AlQa'dah 15, 1432, Oct 13, 2011, SPA -- NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo on Thursday closed an illegal border crossing that Serbs in the Serb-dominated enclave in northern Kosovo had opened with Serbia, in the latest move in a tense standoff that began nearly three months ago, dpa reported. Serbian state television RTS said German troops from the KFOR peacekeeping mission had closed the "alternative" route across the border in the early morning. The Serbs had opened the route a week ago. The last time KFOR closed an illegal crossing in late September, violence erupted, with several Serbs and soldiers wounded. The Serbs have been opening their own crossings to circumvent controls that the Albanian-dominated Kosovo government has imposed on the borders of Kosovo. Northern Kosovo is the largest of the enclaves where Serbs outnumber Albanians. It fiercely resists rule from Pristina, operating an unrecognized quasi-administration financed by Belgrade. The European Union has warned Serbia, most recently in its annual report on the progress of prospective members, that it will not be allowed to join before it comes to terms with Kosovo. Serbia must restore a dialogue on technical issues with Kosovo, which it broke off in the wake of the violence last month, and show tangible improvement in relations with Kosovo before it can hope to begin accession talks, the EU says. Belgrade leaders however vowed that they will not bow to pressure and give up Serbia's claim on Kosovo, even if costs the country the prospect of EU membership. The former province of Serbia declared independence in 2008 and has been recognized by the United States and by 22 out of the 27 countries in the EU. Russia has made clear its backing of Serbia on the issue and has not recognized Kosovo.
