Ethnic Albanian and Serbian protesters clash in divided town

Описание: (30 May 2010) SHOTLIST
1. Pan from Mitrovica bridge sign to the bridge in the distance
2. Albanian protesters approaching the bridge which divides Mitrovica into ethnic Albanian south and Serbian north
3. Various of NATO troops on rooftop of nearby building
4. Albanian protesters approaching the bridge
5. Various of Kosovo riot police stopping Albanian protesters from getting closer to the bridge
6. Mid of Albanian flags and banner
7. Various of Serb protesters with Serbian flags trying to charge across the bridge, riot police firing tear gas
8. Pan to Kosovo riot police advancing towards Serb protesters across the bridge, zoom in on protesters in background
9. Various of NATO peacekeepers deploying reinforcements on the bridge
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Udo Karl-Heinz Moeller, Head of EU police in Kosovo:
"No, from our side no tear gas was used. Nothing, we only, as you are seeing, we only blocked the bridge to be, to secure this bridge so that there is no way to cross to get in the different, to get together."
11. Wide of EU police deployed with armoured vehicles
12. Mid of armoured vehicle moving slowly
13. Various of police and protesters
STORYLINE
Riot police used tear gas and pepper spray on Sunday to separate hundreds of ethnic Albanian protesters and Serbs voting in local Serbian elections in the tensely divided town of Mitrovica.
NATO peacekeepers and European Union police units were also deployed to prevent clashes on the bridge that splits the town into Serb north and Albanian south.
About 2,000 ethnic Albanians, led by veterans of the 1998-1999 war against Serbia, were protesting the vote in the Serb part of Mitrovica, which they considered a breach of Kosovo's sovereignty.
Serbia doesn't recognise Kosovo's independence.
Singing nationalist songs and chanting the name of the now-disbanded guerrilla army that fought Serb forces in Kosovo, they marched toward the bridge, where hundreds of Serb counter-demonstrators throwing rocks and fireworks were being held back by police.
Police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse Serb protesters trying to charge across the bridge.
Minutes later, automatic gunfire came from the north, but police did not report any injuries.
Protesters on both sides dispersed an hour later, although NATO peacekeepers and EU police officers remained deployed guarding the bridge spanning the Ibar river - a natural frontier between the two estranged communities that has been a frequent scene of ethnic clashes between them.
Mitrovica was halved 11 years ago in the aftermath of the Kosovo Albanian rebellion against Serbia after French peacekeepers moved to protect Serbs from Albanians seeking vengeance for their treatment by the Serbs during the violence.
Since then, countless efforts have been made to bring the sides together, but have largely failed.
Serbia - and Kosovo's Serbs - refuse to accept the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008.
International overseers as well as Kosovo's government have failed to establish their authority in the north where Serb leaders largely backed by Belgrade are in control.
Although no major ethnically motivated incidents have been reported in recent years, Kosovo's north remains tense.
The last such riots happened in 2008 after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.
A Ukrainian peacekeeper was killed by rioting Serbs and dozens of NATO peacekeepers were injured.

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