Belgrade accuses Kosovo of plotting "terrorism against There were still reprisals by ethnic Albanians, with ethnic Serbs kidnapped or murdered and up to a million fleeing their homes. US military has been observing metallic orbs making extraordinary Biden falls on stage during Air Force graduation ceremony, DeSantis shouts down heckler at South Carolina rally, Ketanji Brown Jackson issues solo dissent in ruling against Teamsters strike, Senate passes measure to halt Bidens student debt forgiveness. After winning his first-round match, he wrote a message on the glass in front of a courtside camera. In a statement, Blinken said Kosovo's actions went against US and European advice and had "sharply and unnecessarily escalated tensions, undermining our efforts to help normalise relations between Kosovo and Serbia and will have consequences for our bilateral relations with Kosovo". Police said five officers were injured as protesters hurled stun grenades and other objects. Serbs tried to prevent them from taking over the premises, but police fired tear gas to disperse them. In this image made from video, Kosovar police car burns in Zvecan, northern Kosovo Friday, May 26, 2023. The tense situation developed after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovos Serb-majority area after elections that the Serbs boycotted a move that led the US and its allies to rebuke Pristina on Friday. It was founded in 1893 and has been welcoming refugees from Mexico since the 1920s. Why is a top British morning TV show in crisis? Though Djokovic called for an end to the violence in a written message on a camera lens, his claims that Kosovo is the heart of Serbia was seen by some as stoking the historic tensions. An idea has been floated for border changes and land swaps as the way forward, but this was rejected by many EU countries out of fears that it could cause a chain reaction in other ethnically mixed areas in the Balkans and trigger more trouble in the region after the wars of the 1990s. New mass shooting leaves at least 8 dead in Serbia. Clashes began after police moved to install new ethnic Albanian mayors. The most pivotal stories and debates for Europeans from identity to economics to the environment. Kosovo police and protesters have clashed in the town of Zvecan after local elections. Serbs demand that the Kosovo government remove ethnic Albanian mayors from town halls and allow local administrations financed by Belgrade to resume their work. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has ordered that all measures be taken to protect the Serbian people in Kosovo. expert analysis, our dedicated Brussels Briefing newsletter. Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: who was the greatest footballer. The star, whose father was born in Kosovo, wrote "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. But the sternest statement of all came from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, KFOR commander Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia and Lars-Gunnar Wigermark, who heads an EU law and order mission, met on Monday to discuss the situation, KFOR said on Twitter. Why Americas economic policy muddle matters, Everyone has the right to completely log off: what bosses think about the right to disconnect, Wellcome Leaps Regina Dugan: Odds are irrelevant, if what youre trying to do is important, Sci-fi writer Ted Chiang: The machines we have now are not conscious, Its the opposite of last year: the Hamptons shifting property market, The American luxury lifestyle brand storming the Cotswolds. In a televised address to the nation, Mr Vucic said "Albin Kurti alone is responsible" for the disturbances in the town of Zvecan. Djokovics remarks come NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Tuesday the alliance has sent 700 more troops to the country, on top of the 3,800 already stationed there, to help restore calm. Kosovan officials acknowledged their officers had increased their presence in the area "to assist mayors of the northern communes of Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok to exert their right of work at the official objects". The incident involved unknown armed people in the Zubin Potok area. They also removed Serbian flags and replaced them with Kosovo's gold-and-blue standard. There are also smaller Serb-populated enclaves in the south of Kosovo, while tens of thousands of Kosovo Serbs live in central Serbia, where they fled together with the withdrawing Serb troops in 1999. Dozens of Italian and Hungarian soldiers from Kfor mission and more than 50 Serbs were injured in clashes over ethnic Albanian mayors taking office. Meanwhile, in Serbia, Mr Vucic was ordering troops to the border with Kosovo. Popular Twitch streamer Puppers dies aged 32. In Zvecan, the news website Kosovo-online.com showed clashes with police in front of the municipal building, while in Leposavic the main square was blocked with cars and trucks. Kosovos president, Vjosa Osmani, accused her Serbian counterpart of destabilising Kosovo. Stop the violence, using a heart symbol. IE 11 is not supported. The conflict in Kosovo erupted in 1998 when separatist ethnic Albanians rebelled against Serbias rule, and Serbia responded with a brutal crackdown. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. WebSkopje - Vodno 79 km (49 mi) Traffic 90 km (55 mi) Berane - Storks 107 km (66 mi) Zelenigrad - Weather station 115 km (71 mi) Sjenica - City view 115 km (71 mi) Jezerine - Further stoking tensions was Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, who on Monday wrote a message on a camera after winning a French Open match: Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. A police car was set ablaze, a Reuters reporter said. However, Serbia has refused to recognize Kosovos statehood, creating simmering instability decades after the bloody conflict of the 1990s. The US ambassador and European Union envoy have summoned the ethnic Albanian mayors to a meeting in Pristina in a bid to ease tensions. Serbia has refused to recognise Kosovos statehood and still considers it part of Serbia, even though it has no formal control there. (modern), Kosovo: Serb protesters throw teargas at Nato soldiers as internal frictions escalate video, Turkey to send commandos to Kosovo in response to Nato peacekeeping call, Macron and Scholz urge Kosovo to hold fresh elections to ease Serbia tensions, Kosovan PM says he could consider early elections in north if violence ends, Kosovo: fascist mobs guided by Serbia causing violence, says countrys PM, Nato to send 700 more troops to Kosovo to try to quell violence, Warcrimes tribunal centres on how much former Kosovan president knew, Kosovo Serbs block road to main border crossings in volatile north, Fears Kosovo-Serbia number plate row could spark violence. Locals insist they were sitting on the ground in a peaceful protest. Kosovan police then moved to escort the politicians past protesters, leading to clashes. Last Friday, armed special police forced their way into municipal buildings in three of the towns, so the new mayors could take office in person. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. AP writer Llazar Semini contributed from Tirana, Albania. All rights reserved. Anger in Belgium over verdict in student's hazing death, Beijing's comedy crackdown is hitting its music scene, Tracking the rise of Russias missile strikes on Kyiv, Why Indian politicians woo the diaspora in the US, 'There's no one way to be autistic' Video'There's no one way to be autistic', Why the city that never sleeps is slowly sinking. Serbia, which does not recognise Kosovos 2008 declaration of independence, has been sabre-rattling and threatening force against its former province and now independent Kosovo for a long time, and the ongoing tension remains a potential flash point. Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic wrote "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Especially as a son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel the need to give my support to our people and to the entirety of Serbia, Djokovic added. Belgrade controls Kosovos Serbs, and Kosovo cant become a member of the United Nations and a functional state without resolving the dispute with Serbia. 15 August 2010 Source Own work Author Krzysztof Dudzik (User:ToSter) Camera location 42 56 12.67 N, 21 14 50.07 E View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap 42.936853; 21.247242 Licensing[edit] I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following licenses: Serbs refused to take part in local elections in April and ethnic Albanian candidates won the mayoralties in four Serb-majority municipalities including North Mitrovica, where no incidents were reported on Monday with a 3.5% turnout. Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters. I am certain Serbs will defend themselves if attacked, Vucic said. After Serbs boycotted last months local elections held in northern Kosovo, where Serbs represent a majority, newly elected ethnic Albanian mayors moved into their offices with the help of Kosovos riot police last Friday. Serbia raised combat readiness of its troops stationed near the border and warned it wont stand by if Serbs in Kosovo are attacked again. He began by exploiting tensions with the Serbian minority in Kosovo and by 1989 had abolished Kosovo's autonomous status, imposing direct rule from Belgrade. Kosovos independence has been recognised by about 100 countries, including the United States. Serb politicians in northern Kosovo on Saturday called on Serbia to suspend its participation in talks mediated by the European Union and aimed at normalizing relations between the former war foes. And Serbian nationalists still view their 1389 battle with Ottoman Turks there as symbolic of their struggle. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. It is also the right of citizens to be served by those elected officials. Mr Blinken said the move had "sharply and unnecessarily escalated tensions in the region" and had served to undermine efforts to "normalise relations between Kosovo and Serbia". For its part, Serbia has asked KFOR to deploy up to 1,000 of its troops in the Serb-populated north of Kosovo to protect Kosovo Serbs from alleged harassment by ethnic Albanians, who are the majority in the country. There have been constant international efforts to find common ground, but there has been no final agreement so far. 2023 BBC. When they came to take office last week, Serbs protested in front of municipal buildings to stop them getting in. Ethnic Serbs and ethnic Serb parties refused to take part in last month's mayoral elections in four municipalities in north Kosovo. Kfor commander, Division General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, criticised the attacks as unacceptable and underlined that the Nato mission will continue to fulfil its mandate impartially. "It is clear that the terror against the Serb community in Kosovo is happening," he said. Later in the day, protesters threw eggs at a parked car belonging to the new Leposavic mayor. The Kosovos government has asked NATO troops deployed in 1999 after NATO bombed Serbia into leaving Kosovo to remove the Serb roadblocks. On Friday, three out of the four ethnic Albanian mayors were escorted in to their offices by police, who were pelted with rocks and responded with teargas and water cannon to disperse the protesters. 2023 BBC. Ethnic Albanian rebels launched a rebellion in 1998 to rid the country of Serbian rule. About 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, died. In Kosovo, Albin Kurti, a former student protest leader and political prisoner in Serbia, leads the government and is the main negotiator in EU-mediated talks. These actions have sharply and unnecessarily escalated tensions, undermining our efforts to help normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia and will have consequences for our bilateral relations with Kosovo, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday. It prompted a furious response from Kosovo's staunchest supporters. Serbia is led by populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who was information minister during the war in Kosovo. Kosovo, a largely Muslim Albanian enclave that was part of Serbia, an Orthodox Christian-majority nation, declared independence in 2008, but Serbia has The U.S. and the EU have stepped up efforts to help solve the Kosovo-Serbia dispute, fearing further instability in Europe as war rages in Ukraine. Vucicspoke at a rallyFriday evening in Belgrade as tens of thousands of people turned out to support the government in the wake of two mass shootings earlier this month that killed 18 people and wounded 20 others, stunning the nation. Ten people were injured in the violence after residents gathered outside state buildings in the Serb majority border town of Zvecan. the countries of your choice. France said it condemns this violence in the strongest possible terms and calls on all parties, in particular the Kosovo government, to take immediate steps to reduce tensions. The United States condemned Kosovos government for using police to forcibly enter the municipal buildings. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic spoke out during the French Open after violent clashes erupted in Kosovo, injuring dozens of NATO peacekeeping troops. WebBorder Crossing Presevo Tabanovce Webcam Live - 7/24 Live Traffic Border Crossing Presevo Tabanovce Webcam Live Traffic Serbia Traffic A + A - Preevo is a small town Serbs, who comprise a majority in Kosovos north, have never accepted its 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia and still see Belgrade as their capital more than two decades after the Kosovo Albanian uprising against repressive Serbian rule. 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Local elections were held in four Serb-dominated communes in northern Kosovo after Serb representatives left their posts last year. It has been recognised by the United States and major European Union countries, but Serbia, backed by its powerful ally Russia, refuses to do so, as do most ethnic Serbs inside Kosovo. The same sentiment does not, apparently, apply to the people who were filmed attacking Italian and Hungarian peacekeepers in Zvecan. He warned there would be "consequences for our bilateral relations with Kosovo". According to commander Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, 52 Serbs were hurt, three seriously. Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. Washington and most EU countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent state, but Serbia, Russia and China have not. cookies Kosovo's Serb minority - which accounts for about 5% of the country's 1.8 million population - boycotted April's local elections in four northern municipalities, allowing ethnic Albanians to take control of the councils. Police and protesters clashed in the town of Zvecan in Kosovo after a crowd gathered in front of the municipality building, trying to prevent a newly-elected ethnic Albanian mayor from entering his office. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has placed the country's army on full combat alert and ordered its units to move closer to the border with Kosovo after protesters and police clashed in a majority Serb town in Kosovo. Watch: Protesters attack Nato peacekeepers in Kosovo. There are constant tensions between the Kosovo government and the Serbs who live mainly in the north of the country and keep close ties with Belgrade. 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