Kosovo Serbs resist NATO call to remove roadblocks

NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo have used tear gas on Serbs protesting the dismantling of barricades on a disputed border in the volatile north.

Kosovo peacekeeping force (KFOR) soldiers in full riot gear moved Thursday to dismantle makeshift roadblocks set up in in July by Kosovo Serbs.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia or the authority of the ethnic Albanian government in Pristina, Deutsche Welle reports.

On Tuesday, they began to to man roadblocks near the border, in what Reuters describes as "a challenge to the West's efforts to reverse Kosovo's de facto ethnic partition."

KFOR's stated aim, meantime, is to "establish freedom of movement in the region and reopen supply routes for their troops," the Associated Press reports.

German and Austrian soldiers, equipped with anti-riot gear, moved in Thursday to provide security as other KFOR troops removed tracks and tyres used to block the road near the Brnjak crossing into Serbia, Agence France-Presse reports.

Talks between NATO and Serb leaderson Wednesday failed to produce a deal on the border crossings.

Deutsche Welle cited Serbian President Boris Tadic as calling on NATO to use restraint and Kosovo Serbs to remain peaceful:

"Local [Serb] leaders should work only in the best interest of people and not under the influence of some [Serbian] political parties," he said in a statement. "Under no means should the people resort to violence, as that would lead to an abyss."

However, Serb leaders have pushed for Belgrade to send in Serbian troops. Reuters quotes an unidentified Serbian official as saying:

"Their position was solidified by nationalists from Belgrade who want to undermine Serbia's efforts to normalize the situation in the region and join the European Union."