U.S. condemns violence against Kosovo peace force

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States condemned violence against United Nations police and NATO troops in northern Kosovo and urged the Serb government to help ease tension in the area, the State Department said on Monday.

The violence in the town of Mitrovica was sparked by a U.N. police operation to retake a United Nations court seized three days earlier by protesting Serbs.

"The United States condemns the violence against U.N. and NATO personnel near the U.N. courthouse in Mitrovica, Kosovo," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said in a statement.

"We urge all communities in Kosovo to remain calm and we call on the Serbian government to denounce these acts of violence and take affirmative steps to reduce tensions."

The rioting was the worst violence in Kosovo since the Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia on Feb 17.