Petkovic slams bomb attack on Kosovo Serb representative's property

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic says a bomb attack on the property of a Srpska lista representative from Ranilug, Kosovo-Metohija, is impermissible and worrying.

In a statement released on Sunday, Petkovic noted it was "only by sheer luck" that no one had been injured in the attack, which he said followed in the wake of a series of provocations and pressure targeting Serbs living south of the Ibar River.

He noted that the attack must be taken completely seriously and treated with due attention as it sent a "message to Serbs and their legitimate representatives that they are not safe in their own homes."

"We call on international representatives to use their authority to help shed light on all circumstances of this heinous attack," Petkovic said.

He said that, for Serbs living south of the Ibar River, "memories of all the horror they have suffered at the hands of extremists will never fade," and noted that incidents like these "only bring back the sense of fear and unsettlement in the Serb community."

Earlier in the day, an explosive device was lobbed onto a hospitality establishment in the Ranilug village that is a part of the family house of Zoran Maksimovic, a Srpska lista representative in the assembly of the Pristina interim authorities.