30/08/2005
PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbia-Montenegro -- UNMIK chief Soren Jessen-Petersen again urged restraint Tuesday (30 August) in the province following a drive-by shooting late Saturday that killed two Kosovo Serbs and injured two others. He asked local Serb political leaders and those in Belgrade not to jump to conclusions, but rather to give the police time to conduct a thorough investigation.
Kosovo Serbs organised protests Tuesday in Mitrovica, Gracanica and Strpce, condemning the murders and demanding Jessen-Petersen's dismissal. UN police were patrolling areas near the Serb enclaves and establishing checkpoints in a bid to prevent any recurrence of ethnic violence.
In other news, two UN police officers have been detained in Kosovo on charges of human trafficking. UNMIK said on Monday the two are accused of smuggling people into the province illegally. (RTS, Politika - 30/08/05; UN Web site, Tanjug, Reuters, AP, AFP - 29/08/05)