Ethnic violence flared between Serb and Albanian groups yesterday in the northern town of Mitrovica on the first day French KFor put ethnic tolerance to the test and lifted the barrier dividing the town.
Shortly after a crowd of 7,000 ethnic Albanians under heavy Kfor protection had marched peacefully back into the Serb quarters for the first time to highlight their desire to return to their homes, a standoff began between groups of hardline Serbs and Albanians. They positioned themselves at either side of the Ieber bridge, which divides the town ethnically, and had been road-blocked by Kfor until yesterday.
Rocks were hurled from both sides, but French troops moved in and prevented further serious violence by arresting a Kosovar Albanian man who attempted to throw a hand grenade.
Tension had built up for over an hour as the Albanian group tried to push forward across the bridge, shouting "KLA, KLA", and burned a large Serbian flag. In response, the Serbs chanted "Serbia, Serbia". The standoff ended when two KLA senior officers arrived and persuaded the Albanians to leave the scene.
French Kfor defended its action in lifting the barrier which separates the two communities by citing their mandate under the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which guarantees movement in Kosovo and the right of refugees to return to their homes.
But the Kfor's permission to lift the obstruction to movement across the divide in Mitrovica was also seen as a testing of the waters of tolerance. No Serbs are believed to have returned to the Albanian side of town while few Albanians have returned to their homes on the Serb side.
Col Philippe Tanquay, a spokesman for French Kfor, said despite the violence, relations were improving. "Step by step we are making progress. For many years, even a demonstration like this was not possible".
The views of local Serbs and Albanians certainly reflect the deep distrust of generations and not much progress. Izi, an Albanian who took part in the demonstration because he wants to return to his apartment, said he won't return until the Serb paramilitaries who took part in the war and are now living in the Serb quarter are arrested.
Mr Radoge Miljkovic, a Serb who can't return to his house on the Albanian side of town, says he must stay with his friends where he is. "It's not safe for me to return there. They have arms and they want to kill us."