Vienna/Belgrade, (EFE).- The riots this week with more than 80 injured, including 30 NATO soldiers, are the most serious that have occurred in years in Kosovo, where the Serb minority continues to reject the authority of the Kosovar government, 15 years after Serbia unilaterally gained independence.
These are the keys that explain the increase in tension in Kosovo, where some two million ethnic Albanians and some 80,000 Serbs live.
Why are there riots?
The Serbs of northern Kosovo refuse to accept the authority of the mayors of four municipalities where that community is in the majority. Those aldermen, ethnic Albanians, were elected in April in elections boycotted by the Serbs.
The tension began last Friday, when the Serbs blocked the access of the mayors to the town halls and the Kosovar police forced their way through, something that was criticized by the United States, the main supporter of Kosovo.
On Monday, the protests turned violent and 50 protesters and 30 soldiers from the NATO mission, KFOR, were injured in Zvecan. As a reaction, NATO will send another 700 soldiers to reinforce the contingent of the 3,800 already deployed.
What do the Serbs want?
The Serbs demand the withdrawal of the mayors and the special units of the Kosovar Police. They say they feel discriminated against by the central government and demand that they be granted a certain level of autonomy, something agreed in 2013 but that Pristina does not apply, arguing that this would threaten the integrity of the country.
What is Serbia’s position
The Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, promises that he will never recognize the independence of Kosovo, a delicate matter, since any conciliatory attitude could cost him the support of the most conservative and nationalist voters.
Serbia regards Kosovo not just as part of its territory, but as the almost mythical origin of the nation, partly because the main centers of Serbian Orthodox Christianity are located there.
What about the Kosovar government?
The Kosovar prime minister, Albin Kurti, is also a nationalist like Vucic, and years ago he even called for the union of Kosovo with Albania.
The Kosovar leader affirms that he will not withdraw the mayors elected in the boycotted elections and accuses Belgrade of provoking tensions by sending extremist and violent groups.
What role do the EU and the US play?
The United States supported the independence of Kosovo from the beginning, and so do 22 of the 27 countries of the (EU) European Union (all except Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus).
The EU has been mediating for years so that Kosovo and Serbia improve their relations, a condition for them to one day enter the community club, and currently there is a new plan on the table.
This plan provides that both parties do not block each other in international forums and normalize their relations in numerous areas, although it does not contain an explicit recognition of Kosovo by Serbia.
The US first criticized the use of force by the Kosovar Police and then the Serb attacks on NATO soldiers. To reduce the tension, he proposes that the mayors continue to exercise, but not from the town hall buildings, and that the Kosovar special police withdraw. The EU has asked, like the US, that the two parties avoid an escalation of tension.
What do Russia and China say?
The Kosovo crisis is also being played out on the international stage and is yet another scenario in the clash between powers. China and Russia, which do not recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty, say the problem is that Serb rights are not respected.
Moscow accuses the West of instigating the conflict and of violating UN Security Council resolution 1244, which provided for a negotiation to create “a substantial self-government” for Kosovo, taking fully into account the principles of Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Serbia, which aspires to join the EU but has excellent relations with Moscow, remains equidistant in the Ukraine war, condemning the Russian invasion but not joining European sanctions against Russia.