World will turn back on you if violence continues, US warns Kosovars
Thursday, July 29, 1999 Published at 15:34 GMT 16:34 UK_______________________________________________________________________
World: EuropeAlbright urges Kosovo Serbs to stay
Mrs Albright: "Encouraged" by civilian and military co-operation
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has appealed to Serbs living in Kosovo to stay in the province, and warned ethnic Albanians against acts of revenge.
Speaking in the capital, Pristina, during a one-day visit, Mrs Albright said the system in Kosovo was set up to protect the Serb community, and that everyone wanted to see a multi-ethnic Kosovo.
Of the pre-war Serbian population of 200,00, less than 50,000 remain - and their fears have been heightened by the massacre of 14 Serb villagers last week.
Addressing a crowd of several thousand Kosovo Albanians, Mrs Albright said: "You have been through a terrible ordeal this past year.
"I hope that today we may pledge that here in Kosovo never again will people with guns come in the night, never again will houses and villages be burned, and never again will there be massacres and mass graves."
But she issued this warning: "You will not have the support of the world if you are intolerant and take the law into your own hands."Shooting scare
There was a brief security alert when a bodyguard of one of the KLA leaders meeting Mrs Albright accidentally discharged his rifle as he was getting out of a
car.
The shot was fired harmlessly into the ground as Hashim Thaci's car arrived outside the headquarters of the United Nations mission in Kosovo.
Mrs Albright and her party were already inside the building when the shot occurred.
Her protection officers responded by shielding the cars and British paratroopers began searching the area for the gunman.
No one was injured in the incident.
Mrs Albright first visited the headquarters of the international peacekeeping force, known as K-For, where she met the commander, General Sir Mike Jackson, and the chief UN administrator in the province, Bernard Kouchner.Encouraged
She said there was a lot of work to be done, but added she was very encouraged by the co-operation between the military and civilian organisations. "They are working well together," she said.
After her Kosovo visit, Mrs Albright will join President Clinton on Friday for a conference in Sarajevo with other world leaders on Balkans reconstruction.
K-For is holding three Kosovo Albanians for further investigation in connection with the murder of 14 Serb farmers last week.
Two others arrested with the others in the Lipljan area of southern Kosovo in the early hours of Wednesday were freed after questioning, K-For said.
World will turn back on you if violence continues, US warns Kosovars_______________________________________________________________________PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, July 29 (AFP) - US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright warned Kosovar Albanians here Thursday that the international community will turn its back on them if ethnic violence continues to rage in their province.
"You will not have the support of the world if you are intolerant and take the law into your own hands," she told a crowd of around 10,000 ethnic Albanians in the centre of Pristina, Kosovo's provincial capital.
Her words came one day after Serbs in the village of Gracko, just south of Pristina, buried 14 of their relatives who were killed last Friday in a massacre by unidentified assailants.
Albright described the incident as a "cowardly murder" and said the Kosovar Albanians must prove that they will not repress Kosovo Serbs as they had been repressed by the Serb military.
"Otherwise, it is not victory. It is merely changing one form of repression for another," she said.
Most of Kosovo's pre-conflict population of 150,000 have left the province, fearing for their lives after a series of revenge murders as nearly a million ethnic Albanian refugees return.
Since the entry of KFOR peacekeepers on June 12, there have been around 200 murders, with the victims evenly distributed between Serbs and ethnic Albanians.
Speaking through an Albanian translator and interrupted by rapturous chants of "USA!", Albright continued: "Let us pledge that in Kosovo there will be a new birth of freedom based on tolerance, law and respect for every human life."
She is the highest-ranking US official to have visited Kosovo since the NATO-led peacekeepers rolled into the province on June 12.
Security was tight with bulletproof-jacketed bodyguards and KFOR soldiers keeping a close watch on the crowds, with sharpshooters deployed on rooftops around Albright's open-air podium. Attack helicopters patrolled overhead.
"I hope that today we may pledge that here, in Kosovo, never again will people with guns come in the night, never again will houses and villages be burned and never again will there be massacres and mass graves," Albright said.
"The United States and its partners want you to build a new Kosovo... It is reflected in the promise of countries throughout Europe and beyond to provide support for reconstruction and recovery, including America's pledge of up to 500 million dollars (480 million euros) for immediate needs."
Albright urged Kosovars to be patient, telling them that KFOR and the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) cannot be everywhere at once.
"Their job is to aid all Kosovars equally and their goal is to help your dream of a democratic and peaceful Kosova (the Albanian word for Kosovo) to come true," she said.
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KOSOVO - Official U.S. Government Documents For more information regarding the latest policy statements and other materials related to the Kosovo crisis, visit http://www.usia.gov/regional/eur/balkans/kosovo/
***********************************************************Transcript: Albright Address to People of Kosovo July 29
"Let us create a democratic Kosovo," she says
Pristina, Kosovo - "Let us create a democratic Kosovo, within a stable Southeast Europe, within a Europe whole and free," U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said July 29, addressing the people of Kosovo.
"Your leaders understand that when an ethnic Albanian murders a Serb, he commits a crime against his own cause and against the future of Kosovo," she said. "Democracy cannot be built on revenge. And you will not have the support of the world if you are intolerant and take the law into your own hands."
"I cannot tell you how to feel," she added. "No one can, who is not in your shoes. But I do ask you to embrace one principle, which is the foundation of all democracy. And that principle is that every person has the right to be judged not by his or her parentage or religious faith, but by their actions and character."
Albright also reminded her audience of U.S. support for the International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia: "We believe that justice is a parent to peace; that those indicted for ethnic cleansing and murder should be held legally accountable; and that [Yugoslav President] Slobodan Milosevic should answer for his crimes."
She asked the people of Kosovo "to help and cooperate with KFOR [the international peacekeeping force] and the United Nations, and other agencies" working in Kosovo. She also asked for patience.
Albright arrived in Kosovo on July 29 to assess the situation in the Serb province in the wake of the deployment of KFOR and the the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
On July 30 she joins President Clinton in Sarajevo to participate in the Southeastern Europe Stability Pact Summit. The summit, sponsored by the European Union and hosted by the Bosnian Presidency, will gather over 30 heads of state and government from Europe and North America committed to Southeast Europe's political and economic recovery and integration into the Euro-Atlantic mainstream.
Following is the transcript of Secretary Albright's remarks:
(Begin transcript)
Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright
Address to the People of Kosovo
Pristina, Kosovo
July 29, 1999As released by the Office of the Spokesman U.S. Department of State
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Good afternoon Kosovo!
As United States Secretary of State, and as a friend, I want to thank you all for this wonderful welcome, along with my colleague Bernard Kouchner of the United Nations.
And let there be no mistake. As long as you choose, Kosovo will remain your home.
You have been through a terrible ordeal this past year and more. Much has been lost that cannot be regained. But an opportunity exists now to answer the question, "What kind of a home will you build?" "What kind of a Kosovo do you want?"
I hope that today, we may pledge that, here in Kosovo, never again will people with guns come in the night; never again will houses and villages be burned; and never again will there be massacres and mass graves.
Let us pledge that in Kosovo there will a new birth of freedom, based on tolerance, law and respect for every human life.
The United States and its partners want to help you build the new Kosovo. This is reflected in the work of KFOR and the steady progress being made in establishing the United Nations civilian presence here. It is reflected in the promise of countries throughout Europe and beyond to provide support for reconstruction and recovery, including America's pledge of up to $500 million for immediate needs.
And it is reflected in our support for the International War Crimes Tribunal; because we believe that justice is a parent to peace; that those indicted for ethnic cleansing and murder should be held legally accountable; and that Slobodan Milosevic should answer for his crimes.
Today, I ask you as a friend to help and cooperate with KFOR, and the United Nations, and other agencies working here. If problems arise, don't be afraid to speak your mind, but also be patient. Remember they cannot be everywhere and do everything; their job is to aid all Kosovars equally; and their goal is to help your dream of a democratic and peaceful Kosovo come true.
Now, I do not have to tell you there are those who believe Kosovo will never escape its past. They say that you will act towards the Serbs as the Serb military and police acted towards you; that you will make it impossible for Serbs to live in Kosovo. These critics point to tragedies such as the cowardly murder this past week of 14 Serbs in Gracko, and they say "see, we are right. The Kosovo Albanians are no better than Milosevic."
Today, I want to make a prediction that you will prove those critics wrong.
Your leaders understand that when an ethnic Albanian murders a Serb, he commits a crime against his own cause and against the future of Kosovo. Democracy cannot be built on revenge. And you will not have the support of the world if you are intolerant and take the law into your own hands.
I cannot tell you how to feel. No one can, who is not in your shoes. But I do ask you to embrace one principle, which is the foundation of all democracy. And that principle is that every person has the right to be judged not by his or her parentage or religious faith, but by their actions and character.
If there is to be a true victory in Kosovo, it cannot be a victory of Albanians over Serbs, or NATO over Serbs. It must be a victory of those who believe in the rights of the individual over those who do not. Otherwise, it is not victory. It is merely changing one form of repression for another. And I know you want more for Kosovo than that.
The fighting is over. Let us together win the peace. Let us make Kosovo an example for the world to follow. Let us create a democratic Kosovo, within a stable Southeast Europe, within a Europe whole and free.
I have thought about all you for a very long time. I have thought about the suffering that you have gone through. And I have thought about the future that you have ahead of you.
I have waited for a day like today when I could come to Pristina to share a very special time with you, a time of hope and opportunity.
Having now seen you in person and having felt the warmth of your greeting, let me once again pledge my own best efforts on behalf of the United States in rebuilding and renewing your permanent home.
Thank you all very much and let us now build the peace together.
senden