Kosovo vows to investigate "criminal" incident (Roundup)

Jul 6, 2010, 19:01 GMT

New York - Kosovo said Tuesday it is thoroughly investigating an attack that killed one person in the Serb enclave of the territory last week, which caused a fresh clash between Serbia and its former province in the UN Security Council.

On Friday, one man died and 11 other people were wounded in a tense Serb enclave in Kosovo when a bomb exploded during a protest.

Serbian President Boris Tadic walked out toward the end of the council meeting when Kosovo's Foreign Minister Skender Hyseni called on him to cooperate with Pristina in the investigation as 'two sovereign states.'

Neither Serbia nor the UN has recognized Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in February 2008. Hyseni was listed as a speaker at the council meeting without any title.

Belgrade, backed by Moscow, rejected the declaration of independence and took the case before the UN International Court of Justice. Tadic said the court would make a decision soon on whether Kosovo's declaration was legal.

Hyseni told the 15-nation council that Pristina viewed the bomb attack in Mitrovica, in north-western Kosovo, as a 'criminal act' that Pristina has decided to investigate.

'There is a thorough police investigation going on,' Hyseni said. 'The authority of the Republic of Kosovo is determined to investigate the case and bring the perpetrators before justice.'

Tadic told the council that 3,000 ethnic Serbs who held a protest against Pristina last Friday in Mitrovica were attacked with bombs. He condemned the incident and accused Pristina of causing it.

Tadic accused 'ethnic Albanian secessionists' of trying to set up a Kosovo government office in the 'Serbian town of North Mitrovica,' which prompted the Serb ethnic protest.

Mitrovica is an ethnically divided town 35 kilometres north-west of Pristina. The Kosovo war ended 11 years ago, but Mitrovica remains tense and prone to spates of violence.

'The ethnic Albanian authorities have to be told what the consequence will be - should they try unilateralism again,' Tadic said. 'Otherwise, Serbia will have no choice but to reassess its relations with the international province in the province.'

During the debate, Tadic said Kosovo's declaration of independence has not settled the conflict between the territory and Belgrade. He called for a compromise solution, without elaborating. Serbia was driven from Kosovo in 1999 by NATO after Western governments accused it of committing atrocities against ethnic Albanians, the majority population in the territory which had been demanding autonomy.

The European Union informed the UN Security Council Tuesday that security in parts of Kosovo has deteriorated, citing last week's incident in Mitrovica.

The EU representative, Yves de Kermabon, said his organization has condemned the incident and called for an investigation.

'The security has deteriorated,' de Kermabon said. 'We are aware of the tensions and call on the authorities in Pristina to investigate.'

While Kosovo's independence is not recognized by the UN, it has been recognized by more than 40 countries, including many Europeans and the United States.

The EU and NATO provide legal and security assistance to Pristina while a small UN mission maintains the UN presence there.