Serbia Condemns Kosovar Media Allegations Of Mass Poisoning Caused By Contaminated Water

The Serbian government on Thursday strongly condemned the Kosovar-Albanian media reports claiming that the Serbs may be behind water contamination that resulted in the mass poisoning in the town of Decan

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2021) The Serbian government on Thursday strongly condemned the Kosovar-Albanian media reports claiming that the Serbs may be behind water contamination that resulted in the mass poisoning in the town of Decan.

On Tuesday, the Decan authorities declared a state of emergency after more than 880 people were suspected to have fallen ill after drinking contaminated water. The self-proclaimed republic's Institute for Public Health said the next day that the results of the medical tests showed that the poisoning was not caused by bacteria in the water. On Thursday, members of the Kosovo parliament called on Prime Minister Albin Kurti to convene the Security Council meeting.

"The [Serbian government's] Office for Kosovo and Metohija warns that a very dangerous and irresponsible disinformation campaign is taking place on the part of the Albanian public, in which the Serbs are trying to be held responsible for the water poisoning in Decan without a single proof," the government said in a statement.

It added that a similar disinformation campaign served as a pretext for a wave of violence, which resulted in the pogroms of the Serb population in Kosovo in 2004.

"This spread of fake news can have far-reaching consequences for the already fragile security situation in Kosovo and Metohija. It is taking place at a time of increasing incidents [of violence] against Serbs in the region, and now the security of the Monastery Visoki Decani is being targeted and threatened again," the statement read.

Albanians in Kosovo broke away from Serbia after conducting a campaign of terror against Serbs and other nationalities living there, and after NATO forces undertook a 78-day military campaign in 1999 against what was then SR Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro.

In March 2004, Albanian militants attacked Serb communities, which resulted in the mass resettlement of Serbs from the autonomous region and the destruction of numerous historical and cultural monuments.

Pristina unilaterally proclaimed independence from Belgrade on February 17, 2008. Since then, Kosovo has been recognized by 100 UN member states. Serbia, as well as Russia, China, and some other states, have rejected Kosovar independence.