Kostunica Leads March In Belgrade Over Kosova

Belgrade, 19 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica led a peaceful protest in Belgrade as thousands of people marched in Serbia today to show support for Kosovo Serbs following ethnic fighting that has caused NATO to reinforce the peacekeeping force in the province.

Riot police in Belgrade prevented hundreds of students from reaching the Albanian Embassy in the capital.

About 2,000 British, U.S., Italian, German, and French soldiers are being sent to Kosovo to help prevent more clashes between Serbs and ethnic Albanians. Hundreds arrived last night and today.

Kosovo was relatively calm as of midafternoon today.

Violence during the past two days left 31 people dead and hundreds injured, including more than 60 NATO troops. Several Serbian Orthodox churches have burned in Kosovo, and police are investigating a fire at a Serbian Orthodox church in Bosnia.