elsinki bulletin - SERBIA MUST DECIDE

RESPoNSIBILITY After the thwarted operation in Kosovo, of- The attack of an armed Serbian group in the ficial Belgrade is making efforts to distance village of Banjska as well as the previous itself and shift the responsibility to Kosovo protests in northern Kosovo in May sus- Serbs, claiming that they have the right to pended the dialogue between Kosovo and rebel due to the continuous discriminat. [...] Like the announce- to Kosovo citizens of Serb nationality.5 ment of the incident, the graffiti inscriptions “When the army returns to Kosovo” flooded After the incident, the Serbian Army in- not only Belgrade, but also the interior of creased its presence on the border with Ko- Serbia. [...] nied that because he did not sign that and Considering the fact that the EU and the US that it is not true”.7 However, the visit of US characterized the attack as an act of terror- Ambassador Christopher Hill and the head ism, the question is how the Belgrade-Pris- of the EU delegation, Ambassador Ema- tina dialogue will be continued if Belgrade nuel Gioffre, to the Serbian Army barracks, does not. [...] The process was revitalized after it was shown that the Western Balkans In the summit conclusions, it was pointed alone has no internal potential to lead the to the importance of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans in the face of geo- 17 political uncertainty on the European soil. [...] The dialogue absolutely do not pro- Russia’s interest also explains its efforts to duce any results and the same applies to the take every opportunity to obstruct the ef- contacts with the representatives of the lead- forts of the EU, the US and NATO to round ing Western countries.” He also stated that off Kosovo′s independence and thus elimi- the members of the KFOR mission, led by nate the point.