Petkovic: Pristina's new threats aimed at new expulsions of Serbs

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Thursday Pristina's new threats that Serbs living and working in Kosovo-Metohija would soon need to obtain work permits and register their places of residence at police stations were aimed at a new wave of expulsions of Serbs at the direct behest of Albin Kurti.

"Due to the announcement of these new escalatory moves, Belgrade will request that the international community stop Kurti's rampage, which brings unforeseeable consequences. Unless the EU and the Quint stop Kurti in his intent to fully disenfranchise the Serbs, Belgrade will be forced to consider an adequate political and legal response to such a drastic threat to the fundamental rights of the Serbs through new unilateral and violent moves by Pristina," Petkovic said in an official statement.

He said it was evident that Kurti was afraid of the outcome of the October 12 local elections, in which the Serbs could regain control of four municipalities in the north of Kosovo-Metohija, and, for that reason, he was trying to make as many anti-Serb decisions as possible to inflict additional harm on the Serbs.

"In the same way, this announcement, with which Kurti's police is now threatening, has become a part of the electoral campaign, in which Self-Determination is trying to regain the support of the ethnic Albanian electorate at the expense of the Serbs. At a time when international partners are abandoning Kurti, he is resorting to even more radical unilateral moves, calling into question the agreements reached in Brussels," Petkovic noted.