SERB AND ALBANIAN SOURCES REPORT CLASHES IN KOSOVO

PRISTINA, March 13 (Hina) - The Pristina-based Serb Media Centre reported on Saturday that a group of armed Albanians had tried to enter Yugoslavia illegally near the border crossing of Gorozup in Kosovo last night. While they were attempting to enter Yugoslavia from Albania, ethnic Albanians, situated in nearby Kosovo villages were opening fire from mortars and automatic weapons at Yugoslav border troops. Yugoslav soldiers responded to fire and scattered the group, the Serbian source said adding that a great amount of arms and military equipment had been seized in the operation. The OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Verification Mission in this restive corner of the Balkans has been notified of the incident. The same source added that there were no injuries among the Yugoslav border troops, but did not say whether there had been possible casualties among Albanians. The Pristina-based Albanian sources have not reported anything about this event. The Kosovo Information Centre said Serbian forces had been shelling the villages of Balinci, Liqej and Osljani near Vucitrn in the north of Kosovo on Saturday morning. It could not give reports on possible consequences of the attack. The villages of Vaganica and Vernica near Kosovska Mitrovica were also exposed to Serb attacks. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) offered firm resistance to the Serb assaults in the area, Albanian sources said. (hina) ms