Kosovo Serbs clash with NATO forces in northern municipalities

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The NATO-led international peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) on Monday dispersed protesting Serbs using tear gas.

The protesters had gathered outside the Serb-dominated Zvecan municipality in northern Kosovo to bar newly elected Albanian mayors from entering three municipal buildings.

The protesters attempted to breach the police cordon in front of the town hall, the police said in a statement, adding that they used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

KFOR units also used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters, who did not retreat and responded with stones and sticks.

Many gunshots were heard in the region.

According to local media reports, some people were injured during the clashes but the figures could not be verified independently.

The injured are being treated at the health center in Zvecan, and those with more serious injuries were transported to the hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica.

A NATO helicopter is flying over the area.

Police and KFOR have fenced town halls and increased staff deployment in the area.

This is the second such protest staged in five days.

On Friday, Serbs gathered in Zvecan municipality to prevent the newly elected Albanian mayor from taking up his official duties after his swearing-in. During the clashes with the police, 10 people were injured.

Last month, Kosovo Serbs boycotted extraordinary local government elections for four municipalities in the country's north. Only 3.47% of eligible voters cast ballots, according to the Kosovo Central Election Commission (KQZ).

After the elections, the EU said in a statement that low turnout did not provide municipalities with long-term political solutions.

Meanwhile, the US, UK, France, Italy, and Germany issued a joint statement, urging elected Albanian mayors to exercise restraint in order to fulfill their responsibilities to represent and serve all members of their communities.

As tensions heightened in the region, Serbia ordered its army to advance to the border with Kosovo and urged NATO to “stop the violence against local Serbs in Kosovo.”

Kosovo Serbs on Saturday called on Vucic to suspend the ongoing dialogue process for normalizing relations with Kosovo, whose 2008 independence neighboring Serbia has never recognized.

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement and resolve disputes to progress in their integration into the bloc.