U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, James O’Brien, said that Serbia has promised that Milan Radoičić will face justice regarding the events of September in Banjskë, Zveçan.
Radoičić has taken responsibility for the armed attack by a group of Serbs on the Kosovo Police, which resulted in the death of an officer. During the exchange of fire on September 24, 2023, three Serbian attackers were also killed.
Speaking at the Dubrovnik forum, the American official said he expects Serbia to keep its promise.
“The U.S. and the EU have consistently stated that the crimes committed in September [in Banjskë] must be punished. We expect and believe we have been promised that Mr. Radoičić will undergo a full legal process in Serbia. It is a good thing that he does not appear to be active in northern Kosovo as he was previously, and we see positive benefits from this. Charges have been filed against him, and we expect the process against him to conclude,” O’Brien said.
Serbia accuses Radoičić of purchasing weapons, ammunition, and explosives with high destructive power from Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from January 2023 until September 24. The authorities have banned him from entering Kosovo.
Kosovo authorities consider the attack in Banjskë an act of aggression and have blamed Serbia for its involvement. Belgrade has denied any involvement.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has set the handover of Radoičić and his group to the Kosovo judicial authorities as one of the conditions for engaging in dialogue with Serbia. The European Union has said that Serbia has not shown willingness to accept this condition during the latest round of dialogue held on June 26.
Speaking about Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, O’Brien said that the use of force to resolve issues must be ruled out in both states.
“I think we must also be clear that the use of force to reach a solution must be ruled out. This includes the most sensitive parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and northern Kosovo, and I believe relevant state actors have taken strong stances against the use of force in these areas. But we need to remove the discussion of violence, state violence. This would allow us to use the tools we have in a way we believe would be productive,” O’Brien said.
During the Dubrovnik forum, where Kosovo was represented by Foreign Minister Donika Gërvalla, a statement by Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vučić, was also mentioned. Vučić had declared that the leader of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has proven to be a good, strategic leader who has “struck when needed” in the way he managed to gain control of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
However, O’Brien said this is a misinterpretation by Vučić, as Aliyev has expressed the intent to take territories that are internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
“We must be clear: No movements in Bosnia, no movements in northern Kosovo,” said O’Brien.
In the past, American officials have also warned against the use of violence to resolve disputes in the Western Balkans region. Meanwhile, officials in Kosovo, including President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti, have repeatedly stated that Serbia has territorial ambitions towards Kosovo.
