PRISTINA, March 20 (Hina) - The situation in Kosovo was relatively peaceful on Saturday morning. NATO peacekeepers have tightened security after the recent bloody incidents by bringing additional troops.
PRISTINA, March 20 (Hina) - The situation in Kosovo was relatively
peaceful on Saturday morning. NATO peacekeepers have tightened
security after the recent bloody incidents by bringing additional
troops.#L#
Military equipment and additional manpower has been sent to the
Mitrovica area. On Friday armed British troops stepped up night
patrols in the capital of Pristina.
The Kosovo Force received the first reinforcements on Friday from the
Stabilisation Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina -- 100 American, 80 Italian
and 100 British soldiers.
Germany and France have announced increasing the number of their
troops. Germany will bring 600 soldiers in addition to the currently
3,200 stationed in the province while the 2,500 strong French
contingent will be increased by about 400 soldiers. Great Britain has
announced sending 750 soldiers.
The commander of NATO's Allied Forces Southern Europe, Admiral Gregory
Johnson, ended his two-day visit to Kosovo on Friday evening, a local
NATO source said.
According to official data the police of the U.N. Mission to Kosovo
released on Friday evening, the death toll of the recent clashes is 28
and not 31 as stated earlier. At least 600 people were injured, 16
Orthodox churches and other religious facilities and 110 Serb-owned
houses were set on fire. The Ras-Prizren Eparchy, however, claims that
25 Orthodox churches and religious facilities were burnt down.
Kosovo political leaders have called for normalising the situation.
President Ibrahim Rugova has slammed the recent violence, while
Parliament Speaker Nexhat Daci has ruled out the possibility of a
state of emergency being unilaterally declared despite the fact that
police curfew has been introduced in the Mitrovica, Urosevac,
Gnjilane, Kamenica and Vitina areas.
The Kosovo government on Friday evening condemned the violence,
notably the destruction of religious facilities and houses, announcing
an analysis of the causes of the violence. Prime Minister Bajram
Rexhepi has said one of the reasons for the revolt was citizens'
dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs in Kosovo.
The leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Hasim Thaqi, has said
that despite the disgruntlement Kosovo needed reconciliation and
cooperation with the international community.
(Hina) ha