Serbia reclaims stretch of rail line in Kosovo
The Associated Press
Monday, March 3, 2008
MITROVICA, Kosovo: Serbia reclaimed control of a 50-kilometer stretch of rail line in northern Kosovo on Monday, a senior official said, in defiance of the government in Pristina.
The official, Branislav Ristivojevic, chairman of Serbia's state-owned railroad company and a senior adviser to Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, said that Serbia was restoring control over the 30-mile line "after a period of nine years."
Earlier, a few dozen Serbian railroad workers blocked passage of a freight train on the line, saying they would not work for Kosovo's rail company and demanding to be transferred to Serbia's state-owned railroad.
The surprise move is likely to increase tensions between the Serbs and Kosovo's authorities and NATO peacekeepers. It is in line with the Belgrade government's instructions to the Serbian minority to shun any contact with Kosovo's government after it declared independence two weeks ago, and to work directly with Serbia instead.
Hundreds of Serbian policemen have handed over their badges and weapons rather than submit to the authorities in Kosovo. Serbian protesters have set fire to border crossing points with Serbia and have blocked ethnic Albanians from working in courts in the northern area.
Serbia's Orthodox Church joined in the boycott Monday. Archbishop Artemije, who heads the church in Kosovo, ordered his clergy to cease all contacts with the Kosovo authorities and with the coming EU mission.
In another sign of underlying tension, a sniper attack Monday targeted an office gathering of different ethnic groups in the northern, Serb-controlled part of the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica.
Two bullets were fired at the offices, which operate on a grant from the Belgian government. No one was hurt. Wim Peeters, Belgium's top diplomat in Kosovo, condemned the attack as "a cowardly and shameful act."
It was not clear how the takeover of the rail line by Serbia's railroads would be carried out in defiance of the government in Pristina. Serbia's government has long claimed ownership of much of Kosovo's infrastructure, including power plants and rail lines.
United Nations officials, who are in charge of Kosovo's railroads, said they would discuss whether to continue running train services.
Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuqi of Kosovo dismissed Serbia's move as a ploy aimed against Kosovo's independence and pledged that the authorities would protect the country's borders.
Serbia has rejected Kosovo's declaration of independence last month. Belgrade has ruled out military action to reclaim Kosovo, but has said it has a secret "action plan" to deal with the breakaway province. Officials have said Serbia will seek to retain control of Serb-dominated areas in northern Kosovo.
Serbia and its ally Russia maintain that the UN Security Council has not authorized the EU mission, which is meant to replace the UN administration that has ruled Kosovo since 1999.
The Russian Foreign Ministry protested on Monday the creation of an international group to help guide Kosovo, saying it violated UN decisions and could lead to "unpredictable consequences."
"We think the creation of the group goes against UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and internationally agreed principles" for handling Kosovo's future, a ministry spokesman said in a statement.
Serbia lodged a complaint with the United Nations against the establishment last week of the 15-nation International Steering Group for Kosovo, whose mission is to help guide Kosovo's democratic development.
The group includes the United States, Turkey and 13 other European countries - all of which have recognized Kosovo's Feb. 17 declaration of independence from Serbia.
The group appointed Pieter Feith to be its international civilian representative for Kosovo. He is also the European Union's representative in Kosovo who will oversee the authorities' compliance with a UN-sponsored deal providing broad rights for minorities.
The EU will also deploy an 1,800-strong police and justice mission to be led by a retired French general, Yves de Kermabon.
While ethnic Albanians account for nearly 90 percent of Kosovo's two million people, Serbs dominate a number of enclaves and a large part of northern Kosovo.
Serbian leaders have vowed to ignore both the EU mission and Kosovo's new government, and work only with the UN administration.
Feith has accused Belgrade of striving for a de facto division of Kosovo, leaving the northern region under Belgrade's control. Serbian officials, calling Feith's presence in Kosovo illegal, have refused to deal with him.
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