Vucic says Belgrade 'must adhere to the truth' despite US warning
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As tensions increase in Kosovo, Serbian President Alexander Vucic says he held a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and discussed the situation to make clear Serbia's position on the ongoing events in northern Kosovo.
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In this photo provided by the Serbian Presidential Press Service, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic speaks during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. (AP)
"There are a few things we agreed on and a few we disagreed on," said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who described his phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier on Friday as "long" and "difficult".
After NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced that NATO authorized additional Kosovo Force (KFOR) forces to address the "current situation," Vucic told journalists "I had a long, difficult conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija," emphasizing that "There are a few things we agreed on and a few we disagreed on."
According to the Serbian President, the two "agreed that de-escalation and a greater role of KFOR are needed, and Serbia always supports their greater role in Kosovo and Metohija, we would like it to be exceptional, especially in the north of Kosovo and Metohija."
On the other hand, Vucic said "What we disagree on was the nature of the recent events, especially in relation to so-called Kosovo sovereignty, which I affirmed Serbia was rejecting."
Moreover, the President underscored that he rejected Blinken's allegations that the Serbian army has been ordered to be on high alert which would require a presidential order he had not signed on.
Vucic also noted that they disagreed on how things went down on September 24 stressing the increased number of civilian casualties saying he "could not agree that this was an excellently, professionally implemented operation, and also raised the question as to why the EU's EULEX mission was not in the north [of Kosovo]."
Blinken, according to the Serbian President, also warned of consequences if Serbia were to "misbehave". Vucic, however, according to the reports, said the US was free to do what it finds fit while Belgrade "must adhere to the truth."
Earlier, on September 24, the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija reported that on Friday, September 22, unknown individuals threw grenades into the yards of three representatives of the Serbian List party in Kosovo. Belgrade views this as an intimidation attempt by Kosovo Albanians.
On early Sunday morning in northern Kosovo, authorities reported that an armed attack on a patrol near the border with Serbia resulted in the death of one policeman and the injury of another.
"As soon as they arrived in the vicinity of the place where the blockade was reported, the police units were attacked from several different positions with an arsenal of firearms, including hand grenades and shoulder-fired missiles," police said in a statement.
Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti promptly denounced the attack, categorizing the ambush as an act of terrorism.
In turn, Milan Radoicic, the former Vice President of Lista Srpska, has confirmed, in a letter, his participation in the attack carried out on Sunday, September 24.
In his letter, Radoicic also said: "I want to emphasize that we are not terrorists but fighters for the freedom of our people."
"I didn’t inform anyone from the government structures of the Republic of Serbia about this, nor from the local political structures from the north of Kosovo and Metohija, nor did I get any help from them, because we already had different views on the previous methods of resisting Kurti’s terror," he maintained.
It is important to note that Serbia has not recognized Kosovo's independence and continues to refer to it as its autonomous region of Kosovo and Metohija.
Read more: Serbian List VP admits leading Kosovo attack, KFOR increases presence
