Kosovo’s prime minister has claimed a Serbian minister heads a gang he referred to as a “paramilitary terrorist group” in feedback which threat rising tensions within the area.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti alleged Serbia’s defence minister Milos Vucevic heads the gang often called the “Novi Unhappy Clan”.
He claimed the group was behind a 24 September assault on an Orthodox monastery in Banjska, northern Kosovo.
The incident noticed 30 closely armed Serbs barricade themselves within the constructing, earlier than combating broke out killing one police officer and three gunmen.
Mr Kurti additionally in contrast Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to a mafia boss.
He didn’t supply any proof for his claims, however he described the gang as a “paramilitary terrorist group”.
Serbia’s Defence Ministry stated it “completely rejects the heinous and blatant lies advised immediately by Kurti” and appealed to the worldwide neighborhood to behave to cease the “incendiary and soiled” marketing campaign by Kosovo’s management.
Kosovo has additionally accused Serbia of orchestrating the 24 September “act of aggression”, which Belgrade denies, and referred to as for EU sanctions.
As an alternative, Serbia accused an ethnic Serb chief from Kosovo, Milan Radoicic, for being behind the clashes.
Radoicic, a senior determine in Kosovo-Serb political celebration ‘Serb Checklist’, was briefly detained, questioned and launched in Serbia earlier this month.
Tensions between the 2 Balkan nations have continued to worsen, with September’s incident being essentially the most deadly since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Belgrade doesn’t recognise the independence declare.
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‘Dialogue should proceed’ – EU
In February, the EU put ahead a 10-point plan to finish the political disaster. Kurti and Vucic gave their approval however expressed reservations.
In the meantime, EU particular envoy Miroslav Lajcak urged Serbia and Kosovo to return to dialogue on normalising ties after final month’s incident.
“The assaults in Banjska have modified many issues they usually should be correctly investigated… on the identical time the dialogue should proceed,” the official stated after assembly Kurti on Saturday.
“If there may be not dialogue there is perhaps a repetition of escalation.”
NATO has additionally despatched reinforcements to its Kosovo pressure, boosting 4,500 troops on the bottom with a further 200 troops from the UK and greater than 100 from Romania.
On Fb on Monday, Kurti proposed the EU and the US “create a particular court docket” for the Novi Unhappy gang since Kosovo has no jurisdiction inside Serbia.