A week after being acquitted on war crime charges, Serb ultra-nationalist Vojislav Seselj has been declared a persona non-grata in Kosovo and banned from entering, its foreign minister said Friday.
In a majority ruling on March 31 that triggered outrage among victims, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) judges found Seselj not guilty on all nine charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the 1990s Balkans wars.
The verdict was immediately slammed by Croatia and Bosnia. Hours after the acquittal Zagreb banned Seselj from entering the country, while Sarajevo said it was considering a similar measure.
"Seselj's entry is not allowed for reasons that are tragically clear for the thousands of victims of his lethal words and deeds in the Balkans," Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs Petrit Selimi told AFP.
Seselj, who plans to stand in Serbia's April 24 snap elections, has said he wants to visit Kosovo.
According to the 2013 Brussels Agreement on relations between Kosovo and Serbia, Pristina has a final say on whether Serbian present or ex-officials may enter the Serbia territory, Selimi said.
Following the 1998-1999 war that forced Serbian forces out of the territory of its southern province, Kosovo declared independence in 2008 that was recognised by more than 100 states, but not Serbia.
Belgrade and Pristina have been locked in EU-facilitated dialogue since 2011, which aims to normalise the relationship between the former foes.