Several thousand Kosovar Albanians demonstrated in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica on Saturday against a likely agreement with Serbia that could come as early as next week. Talks between the two sides on ending hostilities have been scheduled for Tuesday in Brussels. After a seventh round of negotiations last week, the European Union said Serbia and Kosovo were very close to a solution aimed at normalising relations - a condition for their EU aspirations.
A key sticking point in the negotiations, which began in October, has been the degree of autonomy that should be granted to Serbian-dominated municipalities in the north of Kosovo. The demonstrators said the government was cheating its own people. They carried posters that read: "Don't trade with our future"; "Down with the negotiations"; "We don't surrender - we win or die."
Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia has refused to recognise the mainly ethnic Albanian breakaway province. The protesters, led by the nationalist party Vetevendosje (self-determination), which opposes the EU-brokered talks aimed at improving relations, demanded a crackdown on Serbs in the north of the country.