The Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia said it had notified Brussels of the detention of the deputy director of this office, Igor Popovic, by Kosovo authorities a day earlier, demanding his "immediate release."
Kosovo Police have announced that Popovic has been taken into custody for 48 hours and is suspected of the crime of "inciting discord and intolerance."
Deputy Police Director for the northern region, Veton Elshani, told Radio Free Europe that within 48 hours Popovic must appear before a judge, who will decide whether to order pre-trial detention or release him.
According to a statement from the Kosovo Police, during a speech in the village of Hoqë e Madhe, Popović described the Kosovo Liberation Army as a "terrorist organization" and compared its actions to serious international events.
"The Director of the Office for Kosovo [in the Serbian Government, Petar Petkovic] immediately notified Brussels of the detention of his associate and requested his immediate release, as well as protection from missions operating in the territory of Kosovo," the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government said in a response.
According to this office, Popovic had participated in the anniversary of the killing of Serbs in the Rahovec area by the KLA, which he described as a "criminal" organization.
"Popović was detained due to his statement after the commemoration, only because he called by their real names those who killed 47 Serbs and Roma and kidnapped over a hundred innocent people during July 1998," this office claimed, adding that with these actions Kurti is aiming to cause a new crisis on the ground.
The acting Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, Xhelal Sveçla, declared a day ago that Kosovo, as a democratic and sovereign state, will not tolerate insults and desecration of history, let alone the war led by the KLA.
"This part of history enjoys the respect of the entire progressive world."
The KLA was a political-military force that fought for the liberation of Kosovo from Serbian rule in the period 1990-1999.
The categories that emerged from the war, the Organization of KLA Veterans (OVL-KLA), the Association of War Invalids and the Association of Martyrs' Families, have reacted harshly to, as they said, the presence of Petar Petkovic's assistant in Kosovo.
They also said that "any attempt to provoke, to smear the KLA and to use the territory of Kosovo for anti-national propaganda is unacceptable and must be resolutely stopped."
During the war in Kosovo in 1998/99, more than 13,000 civilians were killed, while thousands more went missing.
Around 1,600 people, mostly Albanians, have not yet been found.
Over the years, justice authorities in Kosovo have charged or convicted several people for war crimes./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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