From AFP:  NATO peacekeepers and European Union law-enforcers in Kosovo on Thursday closed an illegal border crossing that ethnic Serbs in the Serb-dominated enclave in northern Kosovo had opened with Serbia, in the latest move in a tense standoff that began nearly three months ago.

From the AP:  Romania's top defense body has decided to withdraw its police force from Kosovo.

From James Stavridis, U.S. European Command:  Libya and Afghanistan seem to get all the headlines about NATO these days. But lately, I’ve been thinking and working on the Balkans. We need to make sure that the Balkan ghosts of violence from the 1990s don’t reappear.

From the AP:  American and French peacekeepers took control of two customs posts on Kosovo's northern border with Serbia on Thursday after they were attacked by Serbs armed with firebombs, a NATO spokesman said.

From Nebi Qena, the AP:   A senior Kosovo politician and former rebel leader was indicted by an EU prosecutor for allegedly executing and torturing Serb prisoners of war during the 1998-99 war, according to a copy of the indictment obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

From Allied Command Operations:  Admiral James Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander United States European Command travelled to Kosovo on Friday, February 18^th to visit KFOR troops and receive an update on current operations.

From AFP:   The European Union appointed French general Xavier Bout de Marnhac as the head of its civilian mission in charge of strengthening the rule of law in Kosovo, a statement said Tuesday.

On Tuesday, December 9, the EU's policing and justice mission in Kosovo, EULEX, assumed responsibilities from UNMIK.  The deployment met resistance in November when plans for a separate police force for ethnic Serbian towns within Kosovo were protested by Kosovar officials, who said the proposal was a violation of the country's sovereignty.