Serb barricades in northern Kosovo stand

Serbs in northern Kosovo spent another night at the barricades, while administrative line crossings in the north of the province still remain closed. A sand and gravel barricades near Banje, on the road toward the Brnjak checkpoint - set up by the citizens two days ago - was removed last night after they left. Serb barricades in northern Kosovo stand A spokesman for the NATO troops in the province, KFOR, claimed in a statement for the media that Brnjak was "completely open for traffic of all kinds of vehicles". But this morning, the checkpoint remains closed. KFOR soldiers are rerouting vehicles headed toward Ribare to an alternative road that runs "above the administrative line crossing", according to reports. Instead of a joint session of north Kosovo municipal assemblies, a press conference will be held in Zvecan on Tuesday, journalists were told Monday after three-hour consultations of leaders of north Kosovo Serbs. None of the participants of the talks in Zvecan wanted to inform journalists about details of the talks or whether any joint position or agreement was reached. However, it is certain that the meeting between the municipal presidents and representatives of four north Kosovo municipalities - Kosovska Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok, was not attended by Leposavic Municipal President Branko Ninic. Ninic is a member of the ruling Democratic Party (DS). It is not yet clear who will host the Tuesday press conference. In Belgrade, the Serbian parliament will hold a new Collegium session on Tuesday, at which it should be known if the Serbian government responded when it would deliver its report on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, a precondition for a parliamentary discussion on the situation in northern Kosovo and Metohija. All opposition parties demand a debate on the north of the province, and two Collegium meetings were held yesterday on the occasion, which, however, yielded no agreement on when and in what form the issue will be addressed. Ruling coalition representatives said yesterday that a session on the topic would be convened shortly, as soon as the government delivered to the parliament the report on the progress in the talks between Belgrade and Pristina, an obligation on the part of the government as defined by the recently adopted Declaration on Kosovo. The opposition still refuse to participate in the parliamentary work, since no agreement on holding a Kosovo session was reached yesterday.

Serb barricades in northern Kosovo stand

A spokesman for the NATO troops in the province, KFOR, claimed in a statement for the media that Brnjak was "completely open for traffic of all kinds of vehicles".

But this morning, the checkpoint remains closed. KFOR soldiers are rerouting vehicles headed toward Ribare to an alternative road that runs "above the administrative line crossing", according to reports.

Instead of a joint session of north Kosovo municipal assemblies, a press conference will be held in Zvečan on Tuesday, journalists were told Monday after three-hour consultations of leaders of north Kosovo Serbs.

None of the participants of the talks in Zvečan wanted to inform journalists about details of the talks or whether any joint position or agreement was reached.

However, it is certain that the meeting between the municipal presidents and representatives of four north Kosovo municipalities - Kosovska Mitrovica, Leposavić, Zvečan and Zubin Potok, was not attended by Leposavić Municipal President Branko Ninić.

Ninić is a member of the ruling Democratic Party (DS).

It is not yet clear who will host the Tuesday press conference.

In Belgrade, the Serbian parliament will hold a new Collegium session on Tuesday, at which it should be known if the Serbian government responded when it would deliver its report on the Belgrade-Priština dialogue, a precondition for a parliamentary discussion on the situation in northern Kosovo and Metohija.

All opposition parties demand a debate on the north of the province, and two Collegium meetings were held yesterday on the occasion, which, however, yielded no agreement on when and in what form the issue will be addressed.

Ruling coalition representatives said yesterday that a session on the topic would be convened shortly, as soon as the government delivered to the parliament the report on the progress in the talks between Belgrade and Priština, an obligation on the part of the government as defined by the recently adopted Declaration on Kosovo.

The opposition still refuse to participate in the parliamentary work, since no agreement on holding a Kosovo session was reached yesterday.