US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier expressed concerns today about the potential risks associated with reopening the bridge over the Iber River in Mitrovica. Hovenier warned that this action could pose a "real danger" to the safety of NATO troops stationed in Kosovo, including American soldiers, as reported by "KosovaPress."

According to Hovenier, opening the bridge at this time could heighten the risk of violence and create additional problems for both the local community and NATO forces working to maintain peace and security in the region. The ambassador emphasized that the US takes any threat to its military personnel very seriously and urged the Kosovo government to consider these security concerns.

Kosovo’s government has announced plans to reopen the bridge, which separates the predominantly Albanian municipality of South Mitrovica from the predominantly Serbian municipality of North Mitrovica. Despite opposition from the so-called Five (USA, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and France) and NATO, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has asserted that reopening the bridge is necessary and not intended to provoke any group.

The push to open the bridge follows Kosovo’s recent closure of Serbian post offices in northern Kosovo on August 5, an action described by Kosovo's allies as "uncoordinated and unilateral." Hovenier also noted that such uncoordinated actions by the Kosovo government are diminishing US support for Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

The bridge, closed for 25 years, has been a focal point of clashes between the two communities. Serbia and Kosovo Serbs, who form the majority in the northern municipalities of Zvechan, Zubin Potok, Leposavich, and North Mitrovica, do not recognize Kosovo’s independence, which was declared in 2008. Dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, facilitated by the EU, continues in an effort to normalize relations.

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