Kosovo's leader accused Serbia of planning and organizing clashes between protesters and NATO troops in the breakaway region.
"The escalation of the situation on May 29 was planned, well-organized and was led by Serbian authorities," Kosovo law enforcement chief Albin Kurti said on June 2, referring to clashes between ethnic Serbs and NATO peacekeepers in the town of Zvecan earlier this week.
Mr Kurti accused Serbian authorities of "mobilising criminal groups to incite clashes", saying that many ethnic Serbs in the breakaway region of Kosovo "are forced to act as human shields during such criminal attacks". Mr Kurti did not announce any specific measures to ease tensions.
Serbia has not commented on the information from Kosovo officials.
Serbian protesters clash with NATO soldiers in the town of Zvecan, Kosovo on May 29. Photo: Reuters
Clashes between police and Serbian protesters broke out in front of the administrative building in the town of Zvecan, Kosovo on May 29. Peacekeepers from NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) initially tried to separate the protesters from the police, then used shields and batons to disperse the crowd.
Some protesters threw rocks, bottles and flaming bottles at NATO soldiers, but they were quickly pushed back several hundred meters from the building. The clashes left more than 30 NATO soldiers and more than 50 protesters injured.
After the May 29 clashes in Zvecan, hundreds of Serbs continued to gather in front of the city's administrative building, which was surrounded by barbed wire and surrounded by NATO soldiers in riot gear.
Kosovo Serbs boycotted April local elections in the breakaway north, which gave ethnic Albanian officials control of local councils despite voter turnout of less than 3.5%.
The Serb community in the breakaway region also demanded the withdrawal of Kosovo special police, as well as the Albanian mayor whom they do not consider representative of their ethnicity.
After meeting with Serbian leaders on June 1, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said they had urged Kosovo to hold new elections in four cities and towns in the breakaway region’s north. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on both Serbia and Kosovo to de-escalate tensions.
Location of Kosovo and Serbia. Graphic: Britannica
Kosovo, with an area of about 10,800 km2, is a breakaway territory located in southwestern Serbia. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia does not recognize it and claims sovereignty over the area. Kosovo has a population of 1.8 million, mainly ethnic Albanians.
About 120,000 Serbs living in northern Kosovo do not recognize the government in Pristina. They are politically loyal to Serbia, which still provides financial support to the community. Most Western countries recognize Kosovo's independence, but the breakaway region has not been granted a seat at the United Nations, due to objections from Russia and China.
Nguyen Tien (According to AFP )
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