NATO troops back off from ethnic Serbs blockading border post

deutsche welle
KOSOVO

22.10.2011
NATO peacekeepers have retreated from a confrontation with ethnic Kosovo Serbs blockading border posts. The troops had been set to remove barriers built by protesters angry at a handover of frontier controls to Pristina.

NATO soldiers retreated from a tense stand-off on Saturday as they tried to dismantle a barrier erected by ethnic Kosovo Serbs.

Serbs in northern Kosovo had erected 16 barricades on roads leading to Brnjak and Jarinje after Kosovo authorities said in July they would replace ethnic Serb customs officers at the border with its own staff and EU officials....more...
read more: deutsche welle
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15480187,00.html

NATO begins dismantling Serb barricade in northern Kosovo

deutsche welle
KOSOVO

20.10.2011
NATO-led troops have fired tear gas to disperse angry Serb crowds manning roadblocks at a contested border crossing in northern Kosovo. The soldiers have used armored vehicles to remove the barriers.

NATO troops in full riot gear moved in the early hours of Thursday to dismantle makeshift roadblocks set up by Kosovo Serbs in northern Kosovo....more....
read more: deutsche welle
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15474510,00.html

Police Say Serb Injured In Kosovo Clash Dies

radio free europe
November 10, 2011

Police and hospital officials say an ethnic Serb injured by gunfire during a clash between ethnic Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo's north has died.
Two other injury victims, including a policeman, are still being treated.
Police spokesman Besim Hoti said Savo Mojsic died in a hospital in the Serb-run part of the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica on November 10 after a three-hour surgery....more..
read more: radio free europe
http://www.rferl.org/content/police_say_serb_injured_kosovo_dies/24386488.html

In Kosovo, Smuggling Fosters Unusual Ethnic Cooperation

ny times
By DOREEN CARVAJAL

Published: October 24, 2011
MITROVICA, Kosovo — For three months, this gritty mining town has been a hot spot of Balkan ethnic tension ominous enough to prompt new deployments of armed NATO peacekeepers and action by the European Union to slow Serbia’s long-sought bid for membership.
In the long siege at makeshift gravel barricades, ethnic Serbs hurled rocks toward ethnic Albanians on the other side of the Ibar River, and this summer, hooded men in shorts and sneakers firebombed a border-control station, stoking fears among Western powers that ethnic clashes could spin out of control in northern Kosovo....more...
read more: ny times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/world/europe/in-balkans-smuggling-forges-a-rare-unity.html?_r=1&ref=albania

Nato unleashes tear gas at Serbs

telegraph
2:58 PM BST 20 Oct 2011
Nato troops unleashed volleys of tear gas at Serbs trying to stop them dismantling barricades in northern Kosovo near the border with Serbia, leaving dozens needing treatment.
For nearly three months, Kosovo Serbs have been blocking roads to stop the country's ethnic Albanian leadership from extending its control over the part of the country populated mostly by ethnic Serbs....more...
read more: telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/kosovo/8838836/Nato-unleashes-tear-gas-at-Serbs.html

Kosovo’s Serbs Pressed to End Autonomy Push

ny times
 MEMO FROM KOSOVO
By MATTHEW BRUNWASSER

Published: September 29, 2011
MITROVICA, Kosovo — After years of impasse between the national government of Kosovo and ethnic Serbs demanding autonomy within their northern enclave in the new country, international pressure has intensified on the Serbs. And while the immediate result has been minor clashes, there is new hope for some movement toward a resolution for the last geopolitically unsettled chunk of the former Yugoslavia....more...
read more: ny times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/world/europe/26iht-kosovo26.html?ref=serbia

Blocked, Northern Kosovo

the economist
An impasse that could turn nasty
SERBIA’S government has lost control of the Serbian-majority north of Kosovo. The roads are barricaded and locals are rowing with NATO peacekeepers and European Union police....more....
read more: the economist
http://www.economist.com/node/21534834

Serbia wants special status for Kosovo north

blic online
BORIS TADIC AT UN SESSION IN NEW YORK

Tamara Spaić

22. 09. 2011. - 02:02h
Comments 0
Serbia President Boris Tadic shall try at meetings with world leaders in New York to get their support for the settlement of the current crisis at customs checkpoints with implementation of Ban-Ki-Moon’s plan from 2008, as sources close to Tadic confirmed to ‘Blic’. It is believed that would be just a beginning for the international community to recognize ‘the north as something special’ and an introduction to autonomy or even partition....more...
read more: blic online
http://english.blic.rs/News/8027/Serbia-wants-special-status-for-Kosovo-north

Serbia Takes Kosovo Border Row to New York

balkan insight
21 SEP 2011 / 09:51

As tensions fizz in the Serb-run sliver of North Kosovo, Belgrade has launched a diplomatic push aimed at forcing Kosovo to withdraw its customs officials from northern border crossings.

Bojana Barlovac Belgrade

Not even pouring rain has stopped local Serbs from manning barricades in the Serb-run north of Kosovo for the fifth day in a row, following last Friday's deployment of EU police and Kosovo customs officials on border crossings with Serbia....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/belgrade-launches-diplomatic-action-over-kosovo-north

A coffee with Serbian vice prime minister Bozidar Djelic -video-

waz.eu.observer.com
TODAY @ 08:17

The EU is examining Serbian-backed proposals to break the deadlock in Northern Kosovo. In this video Serbian deputy prime minister Bozidar Djelic talks about the solution that Serbia has proposed to EU foreign chief Catherine Ashton to solve the problem....more...
read more: waz.eu.observer.com
http://euobserver.com/1015/113683

Bare-Handed Kosovo Serbs Battle NATO

serbianna
Sep 20, 2011
Bare-Handed Kosovo Serbs Battle NATO
By Vojin Joksimovich, Ph.D.
On September the 16th NATO forces, overstepping their UN Security Council (UNSC) mandates, amid tensions on the administrative border between Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo, have fired the first shots at bare-handed Kosovo Serbs in the village of Zupce. The Kosovo Serbs have erected barricades, in a life or death situation, to defend themselves against the Muslim Albanian onslaughts which desire to forcefully incorporate northern Kosovo into the US/EU created Republic of Kosovo, an amputated province from the Republic of Serbia. The Albanian police, aided and assisted by NATO’s KFOR, have taken over two border crossings: Jarinje and Brnjak. The Albanian customs officers, aided and abetted by EU’s EULEX mission in Kosovo, have established their control over the border crossings....more...
read more: serbianna
http://serbianna.com/analysis/archives/993

Kosovo Showdown: NATO, Serbs Set Up Competing Checkpoints

serbianna
September 16, 2011 – 1:25 am

B92/Beta News Agency

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: NATO troops in Kosovo, KFOR, tonight used barbed wire to shut down the Jarinje administrative line checkpoint
between Kosovo and central Serbia.
As a consequence of this, the traffic at the checkpoint has come to a complete halt.
A little after 19:00 CET,, local Serbs in northern Kosovo used trucks to block the second administrative crossing, Brnjak.
The trucks are placed on both sides of the administrative line.
Serbs also blocked access to Jarinje with one truck. ...more...
read more: serbianna
http://serbianna.com/blogs/michaletos/archives/1084

Kosovo Accuses Serbia of Renewing Trade Embargo

balkan insight
20 SEP 2011 / 12:23

In a letter to Brussels, Pristina warns that it will reactivate its trade ban with Serbia if Belgrade fails to honour the September 2 deal.

Fatmir Aliu Pristina

Kosovo’s government on Monday sent a letter to the European Union, calling on Brussels to get Serbia to honour a September 2 agreement about the free movement of goods between the two countries....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/kosovo-accuses-serbia-of-renewing-trade-embargo

Quiet, for now - The latest from Kosovo

the economist
Sep 18th 2011, 14:12 by T.J.

BELGRADE
AN UPDATE on the situation in northern Kosovo. On Wednesday, after visiting Kosovo, I wrote that it looked set for a "major clash". Indeed, a day later, at the Belgrade Security Forum, Boris Tadic, Serbia's president, said that “unilateral actions”—by which he meant anything done by the authorities in Pristina—could seriously endanger the peace and security of the whole region. That sounded pretty tough, but on Friday morning his bluff was called....more...
read more: the economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2011/09/latest-kosovo

Everything ends by exchange of words over barbwire

blic online
SERBS READY TO BE ALL ON BARRICADES IN TEN MINUTES

Ivana Mastilović-Jasnić

19. 09. 2011. - 00:02h
Comments 0
Yesterday was a peaceful day on the barricades. Citizens, in three shifts of eight hours each are on barricades to prevent anyone of the EULEX, KFOR or Kosovo police approach checkpoints by ground roads. At some roads, barricades are several meters high. Shortage of food is felt in all towns. The same case is with petrol. At all locations where Serbian population is neighboring with Albanians citizens are on guard 24 hours a day....more....
read more: blic online
http://english.blic.rs/News/8015/Everything-ends-by-exchange-of-words-over-barbwire

Roads in Northern Kosovo Still Blocked

balkan insight
19 SEP 2011 / 09:55
All major roads in northern Kosovo remain blocked but the situation remains calm following the deployment of EU police and Kosovo customs officials to border crossings with Serbia last Friday.
Bojana Barlovac Belgrade

Serbs in northern Kosovo have strengthened barricades on major roads and are reportedly refusing to remove them until Kosovo police and customs officers withdraw from two checkpoints. ...more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/roads-in-kosovo-north-remain-blocked

Kosovo Serbs Man Barricades But Stay Calm

balkan insight
17 SEP 2011 / 13:11

As Serbs in northern Kosovo continue strengthening roadblocks, Belgrade has undertaken diplomatic action to resolve tensions on the ground.

Bojana Barlovac, Fatmir Aliu Belgrade, Pristina

Serb-run northern Kosovo remained calm on Saturday, one day after the controversial deployment of EU police and Kosovo customs officials on border crossings with Serbia....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/north-kosovo-calm-roads-blocked

Ready for barricades

blic online
‘BLIC’ REPORTER AMONG SERBS IN KOSOVO NORTH

Momčilo Petrović

16. 09. 2011. - 00:02h
Foto: A. Stanković
Comments 0
Less than a kilometer behind Jarinje checkpoint between Serbia and Kosovo workers were building a Serbian house brick by brick. The KFOR German soldiers were placing barbwire where checkpoint facilities were set on fire this summer. Serbs were on numerous barricades on the road towards Mitrovica. They all are waiting for Pristina to begin with conquering border checkpoints. After that nothing is going to be the same any more....more...
read more: blic online
http://english.blic.rs/News/8011/Ready-for-barricades

Strong rhetoric for defense of Kosovo north

blic online
SERBIA HAS SMALL MANEUVERING SPACE AHEAD OF SEPTEMBER 16

Tamara Spaić, Ivana Mastilović Jasnić

15. 09. 2011. - 00:02h
Comments 0
With intensive diplomatic engagement and pressure on Brussels and Washington the authorities in Serbia are trying to prevent establishment of the customs control and arrival of Kosovo customs officers to Brnjak and Jarinje checkpoints....more...
read more: blic online
http://english.blic.rs/In-Focus/8008/Strong-rhetoric-for-defense-of-Kosovo-north

Kosovo Serbs Maintain Blockades In Mitrovica

radio free europe
September 17, 2011

Local Serbs are maintaining blockades of two bridges in the city of Mitrovica, in the north of Kosovo.
Overnight, rival groups of young Serbs and Kosovar Albanians threw rocks at each other on a blocked bridge over the Ibar River, which divides the city's two communities....more...
read more: radio free europe
http://www.rferl.org/content/kosovo_serbs_maintain_blockades_in_mitrovica/24331437.html