Arrests increase on the border as Serbia's election nears

The Serb gendarmerie arrested two Kosovo police officers on Saturday, the same day that four Serbian police officers arrested in February by Kosovo police were released.

By Linda Karadaku for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 02/04/12

Serbian forces arrest two armed police officers from Kosovo near the Merdare border crossing point between Kosovo and Serbia on Saturday (March 31st). [Reuters]

Tensions on the Kosovo-Serbia border are increasing as Serbia's May 6th election approaches.

Two Kosovo policemen, Shukri Binaku and Sami Beqiri, were arrested on Saturday (March 31st) by the Serb gendarmerie at the Merdare border crossing. Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said "the incursion of the two KPS [Kosovo Police] members constituted a drastic violation of the Military Technical Agreement signed in Kumanovo in 1999," B92 reported.

"What are they doing in the territory of central Serbia and what agreement does that fall under?" Dacic asked, adding that "anyone who dared to violate the Kumanovo Military Technical Agreement this way would be arrested."

The officers were released to the custody of EULEX officials on Monday, April 2nd, and taken to Kosovo. Pristina said the officers had been patrolling in the area of responsibility of Kosovo police.

"This insidious and organised act of the Serb gendarmerie testifies once again the orientation and the aggressive mentality of the Serb state towards the republic of Kosovo," the Kosovo Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga considered the arrests "attack on the institutional and territorial integrity of the Republic of Kosovo."

The arrests were the latest in a series of detainments at the border that had Dacic warning of "reciprocal measures."

Kosovo police arrested four Serbs on March 28th for holding Serbian election material and voters lists. Arber Beka, Kosovo Police spokesperson, told SETimes that the arrests were related to the attempts of Serbia to hold elections in Kosovo.

Serbia has scheduled municipal and parliamentary elections on May 6th and has said it will include areas of northern Kosovo in the count.

Pristina has strongly objected and said it would use force, if needed, to stop the election in its borders. "We have an operative order [clarifying] what police should undertake in such cases," Beka said.

Kosovo Police also sequestered propaganda material of an alleged extremist organisation March 27th in Vushtri. Police said they found newspapers named Srpske Novine in a car with five Serbs.

Police found 38 of the newspapers, which were published in Toronto by The Cetnic Movement of Ravna Gora (Cetnicki Ravno Gorski Pokret). One of the five Serbs was held in detention for 48 hours, for inciting hatred and division. She was released, but the investigation continues.

Also on March 28th, two Kosovo Albanians, including Hasan Abazi -- chairman of the Metallurgy Trade Union -- were arrested on espionage and drug trafficking charges, B92 reported.

Human Rights Watch demanded their release on Saturday, and suggested Kosovo should facilitate an urgent review by an EU Kosovo mission judge of the charges and house arrest of the four Serbs, the organisation added.

"The reciprocal measures are not in Serbia's interests and the Serbian police do not wish to do this. But … this type of situation can obviously no longer happen without reciprocal measures. If somebody wishes to compete in arrests, we have our answer," Dacic said.

On February 26th, five Serbs -- including four police officers -- were arrested in Kosovo, accused of disrupting the judicial order. They were detained for 30 days.

Referring to Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and agreements reached so far, Dacic questioned the agreement on the freedom of movement "if Serbs can be arrested every day."

"These are open provocations and I can no longer prevent the police from blocking Koncul. It will be seen in the coming days what is looks like when reciprocal measures are being introduced," Dacic warned.

Fisnik Rexhepi, political adviser to the Kosovo interior minister, said the arrest of citizens by Serbian Police is completely political and contrary to the agreement on the freedom of movement.

"The citizens of Kosovo, making use of the provisions of the agreement reached in Brussels, have intended to transit through the territory of Serbia, not exercising any official activity in this state. This is the difference between the legal actions of Kosovo Police and the political and anti-European actions of the Serb state," Rexhepi told SETimes.

EU facilitator Robert Cooper said that political problems should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, rather than through a selective law implementation, B92 reported. "The EU expects both sides to fulfill the commitments they have assumed during the dialogue," he said.

Source: SETimes.com