ANOTHER MILITARY ESCALATION IN EUROPE

The situation in Kosovo remains tense. It began to escalate in November. The pretext was the decision of the Kosovo authorities to prohibit the use of Serbian license plants to travel on the territory of the republic. The leader of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, later called on the Serbs living in Kosovo to resign from all state institutions. Relations between Serbia and Kosovo worsened after the arrest of an ethnic Serb policeman on suspicion of terrorism. He and some of his colleagues had previously left their posts and refused to continue serving in the Kosovo police in the city of Kosovska Mitrovica. When the Kosovo police tried to take him to Pristina, local Serbs began to block roads to border posts. Barricades began to appear in the north of Kosovo, where Serbs mainly live. They continue to protest against the arbitrariness of the Pristina authorities. The NATO-led Kosovo Force have increased patrolling in the area. The Kosovo authorities demanded that KFOR remove the barricades, or the Kosovo security forces will dismantle them themselves. Shooting unfortunately was not avoided. Some minor clashes were reported in different localities. On December 25, someone opened fire near a NATO military patrol in the area of Zubin Potok, no one was injured. Last night, the President of Serbia faced the ultimatum. The barricades of protesting Serbs must be dismantled within 24 hours, otherwise the Albanians will be free to disperse them by force. Despite the pressure and threats, the leader of the Kosovo Serbs does not intend to leave the barricades. In its turn, on December 26, Belgrade sent a request to deploy its forces on the territory of the republic to protect the Serbs. Serbian army units are concentrated on the administrative line. Belgrade is ready to intervene in the case of an attack on the Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija. On December 26, the Serbian Armed Forces were put on alert by order of the President. All units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be placed under the command of the head of the General Staff and will take military positions in accordance to the general operational plan. The Kosovo forces are also on alert. The units of the Kosovo police and Special Forces are preparing for military operations. According to some reports, the Kosovo police urgently signed a contract to rent heavy equipment with a local private firm engaged in crushing stone. Washington and Brussels took the side of Pristina. Despite the unrest, Kosovo has applied to join the European Union. The EU has reached an agreement on a visa-free policy for the republic, but no official decision has been made yet. In its turn, Russia claimed it will continue to help Serbia defend its national interests in the Kosovo issue.