Kosovo protest turns violent

Demonstrators in Kosovo fought with police and set fire to the government'sheadquarters in Pristina on Saturday as anger simmers in the young Balkancountry over an accord with its former ruler, Serbia.

The demonstratorswere protesting against a European Union-brokered dealto giveKosovo'sethnic Serb minority greater local governmentpowers and the possibility of financing from Belgrade.

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Opposition leaders say the government should resign over theaccord and call an early election.

Government building set on fire

The seat of government in the capital,Pristina, brieflycaught fire after it came under a hail of petrol bombs.Firefighters quickly doused the flames and police used tear gasto drive back several thousand opposition demonstrators.

Protest turnsviolent

Demonstrators hurled petrol bombs, stones andbottles and set light to several armoured police cars.

Kosovo's government has accused opposition party leaders oforganising the violence and attempting to drag the country into"crime and anarchy."

"The aim of this protest was to overthrow the government withviolence and leave the country in the hands of the incriminatedpeople that today set on fire the [government)] building andpolice," it said in a statement.

Protests have frequently turned violentover the past year and opposition MPs have repeatedly disruptedthe work of parliament by releasing tear gas in the chamber.

About 40 demonstrators arrested

Police said 28 people were hurt, including 24 policeofficers and two journalists. Around 40 protesters were arrestedand police confiscated knives and petrol bombs.

Opposition parties said they will organize more protestsuntil the government resigns.

Kosovo, which is majority Albanian, declared independencefrom Serbia with Western support in 2008, almost a decade afterNATO air strikes drove out Serbian security forces accused ofkilling and expelling civilians from the ethnic Albanianmajority during a counter-insurgency war.

Serbia does not recognize its former southern province asindependent, but both are under pressure from the EU tonormalize their relations if they are to progress towardsmembership of the bloc.

Many Kosovo Albanians believe the accord with Serbiarepresents a threat to Kosovo's hard-won sovereignty, nowrecognised by more than 100 countries including the majorWestern powers.