A new fierce clash has erupted
between Belgrade and Pristina, with mutual accusations of
supporting terrorism and illegality. Serbian Defense Minister
Bratislav Gasic and the head of the Serbian Government Office
for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, have indignantly rejected the
statements of Kosovo's Interior Minister Xelhal Svecla, calling
them false and defamatory.
Svecla claimed that terrorist training camps, supported by
the Serbian Army, are active in Serbia, similar to those that
were involved in last year's attack in Banjska, in northern
Kosovo. According to Svecla, the mastermind behind this armed
action was Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic himself.
"On the territory of Serbia, unlike the territory under
Pristina's control, terrorists have never been trained, nor are
they currently being trained. In Serbia, terrorists are arrested
and prosecuted, while in Pristina, they roam freely, engage in
lucrative businesses, or hold public office," said Minister
Gasic.
He added that the Serbian Army's training grounds are used
exclusively for its own needs and that all other information and
alleged evidence from Svecla are mere lies and falsehoods. Gasic
also accused the Kosovar leadership of arming and training
paramilitary formations in violation of UN Security Council
Resolution 1244.
"The task of these illegal armed groups is to terrorize the
Serbs in Kosovo and ultimately carry out ethnic cleansing of
that territory against the non-Albanian population. The effects
of this criminal activity are well known to everyone," said the
defense minister.
Petkovic echoed similar sentiments, calling the allegations that
President Vucic was the mastermind behind the armed attack by a
group of Serbs on a Kosovar police patrol last September in
Banjska, northern Kosovo, a colossal lie.
"The only existing proof is the persecution of Serbs by
(Kosovo Prime Minister Albin) Kurti and Svecla. Banjska was the
consequence of terror against the Serbs. And for you, Vucic is
guilty because he wants to maintain peace and cares about his
people," Petkovic said.
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