The Kosovo government has decided to postpone for a month the entry into force of new rules on the border with Serbia which had caused tensions in the north of the country on Sunday, where barricades were erected and shots fired on the font.
The postponement was announced in a government statement following a meeting with US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Honevier.
The new rules, which were due to come into force on Monday, provide that anyone entering Kosovo with a Serbian identity card has a temporary document while in the country.
Pristina also gave Kosovo Serbs two months to replace Serbian license plates on their vehicles with Republic of Kosovo plates.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Sunday that it was a measure of reciprocity, insofar as Serbia – which does not recognize the independence of its former province with an Albanian majority proclaimed in 2008 – demands the same from Kosovars entering its territory.
These measures had aroused strong tensions Sunday in the north of Kosovo where lives a Serb minority.
Kosovo police said they were fired upon, with no injuries, and barricades were erected on roads leading into Serbia.
Both crossings were closed to traffic.
In its statement, the Kosovo government demanded that “all barricades be lifted and full freedom of movement restored” on Monday.
Trucks
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, praised Pristina’s decision in a tweet on Sunday evening, calling for “the immediate lifting of all roadblocks”.
On Sunday evening, hundreds of Kosovo Serbs massed trucks, tankers and other heavy vehicles on the roads leading to the Jarinje and Brnjak crossings, an AFP journalist noted.
The Serbs of Kosovo do not recognize the authority of Pristina, nor the independence of Kosovo, and remain loyal to Belgrade on which they depend financially.
In an address to the nation on Sunday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the situation in Kosovo had “never been more complex” for Serbia and the Serbs living there.
“The atmosphere has been boiling,” Vucic said, adding that “Serbia will win” if the Serbs are attacked.
For his part, Albin Kurti accused Mr. Vucic of triggering “trouble”. “The next few hours, days and weeks can be difficult and problematic,” the Kosovar prime minister wrote on Facebook.
Last September, the north of Kosovo was the scene of strong tensions, after Pristina’s decision to ban Serbian license plates on its territory, punctuated by daily demonstrations and blockage of traffic at the two border posts.