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Ethnic rioting eases in troubled Kosovo city

February 22, 2000
Web posted at: 5:06 a.m. EST (1006 GMT)

In this story: Peacekeepers use tear gas on marchers NATO and U.S. blame Belgrade for violence RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

MITROVICA, Yugoslavia -- The embattled town of Mitrovica was calm early Tuesday -- hours after Western peacekeepers stepped in to stave off the threat of fresh ethnic violence.

The NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force on Tuesday said the streets had been calm overnight following running battles between peacekeeping troops and hundreds of ethnic Albanian demonstrators.

The clashes were the latest in a series centered on Mitrovica this month. At least nine people have been killed and more than 20 wounded, including two French soldiers who were injured in gun battles.

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The latest fighting followed a march by thousands of ethnic Albanian demonstrators on Monday. The march was in protest over the ethnic partition of Mitrovica -- home to Kosovo's largest remaining Serb enclave.

Peacekeepers use tear gas on marchers

"After the dispersion of the crowd, the night was very calm," said Lieutenant Francis Megerlin, a spokesman for the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force in the city.

The clashes erupted when marchers -- many from the provincial capital of Pristina -- converged in front of the main bridge dividing the northern industrial city along ethnic lines.

NATO troops used tear gas to hold angry Albanians at bay. French peacekeepers fought with demonstrators to prevent them crossing the bridge.

Earlier Monday, around 20,000 ethnic Albanians had set off in freezing temperatures from Kosovo's provincial capital of Pristina to march 40 kilometers (25 miles) to Mitrovica.

"With this peaceful march, we want to make it clear to the whole world that Mitrovica cannot be partitioned because it means very much for all the people of Kosovo," said 24-year old Jeton Balaj, a student participating in the march.

NATO and U.S. blame Belgrade for violence

NATO commanders and the U.S. said Yugoslavia was to blame for encouraging the violence.

Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, accused the Yugoslav government in Belgrade of fomenting the latest unrest after peacekeeping troops here began house-to-house searches for weapons two days ago. His view was shared by Gen. Wesley Clark, the NATO commander in Europe.

"There is an influence by Belgrade in the area," said Clark.

At the United Nations in New York, Holbrooke described the situation as dangerous.

"I think there is no question who's responsible for it. It's Belgrade. The leadership in Belgrade is fomenting trouble north of the Mitrovica bridge," he said.

Correspondent Chris Burns, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Yugoslavia:
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia official site
Kesovo and Metohija facts
Serbia Ministry of Information
Serbia Now! News

Kosovo:
Kosova Foundation For Economic Reconstruction And Development
Kosova Crisis Center
Kosovo - from Albanian.com

Military:
NATO official site
BosniaLINK - U.S. Dept. of Defense
U.S. Navy images from Operation Allied Force
U.K. Ministry of Defence - Kosovo news
U.K. Royal Air Force - Kosovo news
Jane's Defence - Kosovo Crisis

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