KFOR commander "concerned" over north

"There is no positive development and we call upon all citizens to show restraint from any violent acts," Bentler said.

He urged arrests of the persons responsible for the explosion during a gathering of Serbs last Friday, who protested against the opening of a Kosovo Albanian government's office in their midst.

One person died and 11 were wounded in the incident in the northern, predominantly Serb part of the divided town. No Serbs live in the southern, ethnic Albanian part.

Now the KFOR commander says that the NATO-led force was informed about the plans of the Kosovo Albanian government to open its office, but that the international forces had not participated in the making of the decision.

"We are not a part of the political process," Bentler stressed.

As far as the "parallel" Serbian institutions in northern Kosovo, Bentler said that this was "nothing new", and that they had been active since 1999.

"We must talk to these people, otherwise, we won't be talking to anybody," the German general explained.

According to reports from the Pristina-based media, the office in northern Kosovska Mitrovica was envisaged as part of the so-called integration plan, that was put together in order to bring the Serb areas under Pristina's control.

The plan was once again denounced by Belgrade on Monday in New York, when President Boris Tadic spoke at the UN Security Council, during an extraordinary session called at Serbia's request in the wake of Friday's deadly incident.