NATO declines Serbia's request to deploy its troops in Kosovo - Reuters

SHTERPCE, Kosovo Jan 8 (Reuters) - NATO's ngo successful Kosovo, KFOR, has declined a Serbian authorities petition to nonstop up to 1,000 constabulary and service unit to Kosovo aft clashes betwixt Serbs and the Kosovo authorities, President Aleksandar Vucic said connected Sunday.

Serbia's erstwhile state of Kosovo declared independency successful 2008 pursuing the 1998-1999 warfare during which NATO bombed rump-Yugoslavia, comprising Serbia and Montenegro, to support Albanian-majority Kosovo.

"They (KFOR) replied they see that determination is nary request for the instrumentality of the Serbian service to Kosovo ... citing the United Nations solution approving their mandate successful Kosovo," Serbia's Vucic said successful an interrogation with the backstage Pink television.

Last month, for the archetypal clip since the extremity of the war, Serbia requested to deploy troops successful Kosovo successful effect to clashes betwixt Kosovo authorities and Serbs successful the bluish portion wherever they represent a majority.

The U. N. Security Council solution says Serbia whitethorn beryllium allowed, if approved by KFOR, to presumption its unit astatine borderline crossings, Orthodox Christian spiritual sites and areas with Serb majorities.

Vucic criticised KFOR for informing Serbia of its determination connected the eve of the Christian Orthodox Christmas, aft Kosovo constabulary arrested an off-duty worker suspected of shooting and wounding 2 young Serbs adjacent the confederate municipality of Shterpce.

Police said some victims, aged 11 and 21, were taken to infirmary and their injuries were not beingness threatening.

Kosovo authorities condemned the incident, which has inflamed tensions.

On Sunday, a fewer thousands Serbs protested peacefully successful Shterpce against what they called "violence against Serbs".

Goran Rakic, the caput of the Serb List, which is the main Serb enactment successful Kosovo, accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of trying to thrust retired Serbs.

"His extremity is to make specified conditions truthful that Serbs permission their homes," Rakic told the crowd. "My connection is that we indispensable not surrender."

Serbian media reported that different young antheral was allegedly attacked and beaten up by a radical of Albanians aboriginal connected Saturday, portion media successful Pristina reported that a Kosovo autobus going to Germany done Serbia was attacked and its windscreen breached with rocks precocious that aforesaid day.

International organisations condemned the attacks, expected to deepen mistrust betwixt bulk taste Albanians and astir 100,000 taste Serbs that unrecorded successful Kosovo. Half of them unrecorded successful the northbound and astir garbage to recognise Kosovo's independence.

Additional reporting and penning by Daria Sito-Sucic successful Sarajevo; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Barbara Lewis

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