KFOR: It is not known where the police were at the time of the arrest

2023-06-16 21:06:03, Kosova & Bota CNA

The NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, said that it is not clear where the three Kosovo policemen were at the time of their arrest by Serbian forces.

"After the arrest of three Kosovo Police officers, on June 14, the KFOR mission, led by NATO, reviewed the location of the incident and spoke with representatives of the institutions in Kosovo and with the Serbian authorities. Based on available data, it remains unclear where the Kosovo Police officers were at the time of the arrest," says the KFOR communiqué sent to the media.

The Kosovo authorities claim that the policemen were arrested within the territory of the country, while those in Serbia say that they were "deep" in their territory when they were arrested.

KFOR called on both parties to respect the agreements and cooperation procedures with this mission, as well as to refrain from "provocative rhetoric".

"We remind both parties of their responsibilities according to the Military-Technical Agreement between Serbia and KFOR, as well as the procedures for coordination between the Kosovo Police - including the border police - and KFOR".

"Also, we remind all parties that the deployment of the Kosovo Security Forces in the north of Kosovo requires the prior consent of the KFOR commander," the peacekeeping mission's communique says.

Kosovo and NATO have an agreement from 2013, based on which the KSF should not be deployed in the north inhabited by a majority of Serbs without the prior consent of the KFOR commander.

KFOR also asked Kosovo and Serbia to "avoid any unilateral action that could escalate tensions in the area".

"KFOR welcomes all the efforts of the diplomatic community to resolve this issue and supports the EU-facilitated dialogue for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina," the NATO mission, which is responsible for the security of borders of the territory of Kosovo.

The High Public Prosecutor's Office in Kraljevo - a city in the south of Serbia - gave an order on Friday to carry out investigations against three arrested Kosovo policemen and sentenced them to 30 days of detention.

According to the Serbian authorities, they are suspected of having committed the criminal offence: illegal production, possession, possession and trafficking of weapons and explosives, which carries a penalty of up to 12 years in prison.

Authorities in Kosovo expressed concern over what they called the "inhumane conditions" in which police officers are being held.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kreshnik Ahmeti, told Radio Free Europe that, based on the information he has, the police "are being kept without food and without adequate medical treatment".

REL contacted two lawyers who represent Kosovo policemen, but they refused to speak.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, described the arrest of three policemen as "kidnapping".

According to the Kosovo Police, they were arrested in the location of Tresave/Bare, located in the municipality of Leposaviq, within the territory of Kosovo. While in Belgrade they said that the policemen were arrested "deep in the territory of central Serbia, in the village of Gnjillica, near Rashka".

The incident occurred at a time of high tensions in the north of Kosovo - an area inhabited by a majority of Serbs - as a result of the entry of Albanian mayors into the facilities of the municipalities there, which are also used by parallel Serbian structures.

They entered with the help of the Kosovo Police - which sparked protests by the Serb community, which continued for more than two weeks.

Tensions culminated on May 29, when Serbian protesters clashed with KFOR soldiers. Dozens of injuries were reported on both sides.

The international community made Kosovo responsible for the situation in the north and asked it to extend it./ REL