The Foreign Minister of Serbia: The USA instructed Kurti that he should form the Association

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, said that the United States of America has instructed the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, that he should form the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority.

American officials have said earlier that both Kosovo and Serbia must fulfill all obligations received during the dialogue for the normalization of relations.

"Prishtina is used to being the favorite of the West and has not faced threats so far. What the Americans have said, you cannot hear from the mouths of the Europeans", said Dacic for Serbia's Prva Television.

As reported by the Serbian news agency, Beta, he estimated that the tensions in the north of Kosovo were caused by the "unilateral actions of the authorities in Pristina".

"That's why now, instead of normalization in Kosovo, we have escalation of violence", said Dacic.

He added that the new elections in the four municipalities with Serbian majority in the north of Kosovo are a solution, but that now "it is more important to calm the situation".

Dacic said that Belgrade's goal is for Serbs to have their rights.

"We are ready to protect our people, but we hope that there will be no need for this," said Dacic.

The international diplomatic community, from the United States of America, France, as well as other countries of the QUINT countries, have made the Government of Kosovo guilty for the tension of the situation in the north of the country.

Tensions in northern Kosovo increased as early as May 26, when Kosovo Police helped Albanian mayors of Serb-majority municipalities enter municipal offices, despite resistance from local residents.

On May 29, clashes between Serbian protesters opposing the mayors and KFOR soldiers in Zvecan left 30 soldiers injured, as well as dozens of protesters.

NATO has said that it is ready to send even more troops to Kosovo to calm the violence in the north of the country, inhabited by a majority of Serbs, the head of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday.

He added that the first 700 reinforcement troops are already on their way to Kosovo.

The new Albanian mayors of the municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposaviq have emerged from the extraordinary elections of April 23, which were boycotted by the Serbian community./REL