MITROVICA, Kosovo, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A European Union police and justice mission took control of two customs posts in northern Kosovo on Sunday, angering Serbian nationalists who viewed it as a sign of Kosovo's independence. The move came a year after angry Serbs set fire to the two gates bordering Serbia two days after the mainly Albanian region declared independence from Serbia. "From today we have started to register the commercial goods arriving at gate 1 and 31," said Karin Limdal, spokeswoman for the EU mission (EULEX), referring to the gates that were destroyed last year. She said the EU mission would only register goods and that people passing through would not have to pay custom taxes. "This is not something for EULEX to decide. It is a political question that will be discussed later on," she said. Kosovo Serb nationalist leader Marko Jaksic said the EULEX move to operate the two customs posts was "unacceptable and provocative". "This is a move towards the creation and cementing the Kosovo's state," Jaksic told Reuters. "We will wait for our state, Serbia, to act very strongly." Tensions remain high between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority and Serb minority since NATO's 1999 bombing campaign to stop ethnic cleansing in a two-year war against a separatist insurgency by ethnic Albanians. Belgrade and Kosovo's Serb population of about 120,000 refuse to deal with Pristina and see Kosovo as part of Serbia. The EU has a 1,900-strong police force as well as customs agents, judges and prosecutors in Kosovo. The Kosovo government, which has no control in the northern areas bordering Serbia, says it is losing millions of euros due to smuggling with goods illegally entering from the north. (Reporting by Branislav Krstic; writing by Fatos Bytyci; editing by Katie Nguyen)
