Serbs Remove Barricades in Kosovo North

According to local media, the agreement on Monday was facilitated by Zubin Potok mayor Slavisa Ristic. After local Serbs remove the barricades, KFOR will withdraw its vehicles that have been blocking the road since last week.

It will allow KFOR to set up a checkpoint that will also include local Serb members of the Kosovo police, KPS.

Tanjug is reporting that local Serbs will continue to man another barricade nearby - set up on an bypass road.

Belgrade-based daily Blic is writing today that Slavisa Ristic received full support of other Serb mayors in the north to conclude the agreement.

After KFOR attempted to remove the barricade by last week, the troops and local Serbs were locked in a standoff and clashed several times, while the military mission demanded to set up its checkpoint there.

Local Serb leaders agreed to  remove the barricades following Friday's agreement on border management between Belgrade and Pristina, so-called IBM concept. The basic principle is that all relevant authorities and agencies involved in security and trade on both sides of the border work in coordination.

Serbia's government embraced the agreeement ahead of a key meeting in Brussels where ministers will take a decision to approve or reject Serbia’s bid for EU candidate status.

The deal was made on Friday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel indicated that Germany was minded to veto Serbia's candicacy on account of Belgrade's support for the protesters in Kosovo. Some German peacekeepers in Kosovo have been injured larely in clashes with Kosovo Serbs.