Kosovo: Serbs in north continue to block roads

There were no incidents last night in northern Kosovo as local Serbs continued to block and monitor all major roads leading toward administrative checkpoints. They are determined to maintain a total blockade of roads in that part of the province until ethnic Albanian customs workers and members of police, sent by the government in Pristina, have been removed from Brnjak and Jarinje. Kosovo: Serbs in north continue to block roads During the day, KFOR troops threw leaflets printed in Serbian and English from helicopeters, warning that the barricades were "illegal, and do not represent peaceful protest". Serbs in Kosovska Mitrovica responded to this by hauling in more rocks and sand to the main bridge over the Ibar River, reinforcing their barricade there. Several hundred citizens are gathered near the bridge where they say they are "monitoring the situation". The situation in the ethnically divided town and elsewhere in the north was peaceful but tense throughout Monday, said reports. Also on Monday, EULEX head Xavier de Marnhac visited the administrative crossings at Jarinje and Brnjak in northern Kosovo and called for the removal of barricades. Marnhac said that both posts, which EULEX refers to as "gates 1 and 31" were "technically ready to be fully operational, but that the barricades that were placed on nearby roads impair their opening". Meanwhile there have been reports about shortages of food and fuel in the north, leading to reduced traffic and expensive taxi services. NATO troops in Kosovo, KFOR, on Monday morning started carrying out detailed checks of all passengers and cars traveling from Kosovska Mitrovica to Zubin Potok. They set up a checkpoint on the road leading toward the ethnic Albanian village of Cabar, where a large number of Serbs also gathered this morning. After Serb representatives negotiated with those of KFOR for an hour and a half, reports said that "it was agreed that the soldiers would withdraw from this part of the road, but would remain on the part of the road leading toward Cabar". A Tanjug news agency reports also says that KFOR tried to set up a new traffic checkpoint on Zvecan-Zubin Potok road in the village of Jagnjenica, the Zubin Potok municipality. Local Serbs, who were upset by this move, quickly rallied in the village and blocked KFOR. KFOR retreated about 20 meters away from the checkpoint thus leaving the Zvecan-Zubin Potok road open for traffic after one-hour halt. The largest barricade set up by Serbs in the area is near Zupce, on the road leading from Zubin Potok to southern Kosovska Mitrovica. In Belgrade, daily Politika writes that the government decided during a telephone session on Friday to "reintegrate northern Kosovo into the country's tax system", cancel a decree related to customs procedures at control checkpoints, and start collecting VAT. According to Belgrade's chief negotiator in the Kosovo talks Borislav Stefanovic, the reason for the decision was "to prove that the north is not in the hands of criminals". (Tanjug)

Kosovo: Serbs in north continue to block roads

During the day, KFOR troops threw leaflets printed in Serbian and English from helicopeters, warning that the barricades were "illegal, and do not represent peaceful protest".

Serbs in Kosovska Mitrovica responded to this by hauling in more rocks and sand to the main bridge over the Ibar River, reinforcing their barricade there.

Several hundred citizens are gathered near the bridge where they say they are "monitoring the situation".

The situation in the ethnically divided town and elsewhere in the north was peaceful but tense throughout Monday, said reports.

Also on Monday, EULEX head Xavier de Marnhac visited the administrative crossings at Jarinje and Brnjak in northern Kosovo and called for the removal of barricades.

Marnhac said that both posts, which EULEX refers to as "gates 1 and 31" were "technically ready to be fully operational, but that the barricades that were placed on nearby roads impair their opening".

Meanwhile there have been reports about shortages of food and fuel in the north, leading to reduced traffic and expensive taxi services.

NATO troops in Kosovo, KFOR, on Monday morning started carrying out detailed checks of all passengers and cars traveling from Kosovska Mitrovica to Zubin Potok.

They set up a checkpoint on the road leading toward the ethnic Albanian village of Čabar, where a large number of Serbs also gathered this morning.

After Serb representatives negotiated with those of KFOR for an hour and a half, reports said that "it was agreed that the soldiers would withdraw from this part of the road, but would remain on the part of the road leading toward Čabar".

A Tanjug news agency reports also says that KFOR tried to set up a new traffic checkpoint on Zvečan-Zubin Potok road in the village of Jagnjenica, the Zubin Potok municipality.

Local Serbs, who were upset by this move, quickly rallied in the village and blocked KFOR.

KFOR retreated about 20 meters away from the checkpoint thus leaving the Zvečan-Zubin Potok road open for traffic after one-hour halt.

The largest barricade set up by Serbs in the area is near Zupče, on the road leading from Zubin Potok to southern Kosovska Mitrovica.

In Belgrade, daily Politika writes that the government decided during a telephone session on Friday to "reintegrate northern Kosovo into the country's tax system", cancel a decree related to customs procedures at control checkpoints, and start collecting VAT.

According to Belgrade's chief negotiator in the Kosovo talks Borislav Stefanović, the reason for the decision was "to prove that the north is not in the hands of criminals".