The Kosovo authorities has delayed a choice to oblige Serbs residing within the nation's northern municipalities to use for Pristina-issued quantity plates following a set of recent tensions between native communities and legislation enforcement officers.
Late on Sunday night, protesters parked vehicles stuffed with gravel and different heavy equipment on roads resulting in the 2 border crossings, Jarinje and Bernjak, in a territory the place Serbs kind a majority. Kosovo police mentioned they needed to shut the border crossings.
Police additionally reported pictures being fired of their path earlier on within the day, however with none accidents. Protesters are additionally believed to have attacked a number of Albanians and automobiles passing on the roads that had been blocked.
Air raid sirens have been heard for greater than three hours within the small city of North Mitrovica inhabited primarily by Serbs.
Roughly 50,000 Serbs residing within the north nonetheless use quantity plates and paperwork issued by Serbian authorities, regardless of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008. The nation is recognised as an impartial state by greater than 100 international locations, however not by Serbia or Russia.
"The general safety scenario within the Northern municipalities of Kosovo is tense," NATO-led mission to Kosovo KFOR mentioned in a assertion. It additional acknowledged that it might be "ready to intervene" if the instability have been to develop worse.
In Moscow, Russian International Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blamed the heightened pressure on what she known as "groundless discriminatory guidelines" imposed by Kosovo authorities.
Because of such rising tensions, the Kosovo authorities - led by prime minister Albin Kurti - mentioned it might grant Serbs a 60-day transitional interval to get Kosovo quantity plates, a 12 months after giving up attempting to impose them as a result of related protests.
The federal government additionally determined that as of 1 August, all residents from Serbia visiting Kosovo must get an additional doc on the border to grant them permission to enter - a rule much like that utilized by Serbia to Kosovar guests.
However following tensions on Sunday night and consultations with EU and US ambassadors, the federal government mentioned it might delay its plan for one month, and begin implementation on 1 September.
A 12 months in the past, after native Serbs blocked the identical roads over quantity plates, Kosovo's authorities deployed particular police forces and Belgrade flew fighter jets near the border.
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo stay excessive and the latter's fragile peace is maintained by a NATO mission which has 3,770 troops on the bottom. Italian peacekeepers have been seen in and round Mitrovica on Sunday.
The 2 international locations dedicated in 2013 to a dialogue sponsored by the European Union to attempt to resolve excellent points, however with little progress up to now.
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