A former Kosovo Serb policeman whose detention triggered a major crisis between Serbia and Kosovo that provoked international concern has been ordered released from prison and placed under house arrest, his lawyer said Wednesday.
The Dec. 10 arrest of Dejan Pantic led to protests by Kosovo Serbs who erected multiple roadblocks in the north of the country.
Serbian state media reported that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic would travel to the border later Wednesday for talks with Kosovo Serbs to try persuade them to remove the barricades. State media and officials in Belgrade portrayed the ex-policeman's release from prison as a "triumph" of Vucic' policies.
Pantic was detained for "terrorism" after allegedly assaulting a Kosovo police officer during an earlier protest. His lawyer, Ljubomir Pantovic, told The Associated Press by phone that a higher Kosovo court replaced his client's detention with house arrest.
"The (Kosovo) police are obliged to transfer Pantic to the address where he lives" in Serb-populated northern Kosovo, the lawyer said. Pantovic said carrying out the order could prove problematic as Kosovo officers would need to cross the Serb barricades while transporting Pantic.
Kosovo's prime minister, Albin Kurti criticized the court's decision to release Pantic on house arrest.
"I'm curious to know who is the prosecutor that makes a request and judge who approves a decision to place someone on house arrest when they have a standing terrorism charge," Kurti said at a press conference.
Pantic's arrest prompted weeks of tense standoffs, punctuated by gunfire and explosions near patrols of the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force and journalists. No one was severely injured.
Ultimately, Serbia raised combat readiness of its troops on the border with Kosovo, demanding an end to "attacks" against Kosovo Serbs.
It was not immediately clear whether the former policeman's transfer to his home would defuse the tensions since Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade have issued several other demands, including the release of two other Serbs and a ban on Kosovo police entering the Serb-populated areas of northern Kosovo.
Kosovo has asked NATO-led peacekeepers stationed there to remove the barriers and hinted that Pristina's forces would do it if the peacekeeping force did not react. About 4,000 NATO-led peacekeepers have been stationed in Kosovo since a 1998-99 separatist war ended with Serbia losing control over what was then one of its provinces.
Late Tuesday, Serbs blocked one of the main roads from Serbia to Kosovo, at the border crossing of Merdare, prompting Kosovo's authorities to call on thousands of expats heading to Kosovo for the holidays from European countries to avoid that crossing and use others.
"The erection of the barricades in the roads is an unlawful and unacceptable act that will not be tolerated," Kurti said. "We have given KFOR the time and space needed to act, but of course, this time is quickly running out," he warned.
The United States and the European Union expressed concern at the situation in a joint statement Wednesday.
"We call on everyone to exercise maximum restraint, to take immediate action to unconditionally de-escalate the situation, and to refrain from provocations, threats, or intimidation," the statement released by the State Department and the EU said.
It added that both parties were working with Serbia's Vucic and Kosovo's Kurti "to find a political solution ... and agree on the way forward."
The statement welcomed what it said were assurances from Kosovo's leaders that there exist no lists of Kosovo Serbs to be arrested or prosecuted for peaceful protests or erecting barricades.
"At the same time, rule of law must be respected, and any form of violence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated," it stressed.
The German government said it is "very concerned" about the tensions in northern Kosovo.
"The illegal barricades erected by Kosovo Serbs must be taken down as quickly as possible, and yesterday's blockade of the Merdare border crossing on the Serbian side exacerbates the situation further," Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said in Berlin.
France's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday warned any travelers near the Serbia-Kosovo border to exercise "the greatest vigilance" and avoid gatherings as long as the tensions last.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Western attempts to mediate a negotiated settlement to normalize relations between the two have failed, with Serbia refusing to recognize Kosovo's statehood.
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Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, Gresa Kraja from Pristina, Kosovo, and Geir Moulson from Berlin contributed.
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