Violence breaks out in Kosovo

Yesterday’s fighting was the latest confrontation between Serbs and the international forces backing Kosovo. Serb demonstrators occupied the courthouse on Friday and when UN forces moved in, demonstrators threw rocks and hand grenades and Molotov cocktails. Today Serbia’s Minister for Kosovo met with Serb citizens in Kosovo and urged them to be patient. He says the Serbs have been provoked. This Kosovo official says it’s Belgrade that’s done the provoking and says he respects the rights of all citizens of Kosovo. He says splitting Kosovo wouldn’t be easy. 60% of Kosovo’s Serbs live in scattered enclaves. One of the largest is this enclave, built around a 16th Serb Orthodox cathedral and part of the reason why Serbs consider Kosovo integral to their identity. The Serb government still pays the salaries of municipal employees in the Serb enclaves such as doctors and teachers and they get paid more than their Kosovo counterparts. This official says it’s not clear how long Serbia will continue such support.