Low turnout of Serbs

Kosovska Mitrovica, August 24 - The registration turnout of Kosovo Serbs for November 17 elections has somewhat improved, but there is no mass turnout among the Serb population.

According to OSCE data, some 10,000 voters have registered in Kosovo, out of whom 1,150 in the northern part of the province. OSCE officer for civil and voter registration in Kosovska Mitrovica Bert Bon said that 100 persons registered in northern Kosovo on Thursday.

Serb sources from Gracanica told Tanjug news agency that the registered Serbs comprised those working with UNMIK or OSCE, as well as those who populate the villages surrounded by ethnic Albanian ones, and are thus isolated and pressured by international representatives.

No one has been registered in Zubin Potok, northern Mitrovica and Zvecan. Serb sources in Leposavic told Tanjug that the biggest civil registration turnout of Serbs took place in that municipality.

OSCE said that UNMIK would issue IDs and passports for all those who took part in civil registration (not voter registration), which would allow them to enter 36 different countries. However, ethnic Albanian sources told Tanjug that UNMIK passports were not that important since there was still a huge scramble for Yugoslav passports.