Government in Pristina Postpones Implementation of New Measures for 30 Days

Barricade Kosovo (BETAPHOTO/SASA DJORDJEVIC/EV)

Pristina has decided to postpone the implementation of its decisions on car plates and entry-exit documents for all Serbian citizens entering Kosovo for a month.

According to the Pristina government, the implementation of the two decisions will be postponed until Sep. 1, providing all barricades are removed from the administrative border crossings.

Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandar Vulin has said that the month must be used to reach agreement and that diplomats should get to work.

However, Petar Petkovic, director of the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija, said late on Aug. 1 that Serb Ticket head Goran Rakic could not cross at Jarinje with a motorcade from Serbia proper because Pristina was still keeping the administrative crossings in northern Kosovo closed, "directly obstructing freedom of movement and breaching the latest deal."

"We briefed (EU special envoy) Miroslav Lajcak about all of this, and unfortunately the rationale we received was that the crossings won't be operational for hours for technical reasons. That is absolutely unacceptable," Petkovic told Pink TV.

According to Belgrade media, barricades have been removed from all roads in northern Kosovo to allow traffic flow, but the Jarinje and Brnjak crossings remain closed.

The Merdare crossing is open to traffic, but Kosovo customs officers are issuing exit-entry documents to Serbian citizens, which are valid instead of identity cards.

NATO has described the overall security situation in northern Kosovo as tense and said the military alliance was ready to intervene if stability was threatened, in line with its mandate.