Petkovic: Ranilug attacks brutal intimidation aimed at ethnic cleansing

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said bombs had been lodged on the family homes of three Srpska lista representatives in the province's Ranilug municipality last night to intimidate them and force them to leave as a part of Pristina PM Albin Kurti's continued campaign of ethnic cleansing.

The attacks on the homes of Srdjan Ristic and Vladica Aritonovic caused substantial damage but no casualties, while an explosive device thrown onto the house of Zoran Ristic failed to go off.

All three are local officials in Ranilug.

Petkovic said the brutal intimidation of the Srpska lista representatives came just days after Kurti's threat that the Serbs and Srpska lista would "suffer and pay."

"Kurti started carrying out his intent by having three Serbs arrested, and now we see that bombs have been thrown on three Serb homes. We expect these heinous attacks on Srpska lista representatives to be taken in the most serious manner and investigated because they are a clear message and a threat to Serbs that they must leave their ancestral homes," Petkovic said.

He said the Office for Kosovo-Metohija would also inform international representatives of the "synchronised and preconceived" attacks, which he said had the characteristics of terrorist acts.