![]() ![]() President Joe Biden spoke with Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, pushing Serbia to withdraw armed forces stationed near the border and urging protesters to remain peaceful. Serbs in Kosovo's north are seeking more autonomy for their region under a 2013 deal that has not been implemented. Serbia still formally considers Kosovo to be part of its territory. It also denies allegations that demonstrators who clashed with NATO troops and police in northern regions on May 29 were sent by Belgrade. Serbia denies Kosovo's accusations that it prevented Serbian candidates from running on the ballots. Osmani said that before new elections were called, Kosovo would need reassurances from the international community that Belgrade would not interfere. Osmani said she wanted those peacekeeping troops to stay until Kosovo was admitted into NATO. Serbs in Kosovo's northern region do not accept the 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia, almost a decade after the end of a war there, and still see Belgrade as their capital.Īs tensions between Serbia and Kosovo simmer, NATO has reinforced its peacekeeping forces in the north of the country. It was unclear, however, if local Serb voters would participate in a petition. ![]() She said the entire process could be done within a few months. Osmani said removing mayors through a voter petition would be "sort of a referendum" which would open the way for a second vote to be held to elect new mayors. Serbs, who form a majority in the region, boycotted the local polls. Violent protests erupted in four northern municipalities after Kosovo installed ethnic Albanian mayors who were elected into offices on a turnout of just 3.5%. To listen to the interview on Reuters World News podcast please click here. "In this way, I think we would ensure the participation of Serbs because the request would have come from them to begin with, from citizens," she said. In an exclusive interview in her office, President Vjosa Osmani said she believed a petition was the most "democratic way" to proceed to new elections. Kosovo could trigger new elections in Serb-majority municipalities rocked by violent protests if 20% of voters sign a petition asking for them, the president told Reuters. ![]()
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