ABE chair meets Beheira, Daqahleya governors to advance agricultural development    CIB launches training programme, awareness campaigns for Global Fraud Awareness Week    Israel accused of ceasefire violations as humanitarian risks escalate in Gaza    Maternal, fetal health initiative screens over 3.6 million pregnant women    Banque Misr signs EGP 3bn revolving credit facility with SODIC    The Future Begins Now: A National Alliance Bridging the Gap Between Classroom Seats and Leadership Dreams    Ahl Masr Burn Hospital Concludes First Scientific Forum, Prepares for Expanded Second Edition in 2026    Egypt signs mining training agreement with Australia's Murdoch University    Australia returns 17 rare ancient Egyptian artefacts    Gold prices edge lower on Thursday    Gaza death toll rises as humanitarian crisis deepens, Israeli offensive expands in West Bank    Egypt expands rollout of Universal Health Insurance    Cairo affirms commitment to Lebanese sovereignty, urges halt to cross-border violations    China invites Egypt to join African duty-free export scheme    Egypt calls for stronger Africa-Europe partnership at Luanda summit    Egypt begins 2nd round of parliamentary elections with 34.6m eligible voters    Egypt warns of erratic Ethiopian dam operations after sharp swings in Blue Nile flows    Egypt scraps parliamentary election results in 19 districts over violations    Egypt extends Ramses II Tokyo Exhibition as it draws 350k visitors to date    Egypt signs host agreement for Barcelona Convention COP24 in December    Al-Sisi urges probe into election events, says vote could be cancelled if necessary    Filmmakers, experts to discuss teen mental health at Cairo festival panel    Cairo International Film Festival to premiere 'Malaga Alley,' honour Khaled El Nabawy    Cairo hosts African Union's 5th Awareness Week on Post-Conflict Reconstruction on 19 Nov.    Egypt golf team reclaims Arab standing with silver; Omar Hisham Talaat congratulates team    Egypt launches National Strategy for Rare Diseases at PHDC'25    Egypt adds trachoma elimination to health success track record: WHO    Grand Egyptian Museum welcomes over 12,000 visitors on seventh day    'Royalty on the Nile': Grand Ball of Monte-Carlo comes to Cairo    Egypt launches Red Sea Open to boost tourism, international profile    Omar Hisham Talaat: Media partnership with 'On Sports' key to promoting Egyptian golf tourism    Sisi expands national support fund to include diplomats who died on duty    Egypt's PM reviews efforts to remove Nile River encroachments    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



NATO tries to step up control in north Kosovo
Rejecting Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence, Serbia blocks the two main border crossings with Kosovo, spurring NATO operation to counter the 'illegal' Serbian action
Reuters Published in Ahram Online on 13 - 10 - 2011

NATO peacekeepers moved on Thursday to close off illegal routes across Kosovo's northern border with Serbia, stepping up pressure on Serbs in the region who have blockaded the official crossing points.
Serbs in the north of the majority-Albanian country are blocking the two main roads running south from the border in protest against a move to establish Kosovo customs and police on the frontier. Alternative routes have opened up, bypassing customs checks.
Serbs in the north reject Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia, and violently resisted an attempt in July by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian authorities to take control of the two main border crossings.
NATO helicopters helped establish a skeleton customs and police presence at the two gates last month but the roads remain blocked in a challenge to the West's efforts to reverse Kosovo's de facto ethnic partition.
NATO's 6,250-strong Kosovo Force, KFOR, said it had launched an operation "to establish control" in the vicinity of the Jarinje crossing, "to help prevent the illegal use of the bypass around the official gate and to stop smuggling."
It said in a statement that it was acting at the request of the European Union police and justice mission established in Kosovo after the 2008 declaration of independence.
KFOR commander Major-General Erhard Drews said: "KFOR reserves the right to remove the barricades when appropriate and will not tolerate them endlessly."
The operation took place a day after the European Commission recommended Serbia be granted official candidate status for membership of the European Union, but said the start of accession talks would depend on Belgrade improving relations with its former southern province.
Serbia lost control over Kosovo in 1999 when NATO bombed for 78 days to halt the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanian civilians in a two-year counter-insurgency war.

Clic here to read the story from its source.