Jeffrey Hovenier

PRISTINA - US special Western Balkans envoy Gabriel Escobar met in Pristina with leaders of Serb political parties in Kosovo-Metohija, who voiced concern over decisions by the Pristina authorities and called for an urgent reaction by the international community.

PRISTINA - Kfor Commander Maj Gen Ozkan Ulutas met with the ambassadors of the Quint states to Pristina on Thursday.

WASHINGTON - Serbian Ambassador to the US Marko Djuric said on Thursday support to a transformation of the so-called Kosovo Security Force into an army did not contribute to dialogue, defusing of tensions and normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations.

US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier (l), Istog/Istok Mayor Ilir Ferati (c) and Minister for Communities and Returns Nenad Rasic (r), visit the burned house in Veriq/Veric on July 11, 2023. Photo: Ilir Ferati/Facebook.

Driton Rugova, police spokesperson for Peje/Pec region, told BIRN that Svetislav Veric's house suffered material damages from the fire set by unknown persons.

The US ambassador to Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, said on Tuesday that Washington will apply sanctions after the previous day's unrest in northern Kosovo, which saw 30 NATO troops from the KFOR peacekeeping mission injured in violent clashes with protesting Serbs.

Kosovo Serbs gathered in front of municipal buildings in Serb-dominated northern Kosovo early on Monday, protesting against newly elected ethnic Albanian mayors, while Kosovo Police and NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, upped their presence to secure the area.

The KFOR mission in Kosovo called on all parties to refrain from actions that could fuel tensions or cause escalation.
The Mission statement states that KFOR, led by NATO, increased its presence in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo this morning, following the latest developments in that area.

By arresting and harassing Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, Pristina continues its usual pattern, preceding upcoming religious holidays, with attempts to "cleanse" the north, writes "Novosti".

The US embassy in Pristina on Tuesday held a meeting of political and civil society representatives of Kosovo Albanians and Serbs to discuss the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities, a proposed body to represent minority Serb interests in Kosovo which has become a sticking point in the ongoing dialogue to normalise relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Srpska lista representatives met on Wednesday with US State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet, US special Western Balkans envoy Gabriel Escobar and US Ambassador to Pristina Jeffrey Hovenier.

In a Facebook post, Strpce Mayor Dalibor Jevtic said the representatives had discussed the current political and security situation with the US delegation.