Chief of the Administrative Office in Mitrovica North, Adriana Hodzic, announced that this office will integrate in the new municipal administration, which derived from the latest local elections.

She told KosovaPress that the Administrative Office is basis for the future municipality of Mitrovica North.

According to her, no one should be surprised if the headquarters of the Mitrovica North municipality transfers at the current premises of the Administrative Office soon.

Representatives of the Serbian National Council of Northern Kosovo and Metohija submitted today a petition signed by 18,000 citizens of Kosovo and Metohija requiring the arrested Serbs to be released pending trial.

"The arrested Serbs, Dragoljub Delibasic, Oliver Ivanovic, Radovan Radic and others must be insured the right to a fair trial and the possibility to prove their innocence while released pending trial," says the letter, delivered along with the petition to the Head of EULEX Mission Bernd Borchardt and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Farid Zarif.

Albanian representatives in the municipal assembly of Mitrovica north reacted today against media reports according to which they did not reject the decision to build a promenade near the Iber/Ibar Bridge. Emir Azemi, deputy chairman of the municipal assembly, told Kosovapress that these reports were not true. He also said that Albanian representatives had asked for the barricade on Iber/Ibar Bridge to be removed.

Around 20 Serbs blocked the construction of six Albanian houses in Kroi i Vitakut, in northern Mitrovica, this morning. The construction company began its work at 08:00 but two hours later a group of around 20 Serbs blocked the road with their vehicles thus preventing construction trucks to reach the neighborhood. Nazmi Ismajli, who represents the residents of Kroi i Vitakut, confirmed to Kosovapress the halt of construction. “20 people led by Dragoljub, who is from this village, have blocked the road and stopped the construction of our houses.

Citing sources in Mitrovica, the news website reports that in its latest meeting the municipal assembly of Mitrovica North has decided to turn into a promenade the road from Bosnjacka Mahalla to the Three Towers. Vehicles will reportedly not be allowed to use the road. “They are removing the park they built on Iber Bridge, but are creating an ever bigger obstacle by turning into a promenade the area that leads from the southern to the northern part of the city,” the source said. “The decision was made by the municipal assembly. It is a not decision made by parallel structures.

KTV’s editor-in-chief Adriatik Kelmendi says that it seems the Serb leadership in the north of Kosovo has adopted a new formula: “We will not apply Serbia’s laws anymore but now we will break those of Kosovo”. One of the first acts guided by this formula, according to Kelmendi, is giving a new name to the barricade that prevents free movement and calling it park.

Deputy of the European Parliament, Tanja Fajon, spoke in an interview for Radio Dukagjini about the “Peace Park” set immediately after the removal of the barricade over the River Ibër/Ibar bridge. “I would urge both p[arties, Albanians and Serbs, to restrain from violence and clashes. Normal flow of life in Kosovo is extremely important. Also it is very important for this barricade to be removed as soon as possible, because it is being proved that the situation there, with this “Peace Park” could escalate,” said Fajon.

In Albanians’ efforts to breakthrough in the south as of 1999, two Serbs died and around 300 were injured.

The day after violent protest of around 400 Albanians in southern Mitrovica under the slogan ‘Either you, or us’ situation on the main bridge on the Ibar/Ibër River is quite. American, German and Polish forces within KFOR have withdrawn, whereas Kosovo police and Italian Carabinieri are patrolling in both parts of the town.

Publicist Halil Matoshi writes that there are many similarities between Sunday’s protest in Mitrovica which ended in violence and the riots of March 2004. “It was the same scenario but luckily with a lower intensity”, he writes.

The German Ambassador in Pristina, Peter Blomeyer, stated that “perhaps it could be said that flowers and pine trees are more beautiful than the ugly barricade.”

 “Anyhow, there was lack of communication…There should be discussions for a joint solution. Even though we have some pines over the bridge, they will not turn the world upside down. We have to find a solution to use the bridge,” said Blomeyer in an interview for RTK.