Nationalist Wins Serbian Elections - Former KLA Trains Syrian Rebels?

The Nationalist candidate, Tomislav Nikolic,  for Serbian President won the second round of elections on Sunday, beating out pro-European Boris Tadic.  While Nikolic has re-invented himself as being more pro-European lately, he has stated that Serbia would not join the European Union if recognition of Kosovo was made a condition of membership.

In other news, Serbia and Russia have greatly criticized recent reports that Syrian rebels have been receiving training and assistance from former Kosovo Liberation Army officials in Kosovo.  Kosovo's Foreign Minister has denied that any training had been planned and that only diplomatic contacts had been established with the Syrian resistance.

NATO Deploys More Troops Ahead of Serbian Elections

Last week, NATO deployed an additional 700 soldiers to KFOR ahead of Serbian parliamentary elections.  In addition to the increase in the number of soldiers, NATO has expressed concern over the operational capabilities of EULEX due to logistical problems in the North which has required NATO to take on duties not normally assigned to the peacekeeping force.  Tensions remain high in the North of Kosovo after the bombing by alleged Serbian extremists and the beating of an elderly Serbian man

OSCE has announced that it will assist with the disputed Serbian general and parliamentary elections scheduled for 6 May.  Recently Kosovo authorities have been seizing election materials and arresting those in possession of the materials.  OSCE will now escort the materials along with EULEX and help facilitate the elections with mobile voting stations.

Explosion Kills One in North Mitrovica

An explosion outside an apartment in North Mitrovica's mixed neighborhood of Three Towers killed one Albanian man, Selver Haradinaj, and injured four of his children and wife on Sunday.  Called a terrorist act and condemned by the Kosovo government, the explosion has heightened the tension that has already been high in the disputed North of Kosovo.  In an alleged "response" to the killing of Hardinaj, three Albanians are said to have beaten a Serbian man who was returning home to the mixed village of Suvidoll.

Tensions have already been high between Albanians and Serbs since the announcement of Serbian elections in the North and the stoning of a Serbian convoy carrying members of the negotiating team in Pristina earlier in the week.  No one was injured in the stoning but material damage was done to two of the vehicles in the convoy.