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PRISTINA : The office windows of the European Union's Kosovo envoy were shattered by a blast Friday amid tensions over an EU police mission, nine months after the province declared independence from Serbia.
The explosive device was thrown into the courtyard of the International Civilian Office (ICO) run by EU special envoy Pieter Feith of the Netherlands at around 5:30 pm (1630 GMT), a Kosovo police spokesman said.
"The explosion broke the windows of the building, but no one was injured," said police spokesman Veton Elshani.
Feith's spokesman, Andy McGuffie, described the explosive as a "small, non-fragmentary device" and confirmed that no staff members were injured.
"We condemn this incident without reservation. We are grateful to the Government of Kosovo for their support, and look to them to ensure the safety of the staff of all international missions working here," he said.
The ICO and Feith "will continue to work for the benefit of the people of Kosovo and for stability in the region," McGuffie said in a statement.
Authorities have opened an investigation into the blast.
Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci called for "rapid and concrete measures" to arrest the perpetrators of the attack.
"No incident, no explosion and no attempted cheap shots will shake Kosovo's pro-Western policy," Thaci said.
Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders in February unilaterally declared independence from Serbia, which has refused to accept the secession.
More than 50 states, including the United States and most EU members, have recognised Kosovo's independence.
The explosion came as the EU hopes to see its 2,000-strong police and justice mission in Kosovo (EULEX) become fully operational next month.
Asked if there could be a link between the explosion and the EULEX deployment, Kosovo's president Fatmir Sejdiu said: "We would not want to link these two things."
"But the enemies of Kosovo could try everything" to create such a link, he said.
Kosovar authorities have rejected a deal between Serbia and the EU on the deployment of the force in Serb-dominated areas, saying the arrangement goes against Kosovo's sovereignty.
Under the deal, which must be approved by the UN Security Council, the EULEX presence in Kosovo would not imply a recognition of its independence.
The United States and European allies have launched an intense diplomatic effort to convince Kosovo to support the agreement.
Belgrade initially opposed EULEX, insisting the mission should view Kosovo's status as neutral, and that it should be approved by the Security Council in accordance with a pre-existing resolution.
The accord reached with Brussels "enables Serbia to have influence in areas of Kosovo where Serbs live and... ensures the neutrality of international representatives in Kosovo regarding status," Serbian President Boris Tadic said, Beta news agency reported Friday.
- AFP /ls
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