Serbs question UN arrest attempt

The Serbian Deputy Prime Minister, Nebojsa Covic, has asked the head of the United Nations administration in Kosovo, Michael Steiner, to explain the attempted arrest of a leading Serb politician in the divided city of Mitrovica.

UN officials in Kosovo have issued an arrest warrant for Milan Ivanovic who is wanted for attempted murder.

The charges are linked to rioting in Mitrovica in April when more than 20 UN police officers were injured in a grenade blast.

Mr Ivanovic said international forces had attempted to detain him during a raid on Wednesday night, but he escaped arrest.

Mitrovica has been the scene of frequent violence between Serb and ethnic-Albanian groups.

Mr Ivanovic's party has been accused of backing Serb vigilante groups, with whom peacekeepers have clashed.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service