PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Opposition lawmakers angry at Kosovo’s recent deals with Serbia and Montenegro set off tear gas in Parliament Thursday, forcing the suspension of the session.
Lawmakers left the chamber after witnesses said a tear gas canister was opened in the opposition seats, followed by one or two others. It was the second week in a row that tear gas had been used while the protests in Parliament began with the egging Prime Minister Isa Mustafa last month.
The opposition, led by the Self-Determination party, said no more parliamentary sessions should be held, pledging to continue the protests.
“Insistence on that will be a provocation and escalation of the situation in the Republic of Kosovo,” said a three-party opposition statement.
One of the EU-sponsored deals gives Kosovo’s Serb-majority areas greater powers, while the other covers border demarcation with Montenegro.
The opposition wants the government to withdraw from the deals, saying they endanger Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Only backtracking from these deals will bring institutional and social normalcy in Kosovo,” said the opposition statement.
The governing coalition says the opposition wants to come to power through unconstitutional means.
Outside the building, about 100 opposition supporters rallied calmly.
Parliament decided Wednesday that all lawmakers should be checked as they entered the chamber. Police said they would investigate how tear gas canisters nevertheless made it in.
Fifteen policemen and a number of protesters were injured in clashes on Monday after Self-Determination leader Albin Kurti was detained for questioning.
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Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, contributed to this report.
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