KOSOVO: MITROVICA: CALM RETURNS AFTER CLASHES скачать в хорошем качестве

KOSOVO: MITROVICA: CALM RETURNS AFTER CLASHES

(22 Feb 2000) Eng/Albanian/Nat Calm appears to have returned to the ethnically divided Kosovan town of Mitrovica following clashes on Monday between K-FOR soldiers and thousands of Albanian protesters. The Albanians had marched to Mitrovica to protest against the division of the ethnically divided city, but were prevented from crossing a bridge into the Serb area of the city by K-FOR peacekeepers. Tear gas was fired, but after a stand-off of several hours the crowd dispersed. Simmering tensions in the divided city of Mitrovica erupted on Monday on one side of the bridge that separates the town's Serb and Albanian populations. Tens of thousands of Albanian protesters tried to force their way across a bridge over the Ibar River into the northern district inhabited by the Serbs. Four-thousand Serbs gathered on the other side of the bridge ready to do battle if the Albanians tried to enter their part of the city. They stood jeering and taunting the Albanians with nationalist slogans, waving the Serbian flag. In an effort to disperse the ethnic Albanian protesters, French troops fired tear gas into the crowd. But the gas inadvertently spread over the British soldiers trying to hold back the Albanians. As darkness fell, the Albanian demonstrators began to disperse and leave the city. By Tuesday morning the only sign of the trouble was the stones and debris left lying on the bridge. There has been a change-over in the troops patrolling the area, with U-S troops taking over from the British force at the bridge area. Captain Joe Butterfield, an officer commanding British K-FOR troops, said he was confident his troops had handled the confrontation in an appropriate manner. SOUNDBITE: (English) "The first thing to say is that we weren't attempting to stop the protest. It was a completely lawful protest and everyone had a right to be there. All we were attempting to do was prevent them from crossing over the bridge which was their stated intention, to go into the north. As far as the rest of yesterday went, after about six o'clock in the evening it was extremely quiet. I think people felt they'd made their point and they were happy to go home and disperse as it got dark." SUPER CAPTION: Captain Joe Butterfield, British K-FOR Officer Searches for weapons resumed at roadblocks around the city, although house-to-house checks were suspended as K-FOR troops pleaded exhaustion after the rigours of policing Monday's demonstration. Albanians in Mitrovica on Tuesday said they didn't regret the demonstration but were sorry that K-FOR troops had been forced to intervene. SOUNDBITE: (Albanian) "All the protest was glorious and ended with dignity. I don't think there were any serious incidents. You may have some people who are thoughtless but those incidents were in no way directed towards K-FOR troops and even less towards British troops." SUPER CAPTION: Voxpop The recent tensions began early this month after a grenade attack on a U-N bus killed two elderly Serbs south of the city. That triggered a round of revenge attacks that have left nine people dead and scores injured. Mitrovica is the most ethnically tense city in Kosovo because it contains the largest Serb community remaining in the province. Most Kosovo Serbs fled the province after the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops in June and the arrival of NATO-led peacekeepers. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...