Violence in Kosovo must stop says the ICFTU

International Confederation Of Free Trade Unions

Violence in Kosovo must stop says the ICFTU

Brussels, 24 March 2004 (ICFTU Online): Following an eruption of fighting in Kosovo, which is being termed the worst violence since the 1999 war, the ICFTU has called on all those involved to step back from the path of aggression and retaliation.

Three days of riots followed the deaths of 2 schoolboys and the disappearance of another in the northern town of Mitrovica, leaving a total of 28 dead and hundreds more injured. The ICFTU condemns these acts of violence which pose a grave threat to the fragile peace prevailing in the UN-administered province. As well as the killings, thousands of people have been left homeless following arson attacks on hundreds of homes.

"It is in the fundamental interest of all parties concerned to move towards a lasting peace. Ethnic hatred risks steering the province of Kosovo into a spiral of violence. The ICFTU will press the international community to work together with the authorities in Kosovo to end the violence and to bring the people of Kosovo together in peace and mutual respect" the world's largest trade union body said from its headquarters in Brussels.

© Scoop Media