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Serbian President Vučić wants to speak only of "alleged mayors"

Photo: Hannah Mckay / AFP

The violent clashes between Serb militants and soldiers of the international protection force KFOR in northern Kosovo are still having an impact. Statements by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and his Kosovar counterpart Vjosa Osmani on the sidelines of the European summit in Moldova now illustrate how hardened the fronts on both sides are.

According to the Reuters news agency, Vučić spoke out in favour of the dismissal of the recently elected Albanian-born mayors in northern Kosovo after arriving at the summit. Such a decision would be "the strongest step" to resolve the current tensions, Vučić said. He spoke of "alleged mayors" and underlined that Serbia does not recognize the election, which was boycotted by the majority Serb population in the region.

Osmani, however, urged Serbia to stop its activities to destabilize Kosovo. "The challenge comes from Serbia, a country that still has to come to terms with its past." The situation is "tense," Osmani said. President Vučić must stop supporting criminal gangs if he really wants peace," the president said.

Protests continue

On Thursday, protests broke out again in northern Kosovo. Rallies were again held in front of the municipal offices of Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok. According to a report by the news portal »koha.net«, they were peaceful.

On Monday, there were heavy clashes in Zvecan between Serbs and soldiers of the NATO-led protection force KFOR, which secure the offices. As a result, 80 people were injured, including 30 soldiers. The riots had caused international outrage and stoked fears of a further escalation in the already difficult relations between Serbia and Kosovo. NATO sent another contingent of 700 troops to the region after the riots.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Serbia does not recognize this and demands the return of its former province. The north of Kosovo is almost exclusively inhabited by Serbs, while the rest of the country is almost exclusively inhabited by Albanians. The protests were ignited after the election of new mayors. They are Albanian-born politicians who prevailed in by-elections because the Serbs in the region had boycotted the vote at the behest of the government in Belgrade.

Macron and Scholz want to mediate

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron want to try to ease the situation in Kosovo at the summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in Moldova. To this end, the two want to talk separately with Serbian President Vučić and Kosovo President Osmani.

fek/Reuters/dpa