(27 May 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zubin Potok - 27 May 2023
1. Various of armoured police vehicles
2. Various of Kosovo flag at city hall entrance (flag of Serbia was hanging until yesterday)
3. Various of police & vehicles
4. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Milija Bisevac, local Serb leader from Zubin Potok:
“We were disturbed by the sounds of sirens, so we came here (outside city hall) and we got information that new mayor wants to forcibly enter city hall with the assistance of police, and to throw out people who were working there out in the street. We gathered here to express our democratic right to protest, we simply don’t want the city hall to be taken over like that - by force.“
5. Serbian flags
6. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Milija Bisevac, local Serb leader from Zubin Potok:
“We tried to speak to the police and their commander, peacefully, to reduce tensions, to find some other solution, but they would not listen to us, they (police) started to use force, they threw tear gas at us, shock bombs. People were defenceless, they forced us out of there and took control of the city hall. As you can see behind me, they (police) are still here with armoured vehicles and automatic rifles, and they are not letting anyone come close to the city hall building.”
7. Various of police outside city hall
ASSOCIATED PRESS
South Mitrovica - 27 May 2023
8. Italian EU police on the bridge dividing Serb and Albanian communities in Mitrovica
9. EU police
10. Serbian flags hanging on the streets on the other side of the bridge
11. EU police at the bridge
12. EU Police headquarters in South Mitrovica, police vehicles outside
13. EU police armoured vehicle
14. Manuel Sarrazin, German Special Envoy to Western Balkans arrives to give statement
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Manuel Sarrazin, German Special Envoy to Western Balkans:
"I am very convinced that yesterday was a bad day for Kosovo and for the whole Western Balkans region.”
15. EU police vehicles number plates
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Manuel Sarrazin, German Special Envoy to Western Balkans:
“This kind of approach is not the basis for coming more closer to European Union. We have the Ohrid agreement (Ohrid town in North Macedonia where Serbia and Kosovo signed a new Kosovo agreement recently), and the dialogue as the basis for coming closer towards European Union of Republic of Kosovo and of Serbia. “
17. EU police cars
18. Polish and EU flag
STORYLINE:
Germany's Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, arrived in Kosovo’s divided town of Mitrovica.
His visit is an attempt to try and calm ethnic tensions between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians after Friday's clashes between Kosovo police and ethnic Serbs in several towns in the north of the country.
Sarrazin visited an international police force base in the southern part of Mitrovica and condemned the incidents which led to Serb civilians and Kosovo policeman being injured.
Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo, who are a majority in that part of the country, had tried to block recently elected ethnic Albanian officials from entering municipal buildings on Friday.
Last month’s snap local election was largely boycotted by ethnic Serbs and only ethnic Albanian or other smaller minority representatives were elected in the mayoral posts and assemblies.
Serb politicians in northern Kosovo on Saturday called on Serbia to suspend its participation in talks mediated by the European Union and aimed at normalizing relations between the former war foes.
===========================================================
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
