Vucic: Serbia will investigate the murder of the Kosovo policeman

Serbia will investigate the events that led to armed clashes in the monastery in Banjska of Zvecan, an event for which Kosovo blames Belgrade, said Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, denying any involvement of the Serbian Government in this event.

An armed group - which according to Kosovo was composed of about 30 people - attacked the Kosovo Police in Banjska on September 24, killing Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. The police later said that three attackers were also killed in the clash.

Vucic told Reuters that Belgrade condemns the killing of the policeman and added that Serbia "will start proceedings before judicial bodies" to investigate the suspects.

"What crimes will be suspected, that belongs to the prosecutors", he said.

Vucic repeated the claim that one of the killed attackers was shot in the head by the Kosovo Police "from a distance of one meter" after, according to him, he had surrendered, calling this an "execution".

The deputy commander of the Kosovo Police for the North region, Veton Elshani, denied these claims of Vucic.

"Our officials would never do something like that. "One of the arrested was given medical aid at the place where he was arrested, with the aim of saving his life, since he was injured," he said.

Vucic denied the accusations of the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, that Belgrade is behind this event. The Serbian leader said that Serbia would not gain anything from this and would only jeopardize its position in the dialogue with Kosovo, which is mediated by the European Union.

"Why would this be good for Belgrade? What would be the purpose? To destroy our position that we have been building for a year? To destroy it in one day?... Serbia does not want war", he said.

Vucic also vowed that Serbia will investigate the origin of the weapons that were confiscated by the Kosovo Police after the incident. The police displayed the weapons and other equipment found in Banjska, among which there were rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, mines, grenades and drones.

The Serbian president also said that Millan Radoicic - the vice-president of Lista Serbe, the main party of Serbs in Kosovo that has the support of Belgrade - who, according to the Kosovo authorities, led and participated in the attack, "will be questioned by the prosecutors".

Vučić again accused the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, of wanting to expel the Serbs from Kosovo.

"The cause of all the problems in Kosovo is Albin Kurti. He is the one who brought this whole situation", said Vucic.

He said Kurti's refusal to establish the Association of Serb-majority municipalities fueled the tensions that led to the violence in Banjska.

Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement on the Association in 2013 within the dialogue for the normalization of relations, which is mediated by the European Union.

However, the Government of Kosovo fears that a single-ethnic association may affect the functionality of the state.

Vucic told Reuters that Serbia's position regarding Kosovo "is terrible", but said that Serbia will stand by its people.

"The solution is always dialogue," he said./rel