Report from Belgrade: Serbs are protesting but have no hope of change over Kosovo independence

Some 2-3,000 people belonging to Serbian national student organizations were protesting in downtown Belgrade on Monday afternoon and their peaceful march was about to be joined by taxi drivers from the city. Also on Monday, in the city of Mitrovica in Northern Kosovo, another demonstration took place with the participation of some 10,000 people, which ended without incidents, Serb journalist Aleksander Vasovic has told HotNews.ro.

He said police in Belgrade was guarding the headquarters of all relevant institutions including embassies. Meanwhile, the leadership of the country decided that the Parliament convene on Monday evening to annul the Kosovo declaration of independence. In Mitrovica, northern Kosovo, students are promising daily protests. And the Interior Ministry in Belgrade was to file with Interpol charges that Kosovo leader Hashim Thaci and other Albanian officials have undermined the constitutional order of Serbia.

But most of these mean „practically nothing” as Serbs on the streets do not expect the decisions due to be taken at international level to possibly lead to an overturn of the Kosovo independence move. „Serbia had to do something, and that is what the protests are about, but nobody wants war, not even the hardliners”, Vasovic says.

He stopped short from predicting a repeat of the incidents that hit Belgrade during Sunday night protests, saying such incidents were possible if today’s protests continued to the coming night.

„What we don’t know is what the consequences of all these will be on the economy, on the stock market”, which is expected to fall or at least stagnate until the situation becomes stable again. Vasovic noted that the central bank in Belgrade has decided to keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged. „Economy is what counts most, security is not an issue”, he said.