The situation is tense in North Kosovo where hundreds of Serbs remain outside the town halls of four cities demanding that the police leave the buildings and allow the officials to enter. Soldiers of the international peacekeeping force-KFOR from the US, Poland and Italy have been deployed between the protesters and the police to avoid clashes. At the same time, the EU and the US are making efforts to de-escalate the tension. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, contacted the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, by telephone, asking him to avoid actions that would inflame the tension. The American ambassador in Pristina, Jeffrey Honevier, met at noon with the president of Kosovo, Viosa Osmani, and expressed his concern about the developments. Earlier this morning the head of the US diplomatic mission had a meeting with two of the four newly elected mayors. The other two from Albin Kurti’s ruling party did not respond to the American ambassador’s invitation.

Geoffrey Honewier told reporters that the possibility of calling new municipal elections in northern Kosovo is even being discussed.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic expressed her concern about the behavior of the Kosovo government, while Defense Minister Milos Vučević announced that the deployment of Serbian army units on the administrative border with Kosovo will be completed early this afternoon.

The new crisis in Kosovo erupted when, last Friday, May 26, Kosovo police intervened in four cities in the north to break up a gathering of Serbs who were preventing the newly elected mayors from taking office. These mayors were elected in the extraordinary municipal elections held on April 23 without the participation of Serbs. Voter turnout in these elections did not exceed 3.5% and the Serb community in northern Kosovo considers the result invalid.