The US and the EU should toughen their approach to Serbia

2023-10-02 19:21:00, Blog CNA

Kosovo police and NATO forces in the north of the Serb-majority country faced an armed uprising on September 24. A Kosovo policeman and 3 terrorists were killed and several others were arrested. But it seems most managed to get away. Serbia and its political representatives of Lista Srpska in Kosovo announced a day of mourning for the victims.

This confirms their support for the armed rebellion. Serbian paramilitary units seem to have found a safe haven inside Serbia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic then met with the Russian ambassador in Belgrade, to whom he complained about a "brutal ethnic cleansing" that he says is happening in Kosovo, a claim for which there is no evidence.

We have no confirmation that Vucic personally ordered the armed uprising. But the fact is that one of his closest people in the north of Kosovo was involved in it. Moreover, such serious acts cannot be carried out without the knowledge of Belgrade.

Vucic could have stopped it in advance or denounced it after it happened. But he did neither. So what does this event tell us? This incident is a confirmation that Vucic has absolutely no intention of normalizing relations with Kosovo. In fact, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is just a cover for its real goal, which is the separation of the 4 northern municipalities with a Serbian majority from the rest of Kosovo. Rather than de facto partition he would prefer de-jure partition, and hopes that Russia's success in annexing parts of Ukraine will legitimize this objective.

But for the moment he would formally support a separate government, in the form of the Community of Municipalities with a Serbian majority. On September 24, Pristina showed that its police can cope with the support of NATO, a heavily armed group of several dozen determined militants.

But it is equally clear that Serbian armored forces can easily enter Kosovo. The nearest Serbian border crossing north of Mitrovica is less than 35 km away, a distance that a tank covers in less than 1 hour. Recently, NATO has strengthened its forces in Kosovo.

But it is not clear whether its troops are equipped or trained for anti-armor warfare. American and European diplomats think that Serbia will not attempt such an action because of the serious political consequences. But Vucic is trying to convince the world that Serbs are being ethnically cleansed from Kosovo.

And based on this narrative, he means that Serbian tanks are entering Kosovo to protect civilians. For this reason he repeatedly claims, although without evidence, that such ethnic cleansing is ongoing. So far the response from the West has been weak. Brussels and Washington have called on "both sides" to prevent violence and further escalation of the situation.

This approach equates the excellent skills demonstrated by the Kosovo police with an illegal armed uprising, which could have caused instability throughout the Balkans. Those in charge of Balkan policy in Washington and Brussels are unwilling to admit the failure of their efforts to entice Serbia to finally lean towards the West.

Instead, they are again looking for a quick return to "dialogue". An alternative approach would denounce Belgrade's support for the armed uprising, labeling it an act of terrorism and imposing sanctions on Vucic and his national defense and security officials.

Meanwhile, NATO should prepare its forces in the north of Kosovo in case of an invasion by Serbian armored troops. The West should praise the Kosovo police and demand a fair and speedy trial for the perpetrators in the Kosovo courts. On the other hand, the US and EU ambassadors in Belgrade had to withdraw temporarily for consultations with their superiors.

A new policy is needed The US and the EU must convey a single message: the era of tolerance is over. If Belgrade wants EU membership, Serbia must arrest and hand over terrorists to Kosovo authorities; to give up the insistence on separate governance of the Serbs in Kosovo; to join the sanctions against Russia because of the war against Ukraine, as well as to support Kosovo's membership in international organizations, including the United Nations.

If Belgrade refuses, the EU must announce that it will freeze membership talks. Meanwhile, the US should suspend military cooperation with Serbia, including cooperation with the Ohio National Guard.

Likewise, Washington and Brussels should be prepared to urge Pristina to contact the northern Serbs to find alternatives to the Serbian List. In addition, Prishtina should try to ensure that there are no anti-Serb incidents throughout Kosovo, in order to invalidate Vu?i?'s claims of ethnic cleansing.

Prishtina must immediately investigate any incident that occurs. The courts must immediately try the perpetrators. The time has come to reconfigure Western policy for Serbia and Kosovo. Continuing the current approach will bring new failures. A stronger approach with Belgrade is a necessary first step. By Daniel Serwer “Dtt-net”/ Adapted from CNA