Brnabic: We are on brink of armed conflict due to Pristina's moves

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Ana Brnabic on Wednesday urged NGOs in the National Convention on the EU to react to the torture Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija are being subjected to.

Addressing a session of the Convention in the Serbian parliament, Brnabic said all parties must now do all they could to maintain peace.

"We are on the brink of armed conflict due to Pristina's unilateral moves. Civil society organisations, please react to the torture Kosovo-Metohija Serbs are being subjected to. We must preserve peace together," she said.

Where on the European continent can there be no information about an arrestee for 12 days, she asked, referring to Dejan Pantic, a former Kosovo Police officer arrested by Pristina.

Pantic is a serious cardiac patient.

"No one knows where he is, and it is unknown if he has received his therapy. His family is unable to hear from him. To top it all, the EULEX chief makes a statement in which he says they do not know where he is," Brnabic said.

She said that, besides preservation of the Brussels Agreement and establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities - overdue for nearly a decade now - Pantic's arrest was the reason why Serbs in the north of Kosovo-Metohija remained at barricades.

"However large our differences may be, we need to insist on human rights and give peace a chance. They will react differently when they hear you," Brnabic said, noting that a reaction from NGOs would be important for peace and for Serbia's EU integration.