Removal of the barricades in the north of Kosovo will begin this Thursday, while the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic said that in advance guarantees have been given by the US and the EU, that the demands of the Serbs for the removal of the barricades will be met.

After the meeting he held with the representatives of the Kosovo Serbs, Vucic said that the removal of the barricades from the roads in the north of Kosovo will begin on Thursday morning.

"In 24 hours or 48 hours, the barricades will be removed", said Vucic. 

On Wednesday evening, he met with representatives of Serbs from Kosovo in Raška in the south of Serbia, and the announcement that the barricades will be removed came on the day that a court in Pristina ordered the release from custody of the former Serbian policeman, Dejan Pantic, whose arrest led to blocking the roads in the north of Kosovo.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the United States and the European Union have guaranteed that "none of the Serbs who imposed the blockade will be prosecuted".

On Wednesday, the US and the EU said in a joint statement that they are concerned about the ongoing tensions in the north of Kosovo, while "they are working with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, to find a political solution to reduce tensions in the north of Kosovo".

"The US and the EU welcomed the assurances of the leadership of Kosovo which confirmed that there are no lists for the arrest of Serbian citizens or the persecution of those who protest peacefully or for the establishment of barricades. They called on everyone to take immediate action to improve the situation in the north of Kosovo. At the same time, the rule of law must be respected and any form of violence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated", the reaction stated.