EU Condemns Kosovo Albanian Protest At Border

Kosovo-Albanian protesters clash with police near the Serbian border.

The European Union has condemned a weekend protest by hard-line Kosovo Albanians aimed at preventing the passage of Serbian goods across the border.

Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, said the demonstrations were "completely unjustified because they go against what is a fundamental EU freedom, the freedom of movement of goods."

More than 50 people, including 31 police, were hurt in clashes with hundreds of stone-throwing protesters from the Kosovo Albanian Self-Determination movement, which opposes all contact with Serbia.

Belgrade and Pristina have been at odds since Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008.

compiled from agency reports