– We disagree on almost everything, says Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. He has just finished another long day at the negotiating table in Brussels. For several hours he has been sitting across from Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the man who in April called him “little Putin”. HONOR: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic shake hands as Putin receives an honorary appointment during a visit to Belgrade in 2019. Photo: Darko Vojinovic / AP – I’m almost two meters tall, an admittedly slightly irritated Vucic pointed out in a interview at the beginning of August. Apart from the comparison with Russia’s dictator, the two leaders are arguing about license plates and ID cards. It may seem harmless, but in the countries that fought a bloody war at the end of the 1990s, it is bloody serious. There is fear of a new conflict. Facts about Kosovo and Serbia Photo: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI / AFP Different peoples have fought for the territory of Kosovo since ancient times. This fertile highland plain has been part of both Rome, Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire. During the Middle Ages, it was in Kosovo that the emerging Serbia unfolded, which has given the country the nickname “Serbia’s cradle”. During most of the 20th century, Serbia and Kosovo were part of Yugoslavia. But when Yugoslavia collapsed in the 1990s, the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo was among those calling for independence. After several years of guerrilla warfare, Serbia and the Kosovo Liberation Army UÇK fought a bloody war from 1998 to 1999. Kosovo had the support of Albania, Croatia and NATO, which carried out a controversial bombing war. Several hundred thousand were chased internally in Kosovo and across the border to neighboring countries, until a peace agreement was signed in June 1999. Kosovo was placed under UN and NATO administration, and in 2008 the Republic of Kosovo declared independence. At the same time, Serbia and many other countries still do not recognize Kosovo’s independence. – Can’t rule out a new conflict In an office in Kosovo’s capital Pristina sits a serious Prime Minister Albin Kurti. – I am not saying that they are going to attack us this week or the next. But it would be totally irresponsible to exclude, with all the aggressive politics from Belgrade, that there is a possibility of increased tensions and new conflicts. It is possible, says Kurti to Reuters. – It is a big problem for us that we have an autocracy as a neighbor in the north. We are very careful. We have Nato here, we have the EU here, but we are not afraid, asserts Kurti. In Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, the atmosphere is no less tense. – All I can say is that we will ask for peace and go for peace. But let me say this right away: There will be no surrender, and Serbia will win. If they dare to oppress Serbs, mistreat Serbs, kill Serbs – then Serbia wins. That’s all I have to say, Vucic told Reuters. Motorists cover up Serbian characters on their license plates at the border crossing in Merdare, Kosovo. Shooting at police forces on the border In the northernmost part of Kosovo, on the border with Serbia, there is a majority of approximately 50,000 ethnic Serbs. For several months, the authorities in Kosovo wanted to order them to replace Serbian license plates with Kosovar license plates, and to adopt Kosovar ID cards. The Serbian population has responded by blocking roads with, among other things, wagon trains filled with gravel. Shots have also been fired at the police, but no officers are said to have been injured, Kosovo’s police write on Facebook. They also claim that ethnic Albanians who have tried to cross the border have been beaten up. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Kurti has given the Serbian minority two months to carry out the switch. This has meant that tensions in the country are now higher than for a long time. HOT POTATO: The map shows how the countries of the world stand on the question of international recognition of Kosovo. 97 of the UN’s 193 member states support an independent Kosovo. The EU calls for calm – NATO ready to intervene In order to prevent the situation from escalating further, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borell, called the parties to crisis negotiations as early as June. He encourages both leaders to “be open and flexible and find common ground together”. – The recent tension in the north of Kosovo has once again shown that it is time to take steps towards full normalisation, the EU summit wrote on Twitter on Thursday. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg met Serbian President Vucic in Brussels on Wednesday 17 August. Photo: JOHANNA GERON / Reuters But things are not going well. The meetings this week ended without results. At the same time, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) is ready to intervene if stability is threatened. The force of around 3,700 soldiers has already been inside and removed barricades on the border. Here, peacekeeping forces from NATO remove barricades on the border with Serbia.
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NATO says they can intervene – Serbia and Kosovo at the boiling point – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
