KOSOVO: MITROVICA: N-A-T-O OPENS IBAR FOOTBRIDGE

Описание: (2 Mar 2000) English/Nat

NATO peacekeepers opened a footbridge in Mitrovica on Thursday to allow a few Kosovo Albanians to return to their homes on the Serb side of this ethnically divided city, but stone-throwing Serbs drove back the first people who tried to cross.

Last week, the alliance announced it would allow up to 120 Albanian families to return to homes they had fled on the Serb-controlled north bank of the Ibar River, which divides this northwestern Kosovo city into rival ethnic communities.

To facilitate the return, NATO built a footbridge across the Ibar near three high-rise apartment houses where the ethnic Albanians had been living.

While peacekeepers patrolled the bridge, around 150 Serbs braved driving rain to assemble at the northern end of the bridge.

Signs in Albanian and Serbian languages at both sides of the bridge announced that the crossing would be open from 7-30 a-m to 6 p-m for the tenants of three apartment buildings, school pupils and those who want to go to the market place on the south bank.

When two ethnic Albanian men tried to cross, they were sent back in a hail of stones.

French and Canadian troops rushed to the area but struggled to control the crowd.

An A-P-T-N crew vehicle caught up in the melee also came under attack from stone-throwing Serbs.

Later, NATO troops strung barbed wire in front of the apartment houses and took up guard positions around the area.

This latest confrontation underscores the rising ethnic tensions in this volatile region nearly nine months after NATO-led peacekeepers arrived.

Serb community leader Oliver Ivanovic expressed regret over the stoning.

He said Serbs did not want the ethnic Albanians to return unless Serbs in isolated villages in the nearby Vucitrn area were better protected.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"A lot of people are very angry, Serb people wait for the Albanians which try to cross to the north side by the KFOR escort, but they was too angry because of very simple reasons. Yesterday I was at Sratina and Grace (settlements south west of Pristina) and a lot of Serb people must be moved from this area because of high pressure from Albanian side. At the same time KFOR try to bring back the Albanians. This is absolutely unacceptable for the Serbs."
SUPER CAPTION: Oliver Ivanovic, Serb Community Representative

Despite the setback, U-N officials say they won't abandon their plans to return the ethnic Albanians as a first step to reuniting this mining and industrial city.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Forty-three families have been informed that they have the opportunity today to go back to their apartments in the three tower buildings that you can see from here on the north bank of the river. All these measures of course increase security in the area around the apartment buildings, the return, the establishment of the footbridge and the discussions on further returns all are meant to be a normalisation of the situation in Mitrovica on both sides and all of Mitrovica."
SUPER CAPTION: Kirsten Haupt, US spokeswoman in Mitrovica

U-N officials and Albanian community leaders have agreed to make a fresh crossover attempt on Friday.

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...