Pristina - The United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said Friday that international judges returned to work in the volatile town of Mitrovica six months after their violent ouster.

"The reopening of the court in north Mitrovica is a first step to ensure that rule of law is provided to everyone in Kosovo," UNMIK said in a statement.

The court was shut down in mid-March after it was stormed and occupied by Serb demonstrators.

The re-opened court would initially only hear urgent criminal cases and apply UNMIK law and procedure, the statement said. Local personnel for civil cases would return later.

A Ukrainian policeman was killed in clashes with the mob at the courthouse at the peak of Serb protests, following Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia on February 17.

The courthouse is in the northern section of Mitrovica, which along with the part of Kosovo to the north is almost exclusively populated by Serbs boycotting the central authorities in Pristina while maintaining limited cooperation with the UN administration.

The Albanians are in the overwhelming majority in the rest of Kosovo. (dpa)