The American ambassador in Pristina, Jeff Hovenier, said on Tuesday that the armed group that attacked the Kosovo police in the north on Sunday had nothing to do with any group of citizens gathered spontaneously, but was a trained and organized group.
He made these comments after a meeting with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, two days after a group of gunmen attacked the Kosovo police, killing one officer and injuring another.
“We are still working to understand how and who is responsible and why. But I mean, you’ve seen the footage of the military equipment and the plans that were developed. This was not a group of citizens who spontaneously came together to voice their concerns. This was a trained and organized group. This implies that there is some sort of structure behind them, given the training and equipment. We want this incident to be brought to light and they are held accountable,” said Ambassador Hovenier.
He said that the security institutions of the United States are working together with those of Kosovo and other partners to clarify everything that happened as well as the motives of Sunday’s events.
The attack was described as a terrorist act by Kosovo institutions and Western diplomats. Prime Minister Kurti said that the armed group had the support of the authorities in Serbia. Officials in Belgrade meanwhile denied any connection to the group.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, who on Tuesday met with the ambassadors of the five main Western countries, the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Germany, to discuss the latest situation in the north of Kosovo, wrote on social networks that he has asked the diplomats to “KFOR takes care of all security issues in the north of Kosovo instead of (Albin) Kurti’s police”. He said that he also asked the question “why the EULEX mission was refused by the Kosovo police to participate in Sunday’s operation”.
A day ago, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, condemning the attack, said that “the Kosovo police have full responsibility to ensure the implementation of the law in the Republic of Kosovo”. Secretary Blinken emphasized that “The United States is grateful for the close coordination of the Kosovo Police with EULEX and the NATO mission in Kosovo, in particular for providing security for civilians at the scene.”
The American ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill, who was in a meeting with the Serbian president, said during a debate organized in Belgrade that the situation in the north of Kosovo is dangerous.
“It was a tragic event and we all must condemn the killing of a member of the Kosovo police. It is always regrettable the loss of life, but I think it is important to continue with the political process. I think that processes are being developed to further promote the dialogue”, he said.
Western diplomats are calling on the governments of Kosovo and Serbia to refrain from actions and rhetoric that could fuel further tensions and to return to the dialogue process mediated by the European Union.
On Monday, the European envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia talks, Miroslav Lajcak, and the diplomatic advisers of the leaders of France, Germany and Italy, as well as the American special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, discussed the situation in Kosovo and the next steps in the implementation of the Agreement towards normalization and the situation in the north.
European Union officials said they are pushing for new meetings in Pristina and Belgrade in an effort to renew talks, the last round of which, held on September 14 in Brussels, did not mark any progress.