SERBIA/KOSOVO BORDER: K-FOR CHECKPOINT

Natural Sound As tens of thousands of Serbs celebrated the Orthodox Christian New Year, the festivities served as a stark contrast to simmering tensions along the Kosovo border. Belgrade says there's been an increase in border incidents recently, and it's blaming ethnic Albanians for the sporadic violence. An uneasy tension grips the border guards at this Serbia-Kosovo checkpoint. Serbian authorities say two Serb policeman were killed along the Kosovo border last month. They claim ethnic Albanians crossed into Serbian villages, violating a vaguely defined region which Serbian forces now patrol. NATO set up the buffer zone, which is about five kilometres (three miles) wide, after its campaign against Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who was accused of systematically exterminating ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. The idea was to separate the Kosovans from the Serbs to prevent further violence, but reports from the zone suggest the move hasn't been entirely successful. The U-S army's top-ranking general has praised troops for their work in Kosovo's NATO-led peacekeeping force, but he's called for a stronger civilian administration. Although life in Kosovo has become more stable in recent months, the province is still plagued by high levels of crime, a black market economy and chronic power and water shortages, as well as deep ethnic divisions with Serbia which have existed for centuries. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/4cabf8859e8b6d6c8d0cb03e3bda1303 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork