Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic stated that yesterday's arrest of four Serbs is a typical example of ruthless behaviour and pressure on Kosovo Serbs, and announced reciprocal measures such as the arrest of two Kosovo Albanians at Konculj on Wednesday morning, namely Hasan Abazi and Adem Urselji, arrested for spying and drug trafficking respectively.

Dacic stressed that Abazi was arrested upon the warrant of the Gnjilane Court, and Urseli upon the warrant of the Belgrade Police Administration.

The minister recalled that reciprocal measures are not in Serbia's interest and that the Serbian police did not wish to implement them, noting, however, that situations like this one can no longer go unpunished.

"If someone wants to compete in arrests, we will have an answer for that. It is embarassing that the international community tolerates this, and it is a shame that innocent people are being arrested," Dacic told the journalists at the Belgrade Hyatt Hotel.

"What is the purpose of the agreement on the freedom of movement if Serbs might be arrested every day," Dacic underlined.

Four Serbs arrested by the Kosovo police at the Bela Zemlja administrative crossing on Tuesday will be held in 48-hour custody, Kosovo police spokesperson Baki Keljani told Tanjug.

Keljani said that the arrested Serbs were in possession of election material i.e. the election list and stamp of the Vitina municipality.

The prosecutor sent them to 48-hour custody in the Gnjilane detention unit, the spokesperson added.

“The arrested persons are Vitina Municipal President Srecko Spasic, municipal administration employees Ivica Najkic and Aleksandar Stojiljkovic, while the fourth arrested is Svetozar Naskovic, a police officers of the Urosevac police station,” Police Deputy Director Branislav Mitrovic told Tanjug.

Mitrovic said that Naskovic was in a car together with Spasic and his associates, and that they were on their way to Gnjilane.

“The arrest is yet another proof that Serbs in Kosovo are under terrible pressure. This and similar manners of intimidation are just over the top,” Mitrovic said.
The Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija has demanded an immediate reaction of EULEX so that the four Serbs could be released as soon as possible.