"Kurti's provocations could create incidents. He wants to lead Belgrade to recognize Kosovo"

There are various measures that Belgrade could take regarding the referendum, but the EU should influence Pristina to behave in a way that is appropriate to this situation - says Milovan Drecun

President of the National Assembly Committee on Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun stresses that the announcement by the authorities in Pristina that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija will be able to vote in an upcoming referendum by mail or at the Liaison Office is yet another provocation by Albin Kurti that could lead to a series of incidents, Tanjug reports.

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Drecun told TV Pink that Kurti is trying in every way to present Kosovo as a state and to force both Belgrade and the Serb people in Kosovo to "treat his creation as a state."

He stressed that the Liaison Office is not a diplomatic mission, so that people could vote there, as well as that it is Serbian citizens living abroad who vote by mail.

"But Kurti is persistently trying to cheat. We will allow you - vote, but not at the polls as before. If he succeeds now, he would repeat it in April (during elections)," says Drecun and adds that this way of voting in Kosovo is unacceptable to Belgrade.

According to him, Belgrade expects the OSCE and the ambassadors of the Quint countries to influence Kurti to behave rationally.

"They must think ahead - when they call elections, those elections would not have legitimacy without the participation of the Serb people. The thinking must be in the long run, but Kurti is creating precedents that are unacceptable to us and by which he wants to create incidents," Drecun points out.

Drecun wonders what would happen if, despite the decision of the Pristina authorities, Belgrade organized the vote.

"This is a presumed situation, I am not saying that it will happen, and I hope that the situation will be resolved, but in that case would they make incursions with special units to arrest people. This is one of the critical situations that Pristina could use for violence against Serbs. Kurti is behaving in a way that is politically irrational and unnecessary unless he wants to provoke incidents and destabilization," Drecun said.

Asked whether the EU is expected to make a statement on this issue, Drecun stressed that Belgrade has had enough of statement and that concrete actions are needed.

He also told the OSCE, the EU and the entire international community that they must force Pristina to behave rationally and point out to them the consequences their current behavior could have.

"There are various measures that Belgrade could take regarding the referendum, but the EU should influence Pristina to behave in a way that is appropriate to this situation," says Drecun.

(Telegraf.rs)