Albanians, Serbs clash in divided town of Mitrovica

28/08/2008

PRISTINA, Kosovo -- Groups of Albanians and Serbs clashed late Wednesday (August 27th) in the northern part of Mitrovica, media reported on Thursday. The clashes occurred in a neighbourhood inhabited both by Albanians and Serbs. Serbian media reported four Serbs suffered injuries and vehicles parked nearby incurred damage. UNMIK and Kosovo police have stopped traffic across the main bridge linking the south and the Serb-dominated northern part of town.

In other news Wednesday, UNMIK spokesman Alexander Ivanko told a press conference in Pristina that UNMIK has not been in a position to impose agreements or solutions since June 15th. Rather, Ivanko said, the mission's role is to facilitate dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Also Wednesday, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci consulted about candidates to serve as ambassadors to the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Belgium. Kosovo will also be opening embassies in Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey and Albania. The government plans to allocate about 25m euros to buy properties for embassies and liaison offices. (Telegrafi, Kohavision, Top Channel, RTK, B92, TV 21 - 27/08/08)