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The United Nations accused Serbia on Dec. 12 of deliberate “provocation” after the Serbs opened a new government office in Mitrovica, a hot spot in northern Kosovo split between Serbs and ethnic Albanians. If things deteriorates to the point that Serbian forces ever clash with NATO’s KFOR peacekeepers, Mitrovica will be the place where it all goes down.

Serbia opened a new government office in Mitrovica, Kosovo, on Dec. 10, the same day U.N.-mediated negotiations over Kosovo’s status expired without a solution. The Serbian move to reinforce its claim to a city that hangs precariously between peace and conflict just as international diplomacy has stalled came as thousands of protesters began gathering in Pristina to call for Kosovo’s independence.

If Kosovo declares independence unilaterally, the potential Serbian backlash might involve a conflict with NATO’s peacekeeping task force, KFOR. If so, Mitrovica and northern Kosovo will see the worst of the violence.


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