Violent clashes in Montenegro over Kosovo recognition
Police deploy tear gas as protestors riot over Montenegro's recognition of Kosovo; 28 people arrested and 34 injured
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Tuesday, 14, Oct 2008 08:07
Police have deployed tear gas against protestors after rioting broke out over Montenegro's recognition of Kosovo.
A peaceful protest of 10,000 pro-Serbia opposition supporters had been taking place in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica when activists broke a police cordon.
Thirty-four people, mostly policemen, were injured in the resulting clashes as stones and flaming torches were thrown at parliament buildings.
Police, who said up to 30 people had been arrested, announced after order was restored that a separate pro-Belgrade rally planned for next week had been cancelled.
Last week Montenegro joined the US and most of the EU in recognising Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia, which was made in February.
Belgrade responded by expelling the ambassadors from Montenegro and Macedonia, which also recognised majority-Albanian Kosovo as an independent state.
Protestors in Podgorica had been demanding their government revoke the recognition.
Serbia lost control of Kosovo in 1999, with the UN administering the region until earlier this year.
Montenegro itself was in union with Belgrade until 2006 when a referendum separated the state into two separate countries.