BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) 鈥 Serbia will seek an urgent U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the escalation of tensions with its former province of Kosovo after its government decided to ban the use of the Serbian dinar and introduce the euro in areas where minority Serbs live, Serbia's president said Friday.
Kosovo鈥檚 government has banned banks and other financial institutions in the Serb-populated areas from using the dinar in local transactions. Kosovo鈥檚 Central Bank issued the new rules last summer.
Most of Kosovo uses the euro, even though the country is not part of the European Union.
But parts of , continue to use the dinar and many there rely on the government of Serbia for financial support, often delivered in dinars in cash.
In an address to the nation Friday, Serbian populist President said Kosovo's ban of the dinar is intended to 鈥渆thnically cleanse鈥 the Serbs from Kosovo, describing it as 鈥渁 criminal strike鈥 against the Serbs.
Serbia will ignore the currency rule, he said, and find a way so that Kosovo Serbs continue to receive their pensions and salaries from Serbia.
鈥淧eople are scared, they are waiting in lines to get their money," Vucic said. 鈥淥n Monday, we will continue delivering the money through an authorized and licensed carrier.鈥
Serbs represent about 4% of Kosovo's 1.7 million people.
Serbian forces fought a in what was then the province of Kosovo. About 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, died until a 78-day NATO bombing campaign pushed Serbian forces out.
Kosovo eventually declared independence in 2008, but the government in .
The EU and the United States have called on Kosovo to postpone the currency measure. The measure has sparked concern among Western powers, fearing more tension in Kosovo鈥檚 relations with Serbia.
"I believe that the Western partners will keep their word and try to fight for the elementary rights of the Serbian population in Kosovo,鈥 said Vucic, who has maintained warm relations with Vladimir Putin鈥檚 Russia.
Serbia will send a formal request for the urgent Security Council session on Monday, Vucic added.
The EU-facilitated normalization talks between Belgrade and Pristina have failed to make progress, especially following a shootout last September between masked Serb gunmen and Kosovo police that left four people dead and ratcheted up tensions.
Both Serbia and Kosovo have said they want to join the EU, but the bloc鈥檚 officials have warned that their refusal to compromise in the talks is jeopardizing their chances for membership.
