Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has convened a national security council to discuss growing tensions between the Kosovo authorities and the ethnic Serb minority, the BBC writes.
On the morning of Saturday, the 10th of December, stun grenades were fired at the police forces of the European Union (EU) in the northern part of Kosovo. There have also been shootings with groups of unidentified persons. Ethnic Serbs blocked roads after Kosovo police were sent to deal with a conflict over car registration plates.
Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo’s independence. Kosovo, whose population is mostly ethnic Albanian, broke away after the war that took place in 1998-1999.
NATO, WHOSE PEACEKEEPERS ARE IN KOSOVO, HAS WARNED ALL PARTIES INVOLVED TO AVOID PROVOCATIONS and told THAT ATTACKS ON EU POLICE WILL NOT BE tolerated.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, reminded that both Kosovo and Serbia should take care of peace and find a way to avoid chaos.
The latest unrest was caused by the arrest of a former policeman of Serbian origin. Vučić stated that he wanted to achieve peace. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti described the protesters as «criminal gangs».
Kosovo sent police to Serb-populated areas late last week, adding to tensions. Disputes over car license plates have been simmering for months.
Vučić stated that the use of police force contradicted previous peace agreements. Now the Serbian president plans to ask NATO peacekeepers for permission to send the Serbian police and army to the troubled regions.
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