January 16 (SeeNews) - Kosovo leaders strongly denounced on Tuesday the murder of leading Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic, who was shot dead in Kosovska Mitrovica in the morning.
Following the murder, the Serbian government said that it withdrew its delegation from the new round of talks for normalisation of relations with Kosovo in Brussels. The murder is a criminal and terrorist act, which aims to destabilise the situation in Kosovo and it is an attack on the entire Serbian nation, the director of the Serbian government office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Djuric, said.
Kosovo president Hashim Thaci called on law enforcement authorities to throw light on the circumstances of the assassination as soon as possible so that the perpetrators are brought to justice, according to a press release issued by the president’s office.
The Kosovo government said in a separate statement that the murder challenges the rule of law and attempts to establish order throughout the territory of Kosovo.
The EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, strongly condemned the murder of Ivanovic and called on all sides to show calm and restraint and allow the rule of law and justice to take its course, the EU office in Kosovo said in a press release.
In phone conversations with the presidents Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia and Hashim Thaçi of Kosovo, Mogherini underlined the expectation that the relevant Kosovo authorities will spare no effort to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice without delay, adding that the EU's rule of law mission, EULEX, will support the authorities in accordance with its mandate.
The special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Zahir Tanin, also strongly condemned the murder. Tanin said in a separate statement he believes the investigative authorities will work swiftly and effectively and added that all international agencies on the ground are ready to support the authorities in any manner to help swiftly detain those responsible for the crime.
Ivanovic, 64, was the leader of civic initiative Serbia, Democracy, Justice (SDP). He served as state secretary of the former Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija in the government of Serbia from 2008 to 2012.
On Monday, Serbia's government said it will resume its talks for normalisation of relations with Kosovo this week after a suspension that had lasted for more than a year. According to the Serbian news agency Tanjug, the talks were to focus on the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo, which should define some type of autonomy for the Serb minority.
Belgrade does not recognise the independence of Kosovo, its former province predominantly populated by ethnic Albanians. Kosovo proclaimed independence from Serbia in February 2008 and has so far been recognised by 108 of the 193 UN members states.