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The envoy of the United States for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said today that he is still working on the three-point European plan to expand the situation in the north of Kosovo, which, according to him, is creating difficult conditions for the entire region.
Mr. Escobar said that no country or leader can determine the course of regional stability and that there will be consequences for those who refuse the partnership.
The US official also demanded the immediate release of three Kosovo policemen being held in custody in Serbia, but said investigations into where they were taken were still ongoing.
The American envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, requests the release of the Kosovo policemen who are being detained in Serbia. While he said investigations are still ongoing into the matter, he added that even if they crossed the border, it was obviously done unintentionally.
"We are not making a full statement until we have all the facts, although at the moment there are two possible scenarios. One is that either they were kidnapped inside the territory of Kosovo and sent to Serbia, or they accidentally crossed the border and were found inside the Serbian territory. In both cases, it is very clear that these policemen had no intention of entering Serbia and they should be released", said Mr. Escobar during the telephone conference with journalists.
He said that tensions are not only aggravating the situation in Kosovo and Serbia, but the entire region, while he opposed the decision of the Kosovo government to, as he said, close the border and prevent the entry of Serbian goods into Kosovo. Mr. Escobar said that efforts to improve the situation are being made within the three-point plan of the European Union
"We believe that the special police should be withdrawn from the municipal buildings and the mayors should work from other places. We believe the protesters should be off the streets. We believe that anyone who has committed violent actions against KFOR or the Kosovo Police should be held accountable. We believe that early elections with the unconditional participation of Serbs should take place as soon as possible", said Mr. Escobar.
Asked if there will be other sanctions on the parties to force them to meet the demands of Brussels and Washington, Mr. Escobar said yes, but refused to call those sanctions punitive measures.
"No country and no leader will determine the course of regional and European stability. Therefore, there will be consequences for those who refuse the partnership," further explained Mr. Escobar.
He did not mention the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti by name, but American diplomats have raised questions in recent days whether Mr. Kurti is a partner of the United States.
The American envoy for the Western Balkans was asked several times by reporters whether Washington's stance is tougher on Pristina than Belgrade, considering Serbia's ongoing efforts to prevent recognition of Kosovo, the American official blamed Pristina for the recent flare-ups.
"While it is very true that part of the issue is that Serbia has not progressed as far as we would like on its path to a peaceful, normal relationship with Kosovo, I would say that a lot of what is happening starting from November were due to the unilateral actions of the Kosovo government to impose solutions that are not coordinated with the international community".
He admitted that in both countries there are efforts to maintain the high level of tension as according to him they are fueled by the crisis. However, he rejected claims that Washington is recently helping Serbia more than Kosovo, citing a number of requests that he says have been rejected by Serbia. He said that the West supported Kosovo for the elections in the north of Kosovo and recognized their result despite the low voter turnout. Mr. Escobar also said that Belgrade's request not to support Kosovo's request for membership in the Council of Europe was not accepted either.
"In no case during the last 90 days, and I challenge everyone to find anything that we have done that has not gone in favor of Kosovo. Now, the only thing we had, we had warned Kosovo about the use of the buildings in the north. "The use of buildings was an unnecessary escalation at a time when emotions were high," he said.
The American envoy for the Western Balkans again mentioned the establishment of the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority as an obligation of Kosovo, first of all, with the international community./voa
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