The state secretary in the Serbian Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija, Oliver Ivanovic, paid a visit to Serb returnees in the Kosmet village of Opraske, in Istok Municipality, where a Serb, Branislav Milovanović, was beaten up last week.

A local, Petko Miletić, told Ivanovuic that Albanians had been exerting constant pressure on six Serbs in that little village.

A Serb house was recently burnt down and several have been plundered. We see Kosovo Albanians armed with hunting guns in our yards almost every day, said Miletic. Local Serbs have neither roads, school buildings, jobs or freedom of movement, but are resolute to stay in their homes.

Ivanovic assessed that the incidents such as the beating up of Milanovic were making the return of Serbs to Kosmet even more difficult and asked of international community representatives to protect the Serb community in the Province.