By Jovan Kovacic

BELGRADE, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The Yugoslav army called on Thursday for a political
solution to the crisis in Serbia’s troubled province of Kosovo as local Serb leaders called
for a dialogue with their Albanian rivals, Belgrade media reported.
“The army will not undertake any provocative operations but will also not allow its
members or units to be threatened,” Yugoslav army spokesman Colonel Milivoje Novkovic
told a news conference in Belgrade.
Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs nine to one, is widely seen as a
powder-keg that could plunge the Balkans into a new war. NATO said it was closely
watching developments there. The province has been hit by a wave of violence in which
more than 45 people have died, six since the beginning of the year alone.
Novkovic’s moderate comments came after a high-level Kosovo Serb delegation calling
for a peaceful solution to the crisis was rebuffed in its bid to meet Serbian President Milan
Milutinovic, who was quoted by local media as saying he was too busy.
The delegation was led by Momcilo Trajkovic, a political leader, and Bishop Artemije.
In the latest violence in Kosovo, an Albanian boy was shot and seriously wounded by a
Serb policeman on Wednesday evening, the ethnic Albanian Democratic League of
Kosovo (LDK) said.
Albanian sources said the boy had died overnight but the claim could not be independently
confirmed.
Albanians were blamed for an attack in which masked men beat up and robbed three
Serbs on Wednesday.
Serbia, which considers Kosovo the cradle of its culture, revoked the province’s
autonomous status in 1989, saying it wanted to prevent the region’s secession.
The 1.8 million-strong ethnic Albanian population reacted by boycotting Serbian institutions
and setting up their own parallel government, health and educational systems.
The United States has warned Serbia, which rules the province with an iron fist, to restore
human rights to the Albanians or face more political and financial isolation.
The Albanians in turn were warned by Washington and other countries that secession was
not an option. Both sides have been urged to avoid violence and start a dialogue.
“The state must initiate a dialogue with the Albanians and take the initiative,” said
Trajkovic, who heads the Serbian Resistance Movement, an organisation grouping Serbs
critical of the Belgrade authorities. “Kosovo must remain in Serbia and Albanians must
enjoy full rights,” he said.
Artemije said Serbs must stop leaving Kosovo “because if the current policy is pursued,
there will be no Serbs left in Kosovo. What would we need Serb Kosovo for if there were
no Serbs living there?”
Artemije warned Belgrade that “the moral and political winner will be the side which offers
reconciliation first. I hope it will be the Serbs.”
^REUTERS@

Kosovo Serbs urge dialogue with Albanians
09:02 a.m. Jan 29, 1998 Eastern
By Jovan Kovacic

BELGRADE, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Kosovo Serb political and religious leaders on Thursday
urged a dialogue with their ethnic Albanian rivals to solve a crisis in Serbia’s troubled
province of Kosovo, Belgrade media reported.
But their drive for a peaceful settlement was ignored by Serbian President Milan Milutinovic
who refused to meet a Kosovo Serb delegation headed by Momcilo Trajkovic, a political
leader, and Bishop Artemije, saying he was too busy, independent Belgrade news agency
Beta reported.
Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs nine to one, is a powder-keg that could
plunge the Balkans into a new war, diplomats say.
NATO said it was closely watching developments in the province. The province has been
hit by a wave of violence in which more than 45 people have died, six since the beginning
of the year alone. Both sides, including Albanians loyal to Belgrade, have been targeted.
In the latest violence, an Albanian boy was shot and seriously wounded by a Serb
policeman in Kosovska Kamenica on Wednesday evening, the ethnic Albanian
Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) party said. Police made no comment on the incident.
Albanians are blamed for another attack in which masked men brutally beat up and
robbed three Serbs on the Klina-Srbica road on Wednesday.
Serbia, which considers Kosovo the cradle of its culture, abrogated the province’s
autonomy in 1989, saying it wanted to prevent its secession.
The 1.8 million-strong ethnic Albanian population reacted by boycotting Serbian institutions
and setting up its own parallel government, health care and educational systems.
The United States has warned Serbia, who rules the province with an iron fist, to restore
human rights to the Albanians or face more political and financial isolation.
The Albanians in turn were warned by Washington and the rest of the international
community that secession, which their leaders want, was not possible. Both sides have
been urged to avoid violence and start a dialogue.
Serbia has refused outside help, saying it will not accept “meddling in internal affairs” but
so far no dialogue has been established.
Local Serbs have urged Serbian authorities to come to terms with their rivals. “The state
must initiate a dialogue with the Albanians and take the initiative,” said Trajkovic, who
heads the Serbian Resistance Movement, an organisation grouping Serbs highly critical of
the Belgrade authorities whom they blame for mishandling the situation in the province.
“Kosovo must remain in Serbia and Albanians must enjoy full rights,” he said.
Artemije said Serbs must stop leaving Kosovo “because if the current policy is pursued,
there will be no Serbs left in Kosovo. What would we need Serb Kosovo for if there were
no Serbs living there?” Artemije warned Belgrade that “the moral and political winner will
be the side which offers reconciliation first. I hope it will be the Serbs.”
REUTERS

[12] KOSOVO SERBS STAGE PROTEST

Some 2,000 Serbs demonstrated in Zvecan,. near Kosovska Mitrovica, on 28 January to
protest what they called "Albanian terrorism and separatism."
Speakers also denounced Belgrade's policies, which they say have led to the current
tensions in Kosovo. The son of a Serbian politician killed by Albanians the previous week
told the crowd that the Serbian authorities "must protect every Serb, every Serbian home,
from Albanian separatism and terrorism" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 January 1998).
Another speaker said that the current "terrible situation" has been brought about by "those
who lead this country [but] have no answer to the [Albanian] separatist strategy." The
speaker added, however, that Serbs should "be dignified and show the world that we are
the victims, not those who kill us." PM