Protesters in Pristina rally over Trepca, Serb minister

Protesters in Pristina rally over Trepca, Serb minister

PRISTINA -- Protesters in Pristina have demanded the removal of Aleksandar Jablanovic from the Kosovo government, and a law that would turn Trepca into a public enterprise.

The rally was organized by opposition parties and civic organizations and held on Saturday.

Shouting "Jablanovic out! Trepca is ours," demonstrators gathered in front of the National Library in Pristina, where they started a protest walk down to the Kosovo government building, where the organizers of the protest addressed the gathering.

After the rally ended, a small group of protesters pelted the government building and broke the glass in some of the windows, prompting a police intervention which included the use of tear gas.

The Beta news agency reported that 23 people were injured - 19 of them members of the police, while 20 were taken into police custody.

A police cordon had been set up in front the government headquarters before the rally began. The police had earlier informed the public that the protest's organizers had not provided the authorities with a notification of the protest in the way prescribed by the law.

The rally was organized by the Self-Determination Movement and the Mothers' Appeal Association, with the support of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, the Initiative for Kosovo and students of Pristina University.

Self-Determination leader Albin Kurti spoke on behalf of the organizers and "gave an ultimatum" to Prime Minister Mustafa to dismiss Jablanovic and have a law on the Mining, Metallurgical and Chemical Combine Trepca adopted "by 4 p.m. Monday."

Otherwise, Kurti and leader of the Initiative for Kosovo Fatmir Limaj said, a new...