Serbia: U.S. to blame for violence

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/23/serbia.kosovo/

CNN (USA)

updated 23 minutes ago

Serbia: U.S. to blame for violence

* Serbia hunting rioters behind deadly violence in Belgrade
* Authorities say 200 people are under arrest
* Senior minister blames U.S. for violence against Kosovo independence

(CNN) -- Serbian prosecutors said Saturday they were hunting rioters who
targeted the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade leaving one person dead while a senior
Serbian minister blamed Washington for the violence triggered by Kosovo's
breakaway.

Authorities said they had arrested nearly 200 rioters who took part in the
violence on Thursday that prompted the United States to evacuate
non-essential embassy staff and warn Serbia it would be held responsible.

"We are collecting evidence and are identifying the culprits," Slobodan
Radovanovic said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.

Serbia's Kosovo minister Slobodan Samardzic said Saturday that the U.S. --
which backed Kosovo's breakaway and was among the first countries to
recognize its seccession -- was the "main culprit" for the violence, AP
reported.

Thursday's violence, some of the worst unrest in Serbia since the removal of
strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, was followed by further unrest Friday
in Kosovo as Serbs attacked U.N. police in an ethnically divided city.

Some 5,000 protesters hurled bottles and stones as they tried to cross a key
bridge in the northern town of Mitrovica, divided between Serbs and the
ethnic Albanians who have driven last Sunday's independence declaration.

Speaking to CNN on Friday, a top U.S. diplomat said Serbia had a
"fundamental responsibility" to protect U.S. diplomats and citizens, adding
that Washington would hold Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and his
government "personally responsible" for assaults on U.S. interests.

"What happened yesterday in Belgrade was absolutely reprehensible,"
Undersecretary for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns said. "This kind of
thing should not happen in a civilized country."

Thursday's violence was part of a much bigger, peaceful demonstration where
up to 150,000 people chanted "Kosovo is Serbia," and vowed to never accept
the province's independence.

The U.S. Embassy's consular section remained closed on Friday as officials
were advised to stay at home amid continuing fears over anti-Western
protests, according to a statement on the embassy Web site.

The Embassy warned American citizens to avoid areas of demonstration and to
exercise "extreme caution."

Also Friday, Russia -- which has not recognized Kosovo's sovereignty -- said
it has not ruled out using force to resolve the dispute over the territory
if NATO forces breach the terms of their U.N. mandate.