MITROVICA (News Agencies) - Tension continues to rise in the divided city
of Mitrovica between the mainly Muslim south and Serb north.
A group of 50 Serbs celebrated Easter in the predominantly Muslim Albanian
sector of the city. They were escorted under heavy guard by NATO
peacekeepers to an Orthodox church situated on the southern side of the
river Ibar, which divides the two communities.
The Albanian leader of the southern sector, Bajram Rexhepi, who was on hand
for the Easter service to calm any trouble, said the Albanians had been
provoked on Good Friday when worshippers made the three-fingered Serbian
salute at people standing nearby.
There were several violent flare-ups on Saturday when Serbs attacked Muslim
Albanians in the northern sector and a mob tried to block a convoy of KFOR
trucks bringing about 80 other Albanians back from a market in the south.
The Serbs claimed that more Albanians were entering the Serb-dominated
sector than had left.
The Easter visit to the church passed without incident. The church was
surrounded by about 20 armored vehicles and about 150 French, Danish and
Italian troops from NATO
's KFOR peace implementation force, many of them
wearing riot gear. The Serbian leader of Mitrovica, Oliver Ivanovic, is
said to have been among the worshippers.
Mr. Ivanovic had earlier met with the local KFOR commander, General Pierre
de Saqui de Sannes, and told him that violence would continue unless the
Albanians were made to leave the northern part of the town and only those
who had lived there before were allowed to return.
He said many Serbs had stayed at home because of tensions caused by recent
events. Many Serbs prefer to worship in Zvecane, a few kilometers to the
north of the city.
Later a crowd of Serbs clashed with the peacekeepers and burned five U.N.
vehicles.
Wassalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarokaatuh
