Blasts in North Mitrovica, no damage

“There have been detonators, may be friends with bombs or fireworks. There are no reports of damage or hurt”, Deputy Regional Director for the North Veton Elshani told Radio Free Europe.

Elshani said, however, the situation in northern Mitrovica and other municipalities in the north has been calm during the night and that it continues to be so today.

Earlier this month, it was reported on terrorist attacks near police stations in northern Mitrovica and Zvecan.

These shock-bamba attacks are taking place at a time when tensions in northern Kosovo mostly inhabited by Serbs have increased.

Tensions began on May 26th, when young Albanian mayors in the north, under the assistance of the Kosovo Police, entered municipal buildings amid opposition from local Serbs.

Tensions culminated on May 29th, when in Zvecan, Serb protesters clashed with NATO mission members in Kosovo, KFOR. Dozens of people on both sides have been hurt by the clashes.

Also, on June 13th, Kosovo police conducted an action in northern Mitrovica, where they arrested Milun Milenkovic. Interior Affairs Minister Xhelal Svecla said the detainee allegedly was one of the organisers of events in Zvecan 29 May.

A day after that, three members of the Kosovo Police were arrested by Serb forces in the country's north, a move the Kosovo Government has described as kidnapping. To them, Serbian authorities have pronounced the detention measure of 30 days.

To calm the situation in the north, EU High Representative for Security and Foreign Policy Josep Borrell invited Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurtin and Serbia's President Aleksandar Vuciq to the meeting on 22 June. They were told they agreed to hold new elections. /Rel