Radojevic: Law on foreigners is administrative form of ethnically cleansing Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija

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The mayor of northern Kosovska Mitrovica, Milan Radojevic, said today that the law on foreigners, the implementation of which Pristina announced for March 15, represents the administrative form of ethnic cleansing of Serbs from the territory of Kosovo and Metohija.

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"This law is something that we, as representatives of the Serb List, have been warning about for months. This law in this scope can only bring problems to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija," Radojevic told TV Pink.

He stressed that the law is causing fear and distress among Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, especially among Serbs in the north, and that with its entry into force, Serbs who have lived in Kosovo and Metohija for centuries are being declared foreigners and required to obtain residence permits.

"We are facing an absurd situation. A large number of Serbs cannot get those Kosovo documents, even if they wanted to, because of numerous administrative obstacles imposed by the government in Pristina," said Radojevic.

He gave the example of one of the spouses being from central Serbia, and even though the other spouse has Pristina documents, they must apply for and obtain a residence permit, and they fail to do that, they can be expelled from Kosovo and Metohija and banned from entering for a year.

Radojevic also said that any integration of the Serbian education and healthcare system into the Pristina system would also mean the disappearance of Serbs from the territory of Kosovo and Metohija.

"This is the perfect administrative '(Operation) Storm' for (Albin) Kurti, that would allow him to 'solve the problem of Serbs' in Kosovo and Metohija according to the Croatian model," said Radojevic.

He pointed out that according to the law in question, students from central Serbia would have to state the reason for their stay when entering Kosovo and Metohija, and they could be denied if they state they are studying in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, because Pristina does not recognize the university there.

Asked about Pristina arresting and filing charges against Serbs, including those from the village of Suvo Grlo, for alleged war crimes committed during the 1990s, Radojevic said that an atmosphere of fear is being created among Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, in order to force them to leave their centuries-old homes.

"These are honorable families, people who remained in that village after the war. So many years after the war, to launch those unfounded accusations is a classic example of exerting pressure. There are Serbs who remained in that village, and they are protecting the name of the municipality of Srbica," said Radojevic.

He added that a Serb List delegation will visit the families of the Serbs arrested in the village of Suvo Grlo near Srbica.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)