PRISTINA (Reuters) - NATO troops and U.N. police secured Kosovo's northern borders late on Tuesday, facing down a challenge by ethnic Serbs who ransacked the crossings in protest at Kosovo's independence.
Some 40 NATO peacekeepers, from France and the UnitedStates, have put up coils of razor wire across the Jarinjeborder post that was burnt down on Tuesday.
A Polish U.N. special police unit was standing by in riotgear, a Reuters witness said.
Jarinje was one of two border posts between Kosovo andSerbia attacked and set on fire by Kosovo Serbs, who came tothe border from the Serb-dominated northwest corner of Kosovo.
NATO said it was securing the other crossing, known as Gate3-1, north of Zubin Potok town.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Sunday, a movealready recognised by the United States and major EuropeanUnion powers but strongly opposed by Serbia and Russia.
The attacks highlighted the challenge facing an EUlaw-enforcement mission preparing to deploy in theAlbanian-majority territory which has been under U.N.administration for nearly nine years.
Kosovo's Albanian Prime Minister Hashim Thaci played downthe attacks, saying everything was "under the control of theNATO authorities, Kosovo police and the United Nations".
But Serbia's minister for Kosovo, Slobodan Samardzic, saidthey were "perhaps not pretty, but legitimate".
He added Serbia planned to take control of customs innorthern Kosovo, though "we hadn't agreed on taking over thecustoms points in this manner".
(Reporting by Pristina Newsroom; Writing by Ellie Tzortzi;Editing by Alison Williams)
