VUČIĆ: THE IBAR IS AN INTERNAL MATTER FOR SERBIA AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ALBANIA

BELGRADE, AUGUST 10 /SRNA/ - Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that the strong reactions from Priština, as well as Tirana, to his announcement regarding the management of the Ibar River were the result of an attempt to cover up the crimes and terror against Serbs that they are carrying out together with international institutions.

“They are doing this to cover up their crimes against the Serbian people, the arrests, mistreatment and harassment of Serbs, the demolition of houses and the beating of Serbs simply because they are Serbs,” Vučić told RTS. He said that the Ibar is an internal matter for Serbia and has nothing to do with Albania. Regarding KFOR’s statement that the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija has improved and that, as a result, it is beginning to integrate the so-called Kosovo police into the structures providing security at the Visoki Dečani Monastery, Vučić announced that he would speak with Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Milan Mojsilović tonight. Vučić said that Mojsilović spoke with the KFOR commander today because the mission wanted to open Mitrovica’s main bridge over the Ibar River to traffic. He said that Mojsilović’s conversation with the KFOR commander came after KFOR sought to open the main bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica to traffic today, prompting Belgrade to intervene and make clear that this must not be allowed. Vučić said that Serbia was in an extremely difficult situation and that the international community did not care about the mistreatment of Serbs. He stressed that Serbia should work to become stronger and provide support and assistance to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. “I know how difficult it is for them to endure. At this point, it is difficult to find other technical means and methods of fighting the battle apart from political means, peaceful measures and economic progress,” Vučić said. Vučić said yesterday that Serbia was bringing together experts from the construction sector, engineers and others to determine how the course of the Ibar River could be changed.