Drecun: Pristina continues to intimidate Serbs to complete ethnic cleansing

BELGRADE - Through indictments for alleged war crimes and seizures of property, the Pristina regime continues to intimidate Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija with the aim of completing an ethnic cleansing in the province, says Milovan Drecun, head of the Serbian parliamentary committee on defence and interior affairs.

"When you seize property, intimidate people and arrest them for alleged war crimes and reduce them to second-class citizens, harass them institutionally, disrespect their human rights completely and make it impossible for Serbia to help them, whilst Serbs cannot survive without Serbian state assistance in Kosovo-Metohija, what is all that? Ethnic cleansing, but no one in the Western part of the international community wants to call it that. It is a kind of silent ethnic cleansing that is supposed to enable (Albin) Kurti to finish the job," Drecun told Pink TV.

Commenting on an arrest of two Serb men in Zubin Potok on suspicion of an alleged war crime, Drecun said that, through a narrative about war crimes and alleged genocide against ethnic Albanians, Kurti was trying to "offset" a ruling in a trial of Hasim Taci, due in September.

He said he expected Taci and three other former "Kosovo Liberation Army" members to be convicted as the trial had shown clearly that the terrorist organisation had committed brutal crimes against Serbs, as well as against Roma and ethnic Albanians.

Drecun: US wants Serbia to be its most important partner in this region

BELGRADE - Commenting on the launch of Serbia-US strategic dialogue, the head of the Serbian parliamentary committee on defence and interior affairs Milovan Drecun said on Tuesday the US was unequivocally demonstrating that Serbia was exceptionally important for its policy and its interests in southeastern Europe.

"This applies not only to the Western Balkans, but to the wider region as well," Drecun told Tanjug.

"They see Serbia as the most significant country and they have finally developed trust in Serbia. Serbia is conducting an independent policy, it makes decisions independently and maintains military neutrality, but is a partner," Drecun said.

"You know what our red lines are. You know that we will not join any military alliance. You know that we are conducting an independent policy and that we will not recognise 'Kosovo,'" he explained.

He said the strategic dialogue demonstrated quite clearly the US wanted Serbia as its main partner in the Balkans and southeastern Europe and that Zagreb, Sarajevo and Pristina viewed this with great apprehension.

Drecun said Serbia offered great opportunities to US companies and that investments were safe in Serbia as its political stability was undeniable.

"It is very important that Serbia plays the role of an energy hub that will lead to diversification of energy supplies to the region. Djerdap 3 (hydropower plant) is exceptionally important. Take the 5G network. The US EXIM Bank has provided a 50 mln loan. We are providing guarantees that the 5G network will be set up in a way that would make it impossible for any other company providing that technology to use or misuse it for other purposes that are intelligence purposes or, simply, undermining in character. Therefore, they really want something to be done to make it impossible for rival powers to exert their political influence here through that technology and through energy," Drecun said, adding that the significance of the Serbia-US dialogue was yet to become evident.