Erhard Buehler, commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping forces in Kosovo (KFOR), on Friday reached agreement with representatives of the Serbian government and the Kosovo government on ways to resolve the current crisis in the north of Kosovo, according to a report by the Belgrade-based news agency Beta and a statement by Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.
Addressing a special session of the Kosovo government, Thaci said the government and KFOR had reached agreement on the situation in northern Kosovo, describing the agreement as one of historic importance, right after the declaration on Kosovo's independence.
Thaci said that reciprocity in trade between Kosovo and Serbia would be restored and that the delivery of humanitarian aid from Serbia to Kosovo would be allowed after international organisations decided if there was need for it and independent bodies made the necessary estimates.
The media in Pristina published details of the agreement between the government in Pristina and KFOR which show that border checks will be introduced after 12 years for the train travelling between Belgrade and Kosovska Mitrovica and that checks will be carried out by police in cooperation with members of the EU law enforcement mission in Kosovo, EULEX. All other transport routes will be controlled by KFOR. Every vehicle will be thoroughly checked and all people passing border crossings will be checked for weapons, the media said.
Other details of the agreement were expected to be made known by the end of the day.
The crisis in Kosovo broke out some ten days ago when Kosovo special police forces seized the border crossings Jarinje and Brnjak in northern Kosovo controlled by local Serbs in order to enforce a ban on imports from Serbia in response to a Serbian ban on imports from Kosovo. This prompted local Serbs to set up roadblocks. One Kosovo policeman was killed in the ensuing violence and last Friday KFOR closed down the two border crossings.
