UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Wednesday issued the monthly report on the international security presence in Kosovo, a Serbian province, citing the international peacekeeping force, known as KFOR, as reporting that attacks against ethnic minorities continued in the Yugoslav province.

KFOR observed no change in the security situation since the last report, but reported that attacks against ethnic minorities continue to give cause for concern and flagged the potential for tension to escalate in areas of confrontation between the Albanian and Serb communities such as Mitrovica.

Meanwhile, the UN Mission in Kosovo, called UNMIK, reported an earthquake earlier Wednesday in Prizren. Two sets of tremors were felt and UN personnel reported that tiles fell off the walls during the quake. No further information was available.

KFOR said it continued its deployment into the theater and by the end of November, there were some 48,000 troops in place. UNMIK also reported that as of December 20, there were 1,938 police in Kosovo.

UNMIK and KFOR began the presence in Kosovo under the June 10 Security Council resolution, but the Yugoslav Government repeatedly accused both UNMIK and KFOR for the violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the Security Council resolution 1244, which demands all the Member States to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yugoslavia.