"With the use of firearms Pristina crossed the red line, that will not be tolerated"

Pristina's behavior crossed the red line because firearms were used against people who protested peacefully. That is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated, and that is the path that leads to sharp destabilization, the president of the National Assembly Committee on Kosovo and Metohija, Milovan Drecun, told RTS.

Real bursts of fire were heard and defenseless people got shot and that will not be tolerated, Milovan Drecun told the morning program on Thursday.

"It is necessary to conduct an investigation and determine responsibility. We must seek an internationally independent investigation in the first place to determine who ordered the use of firearms. They did it under the pretext of fighting crime, but in fact they used it to demonstrate force and provoke violence in the north of Kosovo," said Drecun.

The presence of NATO forces, KFOR, must ensure security in Kosovo and Metohija, and that is the main message of Belgrade.

"International presence should provide a safe environment for everyone. Pristina threatens the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. Our people have shown that they can organize quickly, but in that defense of the right to life and survival, synchronization with Belgrade is needed. We insist that KFOR, which has a mandate to ensure safe life to all, fulfills its mandate. If KFOR does not want to, our message is that we will merely protect the safety of people, and that message has the preventive power to sober up those hotheads who think they can occupy the north of Kosovo and Metohija using force, under the pretext of establishing functioning of Kosovo institutions," said Drecun.

The president of the Assembly Committee on Kosovo and Metohija says that we have easily overlooked Pristina's plan for a gradual occupation of northern Kosovo and the use of special forces to establish full control in northern Kosovo and Metohija.

"Nobody has anything against the fight against organized crime, but this cannot be considered as just that. It's hard to shake off the impression that this action also had a political dimension, on the eve of elections, by raising tensions against the Serb people. Kurti wants to demonstrate determination in front of the voters that he fights against organized crime which is eating away at Kosovo society," said Drecun.

The president of the Assembly Committee on Kosovo and Metohija sees the announcement that Christopher Hill will be the next US ambassador to Serbia as Washington's intention to strengthen its presence in the region.

"Christopher Hill was once quite present in the region. He knows the situation well and has personal contacts. His arrival in Belgrade means that Washington is strengthening its presence and influence in the region," Milovan Drecun told RTS.

(Telegraf.rs)