Tensions soar at Kosovo-Serbia border over license plates

BELGRADE – Tensions soared Monday astatine Kosovo's borderline with Serbia arsenic Kosovo deployed riot constabulary portion Serbs protested a determination by Kosovo authorities to commencement removing Serbian licence plates from cars entering the country.

Kosovo peculiar constabulary with armored vehicles were sent to the borderline arsenic hundreds of Kosovo Serbs drove to the bound successful their cars and trucks, blocking roads starring to the the crossing points.

Serbian media reported said the Kosovo constabulary fired teardrop state astatine the protesters. The reports could not beryllium independently verified.

Serbia doesn’t admit its erstwhile state of Kosovo arsenic a abstracted authorities and considers the communal borderline lone arsenic an “administrative” and impermanent boundary.

Thousands of radical were killed and implicit 1 cardinal were near stateless aft a 1998-1999 bloody crackdown by Serbian troops against Kosovo Albanian separatists. The warfare ended lone aft NATO intervened. Kosovo past declared independency successful 2008. It has been recognized by the United States and different Western nations, but not by Serbia and its allies Russia and China.

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Thousands of NATO-led peacekeepers, including U.S. troops, are inactive deployed successful Kosovo, trying to stave disconnected lingering taste tensions betwixt bulk Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs.

Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbs successful Kosovo “today suffered 1 of the worst days” aft what helium called “a brutal attack” by Kosovo police. He appealed for NATO troops to support the Serbs.

“They deliberation that our patience is endless,” helium told reporters successful Belgrade. “We volition cognize however to support our country, determination is nary uncertainty astir it.”

Vucic indicated that the Serbian effect would beryllium “economic and political” and not by force.

Serbian constabulary person for years been taking disconnected registration plates from Kosovo-registered cars entering Serbia, and the latest determination by Kosovo authorities appears to beryllium a tit-for-tat action.

Kosovo officials said arsenic of Monday, the licence plates issued successful Serbia volition beryllium replaced with impermanent ones and that the further constabulary were deployed to instrumentality the “reciprocity” action.

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Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said Serbia was the archetypal to enforce impermanent licence plates. He added that Kosovo’s determination doesn't bounds state of question and isn't directed against Serbs.

“We didn’t inquire for the impermanent licence plates, but they were imposed by the different party,” helium said. “As agelong arsenic our citizens indispensable wage for the plates erstwhile they participate Serbia, they volition beryllium utilized connected introduction into Kosovo arsenic well.”

European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano urged some Kosovo and Serbia to “immediately, without immoderate delay” workout restraint and refrain from unilateral actions.

“Freedom of question is 1 of the cornerstones of the European Union and arsenic specified we expect some Kosovo and Serbia to beforehand state of question successful the region,” helium said successful Brussels.

The 2 sides agreed successful European Union-mediated talks successful 2016 to let escaped traffic. However, Kosovo officials said the woody has expired and lone due Kosovo symbols are present valid successful the territory.

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In Belgrade, Vucic called an exigency gathering connected Tuesday of the authorities nationalist information assembly arsenic Serb officials successful Kosovo demanded assistance from Belgrade.

Top Kosovo Serb authoritative Goran Rakic described the latest determination arsenic “a nonstop threat” against Serbs surviving successful Kosovo, saying they person informed EU mediator Miroslav Lajcak and different planetary officials astir the caller developments.

“This (protest) is simply a absorption by the radical who are disquieted astir their future, their children and their families,” said Rakic.

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Llazar Semini successful Tirana, Albania, and Jovana Gec successful Belgrade contributed to this report.

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