Kosovo Serbs' killings end year of calm

Two Serbs were killed and two were wounded when their car was shot at in Kosovo, police said yesterday, shattering a year-long lull in attacks there on Serbs.

Police said the car came under fire from an overtaking vehicle late on Saturday near the southern town of Strpce.

Serbia's Prime Minister denounced the shooting as ethnically motivated, but police denied Serb media reports that three ethnic Albanians had been arrested for the attack.

The United Nations has run the majority-Albanian province, legally part of Serbia, since a 1998-99 war ended with the withdrawal of Serb forces. Thousands of Serbs left and those who stayed have been frequent targets.

The UN is within weeks of deciding whether the province has made enough progress on standards of democracy, minority rights and security for "final status" negotiations, which Albanians hope will bring formal independence.

Serbia's Prime Minister seized on the killings as evidence such standards are far from being met.

"I want to hear loud and clear from you what kind of standards we are talking about when youths are killed only because they are Serbs," Vojislav Kostunica said in a statement addressed to Kosovo's UN governor Soren Jessen-Petersen.

Mr Jessen-Petersen said he was "shocked and appalled by this senseless and tragic crime". He was echoed by Kosovo's Albanian-dominated government.

The ages of the four men could not be confirmed. One of the wounded was operated on and doctors said he was out of danger. The other escaped with minor wounds.