Stores closed north of Mitrovica

Seven months after the Kosovo government imposed a 100 per cent tax on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Mitrovica says there is no more goods for sale, especially milk, flour, oil, and other products.

Rados Petrovic, a representative of the Association of Businessmen from northern Kosovo in a statement to Radio Free Europe, said the stores were closed because of the tax and the inability of businessmen from northern Kosovo to deal with their activities.

He did not disclose that until the shops are closed, saying that “this depends on the situation on the ground”.

The “Mungence has been observed over the past seven months, but today it's been a complete collapse, all the stores have been closed, even those food, and in the sign of solidarity all the other” stores have been closed, Petrovic said.

As he said, bread ovens will work with reduced capacity and bread will be delivered only to the hospital, the Students' Centre, and to gardens.

Serbian authorities have repeatedly said that the north is threatened by a “humanitarian disaster”, while officials in Pristina have said that this is only an instinct of a humanitarian crisis.

In the past period, Kosovo authorities have increased control over alternative, illegal crossings between Kosovo and Serbia, which were used to transport Serbian goods. /Rel/