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from their French counterparts who will move on to patrol the area around Mitrovica. But despite celebrations at the town centre, there were tensions between a small group of Serbs unhappy about the Albanian celebrations. Ecstatic Albanians celebrated the arrival of KFOR troops into their town in Gnjilane on Tuesday. But in spite of the elated scenes, the mood of the occasion didn't agree with everyone. One angry Serb pulled an Albanian out of a car and proceeded to beat him as a second Serb pulled out a gun to keep the predominantly Albanian population away. It's scenes like these that betray an unresolved tension between the Albanian and Serbian communities in Kosovo. With the withdrawal of Serb forces still under way, NATO is wary of mounting tensions between Albanians and Serbs. The former bitter of having been driven out, the latter vengeful of having been subjected to a four month bombing campaign. These ethnic Albanians couldn't wait for the arrival of the U-S marines. They wanted to show their gratitude to those they consider their liberators. And the U-S marines received a hero's welcome when they arrived at the French base in Gnjilane where they will relieve the presiding troops of their duty. Flowers had been put out for the American squadron as a gesture of gratitude and the crowd were all too willing to wave the American flag whilst synonymously chanting "NATO". Also present to welcome the U-S marines was Major General Michael Jackson, head of KFOR operations in Kosovo. He said he was certain the Serb withdrawal from zone one, the first area to be evacuated under the terms of the peace agreement, would be completed on schedule by midnight. He described this withdrawal as the first major obstacle to be overcome. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I am satisfied with the practical way we've progressed so far. Tonight, Zone 1 should be empty, which is the first, the first major hurdle, and that's good." SUPER CAPTION: Major General Michael Jackson, head of KFOR operations in Kosovo The French commander in the area said that the main task for KFOR soldiers in Gnjilane was to assure the safety of the Serb population. He said his impression of the Serb civilians were that they were frightened, but added his troops did receive a warm welcome when they arrived. SOUNDBITE: (English) "My impression is that the Serbian population is frightened, is stressed. But when we are in the village, they do welcome us, they get used to us and my guidance to the French battalion commanders in this sector is to hand over the security to the Americans. I would like the Americans to go by exactly the same position so that to reassure the Serbian population." SUPER CAPTION: General Couche, head of French forces But despite the deployment of KFOR currently underway, NATO remains cautious in its effort to implement the agreed peace plan. Under the peace agreement which ended the NATO bombing campaign last week, the Serbs have until midnight Tuesday to withdraw from southern Kosovo and the area around the Albanian border where they have been heavily dug in. They must withdraw from the rest of the province by June 20. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/e752622e144d5aab243b4e72bd374bf4