KFOR Leaves Door Open for Return to Ibar Bridge

KFOR commander Maj. Gen. Ozkan Ulutas received a delegation of Srpska Lista on August 11 at the mission’s headquarters in the “Filmski Grad” camp and told them that the drawdown of KFOR’s presence at the main bridge over the Ibar in Kosovska Mitrovica is still in its early stages. The meeting was called at the party’s request, after KFOR began removing its static checkpoint on the northern side of the bridge.

The Srpska Lista delegation included:

• party president Zlatan Elek
• Presidency member Igor Simic
• Kosovo Assembly deputy Jovana Radosavljevic
• mayor of North Mitrovica Milan Radojevic

KFOR said the meeting covered the security situation in northern Kosovo and the implementation of the mission’s already announced process of optimizing its deployment.

Could KFOR Return to the Bridge?

According to the mission, yes. Ulutas said the shift of the presence away from the main bridge is gradual, depends on conditions on the ground, and could be reversed if developments affecting lasting security in Kosovo and regional stability require it. This is the first time KFOR has explicitly raised the possibility of returning to its earlier deployment in connection with the changes at the bridge.

The commander also outlined what happens once the process is complete:

“When this process is finalized, KFOR will maintain a strong presence in North Mitrovica and in the north of Kosovo, for the benefit of all communities.”

Ulutas tied the reason for the changes to the mission’s reading of the situation on the ground. The optimization, he said, was triggered by an improved security situation in Kosovo. He added that the mission remains fully equipped and deployed so that it can respond to any development, in line with its United Nations mandate.

What Is Srpska Lista Demanding?

Srpska Lista requested an urgent meeting a day earlier, the same day KFOR confirmed that the gradual transition of its permanent presence away from the bridge had started. Ahead of the meeting, Simic laid out the party’s position on handing authority over to the Kosovo Police.

“At Srpska Lista, we strongly oppose that intention, because we believe the time has absolutely not come for something like this. If it is true that security has improved so much in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, and that the Kosovo Police is doing its job, then the first step should have been to remove those World War Two era checkpoints at the Bistrica bridge and in Gazivode, and in that way show there is no need for places where Serbs, children included, are terrorized as they pass from the Serb municipality of Leposavic into the Serb municipality of Zvecan or into Kosovska Mitrovica.”

Simic tied the safety of Serbs above all to the conduct of the Kosovo Police, and recalled that the main bridge had been the scene of clashes, with more than 1,000 recorded incidents. He called on KFOR to respect UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and to guarantee security for all residents.

Visoki Decani Stays Under KFOR Protection

The meeting also touched on the Visoki Decani monastery, where the mission had begun a day earlier to gradually bring Kosovo Police officers into its security setup there. The change comes after nearly 27 years of the shrine being guarded directly by international forces.

“KFOR remains the first responder for the security of the Visoki Decani monastery and is committed to its safety.”

When it confirmed the start of the withdrawal from the bridge, KFOR said the process was being carried out in coordination with institutions in Pristina, international organizations, the Kosovo Police, and the EULEX mission, and that the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Milan Mojsilovic, was being briefed regularly.

The mission repeated that it carries out its mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1244, in coordination with the Kosovo Police and EULEX. KFOR did not specify what developments it would consider sufficient to halt the process or reverse it.