Two Letters to the Editor at  REUTERS
 
 by  Aferdita Rakipi (NAACDC) and by Karen Haney on April 23, 1998
 - the later translated in German too

Letter to the Editor At Reuters:

Dear Editor:

I am thoroughly amazed at the inaccuracy of your reports on Kosova. Need I remind you
that as reporters, you must report the facts accurately for both sides. If the tragic scenes of
the unfolding events haven’t already made this painfully apparent, their is a war going on
between the Albanians and the Serbs in Kosova. To quote or cite Serb sources on
Albanian activity in the region just feeds into the Serbian propaganda machinery and
perpetuate Milosevic’s twisted ideology.

To state that the KLA has ethnically cleansed several hundred miles of territory in south,
makes one questions what your definition of ethnic cleansing is. A systematic campaign of
ethnic cleansing was launched against the Albanians of Kosova beginning with the denial
of basic human rights such as-education, employment, medical treatment, social services,
etc..and then by murdering and massacring the innocent. How easy it is for Reuters to
state that the latest actions of the KLA as terrorism or acts of ethnic cleansing when Serbia
has been doing this to the Albanians for the last ten years while the world and the media
stood silent to the cries of the Albanians. Where were you then?

Remarks made at the International Relations Hearing (March 12, 1998), where
Ambassador Robert Gelbard was testifying upon returning from the region, by Committee
Chairman Congressman Benjamin Gilman (R-NY) raised the question of what the
definition of a terrorist is -- one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist while citing
former British Prime Minister Margaret Thactcher. Washington has not officially dubbed the
KLA as a terrorist organization. Violence is not the answer to solving this issue and it is
agreed that any activity that kills innocent people is terrorism. But the facts must be
reported accurately, if the acts of individuals defending their homes can insinuate they are
terrorist providing the Serbs with a pretext then what do we categorize the acts of Serbian
paramilitary troops using helicopter gunships, grenades and tanks?

Since the world looks to the media for accurate and fair reporting of events around the
world, it is your duty to report it accurately. Simply check how many Albanian bodies have
been buried to that of Serbs to realize who the oppressors and terrorists are. As Jews from
around the world today remember the dead of the Holocaust today, the words of the world
and the Allies come to haunt the Albanians " Never Again" but yet here we are again.

 Aferdita Rakipi
Communications Director
National Albanian American Council
Washington, DC

       WITH PERMISSION OF AUTHOR (by mail Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 16:03:55 EDT)

Dear Editor,

It appears that in uncritically repeating news releases from Belgrade, you are circulating
unalloyed Serb propaganda. examples:

 from today and inserted frequently to Belgrade releases:
Serbian security sources said the KLA had ethnically cleansed several hundred square km
(miles) of territory in the south of Kosovo next to the border with Albania.

ethnically cleansed has a particular meaning to Westerners, that of murdering residents.
However, Serbia uses the term for removal, in this case of the reugee Serbs that were
recently settled in Kosovo by Serbs, who were removed alive (by Serbs) ahead of Serbian
planned attacks.

ethnically cleansed should be used to describe Serbias actions agains the Albanians, first
by starving them in removing ethnic Albanians from all state jobs (most of the economy of
Kosovo), and by murdering & massacring the innocent, non-KLA majority. Nowhere does
Reuters use this phrase for Serbian actions.

Also note that most of these releases are quoted as from Serbian sources and
"unconfirmed". I suggest in the interest of factual reporting, you confirm these stories, as
they shape the actions of Western govenments and popular opinion, a fact well
understood by Milosevic and Hitler before him.

 from today and inserted frequently to Belgrade releases:
the clandestine Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), dubbed a terrorist organisation by both
Washington and Belgrade. Agreed, killing innocent people is terrorism, therefore, the
Serbian police must also be described as terrorist for murder & torture, yet nowhere is this
term used to describe Serbia's actions, implying only the KLA is guilty of atrocities. The net
number of people killed by the KLA is miniscule compared to those killed by Serbs.
Condemning the KLA is like condemning the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto who took up
arms against Hitler. An interesting check is to note the number of Serb torture victims
residing at the Medical Foundation, London (recent AP story) - none, vs. the number of
Kosovo Albanians there.

Thank you for your attention to these critical matters,
Karen Haney
 

TRANSLATION  by a friend

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

es scheint, dass Sie, indem Sie in unkritischer Weise Pressemitteilungen aus Belgrad
wiederholen, ungefilterte serbische Propaganda verbreiten. Beispiele von heute, wie sie
häufig in Mitteilungen aus Belgrad erscheinen:

Serbische Behörden haben erklärt, dass die Befreiungsarmee Kosovo mehrere hundert
Quadratkilometer im Süden des Kosovo entlang der albanischen Grenze“ethnisch
gesäubert" habe. Der Ausdruck “ethnische säubern" hat für Menschen aus dem Westen
einen besonderen Bedeutung, nämlich “Einwohner umbringen". Serbien verwendet diesen
Begriff aber in der Bedeutung von “umsiedeln", in diesem Falle die Flüchtlinge, die vor
kurzem von den Serben im Kosovo angesiedelt wurden und die jetzt - lebend - von den
Serben selbst umgesiedelt wurden, weil serbische Angriffe bevorstanden.

Der Begriff “ethnisch säubern" sollte im Zusammenhang mit serbischen Aktionen gegen
Albaner verwendet werden, die man verhungern lässt, indem man sie aus dem
öffentlichen Dienst vertreibt (der das wirtschaftliche Rückgrat des Kosovo bildet) und
indem man die unschuldige Mehrheit, die nicht hinter der Befreiungsarmee steht, in
Massakern umbringt. Reuters benutzt diesen Begriff nie, wenn es um Aktionen der Serben
geht.

Denken Sie auch daran, dass die meisten dieser Veröffentlichungen als aus serbischen
Quellen stammend und als “nicht bestätigt" bezeichnet werden. Ich meine, dass Sie im
Interesse einer sachlichen Berichterstattung diese Berichte überprüfen sollten, da sie
Einfluss auf die Handlungsweisen westlicher Regierungen und auf die dortige öffentliche
Meinung haben, eine Tatsache die Milosevic sehr wohl versteht, genauso wie Hitler vor
ihm.

Ebenfalls von heute und häufig in Mitteilungen aus Belgrad zu finden:

Die im Untergrund kämpfende Befreiungsarmee Kosovo, die sowohl Washington als auch
Belgrad als Terrororganisation bezeichnen. Ich gestehe zu, dass es Terrorismus ist, wenn
unschuldige Menschen umgebracht werden. Aus diesem Grund muss man aber auch die
serbische Polizei als Terrororganisation bezeichnen, denn sie mordet und foltert. Dennoch
wird dieser Begriff nie im Zusammenhang mit serbischen Aktionen verwendet. Dadurch
entsteht der Eindruck, dass nur die Befreiungsarmee Kosovo Schandtaten verübt. Die
Zahl der Menschen, die die Befreiungsarmee Kosovo getötet hat ist allerdings
verschwindend gering im Vergleich zu derjenigen, die die Serben umgebracht hat. Eine
Verurteilung der Befreiungsarmee kommt einer Verurteilung der Juden im Warschauer
Ghetto gleich, die  gegen Hitler die Waffen erhoben haben. Es ist interessant zu
vergleichen, wie viele serbische Folteropfer nach einem kürzlich veröffentlichen AP-Bericht
in der Londoner Medical Foundation behandelt werden, nämlich keine, und wie viele
Kosovo Albaner.

Vielen Dank für die Aufmerksamkeit, die Sie diesem schwierigen Thema gewidmet haben.

Karen Haney.

This is not a good sign:

BELGRADE, April 23 (Reuters) - Yugoslav army troops were reported to have fought a
night-long battle with armed infiltrators on Albania's border with Kosovo as Serbs voted on
Thursday to tell the West to stay out of the troubled province.
     The Serb-run media centre in Kosovo's provincial capital Pristina quoted military
sources as saying troops mopped up in the morning after the battle with some 200
infiltrators, in which there were casualties.
     There was no independent confirmation of the battle near the village of Kosare.
     Serb sources said it was assumed the armed groups were comprised of Albanians
from Kosovo border villages, suspected of receiving terrorist training in secret bases in
northern Albania.
     In Kosovo and throughout Serbia, thousands of people voted in the referendum against
what they regard as Western interference in support of ethnic Albanian rivals who
outnumber them nine to one in the southern Serbian province.
     Albanians boycotted the referendum on whether Yugoslavia should accept foreign
mediation in negotiations between the two ethnic groups on Albanian demands for
independence.
     "I have circled the 'No' to protect my ancestral home. Kosovo is Serbia and will remain
Serbia as long as there are Serbs left here. There is nothing the world can do about it,''
Pristina resident Vojislav Miladinovic said.
     The international community has told the Albanians that secession is not an option and
has pressed both sides to launch an urgent dialogue with foreign mediation.
     Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic called the referendum after the United States
threatened military intervention in Kosovo following a crackdown by Serb police on ethnic
Albanian separatists seven weeks ago, in which 80 Albanians were killed.
     Polls opened at 7 a.m. and results were expected on Friday, the eve of a deadline set
by a Big Power Contact Group for Milosevic to start talks with Kosovo's Albanians or face
the threat of renewed international sanctions.
     "This is a referendum for Serbia to make decisions in Serbia,'' Milosevic told reporters
after he voted.
     "I would like to deliver a message to the Albanian leaders in Kosovo to start as soon as
possible a dialogue with representatives of the Serbian government,'' he added.
     "I would like to tell them that the government is very well intentioned in its approach.''
     Belgrade has sent a high-level delegation to Kosovo 11 times over the past two months
but has rejected outside mediation as meddling in its internal affairs.
     The Albanians, in turn, cited that rejection as one of the reasons why they refused to
meet the Serbs.
     Apart from Thursday's reported clash on the Kosovo-Albania border, continuing
sporadic violence is said to have taken place in parts of Kosovo.
     Western intelligence sources believe that the clandestine Kosovo Liberation Army
(KLA), dubbed a terrorist organisation by both Washington and Belgrade, has gained in
strength since the police crackdown in February and March.
     Serbian security sources said the KLA had ethnically cleansed several hundred square
km (miles) of territory in the south of Kosovo next to the border with Albania. Isolated
villagers in the south said they feared guerrilla attacks.
     But the West has now toned down its rhetoric and Serbian officials believe the threat of
sanctions has receded despite condemnations of the referendum by the United States
and its European allies.
     Serbia's government-controlled media mounted a referendum campaign appealing to
Serb patriotism, leaving little doubt that voters would endorse Milosevic's stand that
autonomy demands by Kosovo's Albanians are a purely internal matter.

 ^REUTERS@