Return of Serbs to village of Zac requested

The municipality in question is Istok, where Serb returnees to the village of Zac have faced numerous incidents over the past several weeks.

Now Kosovo Albanian Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuqi,representative of the International Civilian Office (ICO) Parfel Nail and Istok Mayor Haki Rugova held a meeting in that town.

Reports said that Kuqi expressed his support for the process of return to the village of Zac and asked Rugova to use his authority and influence the situation in the village where some ethnic Albanian oppose the return.

Reports said that Nail asked the Istok mayor to make the return process easier and to persuade ethnic Albanian locals not to oppose the return of Serbs.

The Serb returnees in the village of Zac have been targeted by a group of Albanians who are opposing their return for two months now. The incidents first involved protests and stoning, while recently shots were fired from automatic weapons on two occasions at the returnees' tent camp.

Kosovo police, KPS, said they arrested two ethnic Albanian suspects after the last shooting incident.

Serb returnees, who came back to their village on their own initiative, but are currently living in tents provided by the UNHCR, previously denied there were any war criminals in their midst, and said the local Albanians opposed their return in order to be able to continue to use their land and property.