Belgrade - The KFOR decision to hand over the protection of the Gracanica monastery to the Kosovo Police Service falls far short from contributing to security in Kosovo and Metohija. On the contrary, it creates additional uncertainty and further dents the confidence in international forces among the Serbs in Kosovo.

Such a KFOR move, made without the consent of Belgrade and the Serbian Orthodox Church, only encourages Pristina to continue making unilateral moves. At the same time, it aims to globally portray a very poor security situation in the southern Serbian province as far better. Preservation of the Serbian holy shrines and cultural and historical monuments cannot be abandoned to those who either took part in destroying them or else stood silently aside and watched their desecration and destruction.

We all know how the KPS behaved during the March 2004 violence, which is why they cannot and should not be part of the solution for security and preservation of the Serbian Orthodox Church monasteries and churches. I pointed out all this at my recent meeting with the outgoing commander of KFOR Markus Bentler. Under the UNSC Resolution 1244, the KFOR is in charge of security in Kosovo and Metohija, and accordingly of the safety and preservation of Serbian cultural and historical monuments, churches and monasteries. Therefore, I see the decision to handover security of the monastery of Gracanica to the Kosovo Police Service, as a provocation and a step that does not lead to peace, stability and restoration of confidence.