Bomb said defused in Pristina ahead of EU envoy's Kosovo visit

BBC Monitoring, July 20, 2005, Wednesday

Text of report in English by Croatian news agency HINA

Pristina, 20 July: International peacekeepers and local police have defused a bomb planted in one of Pristina's main streets, just hours before an announced visit of EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, the police said on Wednesday [20 July].

The centre of Pristina was sealed off for several hours on Tuesday night as bomb disposal experts defused the bomb which, according to police spokesman Agron Borovci, had been planted by "two underage persons".

Solana, who is currently on a visit to Serbia-Montenegro [SCG], was scheduled to visit Pristina later on Wednesday for talks with senior officials there.

Several explosions have occurred in Pristina over the past weeks, without claiming any casualties. Anonymous groups have threatened violence unless negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina on the future status of the southern province result in full independence for Kosovo.

SOURCE: HINA news agency, Zagreb, in English 10:34 GMT, 20 Jul 05