PETITION TO THE MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE EU

We, members of ethnic Albanian communities in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe, numbering alltogether over 360.000 souls, as well as our native friends and family members in countries of EU

· Concerned by the prolongued inter-ethnic violence which endangers long-lasting peace and stability in Balkans;
· Concerned by the deadlock in the process towards the final status of Kosova, which has left the transitory Kosovar society whith no overall political and economic institutions of its own, but with unhealed scares from a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing and a raging unemployment rate of 70 procent;
· Worried by a number of statements from high-ranking officials of EU, which may be interpreted as if promoting military solutions to polical, economic and cultural problems caused by unconcealed discrimination against ethnic Albanian population in the countries of Serbia-Montenegro, respectively F.Y.R.O.M.;
· Worried about the fate of 250 ethnic Albanian hostages inprisoned by the Milosevic regime, who, due to the lack of political good-will of the present president of Serbia-Montenegro, Mr. Vojislav Kostunica, are still being kept in Serbian prisons;

call upon You, foreign ministers of EU, to take coragous stance in order to promote peace and stability in the region, by ensuring that the EU:

With regards to Kosova

1. Demands from authorities of Serbia-Montenegro that they deliver all those charged of war crimes and/or crimes against humanity to the ITCY in Hague;
2. Allotes additional economic and personal resources to the ICTY in Hague, so that it may be able to continue their work in revealing war crimes and/or crimes against humanity in Kosova and elsewhere in the Balkans;
3. Demands from authorities of Serbia-Montenegro, as well as from UNMIK in Kosova, to investigate, arrest and try those suspected in inspiring and/or executing war crimes and/or crimes against humanity in Kosova and elsewhere in the Balkans;
4. Re-confirms the promisse given in February-March 1998 to the joint ethnic Albanian peace-delegation in Rambouillet, France, that the final statuse of Kosova shall be resolved, after a period of transition, by taking into primary account the free will of the people of Kosova, i.e. by employing a general referendum on the matter;
5. Re-confirms the right of the Kosovar population to self-rule by own laws during the period of transition, thus their right to interprete the law through the institution of the High Court;
6. Re-confirms the right of the Kosovar population to their own political insitutions, thus their right to vote for a general assembley aswell as for a president;
7. Affirms the irreplacable role of the KPS and the KPC in securing peace, law and order and stability for all ethnic groups in Kosova;

8. Declares that the Republic of Serbia should be obliged to contribute in the rebuiling of the destroyed economy in Kosova, as means of securing paths towards future reconciliation and long-lasting peace between the two neighbouring Serb and Albanian nations;

9. Initiates the process of economic transition in Kosova, by providing prerequisites and the resources needed for a swift and thorough process of privatisation in the local industries

With regards to F.Y.R.O.M. and the Presheva valley

1. Demands that the federal goverment of Serbia-Montenegro and the government of the Republic of Serbia, respectively the government of F.Y.R.O.M., denouce all use of brute force and employ in substantial peace negotiations with due ethnic Albanian representatives;
2. Demands that the federal goverment of Serbia-Montenegro and the government of the Republic of Serbia, respectively the government of F.Y.R.O.M., initiate a process of equal national representation in political institutions, as well as within army, state security and police, especially in areas where ethnic Albanian comprise significant numbers;
3. Demands that the federal goverment of Serbia-Montenegro and the government of the Republic of Serbia, respectively the government of F.Y.R.O.M., employ European and international standards towards the rights of the Albanian population for education in their language, including the university education; in the case of F.Y.R.O.M., the government should recognize the legitimity of the University of Tetova and diplomas of the ethnic Albanian graduates from the UT, as well as diplomas from high schools and universities in Albania and Kosova;
4. Demands that the federal goverment of Serbia-Montenegro and the government of the Republic of Serbia, respectively the government of F.Y.R.O.M., employ European and international standards towards the rights of the Albanian population to exercise their economic rights;
5. Demands from the government of F.Y.R.O.M. that it immediatly initiates legal changes in the constitution of the country, in order to ensure equality in law of the ethnic Albanian and Slavic groups;
6. Demands from the government of F.Y.R.O.M. that it immediatly initiates the process of repatriation of 40.000 refugees, mostly ethnic Albanian, who left their homes to escape the military escalation, especially with regards to some 8.000 refugees who, according to UNHCR, still live in Kosova;
7. Demands from the government of F.Y.R.O.M. that it immediatly and unconditionally stops the torture and the harassment of some 400 inprisoned ethnic Albanian citizens, many of whome minors and elders, who are currently being interrogated as suspects for participating in UÇK;
8. Affirms it's support for the ICTY in Hague and asks local authorities in Serbia-Montenegro, respectvely in F.Y.R.O.M., to investigate possible war crimes / crimes against humanity commited during the fighting in the valley of Presheva, respectively in F.Y.R.O.M.

With regards to the 250 ethnic Albanian hostages still kept in Serbian prisons

1. Demands the immediate and unconditioned release of 250 ethnic Albanian civilian hostages, who were unlawfuly inprisoned during the era of Slobodan Milosevic and who are still being kept in Serbian prisons, due mostly to the lack of political good-will the the present federal president of Serbia-Montenegro, Mr. Vojislav Kostunica;

2. Conditions further aid towards political and economic integration of Serbia-Montenegro with the international community, with as stated above
 

On the behalf of ethnic Albanian communities in Sweden and their friends:

Hajdin Abazi, writer & poet
Member of the Swedish Association of Writters
Anders Wessman, Chairman
The Federation of Friendship Sweden - Kosov@
Idriz Zogaj, Member
The Federation of Friendship Sweden - Kosov@
Ullmar Qvick, Chairman
The Swedish-Albanian Society
Shqiptar Oseku, Member
The Swedish-Albanian Society
Safete Beqiri, Chairwoman
The Union of the Albanian Students in Sweden
Naim Sadiku, Chairman
The Union of the Albanian Clubbs in Sweden

Nyköping
May 5, 2001
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remark:
information about the
Informal meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs,
Nyköping,  5 – 6 May 2001
you will find at
http://www.eu2001.se/static/eng/nykoping/program_nykoping.asp

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