Haxhiu: Vucic's Remarks About Diverting Ibar River Cause Serious Concern in Kosovo

Kosovska Mitrovica bridge (BETA/SASA DJORDJEVIC)

Acting Kosovo President Albulena Haxhiu said on Aug. 10 that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's statement about the possibility of diverting the Ibar River had caused serious concern in Kosovo and should be discussed with international partners.

"The Ibar-Lepenac system and Gazivode Lake are part of a key system supplying water and supporting energy production, agriculture and the lives of hundreds of thousands of Kosovo citizens. A unilateral intervention in transboundary waterways would have consequences extending far beyond a technical issue. It would affect the water, energy, environmental and people’s security of our Republic," Haxhiu said at the Conference of Kosovo Ambassadors in Pristina.

The acting president said that "Kosovo expects its partners to treat any action threatening the country's vital water resources in accordance with the principles of international law governing transboundary waters, including the reasonable and equitable use of those waters and the obligation to prevent significant transboundary harm."

Vucic said on Aug. 9 that Serbia was considering diverting the Ibar River on its own territory because of the Pristina authorities' treatment of the Serbian people in Kosovo. "We have already called in experts dealing with this, people from the construction sector, engineers and others. Since they are harassing our people so much, we will see - we have various reasons for diverting the course of the Ibar, so we will see what the Albanians will do and how they will behave," Vucic said in Belgrade.

The Ibar River is 276 kilometers long, rises in Montenegro and flows into the Western Morava River in central Serbia. The bridge over the Ibar between Mitrovica and North Mitrovica, the Albanian and Serbian parts of the city, respectively, had for years been one of the most sensitive security points and a symbol of division in Kosovo. Kosovo Police took control of the bridge on Aug. 10 after it had been under the authority of international forces for 27 years.