Serbia: Protesters Break into US Embassy, Belgrade

Serbian Protesters Break into US Embassy in Belgrade

A group of Serbian demonstrators protesting Kosovo's declaration of independence has attacked the U.S. embassy in Belgrade.

Reports say protesters set fire to the building's facade and one of the offices, before firefighters managed to deal with the flames.

Police swept down the street and used tear gas to clear the protesters.

In Washington, a State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack urged Serbian authorities to devote the required assets to handle the situation.

Protesters also forced their way into Croatia's embassy and set fire to a guardhouse outside Germany's mission and a car outside the British embassy.

The incidents occurred as 150,000 demonstrators protested peacefully in Belgrade against Kosovo's U.S.-backed declaration of independence.

Elsewhere, several hundred Serbian army veterans burned tires and stoned police and NATO peacekeepers at a Kosovo-Serbia border crossing. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serb demonstrators in Banja Luka stoned police, who fought back.

More than a dozen countries have formally recognized Kosovo's independence.

Earlier this week, Serbia began recalling its ambassadors from countries that support Kosovo independence.

ENDS

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