Friday, November 24 12:01 AM SGT

Armed Albanians block road in southern Serbia: minister

BELGRADE, Nov 23 (AFP) -

A group of armed ethnic Albanians have blocked a road leading from the
southern town of Bujanovac to the province of Kosovo, the Serbian interior
minister said Thursday.

"Armed Albanians have blocked the road linking Serbia with the (eastern
Kosovo) town of Gnjilane between Konculj and Bujanovac," Stevan Nikcevic
told AFP by phone.

Serbian police forces have "so far shown restraint," he said.

Nikcevic spoke on his way back from the region where he had accompanied
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica on a visit to a buffer zone between
Kosovo and Serbia proper.

The buffer zone near the administrative border with Kosovo has been the
scene of two days of clashes between Albanian separatists and Serbian
police.