Defense Ministry's important statement regarding yesterday's arrest of "Kurti's special forces"

Photo: Private archive

For the sake of informing the public in a truthful manner, the Ministry of Defense announces that the Serbian Army did not participate in yesterday's arrest of three armed members of the so-called "Kosovo police."

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The insinuations made by the prime minister of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina that the Serbian Army was involved in the "kidnapping of three Kosovo police officers" within the territory of Kosovo and Metohija are just a continuation of a campaign of lies, manipulation and illegal violence perpetrated against the Serbs by the Pristina authorities.

The Serbian Army carries out the tasks of controlling the Ground Safety Zone and securing the administrative line between Kosovo and Metohija (and central Serbia) in full compliance with Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council, the Military-Technical and all other signed agreements.

In implementing these tasks, the Serbian Army closely cooperates with other security forces of the Republic of Serbia, and with KFOR, with whom it maintains professional contacts at all levels in order to monitor the situation on the ground and preserve a safe and secure environment.

In accordance with the Military-Technical Agreement, which defined the deployment of international security forces in our southern province (after the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia), agreements were signed specifying the actions of KFOR and the security forces of the Republic of Serbia on both sides along the administrative line with Kosovo and Metohija.

This is the agreement on temporary operational procedures for cooperation and coordination on both sides along the administrative line with Kosovo and Metohija and instructions for its implementation.

The said agreement authorized the forces of the Republic of Serbia to be in the Ground Safety Zone, procedures for cooperation, coordination and overcoming conflicts have been established, and the parties agreed toprevent illegal crossings of the administrative line.

These agreements do not recognize forces other than KFOR and forces of the Serbian Army and the police, from which it follows that the presence of other armed persons or formations in the vicinity of the administrative line is unacceptable.

Condemning in the strongest terms all attempts to destabilize the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija, we stress that the Serbian Army remains unwaveringly committed to a professional and responsible execution of tasks in the Ground Safety Zone, in accordance with assigned missions and tasks and all signed agreements aimed at preserving peace and stability.

(Telegraf.rs)