Drecun: Groundwork for arrest of Kosovo Serb laid days beforehand

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian parliamentary committee on Kosovo-Metohija Milovan Drecun said on Wednesday the groundwork for Tuesday's arrest of a Kosovo Serb in Kosovska Mitrovica - as well as for any further arrests - had been laid by Pristina days beforehand.

Speaking to the RTS, Drecun said Pristina's PM Albin Kurti had said a crime group infiltrated by Belgrade had been involved in recent clashes in Zvecan.

"They (Pristina) were talking about some civil defence, that there was some kind of a Serbian militia, and then he started talking that rule of law must be established and that groups that are purportedly to blame for the wounding of Kfor soldiers must be arrested or return to central Serbia," he said.

He noted that Kfor spokesman Andrea Galiani had said the so-called Kosovo Police must arrest "crime gangs" responsible for the wounding of Kfor soldiers.

"After that statement by the Kfor representative, it was quite clear an action like this would follow. He also had a list of people to be arrested," Drecun said.

After that, Kurti announced a five-point de-escalation plan whose first two points were about arrests, Drecun said, adding that he expected more arrests to follow.