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Reuters
Reuters
Politics

EU prepared to send reinforcements to mission in Kosovo

German soldiers that are part of NATO peacekeepers mission in Kosovo walk near a roadblock set up by local Serbs, in Rudare, near the northern part of the ethnically-divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, December 12, 2022. REUTERS/Florion Goga

The European Union is ready to reinforce its EULEX mission, tasked with patrolling northern Kosovo, in response to the latest tensions in the region, the bloc's foreign policy chief said on Monday.

"I asked the member states to be ready to send additional reinforcements for our EULEX mission," Josep Borrell told reporters after a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels.

"Many of them agreed and (are) ready to send more capacities, more effective support, more people to this mission if needed," he added.

Kosovo police officers patrol an area in the northern part of the ethnically-divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, December 12, 2022. REUTERS/Florion Goga

For a third day on Monday, Serb protestors with trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles blocked several main roads in northern Kosovo leading to two border crossings with Serbia. Both crossings were closed to traffic.

The latest protests were triggered by the arrest of a former police officer on Saturday. He was part of a mass resignation of Serbs from the force last month, after Pristina said it would require Serbs to scrap Serbian licence plates dating to before the 1998-99 Kosovo War that led to independence.

EULEX said a stun grenade was thrown at one of its armoured vehicles on Saturday evening, but no one was injured.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Editing by Mark Potter)

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