Belgrade, 18. 03. 2008.

SITUATION AFTER SERIOUS FIGHT IN K. MITROVICA

• 70 SERBS INJURED, 15 SERIOUSLY
• IVANKO: KFOR TRIES TO RESTORE ORDER
• KFOR SPOKESMAN: SERIOUS LINE CROSSED
• KFOR AND UNMIK CONDEMN VIOLENCE
• NATO: KFOR WILL RESPOD FIRMLY TO VIOLENCE
• MITROVICA CALMER, BUT TENSE
• ARRESTED SERBS RELEASED
• PEACEFUL NIGHT & MORNING AFTER MONDAY CLASHES
• ARRESTED SERBS RETURNED TO NORTHERN MITROVICA
• UKRAINIAN UN POLICE OFFICER DIES OF INJURIES
• BRIDGE ON RIVER OF IBAR CLOSED
• SPOKESMAN SAYS KFOR USED AUTOMATIC WEAPONS
• UNMIK POLICE WILL RETURN TO NORTHERN MITROVICA

• TADIC WARNS ABOUT DANGER OF CROSSING "RED LINE"
• KOSTUNICA: CONDEMNATION OF FORCE & CONSULT. WITH RUSSIA
• JEREMIC SENDS NOTE OF PROTEST TO BAN KI-MOON
• SAMARDZIC: STORMING OF COURT BY POLICE A PLANNED ACT
• SAMARDZIC: CLASHES BEFORE INTERNATIONAL FORUMS
• PETROVIC: UNNECESSARILY ROUGH ACTIONS MUST NOT CONTINUE
• PROROKOVIC: EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE
• GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE: IT IS INTER. ADMINISTRATION'S FAULT
• UN SECGEN CONDEMNS VIOLENCE
• BRUSSELS EXPRESSES CONCERN & CALLS FOR PEACE IN K. MITROVICA
• EU STRONGLY CONDEMNS VIOLENCE
• TIRK AND SOLANA WORRIED OVER KOSOVO
• RICE CALLS ON BELGRADE TO INFLUENCE KOSOVO SERBS
• NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: KFOR HAD TO USE FORCE
• BILDT ON CLASHES
• CHURKIN: NATO MUST NOT USE FORCE AGAINST THOSE OPPOSING INDEPEN.
• KAMININ: EVENTS IN MITROVICA RESULT OF KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE
• GRUSHKO: RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO WORSENS SITUATION IN OSCE
• ALEKSEEV: INTERNATIONAL FORCES OVERSTEP AUTHORITY
• ALEKSEEV: WORST IN STORE FOR KOSOVO
• RUSSIA EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER KFOR & UNMIK OPERATION
• DODIK ON INAPPROPRIATE USE OF FORCE

• JEREMIC: LIBYA WILL NOT RECOGNIZE KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE
• JEREMIC: REVIVED DOCTRINE OF LIMITED SOVEREIGNTY
• LAVROV WARNS OF DANGER FROM SEPARATISM ENCOURAGEMENT

• TADIC: EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS SECOND HALF-TIME
• DJELIC: RUSSIANS BOUND TO SALE OF NIS
• POPOVIC: NEW PARLIAMENT WILL RATIFY AGREEMENT WITH RUSSIA
• CVETICANIN: SERIOUS, UNACCEPTABLE INCIDENT

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Mar 17 (Tanjug) - Around 70 citizens were injured in Kosovska Mitrovica on Monday morning riots, of whom 15 seriously injured patients were hospitalized, while two persons who had received life-threatening injuries were transported to Kragujevac and Belgrade, head of the Mitrovica hospital Vladimir Adzic told Tanjug. He said that the hospital had issued an appeal to blood donors to report to the blood transfusion department, including those who have AB Rh-negative blood type group. "Some 15 seriously injured citizens have injuries all over body which were inflicted with shrapnel and fire arms,".

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Mar 17 (Tanjug) - KFOR members are currently trying to restore order in northern Kosovo, while U.N. police were ordered to withdraw from the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, UNMIK Spokesperson Alexander Ivanko told Tanjug at noon. According to the latest information, several dozens of Serbs, U.N. police and KFOR members were injured in today's riots. U.N. police were ordered to withdraw from northern Mitrovica, said Ivanko, adding that international troops have full control of the checkpoints 1 and 31 (at Jarinje and Zubin Potok, towards central Serbia). "Eight French KFOR soldiers are injured with grenades, stones and Molotov cocktails," said French spokesman Etienne du Fayet de la Tour. Their wounds were not life-threatening, he said. KFOR secured the area in the north, where Kosovo Albanians live, said he. During the riots, 13 U.N. policemen were injured, but their wounds were not life-threatening, news agencies report.

PRISTINA, March 17 (Tanjug) - A Kfor spokesman has told Tanjug that the situation in Kosovska Mitrovica was tense and assessed that the Monday attacks on Kfor members crossed a "serious line." Kfor members were fired on for the first time today, the spokesman said, noting that violence was resorted to against the international forces. He did not directly comment on the news from the ground that Kfor forces were reinforced on roads and crossroads in all parts of Kosovo and that the northern part was practically cut off from the rest of the province, but underscored that that "Kfor is located in all parts "of the province) in keeping with UN SC Res 1244." The spokesman told Tanjug that Kfor "plans to calm down the situation in K. Mitrovica," but did not specify whether additional forces would be sent.

PRISTINA, March 17 (Tanjug) - UNMIK Deputy Chief Larry Rosin and KFOR Commander, French Lieutenant General Xavier Bout de Marnhac on Monday condemned the violence in northern Kosovska Mitrovica in which firearms were also used. The two officials underscored that violence against the UNMIK police and KFOR, who this morning seized control of the Court in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, is a flagrant violation of UN SC Res 1244, and appealed for peace, an UNMIK statement said. Todays' violence presents the crossing of the red line that was clearly marked out for Kosovo Serb leaders and Belgrade officials, the two officials said, as quoted in the statement, and they underscored that UNMIK and KFOR will re-establish control over this divided town in northern Kosovo and Metohija.

BRUSSELS, March 17 (Tanjug) - Kfor will respond firmly to violence by perpetrators in Kosovska Mitrovica who broke the law by throwing stones, Molotov cocktails and hand grenades and opening fire on members of the international forces, NATO spokesman James Appathurai told Tanjug in Brussels. "NATO condemns in the strongest form the violence," Appathurai said, adding that "Kfor will respond firmly to any acts of violence." The violence included stoning, throwing of Molotov cocktails and hand grenades and, most probably, firing automatic weapons, the spokesman said, noting that this represents serious violations of the law. Asked by Tanjug whether NATO believes that the violence started after the UNMIK police forced their way into the K.Mitrovica courthouse, Appathurai said that UNMIK was only carrying out its obligation to assume control over the court in keeping with UN SC Res 1244. Kfor will continue to carry out its mandate in Kosovo, in order to ensure safety, he pointed out.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 17 (Tanjug) - The northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica as of noon Monday is calmer but tense, Tanjug's reporters from the town said, while Kfor representatives pointed out that international forces are attempting to establish order, after the morning clashes of Serbs with UN police, in which over 100 people sustained serious and slight injuries. In the unrest Monday morning in northern Kosovska Mitrovica were injured some 70 Serbs, 15 of them seriously who were detained for treatment in the hospital, while two of the most seriously injured were taken to Kragujevac and Belgrade.

PRISTINA, March 17 (Tanjug) - The Kosovo Police Service (KPS) announced on Monday that 32 persons arrested in an UNMIK police action in Kosovska Mitrovica this morning were released after their statements were taken. Thirty-two civilians, 20 men and 12 women, were taken to the investigative prison in Pristina after this morning's action by United Nations (UN) police at the Court headquarters in northern Kosovska Mitrovica. The UN police arrested 53 persons in the building of the District Court in Kosovska Mitrovica, former employees of that Court who entered the building on Friday.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 18 (Tanjug) After yesterdays clashes in which more than 100 people sustained injuries, northern Kosovska Mitrovica has been quiet through the night and this morning, but the signs of the Monday clashes can still be seen in the streets. Burnt remains of vehicles and the devices that members of the UNMIK police and Kfor used against the Serb protestors and the stones the latter hurled at them can bee seen everywhere. The building of the district and municipal court is encircled with barbed wire, and in its courtyard members of the French and Belgian contingent of Kfor are stationed in full battle kit with armored vehicles and heavy mechanization. A police station has been placed in the area confined by barbed wire, and outside it KFOR vehicles are also stationed.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 17 (Tanjug) - A group of Serb judges and judicial staff arrived in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica on Monday evening, after the morning arrest at the Court building and interrogation at the remand prison in Pristina. They were addressed at a square in northern Mitrovica by Serbian Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic, who said that they had proven to be worthy of the Serbian history. "This is how we will keep on fighting, we guarantee you that. Judges have shown how one should fight and we will reach our goal," Samardzic said. He said that Kosovo Serbs should be wise and organised and that they should believe in what they would achieve. "I know that we all believe in this, we are continuing our fight. Kosovo is part of Serbia," Samardzic said.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Mar 18 (Tanjug) - A Ukrainian police officer serving with UNMIK died of injuries sustained in riots in the northern part of K. Mitrovica on Monday, KPS spokesman Eljsani told this morning. Eljsani could not specify the hospital in which the Ukrainian member of the U.N. police had died. Ukraine Interior Minister Yuri Luchenko stated that 14 Ukrainian policemen were injured in the assault on their police station.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 18 (Tanjug) - The bridge on the river of Ibar which separates Kosovska Mitrovica into northern, Serbian, and southern, Albanian, part was closed for traffic on Tuesday. Along with the barbed wire that is drawn across the middle of the bridge towards the Serbian part of the town, there are three containers also placed on the bridge, and besides one vehicle of UN, there are no other members of international forces present. Similar situation is also on the other side of the bridge, in the southern part of the town. Only few pedestrians cross over the main town bridge.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 18 (Tanjug) - KFOR spokesman Etienne du Fayet de la Tour confirmed that KFOR units had used automatic weapons in the riots that had burst out in the northern part of K. Mitrovica earlier that day, but that they had fired only warning shots. "We used automatic weapons to respond but fired only warning shots. We shot in the air, not into the crowd," the French spokesman told Reuters. The spokesman said that eight French soldiers had sustained injuries from "grenades, stones and Molotov cocktails."

PRISTINA, Mar 18 (Tanjug) - Luis Cisneros, a spokesman for the U.N. police, that UNMIK police will return to the northern part of K. Mitrovica, but he could specify the time. We shall return to northern Mitrovica, but I cannot say when exactly, because it has yet to be determined, said Cisneros, adding that UNMIK works in cooperation with KFOR and when both sides agree that it is suitable for UNMIK to return they will return. After the clashes of UNMIK and KFOR troops with rioters due to the arrest of Serb justice employees police withdrew from the northern part of K.Mitrovica and KFOR took over the control of the town.

BELGRADE, March 18 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic late on Monday called on all the sides in Kosovo to restrain from an escalation of violence, warning that the "red line should not be crossed no matter what." "This would be especially dangerous for us and our interests in Kosovo and Metohija and this is why both the Serbs and Serbian politicians have to bear this fact in mind," Tadic said in an interview with the RTS. He said that any exceeding one's authority in using force was completely unacceptable at this extremely sensitive moment, not only for Serbs but for the entire region as well, and added that he had conveyed the impression of excessive use of force in Mitrovica to NATO SG Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Javier Solana. Tadic assessed that temporary institutions in Kosovo were in a real vacuum, which represented an additional difficulty for UNMIK and KFOR. "We are all in a very difficult situation, it is clear to all that the issue has not been resolved by the unilateral proclamation of Kosovo independence, that the several decade-old problem between Serbs and (ethnic) Albanians still exists, and that the problem is even more evident from the aspect of the work of international bodies in Kosovo," Tadic said. He added that Serbs had had every right to walk out of Kosovo institutions, since the bodies had lost their legal legitimacy with the unilateral proclamation of independence. "International international now have to find a solution in scope of the SC and the UN, and this is why we are for a continuation of negotiations, and we are not for partial solutions because they lead us to new hotbeds," the Serbian president underlined, pointing out that the time was not right for a political competition between parties, since the issue here was of deepest national importance. Tadic said that Serbia could not defend its interests in Kosovo if isolated, and that a better life and perspective of our country was possible only in the EU.

BELGRADE, March 17 (Tanjug) - Serbian Premier Vojislav Kostunica condemned the use of force and lodged a strong protest with UNMIK over the violence against the Serbs in K.Mitrovica, saying that consultations with Russia over a joint reaction are under way with the aim of the immediate halting of the violence against the Serbs. "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of force against Serbs protesting the establishing of a sham state in the territory of Serbia. A part of the international community that is implementing the policy of force against Serbia, has chosen March 17 to apply physical force against the Serbs in the north of the province," Kostunica said. The mandate of the UN mission "is to prevent all forms of violence in Kosovo, rather than to carry out violence against and the intimidation of the Serbs, and this is why we are protesting in the strongest possible terms," he said. He stated that "consultations with Russia have begun over a joint reaction so that all forms of violence against the Serbs should stop at once." Kostunica underscored that the UN SC is fully responsible to act in keeping with its Res 1244 to ensure the safety of the Kosovo Serbs and that this is why it should undertake all the necssary steps immediately.

BELGRADE, March 18 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic sent late on Monday a note of protest to UN SG Ban Ki-moon because, as he specified, of the absolutely unacceptable and excessive use of force by international forces in the northern part of K.Mitrovica, and demanded an investigation in scope of the UN as to how the incident had taken place. In the letter to SG Ban, Jeremic required that it be determined who had ordered the use of force in Mitrovca and how the whole thing had happened, pointing out that an explanation was required even the more so because the night before the incident, Minister for Kosovo Samardzic had had consultations and successful negotiations with the UNMIK deputy chief. Jeremeic also wrote a letter the UN SC chairman, Russian Ambassador to the world organisation Vitaly Churkin, in which he required that the most influential world body discussed the security situation in the southern Serbian province following the excessive use of force in K.Mitrovica, and that it continued to follow the events closely. Jeremic also strongly protested over the incident in a phone conversation with Under-SG for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno, and discussed the current situation in Kosmet with Russia Deputry Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 17 (Tanjug) - Serbian Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Samardzic said that the storming of the K. Mitrovica Court building by the police and the arrests of Serbs was a planned action that could have been avoided, stressing that Serbs are against violence. Addressing citizens at a protest rally in northern Mitrovica, Samardzic said it was agreed with UNMIK Deputy Chief Larry Rosin in Gracanica on Sunday evening that no action will be taken in connection with the Serb protest in the Court building in Mitrovica. The minister, speaking in reaction to the arrests of 53 Serbs and their transfer to Pristina, said an international investigation will be launched and that the action of the raid and the arrests of the Serbs will be investigated in full. "People have been forcibly ejected from the Court. We will not move from the Court building until the arrested persons are brought back," he said. He appealed to the rallied citizens to demonstrate peace, order and discipline, at which the protesters expressed discontent. "We will pay them back for what they have done to us," Samardzic replied, urging them to place their trust in Belgrade. "Politicians are not important to us today, but the Serbs in Kosovo," he said, underscoring that it is important that Serbia should exert its authority in Kosovo, as it is already present there. After the rally, the protesters walked to the main bridge over the Ibar, which is open on the northern side. Barbed wire is drawn across the middle of the bridge. The rallied students, citizens and Minister laid flowers at a monument to the Serbs killed during the outbreak of violence on March 17, 2004, which is located near the bridge. The participants in today's protest then returned from the bridge to the Court building, walking in the rain, and they intend to remain there until the arrested Serbs are brought back from Pristina.

BELGRADE, March 18 (Tanjug) - Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Samardzic, announced on the occasion of the clashes in Mitrovica that Serbia would open that issue before international forums. We will raise this issue before international forums, why this happened, and how, in what circumstances and what was done, Samardzic told TV Most and added that everyone can be sure that Serbia will do that. What matters as far as we are concerned, he said, is that we tried to calm down the situation. Our proposal is to resolve by negotiations these pending issues in a peaceful manner. As of Feb 17 the situation completely changed. Kosovo Albanians declared independence violently, unilaterally and unlawfully. The Europeans recognized it and are trying to somehow impose their mission here in Kosovo, while UNMIK loses out, the minister said. It is not right that UN should exists in such a miserable way, Samardzic said.

BELGRADE, March 17 (Tanjug) - Justice Minister Dusan Petrovic on Monday sent a letter to Special Representative Joachim Ruecker of the United Nations (UN) secretary-general, underscoring that the unnecessarily rough action by the UNMIK police towards the judicial workers in Kosovska Mitrovica must not continue, the Justice Ministry said on Monday. In the letter to Ruecker, Petrovic underscored that it is necessary for the UNMIK police to release the arrested judicial workers. The judicial workers entered the building that was the headquarters of the District Court and the Municipal Court in which they worked until 1999, and which they had been compelled to leave with the arrival of UNMIK, he said. The minister expressed confidence that this unpleasant situation will be resolved peacefully, and offered any assistance and cooperation that his office or the Ministry of Justice can provide.

BELGRADE, March 17 (Tanjug) - State Secretary in the Serbian Kosovo and Metohija Ministry, Dusan Prorokovic, has said that Monday's intervention by the UNMIK police and Kfor in Mitrovica has shown that one set of standards apply to the Serbs in northern Kosovo, and another to the ethnic Albanians in the reminder of the province. "Unfortunately, we did not get to talk with the international factor, and instead the brutal and excessive use of force by the UNMIK police and Kfor against unarmed Serb judges, prosecutors and other judicial staff," he stated. He told reporters in a central Belgrade pedestrian zone that now it is important that the situation in Mitrovica calms down and that a framework cooperation agreement is signed with UNMIK so that similar situations are not resolved individually. Prorokovic recalled the developments of March 17, 2004 which were organized "to cleanse Serbs from central Kosovo with the aim of destroying the remaining Serb cultural herigate." He underscored that Serbia expected talks with the international factor on "who ordered and carried out these crimes, and when they will be brought to justice, as in question are criminal acts which resulted in several thousand refugees and several fatalities."

BELGRADE, Mar 18 (Tanjug) - Serbian government press office head has said that the international administration is the only one to be blamed for the events in Mitrovica on Monday. In an interview with RTV B92, he evaluated that the UNMIK and KFOR operation was one in the series that will, most likely, follow, and will be aimed at forcing Serbs to recognize independence of Kosovo, which as an "unreasonable ambition and may not be realistic at the time when three quarters of the world do not recognize Kosovo's independence." A serious fight is being fought for the north of Kosovo, and in this fight international troops are trying in a wrong way to discipline Kosovo's north, which is met with resistance of the local Serbs, who do not want to blend into something that is currently called independent Kosovo, he said. He said that the international peacekeeping forces in Kosovo did not want to negotiate, that force was used excessively, stating that the incident was provoked by UNMIK and KFOR.

NEW YORK, Mar 17 (Tanjug) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Monday the violence in northern Mitrovica and the attacks on UN police and KFOR which broke into a court building in that town earlier in the day, Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas said. Ban expects all parties to refrain from any actions or statements that might provoke more violence, she said at the UN seat in New York.

BRUSSELS, Mar 17 (Tanjug) - The European Union expresses concern over the outbreak of violence in Mitrovica, condemns every form of violence and calls for peace and order, EU officials told Tanjug in Brussels on Monday. We express our concern and we condemn violence.We call for peace and order in Mitrovica, Europe's officials underscored. They also said that no one benefits from violence.

BRUSSELS, Mar 17 (Tanjug) - The Slovenian EU presidency on Monday strongly condemned violence that erupted today in the northern part of Mitrovica and offered its full support to the joint efforts of UNMIK Police and KFOR to restore law and order after a court in the town had been forcibly seized by a mob on Friday. The EU reiterated the importance of all components of international presence to effectively fulfil their mandate throughout the territory of Kosovo, in line with the UN SC Res 1244. The EU presidency said it strongly believed that there could be no place for violence in Kosovo and that a multi-ethnic Kosovo could only be built through co-operation of all communities, while respecting the rule of law and democracy.

LJUBLJANA, March 17 (Tanjug) - Slovenian President Danilo Tirk and Javier Solana expressed great concern in Ljubljana over the violence in northern Kosovo. Violence does not lead anywhere, Solana told joint press conference, while Tirk expressed hope that reason would prevail and that the situation would calm down. Solana called on all who can, to help ease the situation, Slovenia's STA news agency reported.

NEW YORK, Mar 18 (Tanjug) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday called on the authorities in Belgrade to use their influence on the Serbs in Kosovo in order to refrain from provocations."I've been very concerned about what's going in Mitrovica and concerned that the Serbian leadership needs to make very strong representations to the Serbs who are living inside of Kosovo that this is not a time for provocative action," U.S. Department of State quoted Rice, who is visiting Moscow, as saying.

KABUL, March 18 (Tanjug) - NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe John Craddock said in Kabul that the KFOR had to use force in northern Mitrovica. It is possible that some Serbs were injured in the action, US General Craddock said and added that he did not have precise data even after talking with his commanders in the field. KFOR forces had to use both deadly and non-deadly weapons in order to establish control of the rioting mass, Craddock told the press during his visit to the Afghan capital, Kabul.

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Tanjug) - Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt assessed that Mitrovica has become a flashpoint because it is an ethnically divided town separating Albanian and Serb communities. "I was in the bridge of Mitrovica. It is a bridge between two societies that have very few in common. To overcome that division of Kosovo. This will take a long time, we will need a lot of patience," warned Bildt.The clashes were the worst in Kosovo since its ethnic-Albanian dominated government declared independence from Serbia last month, Bildt said and the Voice of America radio reported.

MOSCOW, March 17 (Tanjug) - Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin has said that NATO forces in Kosovo and Metohija must not use force against persons who oppose the independence of the southern Serbian province. "The demands of the SC towards NATO are simple - no violence can be applied towards those who do not want to submit to an illegal, unilateral declaration of independence," Churkin said in an interview with Noviye Izvestia. All employees of international organisations working in the region must strictly abide by Res 1244, which clearly says that their obligation is to ensure security in Kosovo, the return of refugees, the creation of normal conditions for the lives of people, and certainly not to act in violation of Res 1244. Should NATO forces continue to violate the resolution, we will raise the issue in the SC,he said. Churkin said that a large number of countries members of the UN and SC members share the concern of Russia over the violation of international law by the recognition of independence on the part of some states. "The UN SG during the discussions about Kosovo reiterated that Res 1244, which speaks about the territorial integrity of Serbia, remains in force. UN presence in Kosovo will continue within the frameworks of that resolution and there is no political, legal or moral justification for a unilateral declaration of independence," Churkin said. "That statement by the SG had not met with opposition from any member of the SC," he added, and pointed out that Russia would do everything for "the illegally established EU mission in Kosovo not to obstruct the work of UN representatives." Churkin pointed out that some EU documents site a 120-day period of transition, running from the day of declaration of independence after what the EU mission would replace UNMIK. "It is completely unclear from where they took that. Shoukd they in some way attempt to carry out this timetable, then it will in reality be in contradiction with Res 1244 and international law," he said in the world organisation. Churkin rejected the possibility of Kosovo membership in the UN and assessed that a legal solution was still possible between Belgrade and Pristina.

MOSCOW, March 17 (Tanjug) - The growing tensions in Mitrovica are the direct result of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and the Serbs are protesting that illegitimate act, Russian FM spokesman Kaminin said. The developments in Mitrovica cannot be viewed separately from all that is happening in the region, Itar-Tass agency quoted Kaminin as saying. The growing tensions, especially in Serb-populated regions, are directly the result of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and the refusal of the Serbs who live in Kosovo to resign themselves that that illegitimate move," Kaminin added.

MOSCOW, Mar 17 (Tanjug) - Deputy Minister of FA of the RF Alexander Grushko stated that the situation within the OSCE is getting worse due to the fact that individual member states had recognized the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo. In an interview by Nezavismiaya Gazeta, Grushko underscored that the OSCE member states that had recognized Kosovo had violated the basic principle of the OSCE regarding territorial integrity of states, thus imposing damage to Serbia, Itar-Tass agency reported. Russia and many other OSCE member states do not recognize the self-declared independence of Kosovo, because it is contrary to international law, underscored Grushko. That is why the issue of Kosovo's membership in the OSCE may not be a realistic option, because such decisions are reached through a consensus, Grushko also said.

BELGRADE, March 17 (Tanjug) - Russian Ambassador in Belgrade Alexander Alexeyev said that the Monday violence in Mitrovica was a result of overstepped authority of international forces and warned that the situation in Kosovo would follow the worst scenario unless violence stopped. Alexeyev called for the return of the Kosovo conflict to negotiations under international law. The situation is becoming more and more complex. It is necessary to stop the additional complications of the situation immediately and to establish a normal dialogue,he said. He said that Moscow was in constant contact with Serbian friends and that the Russian FM had already published the responses of its official representative to the Monday developments in Mitrovica. Violence must stop immediately and we believe that these developments confirm once again the necessity of return of the Kosovo conflict to international negotiations, he told. We are very concerned because of the developments in Mitrovica. Such a massive implementation of violence has occurred for the first time and this violence is explained by the fact that international troops and police forces have overstepped their authority - it is their task not to allow this violence and not to provoke it, he said. He stressed that it was impermissible to force the Serbs to accept the illegally declared independence of Kosovo. The Russian diplomat also said that the Monday developments in northern Mitrovica had occurred on the fourth anniversary of the pogrom of Serbs in Kosovo. Then we accused international representatives in the province that they had not reacted well, but now these international representatives directly participate in the violence against Serbs, he said. We want the relations between Serbs and UNMIK to return to the normal framework, Alexeyev said and added that the first step in this was to refrain from any violence.

BEOGRAD, March 18 (Beta)-Russia is very concerned about what is happening in Kosovo, especially K. Mitrovica, Alexander Alekseev is quoted as saying in the March 18 issue of daily Vecernje Novosti. According to Alekseev, the "mass violence" employed by the international forces in Kosovo "must stop immediately," because, as he says, there is a danger of further escalation."International soldiers and police have violated their mandate this time. Their task is to prevent violence, not provoke it, as was the case in K. Mitrovica," he tells the paper. "It is absolutely unacceptable to force the Serbs to accept the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo," the diplomat stresses and adds that the events in K. Mitrovica confirm the necessity of urgently returning the Kosovo conflict "to the confines of international law, negotiations, and dialog." "It is our belief is that the responsibility for the resolution of the Kosovo issue rests with the U.N. SC. Therefore, if a decision is made to bring the current events before this organization, I see nothing useless in that," Alekseev says.

NEW YORK, Mar 18 (Tanjug) - Russia has expressed serious concerns over the developments in Kosovo evaluating that the operation by KFOR and UNMIK raise a series of questions about the reason to launch the operation by international forces and police in the northern part of K. Mitrovica. It was possible to continue the talks without a use of violence, said Churkin on Monday. I don't remember that someone had broken into the parliament in Pristina during the declaration of Kosovo's independence despite the fact that the declaration was a serious breach of Res 1244, Churkin said. Churkin yet again accused Western countries for creating a misunderstanding when it comes to the mandate of the U.N. mission under UN SC Res 1244, underscoring that the deployment of the EULEX is to a large extent contradictory to the document of the world organization's most influential body.

BANJA LUKA, March 18 (Tanjug) - Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik qualified as inappropriate the use of force in K. Mitrovica, whatever the cause for that might be. "It is obvious that international forces that are in Kosovo have lost patience, but we should all be aware of the fact that it is the proclamation of Kosovo independence that has led to such a situation," Dodik told. "I am on the side of those that are fighting for their rights and that want to realise those rights, and I am against the ones that use force against bare-armed people and thus demonstrate a ruthless approach which must not repeat itself ever again,".

TRIPOLI, March 17 (Tanjug) - Libya will not recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and it urges the continuation of the talks that would lead to a compromise solution, Libyan State Minister for Foreign and Europan Affairs Abdelaati el Obeidi told Serbian FM Vuk Jeremic. El Obeidi told Jeremic, who started a two-day visit to Libya, that Libya strongly supports Serbia's stands on the declaration of the independence of Kosovo which represents the violation of international law, despite the fact that Tripoli is under pressure by the Muslim world and the EU to recognize the independence of Serbia's southern province, Tanjug learned in Jeremic's office. Libya is currently a non-permanent UN member and a country with crucial infuence among the Muslim countries, as well as in the Non-Aligned Movement. El Obeidi said that Libya and its leader Muammer al Gaddafi do not believe an imposed solution for Kosovo, adopted outside the UN SC, can bring peace and stability to the region. Jeremic underscored that Serbia intends to closely cooperate with Libya in the coming period, as well as with its friends and allies in all regional groupations in which that country is a member, in order to prevent the attempts for the recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo. On Tuesday, Jeremic is scheduled to meet with PM Ali Al-Mahmoudi and Libyan parliament Interantional RelSec Suleiman al-Shahoumi.

BERLIN, March 17 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic cautioned, in an article contributed to FAZ, which appeared on Monday, against the danger of recognition of the illegal breaking away of Kosovo from Serbia, because that would revive the doctrine of limited sovereignty from the cold war era. Recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo gives legitimacy to the doctrine of imposing solutions to problems in ethnic conflicts. It gives legitimacy to the principle of forcible secession from internationally recognized, sovereign states, he said for FAZ, an ultraconservative, very influential daily from Frankfurt. That, he added, "is contrary to the obligation of peaceful settlement, by way of agreement, of disputes in Europe." In that way every ethnic group or religious community, who has problems with the state is given a scenario for attaining its separatist goal.

MOSCOW, Mar 18 (Tanjug) - Countries which have recognized independence of Kosovo and encourage separatist trends in other regions have to be aware of the destructive nature of such processes, as well as of their own responsibility for possible, still unpredictable consequences, Russian FM Lavrov has warned. "Those who have taken that road have to be aware of their own responsibility. The bigger and more powerful country, the bigger its responsibility is," said in nterview by Rosiyskaya Gazeta. Lavrov evaluated that Kosovo is "the precedent that had repercussions in many areas" and there are reasons to believe that this is not happening by accident," Itar-Tass quoted. According to Lavrov, riots in other parts of the world, such as Tibet, are breaking out. "Albanians in Macedonia also demand the same degree of autonomy, which evidently is a step towards independence. Developments in other parts of the world also lead to a presumption that we are witnesses to the beginning of a rather explosive process," underscored Lavrov.

BELGRADE, Mach 18 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic said late on Monday that early parliamentary elections scheduled for May 11 would represent the "second half-time" and that the policy of the preservation of our integrity and the policy of European integration would once again gain victory. "Most of the citizens will vote for this policy because this is their vital interest, and this policy will have a majority in the parliament," Tadic said in a live broadcast by the RTS. All the parties that pursue a pro-European policy and the policy of preservation of Serbia's integrity in Kosovo are welcome, Tadic said.

BEOGRAD, March 17 (Beta)-Serbian Deputy Minister Bozidar Djelic stated on March 17 that the sale of the NIS oil company to Russia's Gazprom without a tender is dependent on a pipeline passing through Serbia and that the details of the sales contract still need to be discussed."The Russian Federation and Gazprom had a choice for the pipeline to pass through Romania or Serbia. To pass through Serbia their condition was to sign a deal incorporating the sale of NIS," Djelic told the March. 17 edition of the daily Danas.He reiterated that he had advocated the gradual privatization of NIS, first through the sale of a minority stake on the capital market, and then the majority holding five to 10 years later.

"In the meantime, the RussoItalian South Stream pipeline project has surfaced and it is of utmost importance for our country to be a part of this project. We are completely dependent on Russia when it comes to gas because all the alternative are very expensive," Djelic stated.Asked whether the sale of NIS would be permitted outside the market, he replied that "energy market is very specific, and that it's not just a question of the market, but also about guaranteeing a stable energy supply." He said that in the case of NIS not being sold to Gazprom, it was not just the matter of EUR400 million, the cost of the majority state in the company, but also of the significant investment of EUR500 million and that fact that Gazprom is the leading international oil company with an excess of 20 billion tones per year. According to him, during the talks with the Russians, the best interests of the state, Vojvodina and NIS would be taken into account.Djelic ruled out the possibility of Jat Airways and Nikola Tesla Airport being sold to Russian companies outside tender and the stock exchange.

BELGRADE, March 17 (Tanjug) - Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Aleksandar Popovic told Tanjug Monday that the agreement on cooperation between Russia and Serbia in the sphere of the gas and oil industries, would most certainly be ratified after a new parliament is formed. "There is no reason for tension. A May or June ratification will not greatly affect the implementation of the agreement," Popovic stated. He said he based his claim on the assumption that parties which backed the agreement with Russia in the out-going parliament, would also be in the majority in the new parliament, so that ratification will not be a problem. "It is almost certain that these parties, regardless of who forms the government, will also make up a large majority in parliament. and this is why I believe that ratification will not be a problem in the coming period after the formation of the parliament," Popovic set out. He said that the delay in the ratification should not affect the implementation of the agreement, as it is a longterm one and, according to it, the construction of the gas pipeline should begin in late 2011. Popovic pointed out that the agreed deadlines would be met, primarily referring to (May 25, 2008) the timetable for the formation of a joint company of Srbiagas and Gazprom which would be in charge of developping a feasibility study and the subsequent construction of the South Stream pipeline through Serbia.

ZAGREB, March 17 (Tanjug) - Serbian Ambassador to Croatia Radivoj Cvetcanin told Tanjug that a serious and unacceptable incident occurred near Ogulin late on Sunday when a group of five Serbian citizens was beaten up by a group of ten unknown assailants. "We expect the state bodies of the Republic of Croatia to react in an appropriate manner," the ambassador pointed out. According to Ambassador Cveticanin, Serbian nationals Antun Podnar, Jebojsa Jesterovic, Milos Radmilovic, Tomislav Knezevic and D.S, all fans of the Vojvodina basketball club, were attacked near a gas station on the motorway near Ogulinn, while returning from the Split-Vojvodina game. While the young men were sleeping in their car at the gas station, a group of some dozen unidentified persons broke the windshield and windows with bats and beat them up.