Hundreds in Kosovo protest EU's deal with Serbia

AP ^ | 9/14/2009

[Tailgunner Joe]

(AP) — PRISTINA, Kosovo - Ethnic Albanians protested Monday in Kosovo's capital over an information-sharing deal between the European Union police mission in Kosovo and Serbian police.

The protesters say the deal splits Kosovo along ethnic lines and gives Serbia a say in Kosovo's internal affairs. The 1,000 protesters carried Albanian flags through the streets of Pristina, cheering "Down with EULEX!"-the name for EU's 2,000-strong police and justice mission.

Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority, split from Serbia last year. Serbia has criticized nations like the United States who recognize Kosovo's independence.

Albin Kurti, a protest organizer, criticized the EU for signing deals on Kosovo's behalf and favoring Serbia.

"Serbia and EULEX don't recognize the independence of Kosovo and it is totally unacceptable for them to make decision about us," Kurti said.

Kurti leads a group called Self-determination that opposes Kosovo's international supervision. Last month, those activists overturned 24 EU vehicles to protest the deal. Twenty were arrested and sentenced to one month in prison.

[Eagles6]

Sad, sad story.

[Freee-dame]

Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority, split from Serbia last year.

Would we be OK with south Texas, for example, splitting with the USA if/when it gets a Mexican majority?