UPDATE - Kosovo Serbs begin removal of barricades set up after assured by US, EU of no arrests

ADDS EU, NATO REACTIONS SERBIA'S DECISION ON ARMED FORCES; REVISIONS IN DECK, THROUGHOUT

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Serbs in Kosovo on Thursday began to remove barricades set up amid recent tensions, after being assured by the US and EU that there would be no arrests.

The removal of barricades began in the town of Rudare, where at least 14 trucks, tankers and buses are blocking the main road.

A crane truck with a masked driver was moving the vehicles.

Three patrols by NATO peacekeepers, known as the Kosovo Force, or KFOR, are stationed in front of the barricade to secure the scene.

Earlier, Kosovar police announced that the barricade at the Merdare Border Crossing on the Serbian side had been removed and traffic was operating smoothly.

The EU and NATO welcomed the barricades' removal and de-escalation of tensions in the region.

Underlining that diplomacy had prevailed amid the tensions, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: "Violence can never be a solution ... We now need urgent progress in the Dialogue."

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the alliance welcomed efforts to reduce tensions and expected the parties to comply with their commitments.

"NATO's Peacekeeping Force in Kosovo is closely monitoring and stands ready to intervene if necessary, in line with its UN mandate to maintain freedom of movement," added Lungescu.

Meanwhile, Serbia withdrew its previous decision Monday to put security forces in a state of combat readiness.

The removal of barricades in Kosovo began late Wednesday after Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic called on Serbs to do it after being assured by the US and EU that there would be no arrests, according to an official.

According to Vucic, Serbia has received guarantees from the US and EU that there was no arrest list for Serbs who took part in the protests and setting up of barricades.

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia had been on the rise since the Dec. 10 detention of former Serbian police officer Dejan Pantic on suspicion of attacking election officials.

Protesting Pantic's arrest, Kosovo Serbs have been standing guard at the barricades they set up at border crossings since that day.

Two new barricades were set up after Kosovar authorities blocked Serbian Patriarch Porfirije from entering the country ahead of Orthodox Christmas celebrations.

Kosovo, predominantly inhabited by Albanians, broke from Serbia in 1999 and declared independence in 2008. Belgrade has refused to recognize the move and sees its former province as part of its territory.

The EU, NATO, and US have called for de-escalation, while Serbia has requested to deploy its army and police based on a UN resolution.