Thousands of ethnic Serbs, coming from Serbia and different localities in Kosovo, marked in Kosovo Saturday the Vidovdan Day or St. Vitus's Day to commemorate the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 against the Ottoman Empire.
Festivities started Saturday morning with religious ceremonies in orthodox monasteries and churches, followed by a midday visit to Gazimestan site, close to Kosovo's capital Pristina.
NATO-led peacekeeping forces, international and Kosovo police applied heavy security measures to avoid incidents during the day.
Kosovo police spokesman Arber Beka said no incident has occurred and the celebrations were peaceful.
Some young Serbs were wearing "Kosovo is Serbia" t-shirts. During their visit to Gazimestan site, groups of Serbs shouted "Kosovo is heart of Serbia."
Serbian Ministers Slobodan Samardzic and Radomir Naumov, alongside Kosovo Serb leaders attended the liturgy in Gracanica monastery and took part in Gazimestan visit.
In Gracanica, Samardzic ordered medals and 100 euros to more than 90 Serbian mothers having more than four children, to encourage nationality in the territory.
Samardzic also took part in the formation of the Serb assembly in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica on Saturday afternoon as a countermeasure against the Kosovo constitution and independence.
The 43-seat assembly will be formed on the basis of May 11 general and local elections conducted by Serbia also in Kosovo.
The majority of members belong to Serbian Radical Party, outgoing Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Serbian Democratic Party of Serbia and Socialists.
Representatives of President Boris Tadic's Democratic Party have announced their objection to formation of the assembly before the formation of the Serbian government, therefore they would not attend.
Kosovo's Deputy Prime Minister Rame Manaj said Saturday the assembly was illegal, and therefore had no legal effect.
"It is a virtual attempt, for a virtual assembly which may serve to some people only to cheat some Serb citizens," said Manaj.
Source: Xinhua
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