Barricades set up by Serbs in the north of Kosovo on roads leading to the border crossings of Jarinje and Brnjak were not removed on Tuesday morning following the expiry of a deadline set by the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR), and the number of people on the barricades has increased.
On Monday KFOR gave the Serbs in the north of the country another 24 hours to remove the barricades from the roads leading to Jarinje and Brnjak, on the border with Serbia, and to a nearby KFOR camp.
KFOR Commander Erhard Drews delayed a supply convoy for KFOR troops at the border crossings until Tuesday to give people in northern Kosovo more time to remove the roadblocks.
The local Serbs, however, so far have not shown any intention of removing the roadblocks, but have kept taking turns on the barricades. Despite very low temperatures since yesterday, the number of people on the barricades has increased. They spent another night in tents and by fires, waiting for a solution to be found to the crisis that has lasted more than three months.
The local Serb media said that by gathering on the barricades the Serbs wanted to show that they would not accept the plan by the government in Pristina to integrate the north of Kosovo into its institutions and to show their disagreement with decisions of the international peacekeeping forces.
A joint session of representatives from the Serb-majority municipalities of Northern Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic is expected to be held in Zubin Potok on Wednesday. It is expected that an acceptable solution for Serbs in the north of Kosovo would be proposed at the session.
The Minister for Kosovo in Serbia's government, Goran Bogdanovic, has called on KFOR to postpone today's operation to remove the barricades until Wednesday's session of representatives of the Serb-majority municipalities.
After meeting leaders of Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo, who asked him to wait with the announced removal of barricades until Wednesday, the KFOR commander last Saturday said that he expected unconditional and permanent access to the border, and that if the barricades were not removed by Monday, KFOR would do it in a peaceful way.
The Serbs in the north of Kosovo do not want the Kosovo authorities, which they do not recognise, to control the border crossings of Jarinje and Brnjak on the border with Serbia. They set up barricades on the two crossings and roads leading to them in September, forcing KFOR to use helicopters to bring supplies to its troops on the ground.
