BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) 鈥 Serbia鈥檚 President Aleksandar Vucic said late Wednesday that Serbs will start removing their barricades in Kosovo on Thursday in a move that could deescalate tensions that triggered fears of new clashes in the Balkans.
The agreement was reached at a late-night crisis meeting with the leaders of Kosovo Serbs, Vucic said.
It followed the release of a former Kosovo Serb police officer, whose detention triggered a major crisis between Serbia and Kosovo that provoked international concerns. He has been ordered released from prison and placed under house arrest.
鈥淭his means that from tomorrow (Thursday), from the morning hours, the removal of barricades will begin," Vucic said after the meeting. 鈥淭his is not a simple process, and can鈥檛 be done in two hours, as some imagined.鈥
"鈥淲ithin 24 to 48 hours the barricades will be removed,鈥 Vucic said. 鈥淏ut the distrust is not removed.鈥
The Dec. 10 arrest of the former officer, Dejan Pantic, led to protests by Kosovo Serbs who erected multiple roadblocks in the north of the country.
Pantic was detained for 鈥渢errorism鈥 after allegedly assaulting a Kosovo police officer during an earlier protest.
Kosovo鈥檚 prime minister, Albin Kurti, criticized the court鈥檚 decision to release Pantic on house arrest.
鈥淚鈥檓 curious to know who is the prosecutor that makes a request and judge who approves a decision to place someone on house arrest when they have a standing terrorism charge,鈥 Kurti said at a news conference.
Pantic's arrest prompted weeks of tense standoffs, punctuated by gunfire and explosions near patrols of the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force and journalists. No one was severely injured.
Ultimately, Serbia raised combat readiness of its troops on the border with Kosovo, demanding an end to 鈥渁ttacks鈥 against Kosovo Serbs.
Kosovo has asked NATO-led peacekeepers stationed there to remove the barriers and hinted that Pristina鈥檚 forces would do it if the peacekeeping force did not react. About 4,000 NATO-led peacekeepers have been stationed in Kosovo since a 1998-99 separatist war ended with Serbia losing control over what was then one of its provinces.
Late Tuesday, Serbs blocked one of the main roads from Serbia to Kosovo, at the border crossing of Merdare, prompting Kosovo鈥檚 authorities to call on thousands of expats heading to Kosovo for the holidays from European countries to avoid that crossing and use others.
鈥淭he erection of the barricades in the roads is an unlawful and unacceptable act that will not be tolerated,鈥 Kurti said. 鈥淲e have given KFOR the time and space needed to act, but of course, this time is quickly running out,鈥 he warned.
The United States and the European Union expressed concern at the situation in a joint statement Wednesday.
鈥淲e call on everyone to exercise maximum restraint, to take immediate action to unconditionally de-escalate the situation, and to refrain from provocations, threats, or intimidation,鈥 the statement released by the State Department and the EU said.
It added that both parties were working with Serbia's Vucic and Kosovo's Kurti 鈥渢o find a political solution ... and agree on the way forward.鈥
The statement welcomed what it said were assurances from Kosovo's leaders that there exist no lists of Kosovo Serbs to be arrested or prosecuted for peaceful protests or erecting barricades.
鈥淎t the same time, rule of law must be respected, and any form of violence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,鈥 it stressed.
The German government said it is 鈥渧ery concerned鈥 about the tensions in northern Kosovo.
鈥淭he illegal barricades erected by Kosovo Serbs must be taken down as quickly as possible, and yesterday鈥檚 blockade of the Merdare border crossing on the Serbian side exacerbates the situation further,鈥 Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said in Berlin.
France鈥檚 Foreign Ministry on Wednesday warned any travelers near the Serbia-Kosovo border to exercise 鈥渢he greatest vigilance鈥 and avoid gatherings as long as the tensions last.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Western attempts to mediate a negotiated settlement to normalize relations between the two have failed, with Serbia refusing to recognize Kosovo鈥檚 statehood.
