Serbs in northern Kosovo on Thursday removed roadblocks from one section of the road in the village of Zupce, about 80 km north of Kosovo's capital Pristina, clearing one traffic lane for the passage of vehicles of NATO troops in Kosovo (KFOR) towards the Brnjak border crossing between the country's volatile north and Serbia.
Barricades were removed following a decision which Serbs from northern Kosovo adopted at a meeting on Wednesday. Shortly after 9AM, Swiss soldiers, members of KFOR, passed through the open part of the road in two vehicles and headed for the border crossing, media in Belgrade reported.
Roadblocks were partially removed also from the road leading to the Jarinje border crossing. The roads will be open for KFOR but not for the EU law and justice mission, EULEX, until that mission reaches an agreement with the authorities in Belgrade.
Explaining the decision concerning the partial removal of roadblocks, representatives of Serbs from northern Kosovo said that by adopting the decision they respected the recommendation by Serbian President Boris Tadic to enable "as soon as possible" freedom of movement and normal provision of supplies for KFOR forces.
NATO and EULEX are currently using helicopters to supply the border posts.
KFOR said they were informed of the Kosovo Serbs' decision, adding they would voice their position after analysing the information and developments on the ground.
A representative of Zubin Potok municipality, Slavisa Ristic, expressed hope KFOR "would not abuse" the decision on the partial removal of roadblocks, underlining that EULEX would not be granted passage until they reached an agreement with the authorities in Belgrade.
The head of the Serbian government's office for cooperation with the media, Milivoje Mihajlovic, told B92 that removing some of the roadblocks was the first step towards calming the situation in northern Kosovo. He stressed that Serbs in northern Kosovo knew they should not get into a conflict with members of the international missions as "they are their only allies, apart from the Serbian government."
Kosovo Serbs are resisting attempts by the country's ethnic Albanian authorities to extend their writ to the largely lawless north, more than three years after Pristina declared independence from Serbia with the backing of Western powers.
Last week KFOR once again tried to remove roadblocks. Eight KFOR members and over 20 locals were injured in the attempt. The situation in northern Kosovo is tense.
