Kosovo: Serbs protest in north, reject declaration

The Kosovska Mitrovica Serbs yesterday organized a peaceful protest in the northern part of the town. They in the town’s main square yesterday, rejecting the creation of an independent Kosovo on Serbia’s territory. Kosovo: Serbs protest in north, reject declaration With a symbolic raising of their hands – the Serbs rejected the Kosovo Albanian institutions’ decision to create a quasi-Albanian state in the Balkans. President of the Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo Marko Jaksic said that Serbia and Serbs are against the creation of a new Albanian state in the Balkans and stressed that “those who believe that such a state was created on February 17 are fooling themselves.” Jaksic said that it was actually “the beginning of connecting Kosovo into the soul of Serbia.” He reminded that 200,000 Serbs and non-Albanians left Kosovo when international forces entered the province eight years ago. Jaksic’s addressing of the crowd was halted several times with the people chanting “Murderers”, “We will not give up Kosovo”, “Russia” and “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia.” “As long as there is us, Serbia and Russia, there will never be an independent Kosovo,” Jaksic said, condemning the announced arrival of the European Union’s mission to the province. He said that the arrival of the mission is illegal and violates international standards, calling the EU’s leaders “occupiers”. Jaksic called on Serbs to boycott the EU mission, and to not cooperate with it, adding that EU leaders “are offering people many things in exchange for their homeland.” He called on Belgrade to refrain from signing any agreements with Brussels, because that would mean they indirectly accepted occupation with the arrival of the EU mission in Kosovo. The protest began with the playing of Serbia’s national anthem "God of Justice" and ended with a walk to the bridge with divides the Serb and Albanian parts of Kosovska Mitrovica. The protest ended without incident and without the presence of international police forces. In Gracanica, some 2,000 Serbs protests in front of the medieval Serb Orthodox monastery there against the unilateral proclamation of Kosovo's independence. Rasko-Prizrenska Eparchy Bishop Artemije told the crowd that no unilateral act can take away Kosovo from Serbia as long as Serbs live in the province, calling on the Serb minority to stay in there homes. Serbian lawmaker from Kosovo Zvonimir Stevic said that the state must help Serbs in Kosovo, adding that ministers will continue to visit the province. “We will ask the UN Security Council to secure full safety for Serbs and Belgrade to give us its plan for our survival,” he said. There were large numbers of police around the roads leading to Gracanica during the protest. The protest in Kosovska Mitrovica (FoNet)

Kosovo: Serbs protest in north, reject declaration

With a symbolic raising of their hands – the Serbs rejected the Kosovo Albanian institutions’ decision to create a quasi-Albanian state in the Balkans.

President of the Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo Marko Jakšić said that Serbia and Serbs are against the creation of a new Albanian state in the Balkans and stressed that “those who believe that such a state was created on February 17 are fooling themselves.”

Jakšić said that it was actually “the beginning of connecting Kosovo into the soul of Serbia.”

He reminded that 200,000 Serbs and non-Albanians left Kosovo when international forces entered the province eight years ago.

Jakšić’s addressing of the crowd was halted several times with the people chanting “Murderers”, “We will not give up Kosovo”, “Russia” and “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia.”

“As long as there is us, Serbia and Russia, there will never be an independent Kosovo,” Jakšić said, condemning the announced arrival of the European Union’s mission to the province.

He said that the arrival of the mission is illegal and violates international standards, calling the EU’s leaders “occupiers”.

Jakšić called on Serbs to boycott the EU mission, and to not cooperate with it, adding that EU leaders “are offering people many things in exchange for their homeland.”

He called on Belgrade to refrain from signing any agreements with Brussels, because that would mean they indirectly accepted occupation with the arrival of the EU mission in Kosovo.

The protest began with the playing of Serbia’s national anthem "God of Justice" and ended with a walk to the bridge with divides the Serb and Albanian parts of Kosovska Mitrovica.

The protest ended without incident and without the presence of international police forces.

In Gračanica, some 2,000 Serbs protests in front of the medieval Serb Orthodox monastery there against the unilateral proclamation of Kosovo's independence.

Raško-Prizrenska Eparchy Bishop Artemije told the crowd that no unilateral act can take away Kosovo from Serbia as long as Serbs live in the province, calling on the Serb minority to stay in there homes.

Serbian lawmaker from Kosovo Zvonimir Stević said that the state must help Serbs in Kosovo, adding that ministers will continue to visit the province.

“We will ask the UN Security Council to secure full safety for Serbs and Belgrade to give us its plan for our survival,” he said.

There were large numbers of police around the roads leading to Gračanica during the protest.