NATO: Any decision to reopen the Ibar bridge to vehicles must address the needs of all communities

NATO believes that any decision on the possible reopening of the bridge over the Ibar River to vehicle traffic must "address the needs of all local communities."

"KFOR also continues to provide the necessary security support so that the European Union's diplomatic efforts can move forward," a NATO official told REL.

Regarding the gradual withdrawal of NATO mission troops in Kosovo from the main bridge over the Ibar River, the acting Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, Xhelal Sveçla, reacted a few days ago, describing it as good news.

He said that in addition to the gradual withdrawal of KFOR troops, the presence of the Kosovo Police on this bridge will also be reduced.

According to him, this process will be short-term and will provide a guarantee for everyone that "the opening of the bridge will be a good thing for everyone, without having a negative impact on anyone."

"The moment will come when the next steps will both be made public and will be seen as they are being seen today. And something that has been a concern, but also a symbol of division for 27 years, will be a memory," Sveçla told Kosovo's public broadcaster on August 10.

The main bridge over the Ibar is currently open only to pedestrians. The Kosovo government had announced in July 2024 that it would also open it to vehicle traffic, an initiative that caused tensions and reactions from the international community.

Meanwhile, the Kosovo executive has built two more bridges near the main bridge – one for pedestrians and one for vehicles – with the aim of connecting North Mitrovica with South Mitrovica.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty requested comment from NATO regarding a letter that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić sent to the alliance's chief, Mark Rutte, asking him to stop reducing KFOR's presence on this bridge.

The NATO official said that Rutte "is in regular contact with President Vucic."

He added that the alliance's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, has begun the gradual transition of its permanent presence from the bridge over the Ibar River, "in line with the improvement of the security situation in Kosovo."

According to the official, this is part of the process of optimizing KFOR's positioning, which is being carried out with full transparency, adding that this process may be undone, depending on the security situation.

The NATO official emphasized that the commander of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, Ozgan Ulutas, maintains contacts with all counterparts in Kosovo, with international organizations, but also with the Serbian Armed Forces, while also recalling Ulutas' meeting with representatives of the Serbian List on August 11, where the issue of the mission's presence on the Ibar River was discussed.

KFOR, the official said, will continue to implement the mandate stemming from UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and provide a safe environment for all communities.

"KFOR will have a visible presence in North and South Mitrovica as well as in northern Kosovo and continue to contribute to a safe environment for all communities," the NATO official told Radio Free Europe.

What did Vucic say?

Earlier in the day, Vučić said he had written a letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, asking him to stop reducing the presence on the main bridge over the Ibar River in North Mitrovica.

"I just sent a letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, demanding that KFOR, in accordance with UN Resolution 1244, stop the terror against Serbs, their persecution and arrests, the demolition of houses, as well as the opening of the bridge over the Ibar River," Vučić wrote on Instagram on August 20.

"I believe his assessment will be that regional peace and stability are of great importance," he added.

Later on the evening of August 20, Vučić said he expects Rutte to respond to his letter "one way or another" in the coming days.

Mitrovica, after the 1999 war, was divided into a northern part, with a Serb majority, and a southern part, with an Albanian majority. Today, they function as two separate municipalities.

However, since the end of the war, KFOR has kept the bridge over the Ibar under surveillance, which has been a point of interethnic clashes over the years.

According to Vučić, the withdrawal of KFOR from the bridge at this moment would "create conditions for a final confrontation with the Serbian population" in northern Kosovo.

He said that the authorities in Serbia will continue the "political struggle by all possible means," not even ruling out the possibility of calling a special session of the United Nations Security Council.

Vučić also said that the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, Milan Mojsilović, had a "very difficult" and "bad" conversation with the Commander of KFOR, Major General Ozkan Ulutaš.

The main bridge over the Ibar River is considered one of the most sensitive points in terms of security in northern Kosovo./REL