Albanian Language Media:

• Bislimi: We expect removal of punitive measures (RTK) 
• Gervalla in the Holy See at Christmas Eve mass (RTK) 
• Haliti: Vulin was in Kosovo on September 24 – internationals are aware of this (Reporteri)
• Potential risk of repeating Banjska scenarios, assessed (Koha)  
• KFOR: We do not speculate about any future scenario in the north (Koha) 
• Police seize dangerous equipment in Mitrovica North (media) 
• The U.S. KFOR conducts security patrol near Leposavic (RTK) 
• Northern Serbs protest against ban on import of Serbian goods (Koha) 
• UBO poll: LVV first with 48.5%, PDK second, LDK third (media) 
• Theft reported in UNMIK offices in the north, police: We found the windows broken (Telegrafi)
• Petkovic on mass protests: It is clear why Kurti supported opposition in Serbia (media) 

Serbian Language Media:

• The Government of Serbia enable free movement of all vehicles from Kosovo from 1 January (Tanjug, RTS)
• Dacic: Security situation stable, we will continue to protect constitutional order (Tanjug)
• More Serbs denied Svecla’s allegations that they were logistics for Banjska (KoSSev, KiM radio)
• Business owners protested in North Mitrovica over the ban on Serbian goods (Kosovo Online)
• Kosovo Ministry of Culture Reconstructs Orthodox Church at Gornje Vinarce as ‘Catholic’ Without Consulting Serbian Church (eparhija-prizren.com, media)
• Families of Serbs killed in Banjska still waiting for autopsy results, Vucic says (N1)
• Serbian Ministry of Defense: Planning an incursion into the territory of Kosovo is a notorious lie and complete nonsense (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• PKS: Satisfaction in Pristina because of the violence in Belgrade (KiM radio)
• UNMIK worried about unauthorized entry into its premises (KiM radio, Tanjug, Kosovo Online, Politika)
• Cameras in public areas seized in Klokot, Partes and Ranilug; Media: “They were controlled by Belgrade?” (KoSSev)
• Ambassador Hill spoke about the protest (Danas, Kosovo Online) 
• Vucic after the protest on Sunday: Over 35 thugs arrested (N1, Beta)
• Belgrade Sunday protest turned violent (N1)

International Media:

• Serbia protests: Anti-government demonstrators try to storm Belgrade city hall (BBC)
• Police in Serbia detain nearly 40 people as opposition plans more protests against election results (AP)
• Vucic: We will not accept any Document that obliges us to support Kosovo’s Membership in the UN (sarajevotimes.com)

Albanian Language Media

 Bislimi: We expect the removal of punitive measures (RTK) 

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi said that the punitive measures imposed on Kosovo, first by the United States of America and then by the European Union “have damaged the economy and the international image of Kosovo”. He called the measures a mistake that should be corrected. 

For the remaining measures in force, Bislimi pointed the finger at Hungary, which, according to him, “as the smallest common denominator” did not allow the consensus of many EU countries to remove punitive measures against Kosovo. 

Bislimi said that there were countries that were in favor of removing punitive measures, but that “the compromise was found through the lowest common denominator”.  

“Hungary insisted on something else, and this position prevailed”, Bislimi told EuroNews Albania. 

“We have supporters who support lifting the measures, but we need someone to insist on this. That would help. There is a sentence in the Council’s conclusions that paves the way for this because it says that the Council is ready to lift the measures at the request of the High Representative. We know that he was in favor of lifting the measures, so what we need now is for Borrell to send a letter supporting the lifting of the measures”, said Bislimi while adding that he is optimistic about this. 

Gervalla in the Holy See at the Christmas Eve mass (RTK) 

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla, at the invitation of the Holy See, participated in the mass on the eve of Christmas. 

“Merry Christmas from St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where, at the invitation of the Holly See, we participated in the Mass on the eve of Christmas. May peace and love reign in our country and all our homes,” she wrote in “Facebook”. 

Haliti: Vulin was in Kosovo on September 24 – internationals are aware of this (Reporteri) 

Xhavit Haliti, MP of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), has said that on the day of the terrorist attack in Banjska of Zvecan on September 24 against the Kosovo police, the head of the BIA, Aleksandar Vulin, was in Kosovo. 

“Vulin, the former head of the Serbian secret services was in Banjska, he was in the north of Mitrovica and nobody said it, but diplomacy works a little differently than we think, but he was forced to resign in Serbia.” 

Haliti said that the internationals are aware that Vulin was there at that time. 

“The internationals know that Vulin was there in that period… The very fact that there is no report on what happened in the north of Kosovo speaks that democracy is acting in order to keep some issues silent and the reports and talks go to the conclusion of this situation”, he added.  

Haliti said that Kosovo should follow the diplomatic path. 

Potential risk of repeating scenarios like that of Banjska, assessed (Koha)  

The Kosovo Center for Security Studies has assessed that the security situation has become more sensitive, due to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.  

A day earlier, Prime Minister Albin Kurti warned about the preparation of terrorist attacks in the north of Kosovo, while the opposition criticized for behaving as distrustful towards the state he leads. 

Mentor Vrajolli, director of the KKSS, says that similar attempts at attacks like those on September 24, where the police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed, are possible. 

“Serbia has been and is a threat. Perhaps what is happening today is an alarm for the past, where the West largely had the threat coming from Serbia, and especially its ties with Russia, which are being exposed today. The attack in Banjska was an attack related to the interests of the nationalist groups of Serbia, but also of the Russian state, so the risk of similar attempts again in Kosovo is extremely high,” Vrajolli stated. 

Prime Minister Albin Kurti spoke about the possibility of these attacks in a media conference together with the Minister of the Interior, Xelal Svecla, a day ago. 

“Maybe these indications mentioned in the conference that Serbia or these groups are preparing a new attack are also related to the fact that those people are free and so far no step has been taken to bring them before the institutions of justice and keep them away from the possibilities to reorganize in a similar attack”, he said. 

KFOR: We do not speculate about any future scenario in the north (Koha) 

The NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, has said that it is ready to respond to any security challenges, while adding that it “will not speculate on any future scenario” for the possibility of repeated attacks in the north. 

In an answer to the news website, the Office of Communication said “We are in close contact with the institutions in Kosovo and security organizations of Kosovo, as well as with other interested parties, including the EU Mission for the Rule of Law (EULEX), the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Serbia, the OSCE and the UN. We are closely monitoring any significant security developments in the region. KFOR remains focused on implementing its UN mandate – based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 – to ensure a safe and secure environment for all people living in Kosovo and freedom of movement, at any time and impartially.” 

“We will continue our efforts to prevent any escalation and are ready to respond to any challenge, adapting our position as necessary and continuing close cooperation with the Kosovo Police and the EU Rule of Law mission (EULEX). KFOR continues to operate as the third security responder, after the Kosovo Police and EULEX. As the Secretary General of NATO said in his last visit to the Western Balkans last November, “stability in the region depends on all parties choosing diplomacy instead of violence”. 

KFOR has added that it strongly supports the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia mediated by the European Union, saying that “the parties must engage in good faith”. 

KFOR has described the situation in the north as calm, but fragile. 

 Police seize dangerous equipment in Mitrovica North (media) 

The Kosovo Police in North Mitrovica have seized dangerous equipment that could be used for attacks on the Police, endangering the lives of policemen and citizens. 

According to the Police announcement, competent units, based on the information received from the citizens, have undertaken immediate investigative and operational actions in the Bosniacka Mahala neighborhood in Mitrovica. During the search, the police authorities found: improvised barbed wire, smoke bombs, ammunition and uniforms. The uniform found is similar to the uniforms that were used by the terrorist group in Banjska on September 24, the announcement states. The police are still continuing the operational police actions in the field in order to identify other suspected equipment, and prevent any possible attack against the Kosovo Police.  

According to the announcement, the Kosovo Police with its officials and in cooperation with the citizens is continuously working with dedication and professionalism in maintaining order and guaranteeing general security in the entire territory of Kosovo. 

The U.S. KFOR conducts security patrol near Leposavic (RTK) 

American soldiers who are part of the KFOR mission in Kosovo have been patrolling the hills of Leposaviq.  

The announcement was made through the NATO mission page on Facebook, where it is stated that “American KFOR soldiers from the Eastern Regional Command (RC-E) conducted a security patrol near Leposaviq”. 

“KFOR is fully focused on a daily basis to fulfill the mandate, according to the UN Security Council Resolution of 1999 – to provide a safe environment for all communities living in Kosovo as well as freedom of movement,” the KFOR page states. 

Northern Serbs protest against ban on import of Serbian goods and their confiscation (Koha) 

Some Serb citizens of the north, most of them businessmen, protested on Monday in the north of Mitrovica, against the ban on the import of goods from Serbia to Kosovo and their confiscation.They have also initiated a petition, through which they ask the relevant bodies to allow these goods in Kosovo again and without hindrance. 

Dusan Gasiqc who spoke on behalf of the protesters, told reporters that they want such actions of seizing Serbian goods to be stopped and the situation to return to the situation before June, when the government of Kosovo decided to block goods of Serbian origin in Kosovo. 

The protest lasted about an hour and no incident was recorded, while as a sign of solidarity with the protest, all shops in the north of Mitrovica were closed from 12:00 to 14:00 hours. 

UBO poll: LVV first with 48.5%, PDK second, LDK third (media)  

Media reported on Monday about the public opinion poll of the UBO  research and analytics company. According to the survey, if the elections were to be held this Sunday, Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) would lead in the first place with 48.5 percent, while the second party listed with 18.2 percent is the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).  

According to the survey,  the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), ranks third with 17.9 percent. 

AAK turns out to have 6.8 percent. The Serbian List received 3.2 percent, while the Social Democratic Initiative received 1.5 percent. 

The other parties are listed below, such as Lista Guxo with 0.8 percent, PSD with 0.4 percent and Alternativa with 0.1 percent. 

51.3% of the respondents said they would vote, 29.0% said they would probably vote, 3.9% probably wouldn’t vote, 12.1% definitely said they wouldn’t vote, 2.7% said they don’t know while1% had no answer. 

More than 50 percent of Kosovo’s citizens support the creation of the Association of Municipalities with a Serb Majority, while 49.5 are in favor of the idea of exchanging territories. 

Opposition political parties reacted to the poll. The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo Lumir Abdixhiku called the survey propaganda of the Vetevendosje Movement and added that LDK has ordered a survey with many more respondents. He said that they will soon make public the results only for their political party, in order to be fair to the other political parties.  

According to spokesperson of the PDK, Faton Abdullahu, the published survey is an example of manipulation. He claims that PDK is the first with 30.6 percent. Deputy leader of this party Vlora Citaku also addressed PM Kurti saying, “If you are satisfied with the polls, let’s go for the elections.”  

Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the AAK, said “the prices have increased, and some have money to pay surveys.” 

Theft reported in UNMIK offices in the north, police: We found the windows broken (Telegrafi) 

UNMIK offices in Zubin Potok and Leposavic were broken into and robed on Sunday, during the day. The acting director of the police in the north, Veton Elshani, said that the police found the windows broken. Elshani emphasized that there is still no information about what was stolen there. 

“We examined everything, but we don’t know what was inside. We have no information except what has been reported, I don’t know,” he said. 

UNMIK have confirmed the robberies of their office for the Serbian medium in the north, Kosovo Online. 

“The access of UNMIK to the offices located in the municipal buildings in Zubin Potok, Zvecan and Lleposaviq has been limited since the incidents of May 2023. UNMIK has visited their offices in some cases in order to restore part of their property and to assess the spaces with the support of KFOR and in coordination with the Kosovo authorities. UNMIK expressed its concern to the Kosovo authorities about the unauthorized access to its premises and reminded that the premises and property of the United Nations are inviolable and that access to these premises must be protected and guaranteed at all times,” the UNMIK written response states. 

Petkovic on mass protests: It is clear why Kurti supported opposition in Serbia (media) 

The negotiator of the Serbian side in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Petar Petkovic, has blamed the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, for supporting the opposition protests in Belgrade, saying that he is “attacking the Serbs in Kosovo every day”. 

After the mass protests in Belgrade against the irregularities in the parliamentary elections won by the party of President Aleksandar Vucic, Petkovic said on the X social network that “the fury of the opposition of Djilas has satisfied Kurti and the media in Pristina”. 

“It is clear why Kurti has openly supported the opposition of Djilas, while he attacks the Serbs in Kosovo every day”, he said. 

Serbian Language Media 

The Government of Serbia enable free movement of all vehicles from Kosovo from 1 January  (Tanjug, RTS)

RTS reported last night that the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic announced that “the Government of Serbia made a decision to enable freedom of movement for all vehicles from Kosovo and Metohija”. 

Petkovic emphasized that a disclaimer will be posted at all border and administrative crossings.

”Allowing all vehicles registered by the temporary institutions of self-government in Pristina to participate in traffic on the roads is done exclusively for practical reasons, in order to facilitate the position of individuals and enable their freedom of movement and cannot be interpreted as recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo, it does not prejudice the determination final status and cannot be interpreted as Belgrade’s consent to deviating from the rights guaranteed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244,” the text of the disclaimer states.

The decision will apply from January 1.

Dacic: Security situation stable, we will continue to protect constitutional order (Tanjug)

The security situation in Serbia is stable and authorities will continue coordinated activities to protect the country’s constitutional and legal order, the head of Serbia’s Bureau for Coordination of Security Services Ivica Dacic said on Monday.

Earlier, the bureau met to analyse the security situation following Sunday’s attempt by protesters to enter the Old Palace – the City Hall – in central Belgrade by force.

We condemned in the strongest terms the act of violent entry into institutions – those were not political protests but an attempt to take power through violence, Dacic said after the bureau’s session.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/5n6y3swm

More Serbs denied Svecla’s allegations that they were logistics for Banjska (KoSSev, KiM radio)

Denials continued to be made to the Saturday’s statements made by Kosovo PM Albin Kurti and Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Svecla about the structure of Civil Protection and the Northern Brigade, and the listing of alleged participants in the conflict in Banjska, as well as the alleged planning of a new attack from Serbia, reported KoSSev portal. On Monday, the new denials came from Miljan Nedeljkovic, a resident of Mitrovica, and Vuk Balovic from Leposavic. 

Previously retired MUP colonel Dragoljub Delibasic, Blazo Lazic, Zarko Mojsilovic and Jovan Miletic, as well as Momir Vukomanovic, Milan Nedeljkovic and Nikola Ilic denied all allegations as well as any connection with the events in Banjska, reported portal KoSSev. 

Business owners protested in North Mitrovica over the ban on Serbian goods (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo Online reported that business owners protested peacefully on Monday in North Mitrovica and signed a civic petition to allow the import of goods produced in Serbia.

The protest was attended by several hundred citizens of North Mitrovica, according to the portal.

One of the businessmen, Dusan Gasic, stated that businessmen from the north of Kosovo had initiated the gathering, but that it was primarily a gathering of citizens.

Kosovo Ministry of Culture Reconstructs Orthodox Church at Gornje Vinarce as ‘Catholic’ Without Consulting Serbian Church (eparhija-prizren.com, media)

“In its campaign of appropriation of the material and spiritual heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) in Kosovo, the Ministry of Culture from Priština has self-initiatively begun “a reconstruction” of the Orthodox cemetery church in the village of Gornje Vinarce, seven kilometres west of Mitrovica. This information was posted on the City of Mitrovica’s Facebook page. Besides not contacting the SOC regarding the reconstruction, the Ministry has taken a further step by proclaiming this church “Catholic,” clearly intending to take over the heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church.”

Read more at: https://t.ly/vN3nY

The Serbian Ministry of Culture condemned the declaration of the Orthodox church in Gornji Vinarci near Mitrovica as “Catholic”. “This shows that the goal (of Pristina) is not only the appropriation of cultural heritage, its seizure and incorporation into the foundations of false statehood, but above all the erasure of the traces of everything that is Serbian,” said from the ministry, reported Serbian media. 

Families of Serbs killed in Banjska still waiting for autopsy results, Vucic says (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the families of the Serbs killed in Banjska have not yet received the autopsy results accusing Pristina of “hiding them.”

Vucic said that three months have passed since the incident and that Pristina is hiding the findings of the autopsy of the Serbs killed in Banjska.

“Pristina continues to hide the autopsy findings of Stefan Nedeljkovic, Igor Milenkovic, and Bojan Mijailovic. We begged them countless times,” he stressed, adding that it was never revealed who performed the autopsy.

The families did not receive the autopsy report because the Albanian Post, Albanian media outlet, published details of a meeting between Kosovo PM Albin Kurti and special forces who threatened to strike, according to Vucic. Kurti then criticised the special forces for not doing anything in Banjska and for only killing people with a sniper from a distance. The special agents replied that it was not true that all of them were killed by a sniper from a distance. This is what we were saying, said Vucic.

He emphasised that he would ask to “investigate how and why they were killed in cold blood.”

“For us, they are people. And while it is sacred and eternal, we will demand to be investigated how and why they were killed in cold blood,” he underlined.

Vucic also accused Kurti of not willing to implement any agreement, while Serbia is willing to implement what it said.

“Serbia will implement everything we said, therefore, in a decent way, in a fair manner, but we will also wait for the formation of the Community of the Serb Municipalities,” he added.

Serbian Ministry of Defense: Planning an incursion into the territory of Kosovo is a notorious lie and complete nonsense (Radio Mitrovica sever)

The Ministry of Defense of Serbia announced that they strongly “reject the lies” that Kosovo PM Albin Kurti and Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla announced on Saturday, especially those that, as stated, accuse the Serbian Army of involvement in the events in Banjska, and connections with the non-existent ” terrorist groups” who are allegedly planning to invade the territory of Kosovo, reported Radio Mitrovica sever. 

“We emphasize that the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army act exclusively in accordance with their legal competences. Therefore, it is a notorious lie and complete nonsense that the training grounds of the Serbian Armed Forces are used for the training of any units, except for units of the Serbian Armed Forces and occasionally the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and that there are any plans for an “attack” on the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija,” it was said in the statement.

They state that in the “lack of any constructive solutions that would lead to the establishment of peace and stability on the territory of our southern province, Kurti and Svecla, like broken gramophones, repeat lies over and over, which no one serious in the international community has nor will believe”.

PKS: Satisfaction in Pristina because of the violence in Belgrade (KiM radio)

“The only result of that violence is the satisfaction that was caused in Pristina and the fear that was caused in Serbs in Kosovo,” announced the Party of Kosovo Serbs (PKS) regarding last night’s protests and the attempt to forcefully enter the Belgrade City Assembly, which resulted in the arrest of 38 people, reported KiM radio. 

“Attacks on the institutions of the Serbian state directed by the coalition ‘Serbia against violence’ are a call to destroy the Constitution and peace,” it was stated in the statement of this political party delivered to the media.

“Serbs in the north of Kosovo are living witnesses of the terror and occupation of local institutions by the criminal structures of the Government of Kosovo and the installation of those who lost the elections,” it added.

“The same Kosovo institutions rejoice over the violence in Belgrade and now see an opportunity for further pressure on the Serbs and their interests in Kosovo,” concludes the statement of the PKS.

UNMIK worried about unauthorized entry into its premises (KiM radio, Tanjug, Kosovo Online, Politika)

The UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has expressed concern to the authorities in Pristina due to unauthorized entry into its premises, the mission told Tanjug, regarding information that its premises in Leposavic and Zubin Potok have been raided, reported KiM radio.

UNMIK reminded that UN premises and property are inviolable, as well as that access to those premises must be protected and guaranteed at all times.

The UNMIK spokesperson stated that the UN Mission’s access to its offices located in the municipal buildings in Zubin Potok, Zvecan and Leposavic has been limited since the incidents in May.

According to the spokesperson, UNMIK, with the support of KFOR and in coordination with the Pristina authorities, visited its offices on several occasions to recover part of its property and assess the condition of the premises. The representative of UNMIK, however, did not state when the unauthorized entry into their premises took place.

In May, Pristina, with the help of the Kosovo police, ”forcibly introduced illegal mayors, Albanians, into the buildings of the municipalities in Zubin Potok and Zvecan”, where the UNMIK offices are also located, reported KiM radio. 

The mayors were elected in elections that were boycotted by the Serbs due to Pristina’s non-compliance with the Brussels Agreement, the incursion of special units of the Kosovo Police into the north of Kosovo, as well as illegal arrests of Serbs.

Certain media outlets in Kosovo previously announced that the premises of UNMIK in Leposavic and Zubin Potok were ransacked, as well as that office furniture and other items were stolen from them.

Elshani: The police found broken windows in the UNMIK offices 

The Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police for the North region, Veton Elshani, told Kosovo Online portal that KP officers found broken windows in the offices of UNMIK in the municipal buildings in Leposavic and Zubin Potok, following portal’s knowledge that the offices of this mission in those two municipalities were raided.

Elshani said that the police officers found broken windows, and as he stated, there was no more information about the inventory, reported the portal on Sunday.

“We examined everything, but we don’t know what was inside. We have no information, if they know that something was taken, I don’t know,” Elshani said briefly.

Cameras in public areas seized in Klokot, Partes and Ranilug; Media: “They were controlled by Belgrade?” (KoSSev)

Kosovo Police seized the cameras from the public areas in the municipality of Gnjilane on Friday, the Kosovo Police confirmed for KoSSev.

The cameras in question were located in Serb-majority towns of Klokot, Partes and Ranilug, the spokesman of the Kosovo Police for the Gnjilane Region, Ismet Hashani, confirmed.

“In connection with this order of the state prosecutor, proceedings have been initiated for the criminal offense of ‘photographing and other unauthorized recording’ and this case continues to be investigated by the Regional Investigation Sector in Gnjilane,” Hasani told KoSSev.

The spokesman, however, could not specify the number of cameras seized. Media in Pristina, however, reported that a total of 50 cameras were confiscated.

Although Hashani did not specify the reason why these cameras were removed, the Pristina-based Zeri portal writes, referring to its findings, that the order to remove the cameras was made by the prosecutor Agron Uka, due to the suspicion they were “under Belgrade’s control”.

Recently, security cameras were removed in several Serbian areas in Kosovo, both north and south of the Ibar.

The explanation for why they were removed said “that they were installed by illegal Serbian structures”.

Ambassador Hill spoke about the protest (Danas, Kosovo Online) 

In the hours and days ahead, the leaders of Serbia and its citizens should remember: The legitimacy of democratic processes depends on the transparency and readiness of all parties, whether they win or lose, to respect the will of the people expressed at the ballot box, wrote the American ambassador in Serbia Christopher Hill on platform X, reported yesterday Danas daily.

Read the full post at:http://tinyurl.com/32zre7hu

Vucic after the protest on Sunday: Over 35 thugs arrested (N1, Beta)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said two police officers were seriously injured and several sustained slight injuries at the Sunday evening protest outside the Belgrade City Assembly building, and that over 35 “thugs” were detained, reported N1.

Read more at: https://t.ly/da3hV

Belgrade Sunday protest turned violent (N1)

A protest of the opposition assembled around the Serbia Against Violence (SPN) coalition and its supporters was held outside the Belgrade City Assembly on Sunday evening.

Thousands of protesters, many of whom were students, demanded the annulment of the December 17 early elections, claiming election fraud. According to international observers, the elections were held under unjust conditions.

Read more at:https://t.ly/MWKuD

Serbia Against Violence: Vucic sent special police against citizens

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s regime once again showed its true – violent face, said the Serbia Against Violence (SPN) coalition.

They refused to allow city councilors and deputies to enter the city hall, they sent their hooligans to make incidents, and, finally, Vucic sent special units that used brutal force against the citizens protesting over election fraud, said the SPN.

Read more at: https://t.ly/ZzKmt

International Media

Serbia protests: Anti-government demonstrators try to storm Belgrade city hall (BBC)

Police in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, have used tear gas to disperse crowds protesting over alleged fraud in last week’s general election.

They intervened after some of the crowd outside the city hall smashed windows and attempted to force their way in.

Opposition activists say police used excessive force on Sunday. They say the government manipulated the elections won by the ruling party. President Aleksandar Vucic says the allegations are “rubbish and lies”.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/2m737ee

Police in Serbia detain nearly 40 people as opposition plans more protests against election results (AP)

Serbian police said Monday they have detained at least 38 people who took part in a protest against reported widespread irregularities during a recent general ballot that declared the governing populists as winners of the parliamentary and local councils’ elections.

Claiming election fraud, particularly in the capital, Belgrade, opposition group Serbia Against Violence has been staging protests since the Dec.17 elections while some politicians began a hunger strike. On Sunday evening, hundreds of protesters tried to enter Belgarde’s city council, breaking windows, before riot police pushed them back using tear gas, pepper spray and batons.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/yc4mj7tt

Vucic: We will not accept any Document that obliges us to support Kosovo’s Membership in the UN (sarajevotimes.com)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said yesterday that Belgrade will not accept any document that obligates it to support and assist Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations(UN), institutions, organizations and UN agencies.

In an address to the citizens from the Presidency of Serbia, Vucic said that he expects a “broad polemic” on this issue to open in January.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/4rys2z4n