UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said Tuesday it has managed to regain control over railway lines between Zvecan and Lesak in northern Kosovo.
On the previous day, more than 50 ethnic Serb workers in Kosovo stopped a train traveling from central to northern Kosovo, as part of the boycott on Kosovo following its declaration of independence from Serbia last month.
The train service from Fushe Kosovo to Lesak was stopped at the Zvecan station, a Serb-dominated part of Kosovo.
UN Special Representative for Kosovo (SRSG) Joachim Rucker said"any movement of trains south of Lesak by Serbian Railways is a clear challenge to UNMIK's authority," describing it as "illegal" after Serbian Railways tried to send two of its trains south of Lesak on Monday.
Rucker also said that Monday's incident is against a 2003 Memorandum of Understanding between Yugoslav Railways (now Serbian Railways) and UNMIK Railways (also called Kosovo Railways).
Speaking about their action, the Serbian Railways authorities said "Serbia's taking over its responsibilities after nine years."
Border police, however, denied entry to Kosovo for a train coming from Serbia on Tuesday, said UNMIK in a statement.
"Border police explained to a representative of Serbian Railways that the train would not be permitted to travel south. The Serbian Railways complied," the statement said.
Some 70 Serb workers staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday morning in Zvecan after UNMIK decided to stop train traveling south of Lesak.
Trains used to travel twice a day from Lesak to Fushe Kosovo in central area in morning and afternoon.
Source: Xinhua
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