The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) appealed on Friday to all participants in the developments related to the crisis in Kosovo to preserve peace and prevent the drama on the barricades from turning into a tragedy.

SPC Synod called on KFOR to remain status neutral and preserve peace, a statement by the synod reads. SPC urges KFOR to give up on the violent removal of barricades and the use of force against the locals, reminding that the number of injured Serb civilians has reached as mush as 658.

The statement says that KFOR should not act as "a striking fist" of NATO or the countries which recognized the phantom "Kosovo state." According to Synod, such behavior of the international forces only encourages maximalist requests of Kosovo Albanians and can serve as a cause and excuse for extremist individuals or an irresponsible group on the Serb side to use weapons.

SPC expects that the Serbs on barricades will not make any decisions which is against the legal and democratically elected authorities in Belgrade, and urges the authorities "not to change their political tactics on the fly, without respecting the vital needs and positions of Serbs from central Kosovo and the whole area of KiM."

The Synod pointed out that, for Kosovo Serbs, this issue is "not an issue of party or political calculations, but a to be or not to be issue." The protests of Serbs are not a caprice, defiance or recalcitrance, but they must not turn into a refusal of talks, dialogue and efforts to get things back to status quo ante.

It is important, but it is not enough, to keep telling that Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo. Serbia has to be actively present in KiM wherever and whenever possible, and do all it can to prevent the project of the actual conversion of the administrative line into an interstate border, the statement concludes.