Representatives of Serbs and ethnic Albanians in the divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica in north-eastern Kosovo have been holding their first meeting, which took place under the auspices of the United Nations.

The meeting of the transitional council was disrupted when the new UN administrator in the town, Sir Martin Garrod, had a suspected heart attack and was taken to hospital.

Mitrovica, which is effectively partitioned between the two ethnic groups, has the largest remaining Serb community in Kosovo.

Earlier Sir Martin opened a new multi-ethnic nursery school, but the ceremony was boycotted by Serbs. Sir Martin was previously the European Union administrator in the Bosnian city of Mostar which has, for years, been divided between its Croat and Muslim inhabitants.