Posted on 03/17/2008 9:08:02 AM PDT by Bokababe
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- Kosovska Mitrovica was in turmoil this morning after UNMIK and KFOR stormed a local court to arrest Serbs.
Beta news agency says that several hundred soldiers at 05:30 CET surrounded the court, where Serb judicial workers, demanding to return to their jobs, were protesting since Friday.
They first handcuffed the men, and then tied the women's hands with ropes. The workers were not resisting the arrest. When the troops moved outside to take them away, a large group of citizens blocked the road.
The citizens, local Serbs in the divided town, then started throwing stones at UNMIK. Soldiers responded by throwing back tear gas and shock bombs.
The protesting crowd managed to stop two vehicles and set the Serbs inside free. Both men and women, 21 in all, were among those in this way released from UNMIK custody.
Officials in Priština said early this morning that "53 Serbs were arrested without any use of force, but that protests are ongoing".
But the rioting spread to other parts of the town, where chaos was seen on the streets at 07:00. Bombs were thrown and vehicles, including KFOR and UNMIK, were set on fire. Sirens were also heard.
B92's sources say that up to 30 international soldiers and policemen have been injured, five of them seriously.
Three Serbs are also in serious condition, one of them sustained life-threatening wounds. Further 70 are treated for minor injuries. Hospital officials say most of the wounds were inflicted by firearms.
After UNMIK and Kosovo police, KPS, were ordered out of the Serb part of the town, the situation calmed down.
KFOR is now patrolling the streets, and according to our sources, has received orders to "shoot to restore order". It is unclear if a state of emergency has officially been declared. Serbs are in the meantime gathering at the city square where Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardžić is expected to address them.
UNMIK spokesman Alexandar Ivanko also confirmed that UNMIK police had withdrawn from northern Kosovska Mitrovica, while KFOR will remain.
He told CNN that the situation in town is "very serious".
"We hope the situation will be resolved in a few hours.. we ask for peace to prevail."
He added that UNMIK has spoken to Samardžić this morning, "pleading with him to use his influence to calm the situation".
Earlier, leader of the Serb National Council for Northern Kosovo Milan Ivanović said that UNMIK and KFOR used excessive force, sparking the reaction in the streets.
Polish and Ukrainian soldiers have reportedly been sent inside the court building, while the French were left outside to guard the perimeter.
"The employees have peacefully accepted to be arrested and transported to Priština," Ivanović says, "but several hundred citizens, now more than a thousand, blocked KFOR's way. UNMIK then used excessive force, throwing tear gas so that now there's lots of tear gas, but people are not dispersing."
According to him, the raid came at UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker's orders, who got his orders from Hashim Thaci and Fatmir Sejdiu.
"It really is curious that the head of UNMIK gets orders from temporary illegal Kosovo institutions, from an illegal, self-proclaimed, mafia quasi-state," Ivanović concluded.
Several hundred KFOR troops are currently on the streets. Armored vehicles and five tanks have cordoned off the court building.
Drones and helicopters were also used in the raid, when UN and NATO troops removed the Serbian flag from the building.
This is all very curious.
Samardzic addresses Kosovska Mitrovica crowds
17 March 2008 | 15:17 -> 16:12 | Source: Beta
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA — Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardzic has denounced the conduct of UNMIK in Kosovska Mitrovica today.
Samardzic said that the country would protect the Kosovo Serbs, as well as all other Serbian citizens.
In Sumadija Square in Kosovska Mitrovica, the minister told a crowd that he had wanted to address them on the anniversary of the 2004 March attacks on Serbs, and that he had not expected today’s clashes in the town.
“This (clash) could have been avoided, but someone needed it to happen. These last few days, since the justice workers entered the building, we’ve been in constant contact with people from UNMIK and agreed that nothing be done on Monday, when I was due to come to Kosovska Mitrovica,” he told a 1,000-strong crowd.
Samardzic added that he had spoken last night with Deputy UNMIK Chief Larry Rossin, and that he had come with the message that Serbia and UNMIK had to agree on how UN Resolution 1244 would be implemented after the violent, unlawful unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence.“
“I gave him (Rossin) the text of an agreement and repeated that the Serbs did not want violence, that they wanted an agreement, and that I would come to the town the next day to solve the problem. Someone was impatient and did this this morning, we don’t who is to blame, but I give you my word that there will be an international investigation, and that we’ll take this matter right through to the end,“ said the minister.
He said that the Serb justice workers had been attacked in the courthouse and expelled by force, before being taken to prison.
“We’ll offer resistance as people, as a state, as Christians, we have to reach an agreement and protest peacefully. I have been promised that the people in court will be returned, and we won’t move from in front of the court until they are brought back,” promised Samardzic.
The minister called on the Serbs to remain calm, to be organized and disciplined, and to protest peacefully.
In response to derogatory cat-calling directed at President Boris Tadic, he said that politicians were not important, but rather people.
“There were many victims today, let’s not let that happen again,” said Samardzic, adding that he insisted on peaceful protests.
Alongside the minister in the square was Montenegrin opposition leader Andrija Mandic; and actress Ivana Žigon.
At the end of the rally, in pouring rain, the crowd returned to the courthouse, which continues to be guarded by a strong KFOR contingent. KFOR helicopters continue to monitor developments on the ground.
Prior to addressing the rally, he met with local Serb leadership in Kosovska Mitrovica, after arriving the enclave of Gracanica, where he attended church dedicated to the pogrom of the Serbs on this day in 2004.
This morning, Samardzic called on UNMIK to immediately release all Serbs arrested in Kosovska Mitrovica.
Samardzic said that today’s police operation in the courthouse in Kosovska Mitrovica and the arrest of judges was inexcusable and overstepped the boundaries of civilized behavior when dealing with such a crisis.
“It’s all the more unacceptable given that I spoke with deputy special representative Larry Rossin last night in Gracanica,” he added.
“I then offered an agreement to settle all open matters between UNMIK and Serbia concerning the Serbs in Kosovo, and apart from that, we reached an agreement in principle that nothing would be done until I went to Kosovska Mitrovica,” said Samardzic, who is currently in Gracanica.
The minister was intending to travel to Mitrovica today to speak with the workers in the courthouse.
“In spite of this, they (UNMIK and KFOR) carried out this violent operation and provoked the populace, causing clashes in the streets which are now gradually calming down, but, to my knowledge, they have taken 33 or 34 judges and personnel to Priština” he reported.
Samardzic insisted on the immediate release of all those arrested.
“If we are to maintain order, stability, and if we are to have any sort of cooperation, our absolutely final demand will be for those people to be released immediately, and for those problems to be resolved the way we talked about yesterday, through agreement and negotiation,” the minister warned.
He said that, for some reason, UNMIK had resorted to violent means, and that this was no way to settle matters.
“All the more so given that our verbal agreement to settle the matter peacefully and negotiate over everything has been broken,” stressed Samardzic.
Distressing situation.
These Serbs didn't plan on violence. Many of these were Serb judges --who the UN had recruited as token "window dressing" for their reports -- but who couldn't even travel to and from the courts daily, but were forced to work from home. They had been occupying the courthouse since last Friday. It was the war criminal phony "prime minister" Ceku (AKA "the Snake") who demanded that the UN remove these Serbs by force, so I guess that they grabbed whatever they could in heat of the moment to resist.
I guess in a couple days we will know the real reason for the protests, like those “sneakers for Kosovo”. (do they have sneakers in that hole?)
do serbs know anything else but violently protest?
You wanted the UN to stay in Kosovo and enforce UN resolution 1244? So you got what you wanted. Be careful what you wish for.
You must be a New York Albanian.
I'm American, TJ, and what I "wanted" and still want, is for the US, NATO & the UN (who are all "us", anyway) to mind its own business and stay out of Balkan politics, period! LEt them figure it out, it's their problem and shouldn't be ours, because we are screwing things up even further and steamrolling Christians in favor of the ROP. It's illegal, immoral and just plain stupid policy.
Ah, hiney, our new resident spokesman for the ROP who only raises his head to Serb-bash & repeat the ROP propaganda.
Too late. Your side bitched and moaned about international law and UN resolution 1244 so now the UN will stay in Kosovo and administer the Serb majority areas. Aren’t you glad you got what you demanded? Aren’t you glad the Russians made Serbia’s case at the UN so well? Those Russians sure are great allies. Look at what they’ve done for you.
sorry if you are serb, must be sad that “everyone hates you”.
And aren't you glad that you got what you and "your side" demanded? A phony mafia state supplying the drugs, illegal arms and child prostitutes to Western Europe, with the opportunity for Americans to die protecting this hellish state where churches are burned and Saudi mosques are sprouting up like weeds -- not to mention, the law-breaking precedent that could start more wars around the globe for more people to die, including us. Wow, that's a real "accomplishment" for you & yours!
No, you are just plain "sorry" period.
As much as you would like it to be, the USA is NOT Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. I was born and raised in the USA, and have as much right to speak on what is "good for America" as any citizen. If you don't like that, I suggest that YOU go to some totalitarian state where you would be more comfortable, instead of hiding behind the American flag to promote fascist views -- which are neither "conservative" nor "pro-America"!
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