Thousands of K. Serbs stage protest

The Kosovo Serb protest in Gracanica against the violent disabling of Serbian mobile phone networks in parts of the province has ended. Local officials called on the international community to react and to stop the Kosovo Albanian government in Pristina from prohibiting Serbs from using the phone services of Serbian operators. Thousands of K. Serbs stage protest The protests ended without incidents, and more were announced, with similar gatherings expected to be held every day until the Belgrade-based mobile phone networks have been reactivated. Some 3,000 Serbs from central and other parts of Kosovo participated in the protest march in Gracanica. There were ambulances ahead of the crowd of people, symbolizing the fact that communication with such emergency services is not possible without working phones. KFOR and Kosovo police, KPS, secured Gracanica during the rally, which stopped the traffic through the enclave. The Kosovo Albanian authorities in Pristina targeted Belgrade-based operators over the weekend. Kosovo District Chief Goran Arsic said ahead of the gathering today that a clear message would be sent to the government in Pristina with the protest, that Serbs would not accept blackmail. Pristina is trying to isolate the Kosovo Serbs even more and integrate them violently into the system of the self-proclaimed state of Kosovo, he said. Arsic added that events in Kosovo over the last several days “are an introduction for pressures later”, as Pristina is trying to integrate the school and health system, as well as other institutions of our country in the province, into their own system”. Officials of a body dubbed the Kosovo Regulatory Agency for Telecommunications, with the help of Kosovo police, KPS, have been forcefully turning off Serbian mobile networks in the province. More than 20 base stations of the Telekom Srbija and Telenor companies have been damaged, while mobile operators are functioning only in northern Kosovo, which has a majority Serb population. There are currently about 100,000 Serbs in central Kosovo and enclaves south of the Ibar River that have no phone service. The protest in Gracanica today (Beta) “Everything but force” The disabling of phone networks in Serb areas in Kosovo is a very serious problem, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said today in Belgrade. The government will do “literally everything, short of turning to force,to help Serbs in the enclaves”, he was quoted as saying. The premier, who spoke during a joint news conference with his visiting Bulgarian counterpart, said that Belgrade was preparing a broad diplomatic campaign, and expected that it would yield a solution acceptable to Serbs in the enclaves. The disabling of mobile telephony networks is a very serious problem, said Cvetkovic, and the government will “do everything to help those people”. UNS calls for help from international organizations The Serbian Journalists’ Association (UNS) ,meanwhile, has called on the Serbian institutions and international organizations to help remedy the situation caused by the destruction of Serb-language broadcasting transmitters in Kosovo. UNS states that it has called on Serbian senior officials, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), SEEMO and EULEX to help. Association President Ljiljana Smajlovic sent a letter to the IFJ, SEEMO and EULEX, calling for them to condemn the destruction of the property of legal broadcasts and to help restore the damaged equipm

Thousands of K. Serbs stage protest

The protests ended without incidents, and more were announced, with similar gatherings expected to be held every day until the Belgrade-based mobile phone networks have been reactivated.

Some 3,000 Serbs from central and other parts of Kosovo participated in the protest march in Gračanica.

There were ambulances ahead of the crowd of people, symbolizing the fact that communication with such emergency services is not possible without working phones.

KFOR and Kosovo police, KPS, secured Gračanica during the rally, which stopped the traffic through the enclave.

The Kosovo Albanian authorities in Priština targeted Belgrade-based operators over the weekend.

Kosovo District Chief Goran Arsić said ahead of the gathering today that a clear message would be sent to the government in Priština with the protest, that Serbs would not accept blackmail.

Priština is trying to isolate the Kosovo Serbs even more and integrate them violently into the system of the self-proclaimed state of Kosovo, he said.

Arsić added that events in Kosovo over the last several days “are an introduction for pressures later”, as Priština is trying to integrate the school and health system, as well as other institutions of our country in the province, into their own system”.

Officials of a body dubbed the Kosovo Regulatory Agency for Telecommunications, with the help of Kosovo police, KPS, have been forcefully turning off Serbian mobile networks in the province.

More than 20 base stations of the Telekom Srbija and Telenor companies have been damaged, while mobile operators are functioning only in northern Kosovo, which has a majority Serb population.

There are currently about 100,000 Serbs in central Kosovo and enclaves south of the Ibar River that have no phone service.

“Everything but force”

The disabling of phone networks in Serb areas in Kosovo is a very serious problem, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković said today in Belgrade.

The government will do “literally everything, short of turning to force,to help Serbs in the enclaves”, he was quoted as saying.

The premier, who spoke during a joint news conference with his visiting Bulgarian counterpart, said that Belgrade was preparing a broad diplomatic campaign, and expected that it would yield a solution acceptable to Serbs in the enclaves.

The disabling of mobile telephony networks is a very serious problem, said Cvetković, and the government will “do everything to help those people”.

UNS calls for help from international organizations

The Serbian Journalists’ Association (UNS) ,meanwhile, has called on the Serbian institutions and international organizations to help remedy the situation caused by the destruction of Serb-language broadcasting transmitters in Kosovo.

UNS states that it has called on Serbian senior officials, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), SEEMO and EULEX to help.

Association President Ljiljana Smajlović sent a letter to the IFJ, SEEMO and EULEX, calling for them to condemn the destruction of the property of legal broadcasts and to help restore the damaged equipm