The top UN official in Kosovo inspected Serb homes heavily damaged in fires set last week by ethnic Albanian mobs as the province marked a day of mourning yesterday for the 28 people who died in attacks targeting the Serb minority.

　　Harri Holkeri expressed his shock over the recent violence, but said he remained determined to see peace established in the troubled province.

　　"Kosovo is a test for humanity and we will win in that battle," Holkeri told reporters as he walked through an apartment complex in Pristina set ablaze last week by ethnic Albanians. The Serbs who lived there were evacuated after the attacks and brought to safety at a NATO camp.

　　Touring with him was Kosovo's ethnic Albanian prime minister, Bajram Rexhepi, who promised his government would try to repair damage inflicted on the Serb community by funding the reconstruction of destroyed buildings.

　　"But what we cannot repair is the lost lives," Rexhepi said.

　　Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovo's president, promised a thorough investigation into the violence and promised action to remedy the source of the hatred.

　　But he also repeated his calls for the province to become independent - the most contentious issue here.

　　Flags flew at half staff and classical music was played on Kosovo television, as the province marked a day of mourning.

　　In Brussels, Belgium, officials said yesterday that European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana was expected to fly to Kosovo tomorrow to urge calm and cooperation among ethnic Albanians and Serbs.

　　NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was planning to travel to Kosovo later yesterday to address local leaders and make a similar plea.

　　Also yesterday, the British government said a British battalion sent to Kosovo to help contain ethnic violence and bolster NATO's peacekeeping force will remain in the province for at least a month.

　　Last week's attacks were the worst outbreak of violence since 1999, when a NATO air war ended a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanians seeking independence. The war killed 10,000 people.

　　Kosovo has since been an international protectorate. Its final status to be decided some time in the future by the United Nations. For now, it officially remains a part of Serbia-Montenegro, the successor state of Yugoslavia.

　　Throughout Serbia-Montenegro, flags were also lowered and Serbian Orthodox priests led prayer services on Sunday as the country mourned the victims.

　　(The Associated Press)