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Clash on Serbia, Kosovo border crossing injures 45 people

28 June 2012 20:51 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A total of 32 Kosovo police officers and 13 Serbian civilians were injured on Thursday morning in a clash at a crossing border point between Serbia and Kosovo, APA reports quoting news.yahoo.com website.

Early in the morning Kosovo police stopped a group of Serbs in Vushtrria/Vucitern town travelling in two buses from northern Mitrovica towards central Kosovo to mark the Vidovdan Day and the 623rd anniversary of the Kosovo Battle against the Ottoman Empire.

The police decided to deport them to Serbia and escorted them up to Merdare crossing border point, where irritated Serbs started to threw stones at Kosovo policemen.

Serbian media said at least three Serbs were injured by live ammunition used by Kosovo police. But Kosovo Interior official Bajram Rexhepi said no live ammunition was used in the incident.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia still insists Kosovo is its southern province. However, most leading European countries and the United States have exchanged diplomats with Pristina.

Pristina authorities on Wednesday denied Serbian Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic entry into its territory.