Kosovo Serbs to remove barricades that triggered tensions

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC
Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic says Serbs will start removing their barricades in Kosovo on Thursday in a move that deescalates tensions that triggered fears of new clashes in the Balkans. The agreement with Kosovo Serbs was reached at a late-night crisis meeting on Wednesday. It followed the release of a former Kosovo Serb police officer, whose detention triggered a major crisis that provoked international concerns. Kosovo’s prime minister criticized the court’s decision to release the former officer on house arrest. NATO-led peacekeepers have been stationed in Kosovo since a 1998-99 separatist war ended with Serbia losing control over what was then one of its provinces. The U.S. and European countries have expressed concern over the situation.