BELGIUM: European Union condemns election-related violence in in the ethnically-divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica

Record ID: 864060

  • Title: BELGIUM: European Union condemns election-related violence in in the ethnically-divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica
  • Date: 4th November 2013
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NOVEMBER 4, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF EU COMMISSION EU FLAGS
  • Embargoed: 19th November 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • City:
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAEP78YFVLMLTQQGFOLFMJ1M8VL
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  • Story Text: The European Union said on Monday (November 4) it condemns the violence that marred the ethnically-divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica, as the country was holding council and mayoral elections.
    A spokesperson for the 28-country bloc's foreign chief Catherine Ashton, Maja Kocijancic said the electoral process went smoothly despite this wave of violence and intimidation by hardliners from the Serb minority.
    "We condemn the violent incidents of yesterday in Mitrovica north, because, as you've seen, they have disrupted otherwise a very orderly run electoral process in the rest of Kosovo. But, at the moment, you know that we have an electoral observation mission on the ground with almost 100 people, 99 to be precise, the chief observer will present the preliminary assessment tomorrow," Kocijancic said.
    Kocijancic added the violence forced the local authorities to request help from the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and of the NATO-led international peacekeeping force, the Kosovo Force (KFOR).
    "Kosovo police asked for the intervention of EULEX which deployed its quick reaction force and KFOR also provided strong assistance on the ground," Kocijancic said.
    Two hours before polls closed in Mitrovica, masked men burst into three schools housing polling stations on the Serb side, lobbing tear gas and smashing ballot boxes.
    Election officials fled and European Union police in armoured vehicles spread out through the neighbourhood as helicopters flew over the town.
    Participation of the north Kosovo Serbs in the election is central to an agreement reached in April to integrate the 40,000-50,000 Serbs living there with the rest of Kosovo, which is majority Albanian and declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
    Serbia had called on Serbs in northern Kosovo to take part for the first time, with the EU holding out the prospect of membership talks - slated to begin in January - as a reward for Belgrade's support for the process.
    The low turnout and violence was a clear indication of the scale of resistance among north Kosovo Serbs to integration with the rest of Kosovo, and underlined the challenge facing the EU in implementing the April accord.
    Kosovo broke away in 1999 when NATO bombed for 11 weeks to halt the killing and expulsion of Albanians by Serbian forces trying to crush an insurgency.
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