KOSOVO: MITROVICA: DIVIDED CITY

Описание: (24 Jun 1999) Natural Sound

The town of Mitrovica in Kosovo remains divided.

French NATO troops are trying to maintain order in the town but are coming under criticism from both Serbians and Albanians for not being effective.

The divide in Mitrovica remained on Thursday.

The French troops on the bridge dividing the city are trying to maintain peace.

The two sides say they cannot live together.

Both the Serbs and Albanians fear crossing to the opposite side of the bridge.

The market on the Serbian side is the only market to buy food in the area.

On the Serbian side many Serbs wait at the border in the hope that family members on the Albanian side will cross back.

Many of them fear going back to their homes on the Albanian side which they say are being looted and burned.

Posters on the streets on the Serbian side are of Serbians allegedly killed recently.

SOUNDBITE: (Serbian)
"NATO, NATO is just keeping us here quietly just not to get met. They don't care what is happening on the other side. There are no Serbs left over there."
SUPER CAPTION: Blagoje Rikalo, Serbian resident

The Albanians say NATO are not doing their jobs and are just maintaining the divide.

They say the Serbs on the other side are armed.

SOUNDBITE:(English)
"The French are not doing their job at all because they are just standing there instead of going to the other side and the Serbs - all of them - they have guns in their hands, knives and are frightening the Albanians to leave their apartments so they have to do something about it."
SUPER CAPTION: Ergin Guzal, Albanian resident

Serb civilians and Kosovar Albanians are virtually divided into two zones in Mitrovica and shootings between the two groups are reported on a daily basis.

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