Europe News
Kosovo police seizes 68 kilos of explosive
By DPA
Aug 22, 2007, 17:55 GMT

Pristina - Kosovo police has discovered a massive amount of explosive in the breakaway province's west, authorities in Pristina confirmed.

The explosives, 68 kilos of what is believed to be TNT, was discovered in a private house in Vitomirica, a village in the area of Pec, 80 kilometres west of Pristina, Kosovo police spokesman Veton Elshani told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

One person was arrested following the find, Elshani said, adding that more details would be announced later. Sources close to the police said the arrested man was a Kosovo Albanian.

The NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo sealed the area and established checkpoints around Vitomirica, sources said.

Tension in Kosovo has grown again as the status of the province remained unresolved in spite of the expectations of the Albanian majority.

The Albanians had expected the West to push through its promise of independence for Kosovo this year, but the process was blocked by Russia in the United Nations. Russia supports Serbia, which insists on sovereignty over the province.

Western officials have expressed concern that the tension could escalate into ethnic violence targeting Serbs and other embattled minorities.