ROME, May 30 Thirty-four troops from the international contingent NATO in Kosovo (KFOR), including 14 Italians, was injured in clashes in northern Kosovo on Monday, Italy's defense ministry said.
Earlier, a statement was published on the KFOR Twitter account, according to which 25 servicemen were injured. Italy's Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, tweeted on Monday about 11 Italian soldiers who were wounded in Kosovo «during clashes between Serbian demonstrators and the Kosovo police.» According to him, three of them are in serious condition, but there is no threat to their lives.
The Italian Defense Ministry reported that on Monday, Kosovo Serbs continued their protests in the cities of North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić, where municipal elections were held at the end of April. In the afternoon, riots took place in Zvecan, during which protesters threw Molotov cocktails, firecrackers and stones. As a result, 34 KFOR soldiers were wounded, including 14 Italians, as well as Hungarians and Moldovans. The situation remains tense, the report says.
The commander of the KFOR contingent, Italian General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, said that «unjustified attacks on NATO units are unacceptable, and KFOR will continue to carry out its mandate impartially.»
On Monday, thousands of Kosovo Serbs gathered in front of local government buildings in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, demanding the withdrawal of the Kosovo police and the recall of the Kosovo Albanian mayors. The military contingent of KFOR with the means to disperse the demonstrations were distributed near the buildings of the municipalities of Zvecan, Leposavich and Zubin Potok. Behind them were large Kosovo police forces that prevented the Serbs from approaching the buildings. In the evening, clashes began between protesters and security forces, tear gas and stun grenades were used, and shots were heard. More than 50 citizens were hospitalized, some of them seriously injured.
At the end of April, in the municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić, the elections of heads were held, and in Zvecan and Leposavić — also deputies of local assemblies. Previously, the authorities of these municipalities were mainly Serbs, but this time they announced a boycott of the elections due to pressure and provocations by the Kosovo Albanian authorities.
Citizens also supported the boycott — it was reported that the turnout was only 3.47%. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that the Kosovo Serbs showed by boycott that they want dialogue and demanded respect from Western forces and a different approach to solving the problem of the province. However, the US Embassy in Pristina and the EU Foreign Service called the elections legal.
As Vucic said in an address to citizens on Monday evening, he plans to ask the Quinta countries (USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy) to «reason their child», assuring that Serbia wants only peace. The Serbian side believes that KFOR did not act in accordance with its powers, provided for by UN Security Council Resolution 1244. In addition, the President of Serbia intends to meet with the ambassadors of Russia and China on Tuesday.
Vučić on Friday brought the Serbian army to a state of maximum combat readiness because of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija because of Pristina's unilateral steps. The head of state also demanded that NATO «urgently stop the violence against the Serbs» in the region.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said earlier that Moscow strongly condemns Pristina's provocative steps. According to her, the situation has come close to the hot phase and the actions of Pristina directly threaten the security of the entire Balkan region. The responsibility for this lies entirely with the US and the EU, Zakharova added. SerbsView