Serbian church head condemns police violence in Kosovo

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pavle, has condemned police violence against ethnic Albanian students demonstrating in the Serbian province of Kosovo last week.

The Patriarch made the statement in an open letter to the students, in what correspondents describe as a rare political intervention.

However, he said that while he understood the peaceful protests, Albanian students seeking independence for Kosovo should continue to recognise the state.

Police in the province's capital, Pristina, used riot gear to disperse students demonstrating against a Serbian ban on university education in Albanian.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service