Kosovo: Seven injured in ethnic clashes
Mitrovica, 25 August (AKI) - Seven people were injured on Tuesday in clashes between local Serbs and Albanians in the divided northern Kosovo city of Mitrovica. Groups of Serbs and Albanians threw stones at each other at a construction site in the predominantly Serbian Brdjani neighbourhood in northern Mitrovica, where some 100 Serbs reportedly gathered to protest the rebuilding of Albanian houses, officials told local media. International police used teargas to break up the conflict and the situation in Brdjani was reported to be calm but tense after the clashes. Bajram Redzepi, mayor of southern Mitrovica, called on the European Union's EULEX law-enforcing mission to provide a safe environment to enable Albanians to return to Brdjani. Several people including a French soldier were injured in conflict there over the same issue in February. The 2,500-strong EULEX police, customs and judicial mission was deployed in Kosovo last December to replace the United Nations administration (UNMIK). Mitrovica has been a divided city for the past ten years, with the southern part controlled by Albanians and the north by Serbs. Serbs oppose the return of Albanians to Brdjani unless their co-nationals are allowed to return to their homes in southern Mitrovica. Kosovo declared independence last year with the support of western powers, but Belgrade is continuing its diplomatic battle to retain the control of the province. Most of the remaining 100,000 Serbs lives in Kosovo's northern area, which is under Serb administration. http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.0.3693119933
