EU concerns over Gosince incident in northern Macedonia

European Union spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said Thursday the EU was concerned over the incident at the Gosince border police watchtower in northern Macedonia, which was briefly taken over by a group of armed men on Tuesday, holding four police officers hostage.

"We are very concerned about the violent incident at the police station in Gosince, in Lipkovo municipality. It is essential that this incident is dealt with in a responsible manner. We expect authorities and political parties also to make every effort to avoid any increase in political or inter-ethnic tensions," said Kocijancic.

A group of 40 armed, masked people forcibly took over a police station in the Macedonian border village of Gosince early Tuesday morning, calling themselves members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and disarmed the four police officers on duty. The armed men declared they were forming an independent state. After a few hours, Macedonian forces regained control.

Lipkovo municipality was one of the main areas where, in 2001, there was an armed conflict between Macedonian security forces and insurgents from the so-called People's Liberation Army, affiliated with the KLA. The conflict ended with the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, a document guaranteeing political and civil rights to Albanians and the other minorities in Macedonia. Endit