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High tension on the border between Serbia and Kosovo. The news is fragmentary at the moment, but from what is known across northern Kosovo alarms are sounding – churches and monasteries are ringing the bells – gunfire has been warned in some cases and troop movements on the border between the two countries have been observed while the passages between the two nations would be closed.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vicuc told the Nation: “The Kosovo Serbs will not tolerate any further persecution. We will seek peace, but let me tell you we will not give up. Serbia is not a country that can be defeated as easily as in Milosevic’s time». Tensions between the two Balkan states have been rising for some time and Belgrade has denounced the persecution of minority civil servants in Kosovo. This would also be one of the triggering reasons, combined with the fact of a possible – according to Serbian information – “invasion by Kosovar troops from midnight between Sunday and Monday, August 1st”.
The tension and protests of the Serbian minority are mainly increased by the fact that the Kosovo government has declared that the new law on identity cards and license plates will come into force from August 1st. All, including Serbs living in Kosovo, are required to have Kosovar identity cards and license plates.
We recall that there is a UN contingent in Kosovo consisting of almost 4,000 soldiers from 28 different countries, many of them from NATO or allied countries.
