- Title: YUGOSLAVIA: KFOR TROOPS TAKE CONTROL OF MITROVICA AFTER LATEST ETHNIC CLASHES.
- Date: 15th February 2000
- Summary: MITROVICA, KOSOVO, YUGOSLAVIA (FEBRUARY 15, 2000) (REUTERS (A) 1. GV/MV: BRITISH SOLDIERS POINTING WEAPONS TOWARDS SERB SIDE OF CITY (3 SHOTS) 0.15 4. LV: SERBS GATHERING IN THE NORTHERN PART OF MITROVICA 0.21 5. GV: BRITISH SOLDIERS TRYING TO STOP ALBANIANS FROM GATHERING ON BRIDGE 0.27 6. MV: BRITISH SOLDIERS PUSHING ALBANIANS AWAY 0.31 7. GV/MV: UAE TANKS AND ARMY VEHICLES ARRIVING ON BRIDGE (4 SHOTS) 0.53 8. FRENCH KFOR SOLDIERS WATCHING CONVOY 0.59 9. GV: TANKS PARKING ON BRIDGE 1.07 GRACANICA, KOSOVO YUGOSLAVIA (FEBRUARY 15, 2000) (REUTERS (A)) 10. GV: EXTERIOR ORTHODOX CHURCH 1.11 11. GV: U.N. CIVIL KOSOVO ADMINISTRATOR BERNARD KOUCHNER MEETING SERB COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE BISHOP ARTMIJE 1.17 12. MV/GV: KOUCHNER SEATED AT TABLE TALKING TO ARTEMIJE ABOUT KOSOVO (2 SHOTS) 1.31 13. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) KOUCHNER SAYING: "Ban the demonstration in particular zones close to the bridge. And to of course reinforce the number of police officers. And to bring some international judges." 1.50 14. GV: WIDE OF MEETING 2.01 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 1st March 2000 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MITROVICA AND GRACANICA, KOSOVO YUGOSLAVIA
- City:
- Country: Yugoslavia
- Reuters ID: LVA5U8ZWMPAORGY5JBHSA2SGZC0Z
- Story Text: KFOR troops kept Kosovo's most multi-ethnic city under
strict control on Tuesday (February 14), after weekend
violence which left one person dead and several others
injured.An estimated 50 UAE tanks and military vehicles
arrived in Mitrovica to strengthen the KFOR presence in the
troubled city.
Shocked by the wounding of two peacekeepers in gun
battles in Kosovo, NATO said on Monday (February 14) it had
arrested around 40 ethnic Albanians and warned it would not
tolerate attacks on its troops.
Much of the fire aimed at peacekeepers in Sunday's
violence appeared to have come from ethnic Albanians -- the
very people NATO last year went to war and occupied Kosovo to
protect.
The French general in charge of peacekeeping in the
volatile northern city of Mitrovica blamed extremists for the
attacks on French soldiers and on civilians there.He denied
Albanian accusations his troops were pro-Serb.
Kosovo's United Nations-led administration said it had
decided to appoint international judges and prosecutors in the
Mitrovica region to kick-start the local justice system, which
has ground to a halt in a logjam of postwar disputes.
Sunday's violence alarmed the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping
force as the first time its soldiers had come under serious
and sustained attack since arriving in Kosovo last June.
Gunfire and explosions echoed around the Serb-dominated
north of ethnically divided Mitrovica for two hours on Sunday
and the fighting drew in Serbs, Albanians and French troops.
Confusion continued to surround the exact casualty figures
more than 24 hours after the chaotic events.
Five Albanians were wounded in a grenade attack which was
the first link in the chain of violence, KFOR said.
Serb leaders said three members of their community had
been wounded and local media gave a total figure of 14
Albanians wounded, but both claims were impossible to verify.
Although Kosovo legally remains part of Yugoslavia, KFOR
and the U.N.took over responsibility for the province after
NATO bombing drove out Serb forces who had been repressing
Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.
In an attempt to ease the tension Kosovo's United Nations
Civil Administrator met with Serb community representative
Bishop Artmije in Gracanica.Koucher discussed the volatile
situation in Mitrovica with the Bishop."Ban the demonstration
in particular zones close to the bridge.And toof course
reinforce the number of police officers.And to bring some
international judges," Kouchner said.
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