PRISTINA (Reuters) - The European Union’s envoy in Kosovo
appealed to Serbs for cooperation on the sixth day of protests
against the declaration of independence by Serbia’s former
province.Pieter Feith confirmed on Saturday his mission had moved
its staff from the Serb stronghold of north Mitrovica. An
international official told Reuters on Friday the small EU team
had been relocated a week ago due to security concerns.Mobs stormed the U.S. embassy in Belgrade on Thursday,
after hundreds of Serbs burned down two border posts in north
Kosovo in response to the secession. British, German, Croatian
and Turkish missions were also attacked.A senior Serb minister blamed Washington for the violence.”The U.S. is the major culprit for all troubles since
February 17,” Serb Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic told
the state news agency Tanjug. “The root of violence is the
violation of international law.”Feith, the EU’s new civilian representative in Kosovo,
urged the Serb minority to accept political facts.”I would like to appeal to the Serb community to be
generous and to turn the page and look forward to working
together with us,” Feith told reporters in the southern town of
Prizren.”We have temporarily brought back our personnel but we will
maintain our office in the north. We hope that conditions will
soon allow us to resume our activities.”The EU’s sub-office stands empty and locked in Mitrovica
where several thousand Serbs rallied on Saturday. Riot police
guarded the main bridge that leads to the Albanian south side
of the town.The 2,000-strong EU rule of law mission is taking over
supervision of Kosovo from the United Nations following
Pristina’s declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday.
RELIGIOUS HEARTLANDThe United States and major EU powers have recognized the
new country to the fury of Belgrade. The U.S. State Department
has said family members and non-core personnel from the
Belgrade mission will be relocated until security improves.Kosovo has been run by the United Nations since 1999, when
NATO bombed to drive out Serb forces to halt the killing and
ethnic cleansing of Albanians in a two-year war against rebels.The EU faces a challenge to impose its authority in the
north where Serbs backed by Belgrade and Russia have served
notice the mission will be treated as “occupiers.”The violence has fuelled Albanian fears that Kosovo could
be heading for partition.Hundreds of Serbs - including many bussed in from Serbia -
burned down two border posts in the north on Tuesday, forcing
NATO to intervene, evacuate U.N. staff and shut down the
border.The north is home to just under half of Kosovo’s 120,000
remaining Serbs, the rest living in scattered enclaves guarded
by a 16,000-strong NATO peace force.Many Serbs regard Kosovo as their religious heartland,
steeped in myth and rich in Orthodox Christian heritage.Russian President Vladimir Putin’s favored successor, first
deputy prime minister Dmitry Medvedev, was due in Belgrade on
Monday to meet officials.(Additional reporting by Ivana Sekularac; Writing by Matt
Robinson; Editing by Robert Woodward)
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