Serb protesters in northern Kosovo blocked main roads and exchanged gunfire with police after a former Serbian policeman was arrested for allegedly attacking Kosovo institutions and officials amid rising tensions between authorities and the Serbian minority in Kosovo.
About 50,000 Serbs living in the northern part of Kosovo refuse to recognize the authority of Pristina and want to join Serbia.
Tuesday was the fourth day of lockdowns and protesters showed no signs of removing trucks full of gravel and other heavy machinery from main roads.
After meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, US envoy for the Balkans Gabriel Escobar asked “everyone to remain calm”, citing the need for continued dialogue.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade refuses to recognize its status.
However, the EU is playing the role of mediator in talks aimed at normalizing relations and Brussels has already presented a plan.
“I don’t think we can afford to wait for anything serious to happen,” said EU Pristina-Belgrade dialogue envoy Miroslav Lajcak after meeting Kurti with ‘Escobar.
“For me, (a) much better way to remove the barricades is with a political deal than with bulldozers,” Lajcak said.
On Tuesday, NATO soldiers and EU police in armored vehicles patrolled near the checkpoint in the village of Rudare, near the city of Mitrovica, while on the other side of the fence, local Serbs burned wood for warmth as temperatures dropped below zero and it snowed sporadically.
