Kosovo Albanians run past a fire burning at a roadblock in Vojtesh, Kosovo, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. Kosovo Albanians burned tires and blocked roads with wooden logs, trucks and heavy machinery on a planned route by Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic who was trying to reach the village of Banje while visiting Serbs in the former Serbian province. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

Kosovo Albanians run past a fire burning at a roadblock in Vojtesh, Kosovo, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. Kosovo Albanians burned tires and blocked roads with wooden logs, trucks and heavy machinery on a planned route by Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic who was trying to reach the village of Banje while visiting Serbs in the former Serbian province. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo Albanians on Sunday blocked roads and burned tires on a planned route by Serbia’s president in the former Serbian province, further fueling tensions between the two Balkan foes.

During his two-day trip, President Aleksandar Vucic planned to visit a Serb-populated village in central Kosovo on Sunday, but roads leading to the region were blocked by wooden logs, trucks and heavy machinery, preventing him from reaching his destination.

Vucic and his entourage were stopped by Kosovo police on the road to the Drenica region and were told they couldn’t continue for security reasons. Drenica was in the scene of the first bloody crackdown by Serb troops against ethnic Albanian separatists in 1998.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said that opposition by Kosovo’s citizens to the visit by Vucic is understandable, but he urged restraint for the sake of peace and reconciliation after the 1998-99 war.

Thaci said on his Facebook page that the blockade “shows that the pain and war injuries are still fresh.” Thaci added that as Kosovo and Serbia seek to mend ties, “the protests and road-blocking don’t help us.”

“We should know to raise beyond ourselves, beyond the injuries and manifold pain,” said Thaci, who was a rebel commander during the war. “We should do this on behalf of peace and reconciliation.”

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj wrote on Facebook that he has “cancelled the permission issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry for Serb President’s visit to the Drenica zone.”

“Citizens’ security is above all,” he added.

Vucic said gunfire could be heard from the roadblocks.

“I don’t like guns, but we won’t allow anyone to harass Serbs in Kosovo,” Vucic said. He did not indicate what kind of response he had in mind, but said that he won’t call for the arming of Kosovo Serbs in retaliation.

Vucic was a fiery ultranationalist during the war. Kosovo was a Serbian province when a crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in 1998-99 led to the deaths of more than 10,000 people.

The conflict ended with NATO intervention, which forced Serbia to pull out of the province. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move that Serbia doesn’t recognize.

In his long-anticipated keynote speech in the divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica, the Serbian president said his country no longer wants to wage wars in Kosovo, but is seeking to build trust and friendship with majority Albanians.

“I am talking about reality. I do not sing battle songs, I don’t want to incite war, I won’t promise arms and ammunition,” Vucic said, addressing thousands of Kosovo Serbs. “I wish to believe that we can now have an era of rational, and why not in 50 years, friendly relations with the Albanians.”

But Vucic also issued a veiled threat, saying that Serbia will defend minority Serbs in its former province if they come under attack. Serbs represent about 10 percent of Kosovo’s 2 million people.

“We are not playing heroes, but I ask everyone on the other side to take my words seriously and accept them,” he said. “I will not think twice to protect our people if our people are attacked in any part of Kosovo.”

In the lengthy address, Vucic reiterated that an agreement to resolve the long-standing dispute with Kosovo was still far away, but promised to work to achieve it.

Despite expectations, Vucic failed to outline a concrete proposal for a future deal with Kosovo. Serbia and Kosovo must mend ties to advance toward European Union membership. The two sides have been engaged in EU-mediated negotiations.

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic blamed the road blockades on former Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers who fought Serb troops in Kosovo during the war.

Stefanovic said that security in Kosovo has deteriorated and that the gunshots are “a signal that Serbs are not welcome” in Kosovo.

He said that NATO-led KFOR troops and Kosovo police were being tested to provide safe passage for Vucic.

NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo said the safety of the Serbian president during his visit to Kosovo wasn’t threatened despite the roadblocks.

___

Dusan Stojanovic and Jovana Gec contributed from Belgrade, Serbia, and Llazar Semini from Tirana, Albania.</s>MITROVICA, Kosovo (Reuters) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday he remains committed to reaching a compromise with Kosovo officials that would open the way for both countries to move toward membership of the European Union.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic visits the Gazivode Dam near the village of Gazivode, Kosovo, September 8, 2018. REUTERS/Hazir Reka

Vucic and Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci abruptly called off a face-to-face meeting in Brussels on Friday, where the two sides were expected to discuss a land swap plan for the first time.

Thousands of Serbs living in Kosovo gathered in the Serbian-controlled northern part of the divided town of Mitrovica to hear Vucic speaking on Sunday.

“We want to be part of European Union, (Kosovo) Albanians are looking for a visa-free travel regime with the EU and to get that we need to live together, we need to live next to each other,” Vucic told the crowd, who were waving Serbian flags.

Kosovo, which has a population of 1.8 million and is mainly ethnic Albanian, declared independence from Belgrade in 2008, almost a decade after NATO air strikes ousted Serbian forces and halted a crackdown on ethnic Albanians in a counter-insurgency.

It is now recognized by more than 100 nations but not by Serbia, Russia and five EU states.

“I came here to tell you that in the future we will have to reach a compromise with the Albanians... But we will have to sacrifice a lot,” Vucic said.

Serbia and Kosovo in 2013 committed to an EU-sponsored dialogue in Brussels to reach agreement on all unresolved issues that would eventually include mutual recognition.

A land swap, an idea floated by both Belgrade and Pristina, would allow Serbia to keep control over northern parts of Kosovo that are mainly populated by Serbs. In return, Belgrade would hand southern municipalities mainly populated by ethnic Albanians to Kosovo.

“We do not have a draft solution yet, we are not even near it, but for the first time we know that we need to talk and arrange our relations,” Vucic said.

Earlier in the day Vucic canceled a visit to the Serbian village of Banje in Kosovo after some 200 Kosovo war veterans blocked the road leading to it, burning tires and wood.

“Vucic should apologize for crimes committed and massacres all over Kosovo,” said one banner on the road to Banje, which was blocked by cars and a truck.

“Vucic will not pass,” another read.</s>MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo Albanians on Sunday blocked roads and burned tires on a planned route by Serbia's president in the former Serbian province, further fueling tensions between the two Balkan foes.

During his two-day trip, President Aleksandar Vucic planned to visit a Serb-populated village in central Kosovo on Sunday, but roads leading to the region were blocked by wooden logs, trucks and heavy machinery, preventing him from reaching his destination.

Vucic and his entourage were stopped by Kosovo police on the road to the Drenica region and were told they couldn't continue for security reasons. Drenica was in the scene of the first bloody crackdown by Serb troops against ethnic Albanian separatists in 1998.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said that opposition by Kosovo's citizens to the visit by Vucic is understandable, but he urged restraint for the sake of peace and reconciliation after the 1998-99 war.

Thaci said on his Facebook page that the blockade "shows that the pain and war injuries are still fresh." Thaci added that as Kosovo and Serbia seek to mend ties, "the protests and road-blocking don't help us."

"We should know to raise beyond ourselves, beyond the injuries and manifold pain," said Thaci, who was a rebel commander during the war. "We should do this on behalf of peace and reconciliation."

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj wrote on Facebook that he has "cancelled the permission issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry for Serb President's visit to the Drenica zone."

"Citizens' security is above all," he added.

Vucic said gunfire could be heard from the roadblocks.

"I don't like guns, but we won't allow anyone to harass Serbs in Kosovo," Vucic said. He did not indicate what kind of response he had in mind, but said that he won't call for the arming of Kosovo Serbs in retaliation.

Vucic was a fiery ultranationalist during the war. Kosovo was a Serbian province when a crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in 1998-99 led to the deaths of more than 10,000 people.

The conflict ended with NATO intervention, which forced Serbia to pull out of the province. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move that Serbia doesn't recognize.

In his long-anticipated keynote speech in the divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica, the Serbian president said his country no longer wants to wage wars in Kosovo, but is seeking to build trust and friendship with majority Albanians.

But Vucic also issued a veiled threat, saying that Serbia will defend minority Serbs in its former province if they come under attack.

In the lengthy address, Vucic reiterated that an agreement to resolve the long-standing dispute with Kosovo was still far away, but promised to work to achieve it.

Despite expectations, Vucic failed to outline a concrete proposal for a future deal with Kosovo. Serbia and Kosovo must mend ties to advance toward European Union membership. The two sides have been engaged in EU-mediated negotiations.

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic blamed the road blockades on former Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers who fought Serb troops in Kosovo during the war.

Stefanovic said that security in Kosovo has deteriorated and that the gunshots are "a signal that Serbs are not welcome" in Kosovo.

He said that NATO-led KFOR troops and Kosovo police were being tested to provide safe passage for Vucic.

NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo said the safety of the Serbian president during his visit to Kosovo wasn't threatened despite the roadblocks.

Dusan Stojanovic and Jovana Gec contributed from Belgrade, Serbia, and Llazar Semini from Tirana, Albania.</s>Kosovo Albanians on Sunday blocked roads and burned tires on a planned route by Serbia's president in the former Serbian province, further fueling tensions between the two Balkan foes.

During his two-day trip, President Aleksandar Vucic planned to visit a Serb-populated village in central Kosovo on Sunday, but roads leading to the region were blocked by wooden logs, trucks and heavy machinery.

About 200 Kosovo war veterans blocked the road leading to Banje ahead of Vucic's planned visit.

Vucic and his entourage were later stopped by Kosovo police on the road to the Drenica region and were told they couldn't continue for security reasons.

"Vucic should apologize for crimes committed and massacres all over Kosovo," said one banner on the road to Serb-populated Banje. "Vucic will not pass," another read.

The Serbian president had told reporters in the morning that he will try to use a bypass road to visit the village.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj wrote on his Facebook page that he has "cancelled the permission issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry for Serb President's visit to the Drenica zone."

"Citizens' security is above all," he wrote.

Serbian media said gunfire could also be heard, but those reports couldn't be independently verified. Vucic wasn't under attack.

"I have never been fascinated by someone's hatred. But when someone is so mean, showing some symbols that they believe we get offended by, well they are very mistaken," said Vucic, a former ultranationalist. "Now, I am even more determined to preserve peace, but also to preserve Serb institutions and Serb people" in Kosovo.

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic blamed the blockades on former Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers who fought Serb troops in Kosovo during the 1998-99 war for independence.

The conflict ended with NATO intervention, which forced Serbia to pull out of Kosovo. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 which Serbia doesn't recognize.

Stefanovic said that security in Kosovo has deteriorated and that gunshots have been reported to Vucic's security guards, "which is a signal that Serbs are not welcome."

Stefanovic said that NATO-led KFOR troops and Kosovo police are being tested to provide safe passage for Vucic.

Kosovo, which has a population of 1.8 million and is mainly ethnic Albanian, declared independence from Belgrade in 2008, almost a decade after NATO air strikes ousted Serbian forces and halted a crackdown on ethnic Albanians in a counter-insurgency.

It is now recognized by more than 100 nations but not by Serbia, Russia and five EU states.

A minority of Kosovo's remaining Serbians live in small enclaves in areas mainly populated by Albanians who account for more than 90 percent of the Kosovo population. The majority of Kosovo's Serbs live in northern areas bordering Serbia and do not recognize Pristina institutions.

Expectations of an agreement that would involve a land swap proposed by both Belgrade and Pristina dimmed after a face-to-face meeting between Vucic and his Kosovo counterpart, Hashim Thaci, was abruptly cancelled on Friday.

Vucic, who is Kosovo for a two-day visit, said Saturday that an agreement resolving his country's dispute with Kosovo will be difficult to achieve given European opposition to remaking borders in the Balkans region.

The land swap idea has drawn opposition based on concerns the exchange would produce demands for similar deals in the volatile region.

"I will do my best (to reach the agreement), but it is a long road full of thorns and problems ahead," Vucic told reporters during a visit to the Gazivoda Lake dam, control of which is a hot topic between Belgrade and Pristina.

Part of the artificial Gazivoda Lake -- key for supplying water to some Kosovo municipalities including parts of Pristina -- is located in Serbia, where the source of its water lies.

Belgrade and Pristina are at odds who should have control over the lake, most of which is located in the northern Kosovo region mainly populated by Serbs, and a hydroelectric power plant next to it.

"I don't think of Thaci as a friend or companion or good interlocutor and I am sure he has the same opinion about me. But we do need to talk and to try and reach the agreement," Vucic told reporters at the Gazivoda Lake in Kosovo.

The land swap deal would allow Serbia to keep control over northern parts of Kosovo that are mainly populated by Serbs. In return, Belgrade would hand southern municipalities mainly populated by ethnic Albanians to Kosovo.

Although some European Union and U.S. officials have said they are open to the proposal, Germany and many analysts have rejected it on the grounds that it would revive old hostilities in the Balkans that erupted during ethnic wars in the 1990s.

"It is not going to be easy to reach an (final) agreement," Vucic said. "I see no possibility to implement my ideas, you saw what Angela Merkel said, you saw what Kosovo Albanians have said."

During a visit to Macedonia on Saturday, Merkel repeated her position that borders in the Balkans should not change. The deal also faces resistance from Kosovo's ruling coalition and opposition.

Serbia and Kosovo must mend ties to advance toward European Union membership. The two sides have been engaged in EU-mediated negotiations.</s>VOJTESH, Kosovo (Reuters) - About 200 Kosovo war veterans blocked the road leading to Banje ahead of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s planned visit to the village later on Sunday.

Kosovo, which has a population of 1.8 million and is mainly ethnic Albanian, declared independence from Belgrade in 2008, almost a decade after NATO air strikes ousted Serbian forces and halted a crackdown on ethnic Albanians in a counter-insurgency.

It is now recognised by more than 100 nations but not by Serbia, Russia and five EU states.

A minority of Kosovo’s remaining Serbians live in small enclaves in areas mainly populated by Albanians who account for more than 90 percent of the Kosovo population. The majority of Kosovo’s Serbs live in northern areas bordering Serbia and do not recognise Pristina institutions.

“Vucic should apologise for crimes committed and massacres all over Kosovo,” said one banner on the road to Banje, which was blocked by cars and a truck.

“Vucic will not pass,” another read.

The Serbian president had told reporters in the morning that he will try to use a bypass road to visit the village.

Normalising bilateral ties is a key condition for both Kosovo and Serbia to advance towards their eventual goal of EU membership.

Expectations of an agreement that would involve a land swap proposed by both Belgrade and Pristina dimmed after a face-to-face meeting between Vucic and his Kosovo counterpart, Hashim Thaci, was abruptly cancelled on Friday.</s>MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo Albanians on Sunday blocked roads and burned tires on a planned route by Serbia's president in the former Serbian province, further fueling tensions between the two Balkan foes.

During his two-day trip, President Aleksandar Vucic planned to visit a Serb-populated village in central Kosovo on Sunday, but roads leading to the region were blocked by wooden logs, trucks and heavy machinery.

Vucic and his entourage were later stopped by Kosovo police on the road to the Drenica region and were told they couldn't continue for security reasons.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj wrote on his Facebook page that he has "cancelled the permission issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry for Serb President's visit to the Drenica zone."

"Citizens' security is above all," he wrote.

Serbian media said gunfire could also be heard, but those reports couldn't be independently verified. Vucic wasn't under attack.

"I have never been fascinated by someone's hatred. But when someone is so mean, showing some symbols that they believe we get offended by, well they are very mistaken," said Vucic, a former ultranationalist. "Now, I am even more determined to preserve peace, but also to preserve Serb institutions and Serb people" in Kosovo.

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic blamed the blockades on former Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers who fought Serb troops in Kosovo during the 1998-99 war for independence.

The conflict ended with NATO intervention, which forced Serbia to pull out of Kosovo. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 which Serbia doesn't recognize.

Stefanovic said that security in Kosovo has deteriorated and that gunshots have been reported to Vucic's security guards, "which is a signal that Serbs are not welcome."

Stefanovic said that NATO-led KFOR troops and Kosovo police are being tested to provide safe passage for Vucic.

Serbia and Kosovo must mend ties to advance toward European Union membership. The two sides have been engaged in EU-mediated negotiations.

Dusan Stojanovic contributed from Belgrade, Serbia, and Llazar Semini from Tirana, Albania.</s>Making up is hard to do — and even more so in the Balkans. Kosovo Albanians on Sunday disrupted a planned two-day visit by Serbia’s president to the former Serb province by blocking roads and burning tires.

Aleksandar Vučić, a one-time ultranationalist, had planned to detail on the trip a proposal for a future land swap with Kosovo, part of a bid to mend relations between the two Balkan foes, which would improve Serbia’s chances of joining the European Union. But he and his entourage were stopped by local police and prevented from visiting a Serb village for security reasons.

The derailed trip is adding to alarm in Western capitals about a plan he and his Kosovo counterpart, Hashim Thaçi, broached in August at a forum in Austria, where they said they’re considering border changes in order to pull off a historic peace settlement. They called on the EU to provide crucial support for their efforts.

EU leaders have long opposed any border changes, fearing demands will destabilize the region, reigniting nationalist tensions and sparking ethnic violence. The area surrounding the village Vučić planned to visit Sunday, Banje, west of Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, was the scene of the first crackdown by Serbian troops against ethnic Albanian separatists in 1998.

A Serb enclave in the Drenica Valley, a stronghold of Albanian nationalism, Banje and a nearby Serb-majority village were attacked in May 1998 by soldiers of the Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army, or KLA. The Drenica Valley saw many armed clashes between the KLA and Serb forces during the 1998–1999 Kosovo War, which was brought to an end by a U.S.-led NATO intervention that forced Serb forces to retreat.

In a Facebook posting, Thaçi said the agitation in Drenica was understandable, saying it “shows that the pain and war injuries are still fresh.” He added that as he and Vučić inch along in their efforts toward reconciliation, such protests “don’t help us.” Normalizing bilateral ties is a key condition for both countries to move toward their eventual goal of EU membership. Kosovo also wants U.N. membership but is blocked by Russia, a traditional Serbian ally, which doesn't recognize the country's 2008 declaration of independence.

According to Vučić, his entourage could hear gunfire coming from the direction of the roadblocks on Sunday. “I don’t like guns, but we won’t allow anyone to harass Serbs in Kosovo,” he said.

Addressing Serbs in Banje by phone, Vučić apologized for not meeting them in person and blamed Kosovo authorities, saying, “I couldn't come because the authorities in Pristina didn't want me to.” The Serb president also criticized NATO peacekeepers based in Kosovo for not preventing the blockade by hundreds of Kosovo Albanians, including 200 KLA veterans. Some protesters brandished placards with messages declaring, “Vučić does not pass” and, “Those who committed genocide against innocent civilians cannot pass.”

Serbian media also reported gunfire in the area but could not independently verify the claims.

The majority of Kosovo's Serbs live in the northern part of the former Serb province bordering Serbia. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. And more than 100 countries have since recognized Kosovo as a sovereign state. Serbia, however, refuses to accept Kosovo independence, and Vučić, who is seen widely as a ‘chameleon nationalist,’ has been fiercely denounced by Serbian ultranationalists, for even contemplating a plan that could lead to Belgrade eventually recognizing Kosovo’s independence.

Thaçi and Vučić were on opposite sides of the 1998-1999 war that ended Serb control of Kosovo. Thaçi was the political leader of the KLA, and Vučić served as Serbia’s information minister during the war. Under one possible variation of their plan, Serb-majority northern Kosovo would revert to and be allocated to Serbia with the mainly ethnic Albanian Presevo Valley of Serbia joining of Kosovo. They were due to meet face-to-face Friday, but Thaçi abruptly canceled the meeting.

Speaking in an interview with VOA, Serbia’s main opposition leader, Vojislav Šešelj, who was found guilty by an international court of crimes against humanity for his role in instigating the deportation and flight of Croats from the village Hrtkovci in May 1992, denounced the land-swap plan.

“What are we talking about? Kosovo is just a part of Serbia and is being occupied,” he said. Šešelj served as a deputy prime minister for two years under Serbia’s wartime leader, Slobodan Milošević.

He said Serbs and ethnic Albanians should be separated into their own enclaves in Kosovo, with the entire province coming under Serbian sovereignty. “History has proven that when Albanians and Serbs live together, things go very bad. In that case, we are talking about violence and rape and people being beaten up. When you divide them, things go better,” he said.

Šešelj, who founded and leads the Serbian Radical Party, added, "Our proposal is for a population exchange so there aren’t mixed areas. The Albanian enclaves could then self-administer,” but within Serbia.

Opposition to changing borders or swapping land is not only coming from Serbian and ethnic Albanians but from liberals and rights activists in Balkan countries, who, like some EU leaders, notably German Chancellor Angela Merkel, fear any tinkering could trigger demands for similar deals in the highly volatile region, stirring passions for ultranationalists to exploit.

Last week, notable intellectuals, academics and rights organizations from the Balkans signed an open letter calling for the rejection of proposals to resolve the Kosovo-Serbia dispute through a “border correction.”

“We implore the EU, its member states, and the United States to reconsider — including through their legislative bodies — their position on such a return to ethnification of polities and frontiers,” the letter read.

Among the worried signatories is Nobel Peace Prize nominee and rights activist Nataša Kandić. “It is not a good idea,” she told VOA in the offices of the Humanitarian Law Center in Serbia's capital, Belgrade. “The whole war in the former Yugoslavia was focused on territory and to continue the issue of territory is not a good idea.“ She warns that border changes based on ethnic homogeneity would “inflame violent nationalist passions.”

Award-winning Serb theater director Đorđe Makarević said that most young people in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina feel completely disconnected from the Balkan wars of the 1990s, adding that for them, it is ancient history. But he warns that could change. Sitting on a sun-dappled terrace outside a cafe in the old town of Belgrade Sunday, he said, “nationalism could bubble up, if someone pushes ethnic differences — and the proposed land-swap deal risks igniting a flare-up.”</s>MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo Albanians have blocked roads and burned tires on a planned route by Serbia's president who is visiting Serbs in the former Serbian province.

Aleksandar Vucic planned to visit a Serb-populated village in central Kosovo on Sunday, but the roads leading to the region were blocked by wooden logs, trucks and heavy machinery.

Serbian media said gunfire could also be heard, but those reports couldn't be independently verified. Vucic wasn't under attack.

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic blamed the blockades on former Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers who fought Serb troops in Kosovo during the 1998-99 war for independence.

The conflict ended with a NATO intervention that forced Serbia to pull out of Kosovo. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 which Serbia doesn't recognize.</s>The Latest: Serbia leader seeks to build trust in Kosovo

MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — The Latest on the tensions between Kosovo and Serbia (all times local):

Serbia's president says the Balkan country no longer wants to wage wars in Kosovo and is seeking to build trust and friendship with majority Albanians after an era of conflicts.

But Aleksandar Vucic also issued a veiled threat in a keynote speech during his visit to Kosovo, saying that Serbia will defend minority Serbs in its former province if they come under attack.

In a lengthy address in the Serb-held Kosovo north, Vucic reiterated that an agreement to resolve the long-standing dispute with Kosovo was still far away, but promised to work to achieve it.

Despite expectations, Vucic failed to outline a concrete proposal for a future deal with Kosovo, whose 2008 declaration of independence Serbia doesn't recognize. The two sides must mend ties first before being considered for entry into the European Union.

Kosovo's president says that opposition by Kosovo's citizens to the visit by Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic is understandable, but he urged restraint for the sake of peace and reconciliation after the 1998-99 war.

Hashim Thaci wrote Sunday on his Facebook page that he "fully understands" the reaction of citizens in central Kosovo who put up roadblocks to prevent Vucic's visit to a Serb-populated village in the area.

Thaci said that the blockade "shows that the pain and war injuries are still fresh." Thaci added that as Kosovo and Serbia seek to mend ties, "the protests and road-blocking don't help us."

He says "we should know to rise beyond ourselves, beyond the injuries and manifold pain. We should do this on behalf of peace and reconciliation."

Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic says gunshots have been fired at barricades erected by Kosovo Albanians that prevented him from visiting a Serb-populated village.

Vucic said Sunday "I don't like guns, but we won't allow anyone to harass Serbs in Kosovo." He didn't indicate what kind of response he had in mind, but said that he won't call for the arming of Kosovo Serbs in retaliation.

Vucic was a fiery ultranationalist during the 1998-99 Kosovo war. Kosovo was a Serbian province when a crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in 1998-99 led to the deaths of more than 10,000 people.

The conflict ended with NATO intervention, which forced Serbia to pull out of the province. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move that Serbia doesn't recognize.

NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo say the safety of Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic during a visit to Kosovo isn't threatened despite roadblocks that prevented his visit to a central Serb-populated village.

KFOR, which is the acronym for the force, said Sunday in a statement that they are working with the Kosovo authorities to remove the blockade around the village of Banje peacefully.

The statement says "nobody is threatening Mr. Vucic and his safety is guaranteed." It adds that "KFOR is working to do it peacefully, but it is ready to intervene ... if required."

In Belgrade, Serbia Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said that ensuring that the visit to Banje took place "was important for the credibility of the international community" in Kosovo.

Serbia's president has addressed Serbs in a central village in Kosovo over the phone after Kosovo Albanians blocked roads and prevented him from getting there.

Dozens of people in the village of Banje lined up Sunday as Aleksandar Vucic told them that "I am very sorry I couldn't come because the authorities in Pristina didn't want me to." Some women could be seen crying as Vucic spoke.

Vucic later criticized NATO-led peacekeepers for not preventing the blockade. Vucic said that Kosovo Albanian authorities were behind the blockade "so they could show, like little children that it has to be the way officials in Pristina want."

Vucic had planned to visit Banje as part of a two-day visit to Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008. Serbia doesn't recognize Kosovo's independence.

Kosovo Albanians have blocked roads and burned tires on a planned route by Serbia's president who is visiting Serbs in the former Serbian province.

Aleksandar Vucic planned to visit a Serb-populated village in central Kosovo on Sunday, but the roads leading to the region were blocked by wooden logs, trucks and heavy machinery.

Serbian media said gunfire could also be heard, but those reports couldn't be independently verified. Vucic wasn't under attack.

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic blamed the blockades on former Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers who fought Serb troops in Kosovo during the 1998-99 war for independence.

The conflict ended with a NATO intervention that forced Serbia to pull out of Kosovo. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 which Serbia doesn't recognize.</s>Vucic and his entourage were later stopped by Kosovo police on the road to the Drenica region and were told they couldn’t continue for security reasons.

The Serbian leader said at a rally later in the day that he remains committed to reaching a compromise with Kosovo which could, in turn, open the way for both countries to move towards membership with the European Union.

Many Kosovo war veterans present at the blockade voiced their unwelcoming attitude towards Vucic. "We came out here today to prevent Serbia's President Vucic from crossing through Drenica and through Prekaz, because this is Prekaz from here to Polac. I was wounded seven times on the frontlines, we prevented them (Serbs) to come here with tanks, for him (Vucic) to come here there is no chance," said war veteran Ilmi Brahimi in Albanian.

NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo say the safety of Vucic was not threatened despite the blockade that prevented the full scale of his visit. Vucic later criticized NATO-led peacekeepers for not preventing the blockade in the first place.

Vucic was an ultranationalist during the 1998-99 Kosovo war when a crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists led to the deaths of more than 10,000 people. Kosovo currently has a population of 1.8 million and is nearly 95% ethnic Albanian while only 1% ethnic Serb.

The conflict ended with NATO intervention, which forced Serbia to pull out of the province leading to Kosovo declaring independence in 2008, a move that Serbia still does not recognize.

After President Vucic was unable to reach Banje, thousands of Serbs living in Kosovo gathered on Sunday in the Serbian-controlled northern part of Mitrovica to hear Vucic speak.

“We want to be part of European Union, (Kosovo) Albanians are looking for a visa-free travel regime with the EU and to get that we need to live together, we need to live next to each other,” Vucic told the crowd, who were waving Serbian flags.

Both Belgrade and Pristina have floated the idea of a land swap, which would allow Serbia to keep control over northern parts of Kosovo that is mainly populated by Serbs. In return, Belgrade would hand southern municipalities mainly populated by ethnic Albanians to Kosovo.

“We do not have a draft solution yet, we are not even near it, but for the first time we know that we need to talk and arrange our relations,” Vucic said.
About 200 Kosovo Albanian veterans from the Kosovo War block the road to Banje near Drenica and prevent a planned visit by the President of Serbia.