Brnabic pleads to EU to help secure Pantic's release

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Ana Brnabic on Tuesday pleaded to the EU to help secure the release of Serb Dejan Pantic, a former Kosovo Police officer arrested and placed in 30-day detention by Pristina.

Speaking to reporters, Brnabic said she was horrified by Pristina's treatment of Pantic and recalled that several other innocent people had also been arrested in Kosovo-Metohija lately.

The crisis in Kosovo-Metohija was started so that Pristina's PM Albin Kurti could exert pressure on Belgrade, Brnabic said.

The situation in Kosovo-Metohija would have been entirely different had the Brussels Agreement been implemented, she said.

The situation would have been calmer and more stable and the dialogue with Pristina would have been continued, and the Serbs would have returned to Pristina's institutions, she added.

Brnabic also said she was unable to call on Kosovo-Metohija Serbs to remove barricades in the north of Kosovo if Pristina's armed special forces were allowed to raid kindergartens with Serb children.

Serbs in the north of Kosovo-Metohija have put up barricades in protest against Pantic's arrest.

Pantic, who was arrested at the Jarinje administrative crossing on Saturday on terrorism charges, is one of the Serb police officers from the north of the province who collectively left the Kosovo Police last month.