, however, the authorities are invoking the law," he added.

Speaking on behalf of the 11 property owners who received eviction and demolition notices, Branimir Mihajlovic said that residents of the settlement in the cadastral municipality of Velji Breg received the notices on July 3, with the orders posted on all of their buildings.

He explained that the owners have possessed documentation dating back to 2006, when construction of the buildings began, while some started somewhat later. For that reason, he said, it is unclear why Ibar-Lepenac has only now emerged claiming ownership of the plots and demanding the removal of the buildings.

"Until about a year ago, we understood that the land was registered under Kosovo Forests. Back in 2006, we obtained documentation from Srbijasume. At that time, the institutions of the Republic of Serbia operated in Kosovo. Since then, we have had no problems. I, for example, have been building my house for almost nineteen years, and it is still not finished. Why has Ibar-Lepenac suddenly appeared as the owner and demanded that these houses be demolished?" Mihajlovic asked.

He added that the owners were particularly concerned after, as he said, five houses in the nearby settlement of Cecevo—including one built in the 1970s—had been demolished several days earlier.

Mihajlovic said the owners met on Monday with Zubin Potok Mayor Milos Perovic and the head of the United Nations office in the municipality.

"It is obvious that the authorities in Pristina are bothered by this. I do not know the reason, but clearly they object to all of this. On Monday we met with the Mayor of Zubin Potok, Mr. Perovic, and the head of the United Nations office in the municipality, Ms. Helen. We were promised full legal support from the municipality. Ms. Helen also promised to do everything within her power by informing the international community, KFOR, the Quint countries, ambassadors, and all relevant institutions. She also said she would try to establish contact with the authorities in Pristina, specifically with Director Faruk Mujka, who signed the demolition order," Mihajlovic said.

He also pointed out that the demolition order states that the owners have no right to appeal, adding that they will seek justice before the Ombudsperson Institution and the courts.

"We are not creating any problems. All we want is for the law to be respected. We will challenge this decision before the Ombudsperson and the courts and will try to pursue this procedure through lawful means to its conclusion," he said.

Mihajlovic recalled that last year, while Albanian mayors were in office, the Municipality of Zubin Potok invited property owners to register their buildings for legalization. According to him, all owners complied, but the competent authorities never requested documentation proving ownership.

"I have the document confirming that we submitted an application for legalization. However, it appears that they are disregarding all of this and are not interested in what documentation we possess, because they have never asked us to submit any proof of ownership," Mihajlovic said.

Speaking about his own case, he said that he had been expelled from Vucitrn after the war, that his house in Svinjare was set on fire several years later, and that the property at Gazivode is the only asset he has managed to acquire.

"This is the only property I have managed to obtain over all these years. I am the father of three minor children. I am a citizen of Kosovo; we have identity cards, we are registered in Kosovo, and we live here. I appeal to all relevant institutions, the international community, the United Nations, KFOR, EULEX, and the authorities in Pristina to hear us out and allow us to defend ourselves. That is all we ask—to submit the documentation we have possessed for twenty years before a court and prove that this is our property," he said.

He stressed that the owners are ready for dialogue and any form of compromise, including paying rent for the land, but not for the demolition of their properties.

"We are prepared to pay land lease fees, just as we previously paid Srbijasume, and now Kosovo Forests or even Ibar-Lepenac, since they claim the land belongs to them. We are ready for any agreement except demolition, because we have nowhere else to go," Mihajlovic said.

He added that five cottages have already been demolished, while more than 150 structures around the lake are reportedly scheduled for demolition.

"I cannot see this as anything other than an exodus of Serbs from Kosovo," he said.

According to Mihajlovic, 11 owners in their settlement received demolition orders giving them 15 days to remove their buildings voluntarily. The notices warn that, if they fail to do so, the structures will be demolished by force at the owners' expense and criminal proceedings will also be initiated against them.

He appealed to the authorities in Pristina to enter into talks with the owners and find a solution that would not involve demolishing the buildings.

"Once again, I appeal to the authorities in Pristina to let reason prevail and invite us to talks. We are ready for anything. If we are harming the environment, let the inspection authorities come and tell us what needs to be done. We are prepared for every solution except demolition, because we have nowhere else to go," Mihajlovic concluded.