Albanians end boycott in Serbia

Four ethnic-Albanian parties in southern Serbia say they will take part in next month's parliamentary elections, ending a 10-year boycott.

The parties represent about 75,000 ethnic Albanians in the Presevo Valley, a region located just outside the province of Kosovo.

The parties are hoping to win as many as three of parliament's 250 seats.

A Serbian law requiring parties to win at least 5% of the vote to enter parliament has recently been changed.

Parties winning a smaller percentage of the vote can now take up seats in the assembly.

The four parties have agreed to put forward a joint list of 250 candidates.

The Presevo Valley borders Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo, which has a 90% ethnic-Albanian population.

The region has witnessed tension between Serbian inhabitants and ethnic-Albanians, some of whom want to link up with Kosovo, which is pressing for independence.