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Kosovo Calm But Tense Ahead Of Serb Decision On Roadblocks

A Slovenian KFOR soldier stands on a road in front of barricades in the village of Rudare, in northern Kosovo, on August 5.

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August 07, 2011

Northern Kosovo was calm but tense as ethnic Serbs maintained their roadblocks despite a NATO-brokered agreement from last week between Belgrade and Pristina aimed at defusing their crisis.

Local Serb leaders are due to decide by August 9 whether they will endorse the deal or continue to blockade roads in their northern Kosovo enclave.

The dispute stems from a trade war that Serbia and Kosovo failed to resolve in talks facilitated by the European Union since March.

The crisis escalated in late July when Pristina ordered special police to seize two border crossings into Serbia from northern Kosovo.

Local Serbs responded by setting up the roadblocks and torching some border checkpoints.

Pristina was trying to impose a ban on imports from Serbia in reaction to Belgrade's refusal to allow goods into Serbia from Kosovo.

compiled from agency reports

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Comment Sorting

Comments

by: Valon from: NY

August 07, 2011 17:33

Why is the international community negotiating with Belgrade when it is clear that the locals wont adhere to orders from Belgrade? They are part of a different country and are a black whole created from ignorance on behalf of the international community. They are governed by hooligans. KFOR and EULEX need to coordinate with the Kosovo police on how to transform the black whole in norther Kosovo into a lawful society. This is the only way to a stable European future.

In Response

by: jknight from: london

August 09, 2011 09:28

so not even a dead Serb is a good Serb to you Kill them all eh? Murderous thug

by: Gerhard from: Frankfurt

August 07, 2011 20:45

I can't understand how this kind of things can be tolerated, the International Law says that UNMIK and EULEX are administrating Kosovo, until it's reintegrated. No "quasi" government from Pristina has the right to enforce their law on people of Kosovo, and should be sanctioned. Kosovo is still a province of an independent and recognised nation, no irredentistic policies should be supported. Be it albanian, serbian, or otherwise. When will this parody end, will we have individual states in the future, everytime someone sees it unfit to integrate or follow the law and constitution of the land he lives in, it's enough to grab a weapon kill some policeman and declare himself for independent, to get recognised and supported by NATO. Let's please end this farse, before it's too late.

by: bman from: Perth

August 08, 2011 06:59

When will the so-called 'west' learn? It was Serb imperialism that started WW1 which lead directly to WWII. It was the same Serb attitude that reignited the then near-moribund global Jihad after the likes of Bin Laden & Co. saw what the Serbs were doing in Bosnia in 1992-95 whilst the 'west' lectured about human rights and then sat on their hands whilst thousands were killed. It seems to me that the 'west' will end up in another global war courtesy of the Greater Serbia proponents in Belgrade. Just how many people in the Balkans, in Europe and across the world have to die before the 'west' wakes up to itself and deals with the cancerous and toxic threat to human civilization that is greater Serbianism?

by: John from: Chicago

August 08, 2011 10:47

Greater Serbianism? I only see greater Albanianism in all of this. As far as I see, Albanians have not one but two states now? West should wake up and stop supporting blood and soil politics. Serbia got bombed because the albanians on Kosovo were subject to discrimination and terror by the Serb forces, now when Serbs are the subject of the same, when not worse (because noone is allowed to protect them), should NATO bomb Pristina, or even sanction, well I see just support for that action, an action that will never bring peace to the region but instability and distrust in international law, the UN and the EU, NATO is as mercenary as it can get.

by: Darren from: Toronto, Canada

August 10, 2011 23:46

There is an area in Serbia inhabited by Albanians. It is neighboring Kosovo. Why don't they swap lands? I think it is the best solution.