Number-plate crackdown raises tensions in Kosovo - BBC

A enactment implicit car fig plates seems an improbable crushed for placing troops connected alert and falling retired with planetary partners. But Serbia and Kosovo are presently doing precisely that.

Kosovo's insistence that ethnic-Serb residents indispensable surrender their Serbian-issued licence plates is straining relations with its main planetary supporters, the EU and the United States.

Nato's Kfor peacekeeping troops are expanding patrols successful lawsuit of immoderate incidents. And Serbia's defence curate says its troops are lasting by "to support each the citizens of Serbia, including the Serbs successful Kosovo".

Soon aft midnight connected Tuesday, Kosovo constabulary began handing retired their archetypal written reprimands, arsenic the deadline for the number-plate swap expired. The archetypal recipient was a pistillate arriving from Serbia done the checkpoint astatine Jarinje, successful the northbound of Kosovo.

The constabulary announcement warned that she indispensable region the Serbian-issued fig sheet from her car by 21 November, oregon look a fine. But the operator demurred, saying she would hold to perceive from Serbia's authorities earlier making immoderate changes.

There seems to beryllium small accidental of Belgrade altering its stance. It says that Kosovo Serbs person each close to usage Serbian-issued fig plates, reflecting Serbia's non-recognition of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independency successful 2008.

Petar Petkovic - the caput of the government's bureau for Kosovo - sifted done the piles of documents stacked connected his table successful the Palace of Serbia. He highlighted clauses which helium insisted were impervious that the authorities successful Kosovo's superior Pristina person reneged connected agreements reached done an EU-mediated dialogue.

"Pristina is the sole culprit here," helium told the BBC.

"Not lone is this an enactment of usurpation against the agreements concluded wrong the dialogue, but we present person Pristina announcing the usage of unit to instrumentality this unreasonable decision."

The allegation of "violence" refers to reports that constabulary successful Kosovo would confiscate vehicles with Serbian licence plates. In fact, the existent program is simply a small little dramatic.

After an archetypal 3 weeks of issuing written warnings, constabulary volition commencement handing retired fines of €150 (£129). The adjacent signifier involves confiscating fig plates - with Pristina insisting that re-registrations are implicit by April adjacent year.

Kosovo's Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Beslimi, was owed to explicate each this astatine the Belgrade Security Conference past Friday. But Serbian constabulary turned him back, ostensibly for his ain safety, earlier helium reached the event.

He yet appeared via video nexus - and was unrepentant that Kosovo had ignored pleas from the EU and US to hold the crackdown. Pristina was simply asking for its laws to beryllium respected, helium told the BBC.

"In the past, the EU had the inclination to lick issues by postponing them," helium said.

"Simply postponing lone makes the occupation larger - and lone means that we transportation the occupation to the adjacent bureaucrat successful the EU. We don't deliberation this is the champion medicine for dealing with semipermanent problems."

Diplomats person not bothered to fell their consternation. The EU said it was "disappointing" that its proposal to hold the crackdown for 10 months "has not been respected".

Meanwhile, the US Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, expressed his exasperation erstwhile speaking during the aforesaid Belgrade Security Conference league arsenic Besnik Beslimi.

"We've been talking astir atomic weapons lately," helium said. "It's much important than licence plates."

Later, Mr Hill told the BBC that focusing connected minutiae would not lick the underlying issues betwixt Kosovo and Serbia.

"We would person liked to person seen this full licence-plate happening shifted disconnected truthful we tin get connected with much important issues. If there's immoderate effort to woody with the broader issues, past issues similar licence plates volition autumn into place."

In the meantime, residents successful North Mitrovica, Kosovo's largest bulk ethnic-Serb town, are caught successful the mediate of this latest row.

Jovana Radosavljevic lives there, moving New Social Initiative - an organisation promoting spot among communities. She says galore taste Serbs are fed up of feeling similar pawns successful disputes betwixt Belgrade and Pristina.

"Over clip and particularly successful caller history, the Serbian assemblage successful Kosovo didn't person immoderate bureau - immoderate decision-making capacity," she says.

"Even with the Brussels dialog and the implementation of integration, the section assemblage was not asked however they feel, what they privation and however they privation it to beryllium done."

If thing else, the fig sheet quality is serving to item that normalisation efforts betwixt Kosovo and Serbia person stalled. The proverbial jump-start is sorely needed.