Serbs Set Border Checkpoints On Fire To Protest Kosovo Independence
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Thousands of Serbs continue to protest Kosovo’s declaration of independence.
Protesters chanted “Kosovo is Serbia” while marching across a bridge that divides them from ethnic Albanians in one northern town. Others have torched U.N. border checkpoints and cars in anger over international recognition of the new country.
Protesters have also damaged, vandalized or set fire to customs service and passport control booths. The attacks on the border crossings could clear the way for Serbian militants to return to fight in Kosovo.
NATO peacekeepers haven’t intervened but have stepped up patrols on a road leading to Serbia.
Serbia’s foreign minister says his country is ready for talks for a solution on Kosovo’s future status. But he adds that Serbia “cannot give them sovereignty” because Kosovo is the “crucible” of Serbia’s identity.
