Kosovo Serbs hold referendum on Pristina's authority

Feb 14, 2012, 6:30 GMT

Belgrade - Serbs in the volatile northern Kosovo defied the West and officials in Belgrade by going ahead Tuesday with a referendum that was widely expected to reject Pristina's authority over their communities.

Nearly all of the 35,000 Serbs dominating the north of the mostly Albanian Kosovo are expected to circle 'no' to the question: 'Do you support the institutions of the so-called Republic of Kosovo?'

The turnout by noon of the first day of voting was around 21 per cent. Despite of some concerns for security, no incidents of violence were reported.

The referendum will have no legal effect, as it will not be recognized by the international community, Kosovo or even Belgrade.

President Boris Tadic on Tuesday said the referendum was 'unhelpful' to the interests of Serbia and to Serbs living in Kosovo. He also repeated that Serbia will not recognize Kosovo, but warned that a way must be found to resolve problems through talks.

Belgrade and Pristina have been negotiating under the auspices of the European Union over the past year and reached some agreements - few of which have, however, been fully applied in practice.

Kosovo formally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Though the United States and most EU nations recognized it, Serbia continues to insist that Kosovo, the scene of ethnic bloodshed in 1998 and 1999, is still its province.

Belgrade had encouraged and financed the resistance of Serbs in the north to the authority of Pristina, though that frequently sparked acts of violence.

Serbia sought to reduce tensions in recent months, when Germany and other EU countries made it clear that it will not be allowed to progress toward EU membership before it normalizes the situation in northern Kosovo.

But Serbs in the enclave refused to accept any of the deals Serbia made with Kosovo under the EU wing and have since July blockaded road access to the north with barricades.

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