Ukraine Sends Senior Officials To Kosovo After Peacekeeper Dies, Others Wounded In Violence

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine is sending senior officials to Kosovo where one of its peacekeepers was killed and 20 were wounded in clashes with Serb demonstrators.

Peacekeeping forces came under fire in Serb riots in northern Kosovo where the Albanian majority declared independence a month ago.
Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko and a deputy foreign minister will visit Kosovo on Wednesday to assess the safety situation for the 370 or so Ukrainian peacekeepers there.

The Interior Ministry says decisions about Ukraine's future in the U.N. peacekeeping mission will be made after the visit.

The comment suggests Ukraine may consider pulling its forces out.

The Ukrainian policeman died of injuries from a hand grenade thrown during Monday's clashes in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica.

The violence wounded more than 60 U.N. and NATO forces, as well as 70 protesters.

Source: International Herald Tribune