Ukrainian UN police officer dies after Kosovo riots

18 Mar 2008 09:42:28 GMT
Source: Reuters

MITROVICA, Kosovo, March 18 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian police officer serving with the United Nations in Kosovo died of injuries sustained in violent clashes with Serbs on Monday, Ukraine's interior ministry said, confirming earlier reports. The number of Ukrainians injured in the clashes, the worst since Kosovo's Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia a month ago, has risen to 20 from the 14 that were earlier announced, the ministry said on Tuesday. It said the officer died late on Monday "after a surgical operation, from multiple injuries". It had said before that some 50-60 grenades had been levelled at the forces. Ukraine has contributed 155 police and 182 military personnel to the peacekeeping force in Kosovo. (Reporting by Matt Robinson, Branislav Krstic and Sabina Zawadzki)

Kosovo riots were 'orchestrated'

A senior UN official in Kosovo has strongly criticised Serbia for failing to prevent the trouble which led to the death of a Ukrainian policeman.

Ihor Kinal, 25, was fatally wounded on Monday by shrapnel from a hand grenade.
Deputy head of mission Larry Rossin told reporters that some of the comments from Serbia's Kosovo minister in Mitrovica were "objectionable".
He also said: "It is clear to us that the violence... was orchestrated. We believe we know who was responsible".
The trouble broke out when UN police wrested control of a courthouse in the divided town from Kosovo Serbs who had seized it days earlier.


We are very sad. The Kosovo institutions and government send condolences to the family and to his country.
Hashim Thaci
Kosovo Prime Minister
More than 130 people were hurt in the trouble that followed, both protesters and international forces.
Rocks, hand grenades and petrol bombs were hurled at UN officers and Nato troops fired back.
Nato's K-For force maintains it fired only in the air.
The UN official said he had asked Serbian minister Slobodan Samardzic to use his influence so that the international forces would not have to remove the protesters by force.
But, he said, nothing had happened.
"We've never had what we would consider a clear and unambiguous denunciation of this kind of violence from the ministers," he said.

Regular protests
There have been regular protests in Mitrovica since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia last month but Monday's trouble was the worst so far.

Police commissioner Larry Wilson told a news conference that, because of the gunfire that erupted after the UN moved in, emergency services had been unable to reach the Ukrainian officer and he had bled to death.
Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci told reporters in Pristina: "We are very sad. The Kosovo institutions and government send condolences to the family and to his country."
Although tensions were high in Mitrovica on Tuesday, Nato peacekeepers were in control of the main flashpoints in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the previous day's violence.
French soldiers fired a stun grenade when Serbs began throwing stones. The protesters were described as high-school students.
Bridges over the Ibar river that divides the Serb north from the ethnic Albanian south were closed.

'Lethal means'
The UN says 41 policemen are still being treated for their injuries.
Eleven French officers have been flown home for treatment. Ukrainians and Poles are also among the wounded.


Doctors say a Serb demonstrator who was shot in the head is in a coma, fighting for his life.
Officials in Belgrade have accused the UN and Nato of using excessive force against demonstrators. Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin also suggested there had been a lack of restraint.
But Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik appealed to Serbia and Kosovo Serb leaders to do more to quell the violence.
"It's up to Belgrade and the Kosovo Serb leaders to calm the residents of northern Kosovo," she said.
"Nobody questions the right to peaceful demonstrations, but the use of force against Unmik police and K-For is unjustifiable."
On Tuesday, Japan became the latest country to recognise Kosovo's independence, joining the United States and a majority of countries in the European Union.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7303792.stm

No, that is already included in the percentage. Nice try

UN officials accuses Serbian officials of encouraging violence in Kosovo's north


PRISTINA, Kosovo — The United Nations accused Serbian officials Tuesday of complicity in the violence in northern Kosovo that left a U.N. policeman from Ukraine dead and dozens of people hurt.

Larry Rossin, the deputy U.N. administrator for Kosovo, told reporters in Pristina that "it is clear to us that the violence ... was orchestrated."

.....

http://ap.onlineathens.com/pstories/...59116252.shtml

“We believe that the unilateral declaration of independence by Pristina is inadmissible and it's a gross violation of international law I mean. We had warned that this step would inevitably have negative consequences. And it happened actually. It's very difficult to drive all those who do not want to live in an illegally proclaimed state - within the framework of this state. You know that within long years following 1999, the rights of the minorities, especially Serbs in Kosovo were not provided. I'm talking about their security and the right of movement. Therefore we could see a very bad scenario when minoritites will feel alien in their own country.” - Sergei Lavrov, Russian minister of foreign affairs said.

Ehhhh, Russia has been against this for a long time. All they are doind is whining.

I agree. They should do something concrete or shut up and recognize the country. They just give pointless hope to Kosovo Serbs.

Hmmm...Interesting.


Yeah, I guess they should just back off instead. No point in trying when they havent gotten anywhere.

Considering the Russian position, there are a few options:

1. Russia keeps talking and blocks Kosovo's membership in UN and some other international organizations. Status quo to be prolonged.

2. Russia deploys weapons and troops in Serbia and gives a strong signal to the West. Serbia joins Russia-Belarus alliance and distances herself from EU

3. Russia recognizes Kosovo, discourages the Serbs and puts an end to this mess.


Option 1 is probable. Option 2 is possible if the radicals win the parliamentary elections in May and the Russian side agrees. That could be an open threat to world peace. Option 3 is almost impossible at the moment.

Likely. Russia has a personal interest in not setting that precedent. As long as it costs them nothing but words, Russia has no problem acting against Kosovo independence.


Unlikely. Russia has a lot to lose if it does so. And, honestly, Russia doesnt care about Serbia enough to stick it's neck out for them. Sorry.


Unlikely. Russia does not want that precedent set for personal reasons.

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