Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Caroline Ziadeh, the Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of UNMIK, and the British and French Embassies in Prishtina have expressed their concern about the closure of nine Serbian post offices in northern Kosova and the effort to open the Iber Bridge dividing the Serb-dominated north and the Kosovar Albanian south.

Once again, the US Department of State, members of the European Union, and KFOR, the NATO led international peacekeeping force in Kosova, have insisted that a decision about the opening of the bridge should take place only within the EU-mediated dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtina.

The US Embassy in Prishtina has expressed its concern about ongoing uncoordinated decisions in the north. On August 8th, the British Embassy stated that, “We are disappointed by the Kosovo authorities’ decision to close the Serbian post offices in the north of Kosovo, without prior consultation or without taking into account the closures on the citizens.”

KFOR units have insisted that they “will maintain a permanent, fixed presence on the bridge and continue to conduct regular patrols in the surrounding areas to ensure stability and security for the benefit of all communities.”

And yet, the requirement comes on the heels of Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic stating that Serbia did not agree to the French-German plan reached in 2022 to normalize the relationship between Kosova and Serbia and that Belgrade “would not sign anything confirming Kosovo’s statehood.”

On August 7, Kosova Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated that Serbian President Alexander Vucic had tried to create an atmosphere of fear by making “false claims” that Albanians will march over the bridge in order to provoke a reaction from KFOR in Mitrovice.  He informed Western diplomats in advance, stating that “The bridge must be opened.  It is in the service of all, and it is against no one.  Freedom of movement and the rule of law do not endanger peace and security.”  In a Facebook on August 8, he added that “Bridges unite us, and together let’s make it a symbol of normalization.”

On August 8, Elbert Krasniqi, Kosova’s Minister of Local Government, said that the opening of the Iber Bridge will enhance cooperation and understanding between communities, and that this was foreseen years ago within the framework of the agreement between Serbia and Kosova reached in Brussels in 2013.

And, Kosova’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi reacted to the European Union’s criticism of the Kosova Police‘s closing of nine branches of the Post Bank of Serbia in the north by stating that, “The actions undertaken by the Kosova Police are only in the service of protecting the rule of law, competitiveness, and constitutionality in the country.  Parallel structures and illegal activity have no place in the Republic of Kosovo.  This should be supported by our international partners and allies.”

The criticism and condemnation by some members of the European Union and the US State Department is a form of appeasing Serbia, which has not faced any consequences for its involvement in the Banjska terrorist attack on the Kosova police.  The EU is about removing state borders.  But in the case of Kosova, some European diplomats are helping to maintain ethnic divisions by insisting on the perpetuation of the bridge closure.  Kosova must enforce sovereignty throughout its territory and not yield to this pressure.  The Iber Bridge should be opened and patrolled only by Kosovar police, putting an end to the different treatment of the north once and for all.

All the best,

Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi             Joe DioGuardi
Balkan Affairs Adviser                   President