EU: Attack on the Ibër-Lepenci canal, terrorist act and sabotage

The European Union has described as a "terrorist" attack as well as an act of "sabotage" an explosion against the Ibër-Lepenci canal in the north of Kosovo on Friday, which endangered the supply of water and electricity for hundreds of thousands of citizens of Kosovo.

The explosion on Friday evening caused significant damage to the Ibër-Lepenci water channel in the village of Varragë in the municipality of Zubin Potok, prompting the Kosovar authorities to accuse Serbia of a "criminal and terrorist attack" on the country's vital infrastructure.

The EU's high representative for foreign policy and security, Josep Borrell, condemned the attack in a press release on Saturday afternoon.

"The EU strongly condemns the terrorist attack committed on Friday in the water channel in Ibër-Lepencit in Zubin Potok in the north of Kosovo. It is a despicable act of sabotage in Kosovo's critical civil infrastructure, which provides drinking water for a significant part of Kosovo's population and is a vital component of Kosovo's energy system," the communique said.

Borrell underlined that the incident should be investigated, while the perpetrators of the attack should be brought to justice.

He called on all parties to fully cooperate with the Kosovo authorities and emphasized that the EU will continue to follow the developments closely.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that Serbia is responsible for the "criminal and terrorist attack", which, according to him, was intended to "damage perhaps the most important infrastructure" of the country.

Serbia has denied the accusations of the Kosovar authorities.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said that Belgrade has nothing to do with what happened in the Ibër-Lepenci water channel, adding that "Pristina also knows this", reports the Serbian state broadcaster, RTS.

Borrell also confirmed that the EU has provided support to the Kosovo authorities and continues to coordinate the next steps with relevant partners, including KFOR.

The EU civilian mission for the rule of law, EULEX, according to him, is also providing assistance to the Kosovo authorities in accordance with its mandate.

The explosion at the canal in the northern village caused no casualties, but it created a large crack in its side wall, causing a flow of water that threatened the water supply and electricity in a large part of the country.

The Minister of Economy of Kosovo, Artane Rizvanolli, said a day after the attack, a regular supply of electricity for the country and central heating for the citizens of the capital, Pristina, has been ensured.

The attack on Ibër-Lepenc was the third within the last 72 hours in the north of the country, inhabited by a majority of Serbs, after the explosions that occurred in a police station and in the Municipality building in Zveçan.

This prompted the Kosovar authorities to increase security measures.

Kosovo's Security Council took emergency measures to mitigate the consequences and maintain the security of the country's critical infrastructure during a meeting in the early hours of Saturday morning.

On Friday, the Kosovo Police said that it has increased security measures in the country, including in the northern part of the state, where "several serious criminal attacks or incidents" have occurred in recent days./REL