Kosovo: Protesters Burn EU Flag

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Serbs continue to protest against Kosovo independence.

Up to 2,000 demonstrators rallied in the new nation’s tense north Monday.

They gathered beneath a banner reading, “Kosovo is Serbia.” A few set fire to European Union flags.

Serbs consider Kosovo the heart of their ancient homeland and the cradle of their Serbian Orthodox faith. They reject Kosovo’s independence as illegal.

The protesters also burned a poster showing U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with Serbia’s pro-Western president, Boris Tadic.

Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian leadership proclaimed statehood on February 17th. The U.S. was among the countries to recognize Kosovo’s independence.