WASHINGTON: The US State Department on Saturday accused Serbia of inflaming tensions with the arrest of three Kosovo police officers this week and demanded their immediate release.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller implored Serbia “to immediately and unconditionally release the three Kosovo police detained on June 14.”
“Their arrest and ongoing detention on spurious charges has exacerbated an already tense situation,” he added.
Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina escalated after Serbia arrested three Kosovo police officers earlier this week.
Kosovo labelled the detentions as a kidnapping and, as a “security measure,” banned all Serbian trucks from entering its territory.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic played down the arrest and accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of “wanting to provoke a war.”
The detained police belonged to a border patrol unit and had gone missing after they reported an incursion of masked and armed men in the area.
Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have soared since the police-backed installation in May of ethnic Albanian mayors in four northern Serb-majority Kosovo towns.
The move led to rioting that left 30 NATO-led peacekeepers injured.
France, Germany and the United States have urged both sides to de-escalate tensions, while the United States openly slammed the Kosovo government’s decision to install the mayors.
The European Union called on Vucic and Kurti to meet in Brussels next week.
Ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade, backed by Russia and China, has never recognized it.
Kosovo Serbs remain largely loyal to Belgrade and reject Pristina’s sovereignty.
US presses Serbia to free 3 detained Kosovo police
https://arab.news/wscxu
US presses Serbia to free 3 detained Kosovo police
- State Department spokesman Matthew Miller implored Serbia "to immediately and unconditionally release the three Kosovo police detained on June 14”
- Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina escalated after Serbia arrested three Kosovo police officers earlier this week
British tourists ordered to leave India over ‘free Palestine’ stickers
- Pushkar, an ancient temple site, has lately gained popularity among Israelis
- British nationals whose visas were canceled are still in town, police say
NEW DELHI: Two British nationals have been ordered to leave India after their visas were canceled for pasting Palestine stickers in a popular temple town in the western state of Rajasthan.
Ajmer district police, who oversee Pushkar, one of the oldest Hindu pilgrimage sites, issued on Feb. 2 “leave India” notices to a British man and woman for violating tourist visa regulations “by pasting stickers against another country.”
Photos of the stickers, which were shared by the local media, read: “Free Palestine,” “Boycott Israel,” and featured the Palestinian flag.
According to the police, they were plastered at “two or three locations” in Pushkar, and on Jan. 21 a complaint was filed with the local police.
“In Pushkar lives an Israeli religious guru, and they have a prayer house. Pushkar is a tourist place and if people start indulging in such activities, then the message goes wrong,” Additional Superintendent of Police Rajesh Meena, who issued the “leave India” notice, told Arab News on Thursday.
The couple were still in Pushkar, but the police had given them a deadline to leave the country.
“They have one and a half months’ time, they have booked their return tickets, and they will leave,” Meena said.
Abhishek, a journalist in Pushkar who documented the stickers, said that the town had gained in popularity among Israeli tourists over the past few years.
“They prefer this place because of the cost-effective hostels and accommodation. In 2019, they opened a religious place for themselves, and they worship there,” he said.
“In 2019-20, they played loud music and there was resistance from the locals initially, but later on the locals adjusted.”
