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Although the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, announced in mid-July that his Government intends to open the main bridge over the Iber River in Mitrovica, the NATO military mission in Kosovo, KFOR, says that any decision to open it must is taken in the framework of the dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which is mediated by the European Union.
In the statement given to Radio Free Europe, KFOR said that NATO supports this dialogue and that it is there to contribute to a safe environment for all citizens of Kosovo - at any time and in an impartial manner.
"This includes constant presence on the bridge in Mitrovica and regular patrols in the surrounding area," KFOR said.
He did not answer the question if anyone from the Government of Kosovo has contacted him regarding this issue.
Italian KFOR soldiers are patrolling the bridge over the Iber, while members of the Kosovo Police are also nearby.
Therefore, from the civilian sector in Kosovo, they say that the key factor in the opening of the bridge is, in fact, KFOR, because it must move its soldiers, that is, give its consent.
This bridge divides Mitrovica into the southern part inhabited by Albanian majority and the northern part, where the majority community is Serbs.
The bridge is currently only open for pedestrians, although, as part of the dialogue, it has been agreed to open it for traffic as well.
While the Government of Kosovo believes that the opening of the bridge would ensure freedom of movement for everyone, Serbia sees this issue as a "provocation".
On July 17, the Prime Minister of Kosovo raised the issue of its opening in a meeting with the ambassadors of the QUINT countries and with the head of the EU Office in Kosovo, after which he said that "no one can say that this it is not a good and correct thing".
QUINT countries include: United States, France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain.
"We want the law to be implemented, to respect freedom of movement, but also to have peace and security for everyone," Kurti told reporters on July 18, speaking about the opening of the bridge in Mitrovica.
The British Embassy in Kosovo told Radio Free Europe that its country's position is that the bridge in Mitrovica should be opened in accordance with the relevant agreements reached within the dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
"We are open to discussions with the Government of Kosovo, how this can be achieved", the answer says.
REL also addressed the other embassies of the QUINT countries to ask them what their position is on the opening of the bridge in Mitrovica and if they support the intention of the Government of Kosovo to open it for traffic, but they did not received an answer.
The European Union did not respond in the same way, but earlier it recalled that this issue has been the topic of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia for the normalization of relations and that, for this reason, all decisions must be taken within the dialogue, with the participation of official delegations of Pristina and Belgrade.
The EU also called on the parties to implement without delay all the agreements reached in the dialogue, including the Agreement on the bridge, but not to jeopardize the stability on the ground.
The Government of Kosovo did not answer the REL's question about how the bridge over the Ibar can be opened without jeopardizing the stability on the ground - as the international community demands.
Arton Demhasaj, from the non-governmental organization Çohu, believes that the main bridge in Mitrovica should be opened for easier movement of all citizens, but emphasizes that this should be done in full coordination with KFOR and QUINT countries.
"Any unilateral and uncoordinated action, which may be accompanied by an inter-ethnic escalation of the situation, may have the opposite effect," says Demhasaj for Radio Free Europe.
He adds that the Government of Kosovo, together with KFOR and QUINT, should talk to the citizens of South and North Mitrovica about the importance of opening the bridge.
"The bridge should be opened [to traffic] when an agreement is reached," says Demhasaj.
Citizens in the south and north of the bridge see its opening differently.
Members of the Albanian community told REL earlier that the bridge should be opened, because it would contribute to cooperation and freedom of movement, while among the Serbs they believe that this issue can raise ethnic tensions.
Miodrag Marinković, from the non-governmental Center for Social Affirmative Actions, says that KFOR's mandate is to ensure peace and stability in the entire territory of Kosovo and that its presence on the bridge in recent years was a guarantee for this.
He says that the "reservation" of KFOR, when it comes to the opening of the bridge, may cause the Kosovo authorities to not consult with the community affected by their decision.
"The only way to open the bridge without causing tensions is to do it in a symbolic space, where the legitimate representatives of both communities would participate and where an agreement would be reached on how everything would look like," Marinkovic says. for Radio Free Europe.
Lista Serbe - the main party of the Serbs in Kosovo, which enjoys the support of Belgrade - spoke earlier against the opening of the bridge over the Iber.
According to her, such an action aims to "further destabilize the situation on the ground".
The Serbian List also asked the international community to "tell Kurti that the opening of the bridge cannot be done without the consent of the Serbs living in the north of Kosovo".
Marinković also believes that the opening of the bridge over the Ibar is a "symbolic act of the Kosovo authorities, to show that they have taken control of the north".
In the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo - North Mitrovica, Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposaviq - the majority population is Serbian and it has, for years, refused to integrate into the Kosovo system.
"There are three or four bridges that people use to move from south to north. There are roads, people move. The main bridge has more symbolic value, because it was the focal point of the conflict between Serbs and Albanians. Therefore, it is closed. To achieve stability. If both parties are not involved in its opening now, there is a possibility that this stability will be damaged", says Marinković.
In April of last year, the deputies of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly approved a decision to open the bridge over the Iber, which was then forwarded to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo and the Ministry of Local Government Administration.
REL asked both of these ministries if and in what way the opening of the bridge over the Iber is being considered, but did not receive an answer.
The vice president of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly, Skënder Sadiku, said at the end of May that the central institutions, KFOR and the European Union are now responsible for the implementation of this decision.
He said that the local authorities in South Mitrovica must also agree with this decision./ REL
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