Tagesnachrichten 20. Juli 1998
von ALBANEWS und anderen
Daily Report No 1496 July 20, 1998
Kosova Information Center
Tagesnachrichten 20. Juli 1998
7. to call on the Commission and the Council to provide all necessary humanitarian aid to the victims of and the refugees from the acts of violence and call on member states to stop returning refugees and asylum seekers to Kosova where protection cannot be guaranteed;________________________________________________________________________
Augsburger Allgemeine 9. Juli 1998:
Still there is no stop of deportations !
newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine reports on July
9, 1998
President Rugova Condemns Assassination Attempt on KIC Head
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - The President of the
Republic of Kosova Dr. Ibrahim Rugova condemned today in the strongest
terms Saturday's attempt on the life of Enver Maloku, the head of the Kosova
Information Center (KIC), and a member of the General Council of the Democratic
League of Kosova (LDK).
Rugova called this an 'outrageous attack on the
freedom of speech and information in Kosova'.
Highly appreciating the KIC's work, President
Rugova called the assassination attempt on the KIC's head "an outrageous
act against the political and state institutions in Kosova."
"We have invested a lot of efforts and sacrifices
in building up these institutions, so we should be determined to preserve
them".
Serb Forces Shell Parts of the Town of Rahovec
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - A dramatic situation
has been reported in the town of Rahovec ('Orahovac') today.
Eye-witnesses said Serb forces are shelling entire
neighborhoods in the town.
Reportedly, many buildings have been destroyed
and smoldering, while the population is moving out for relative safety.
A source of the LDK Information Commission in
Prizren, who got one kilometer near Rahovec, said he saw many women and
children fleeing their homes and heading for villages which have not been
engulfed by the fighting yet.
Two Albanian women, Alisa Berisha (15) and Violeta
Krasniqi (30), who were heading for Prizren, said incessant fighting was
going on in Rahovec in the past 48 hours. Heavy detonations and gunfire
go unabated in the town. At least 30 houses have been levelled to the ground,
whereas most of the residents have fled the town, they said.
Alisa and Violeta said in the group of fleeing
women and children heading for Prizren were also some men. Among them was
Alisa's father, Ymer Berisha, as well as Sherif Malsia from Studençan.
They were arrested by Serb police in the check-point at Landovicë.
A dramatic situation has been reported in the
village of Bellacërkë. Nobody can enter in this village, which
was pounded yesterday by Serb heavy weapons, but it is feared that many
residents have been killed there.
An eye-witness said the bodies of Ibrahim Popaj
and his wife, Azize, remain in the village of Bellacërkë. The
wives of Ismail Popaj and Halim Popaj are feared killed.
Eye-witnesses claim Serb forces have taken a
number of Albanians from this village hostage. Beqir Kollari said Serbs
have abducted his relatives: Isuf, Ismet, Mejdi Kollarin; four Bekeri brothers;
then Masar Ejupi, Agim Canzibaj, Mustafë Kasapi, a school-teacher
named as Behxhet, and an Albanian from Prizren.
Eye-witnesses said they were taken hostage by
Serb paramilitaries of the notorious Zeljko Raznatovic - Arkan.
The LDK branch presidency in Prizren called for
international organizations to do whatever possible to collect the bodies
of killed Albanians in the village of Bellacërkë.
Heavy Serb Military Troops Heading to Rahovec Today
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - In the early morning
hours today (Monday), heavy Serb military troops with heavy artillery pieces,
tanks and lorries, have been heading to Rahovec ('Orahovac') and the surrounding
villages, the LDK Information Commission in Gjakova reported.
The sound of firing from heavy weapons was heard
in Gjakova from the direction of Rahovec. It is supposed that Serb forces
positioned earlier in the Has region have been firing in the direction
of Rahovec and its villages.
Around 8 'o'clock in the morning today, a convoy
of Serb military left Prizren for Rahovec.
LDK sources in Prizren said part of the huge
Serb convoy and its combat equipment was a Dutch armored vehicle, which
the Serb forces had stolen from the UNPROFOR in Srebrenica (Bosnia).
While passing through Dushanovë, one Serb
officer part of the convoy tossed a spent hand grenade in the direction
of an Albanian. Another Serb solder fired a gunshot in the direction of
an Albanian, LDK sources said.
Serb Artillery Shelling of Border Area Villages Continues
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - Last night and today,
Serbian military troops and police forces have been pounding with heavy
artillery the villages of Reka e Keqe, an area stretching from Nec, Smolica,
and Stublla to the huge village of Junik, the LDK Information Commission
in Gjakova said. There have been no immediate reported casualties, but
material damage is presumed immense.
Meanwhile, during yesterday's Serb shelling Adil
Hasanaj, a 83- year-old Albanian, was killed.
Local resistance forces, led by the UÇK,
have been successfully repelling Serbian attack, local sources said.
The town of Gjakova has been virtually sealed
off in the past 24 hours, movement towards either Prizren or Peja being
restricted.
The LDK sources in Gjakova could neither confirm
nor deny the figure of Albanians dead in the Kosova-Albanian border near
Padesh in the night of Friday/Saturday.
Bread in Short Supply in Gjakova, Dramatic Appeal for Help
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - There was no bread
available today in bakeries or the shops in Gjakova, LDK sources said.
Having run out of flour, the bakeries did not
operate at all, and citizens queued in vain today.
Albanian authorities in Gjakova made a dramatic
appeal to international organizations to help the Gjakova population with
basic necessities, food and medical supplies. As many as 150.000 inhabitants
live in Gjakova at present, local sources said, including in the number
those who have fled other parts and found refuge there.
Meanwhile, in the town of Gllogovc, central Kosova,
the last functioning bakery closed last week amidst shortage of flour.
Serb Shelling, Fighting in Deçan Villages Resumes
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - For two hours on Sunday
afternoon, Serbian military and police forces shelled the villages of Baballoq
and Shaptej, in the municipality of Deçan, the LDK Information Commission
in Deçan said today (Monday).
As a result of the shelling, Hajdar Rr. Gjoci
(70), resident of Baballoq, was killed.
For five hours last night, heavy fighting between
Serb forces and local Albanian resistance troops occurred in the village
of Prejlep and other border area villages, LDK sources said.
Serb helicopters backed the artillery in the
recent offensive in border area.
The burning of Albanian houses is a daily occurrence.
In Deçan Serb forces burned two Albanian houses today, the LDK said.
Meanwhile, the local Albanian resistance fighters
called today for the just inaugurated Parliament of the Republic of Kosova
to form a new government as well as other state institutions, the LDK Information
Commission said.
Serb Attack Shtime Villages over Weekend and Monday Morning
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - Several villages in
Shtime municipality were attacked intermittently by Serb army and police
forces during the week-end, sources said.
The LDK chapter in Shtime, around 30 km south
of Prishtina, said the villages of Raçak, Luzhak and Rancë
were shelled on Saturday and Sunday.
Several mortars landed on the Haxhisefaj extended
family property in Raçak.
At around 7 a.m. today, the Serb forces launched
a machine-gun attack against the villages of Belincë and Carralevë,
on both sides of the Prishtina-Shtime-Prizren roadway, the LDK chapter
said, adding that they could not learn whether there were any casualties.
Meanwhile, sources in Shtime said that the Serb
police has been lately engaged in campaigns of plundering of Albanians.
Hajriz Ibrahimi, resident of Raçak village, had his tractor trailer
load with flour seized by the police two days ago. Other Albanians have
reportedly had their flour seized while on their way back from a grain
mill near Shtime.
Serb Forces Attack Llausha Village and Skenderaj Neighborhood
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - The Llausha village
in Skenderaj ('Srbica') was shelled again by the Serb forces Sunday night
and today morning, the head of the local LDK sub-chapter told the KIC today.
Llausha has been repeatedly targeted by Serb
forces since early March, when Serb forces laid a deadly siege around the
village.
Fadil Geci, head of the LDK in Llausha, said
today that the situation in the village is critical. Serbs have been repeatedly
bombarding farmsteads from the former ammunition factory in the suburb
of Skenderaj, he said.
Meanwhile, a source of the Council for the Defense
of Human Rights and Freedoms in Skenderaj said Serb forces shelled for
the first time today the Lagjia e re (new outskirts) in the town of Skenderaj
itself. Several houses in that part of the town have been badly damaged,
the source said.
A stepped up movement of Serb forces in Skenderaj
has been reported during the whole course of today.
Fresh Serb Troops Deployed to Kosova Monday Morning
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - Fresh Serb troops with
heavy armament and other combat equipment have been reaching Kosova from
Serbia on a daily basis.
A huge army and police convoy of around 50 vehicles
reached the town of Mitrovica today morning at around 10 a.m. The LDK chapter
in Mitrovica said the Serb forces stopped by a petrol station near Zveçan,
where soldiers were given plastic bottles of gasoline (!).
Heavy Serb forces were seen moving today morning
along the Mitrovica-Skënderaj road. Part of Serb troops were reportedly
deployed at Shipol.
Sources in Podujeva said Serb troops were seen
coming from Serbia to Kosova via Prokuplje-Prishtina route today morning.
Numerous Serb police patrols were positioned on both sides of the road
from Podujeva to Lupç village for a couple of hours.
12 Members of the Jetishi Family Transferred to Peja Jail
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - The 12 members of the
extended Jetishi family, arrested last week, were sent yesterday (Sunday)
by Serb police from Gjakova to the pre-trial jail in Peja ('Pec').
The LDK Information Commission in Gjakova said
the following members of the Albanian family were sent to Peja: Avdyl,
Mustafë, Burim, Behar, Agim, Kujtim, Valon, Kastriot, Valdet, Flamur,
Zenel and Fadil Jetishi.
Meanwhile, a citizen of Albania, said to be from
the village of Peraj and in his mid-thirties, was sent to the Peja jail
yesterday. He was treated for wounds in the Gjakova hospital.
Bus with Passengers on Board Taken to Police Station in Prishtina
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - A bus of the "Fati
Tours" private firm was taken to the central Serb police station in Prishtina
today at around 11. a.m.
Witnesses told the KIC that the bus with around
15 passengers on board was escorted by two Serb cars to the compounds of
the police station.
Who the passengers on the bus were, and what
the pretext for Serb police to force its drive to the police station was,
remain still unknown.
Albanian Detainee, Badly Tortured, in Prishtina Hospital
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - A Kosovar Albanian
detainee, Rexhep Bislimi (32) from Ferizaj, has been reported in critical
health condition in the intensive care ward of the Prishtina hospital.
Rexhep Bislimi, an activist with the Ferizaj
chapter of the Prishtina-based Council for the Defense of Human Rights
and Freedoms (CDHRF), was arrested by the Serb police on 6 July.
Sources in the Prishtina hospital said Mr. Bislimi
was taken there in a critical condition - with several broken ribs and
hematomas - apparently as a result of brutal torture.
Serb police has been strictly guarding the hospital
room Rexhep Bislimi is being held in.
A number of Albanians have died of torture while
in Serb custody in Kosova over the past years.
Serb Police Targets LDK Activists in Shtime and Prishtina
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - Ilaz Hasani and Mehdi
Godeni, both members of the leadership of the local LDK branch in Shtime,
were reported arrested and tortured by Serbian police on Sunday.
LDK sources in Shtime said the two activists
were initially held at the police station in the town where they were beaten
up severely and transferred later to Ferizaj. They were held for over seven
hours in Ferizaj and subjected to additional torture.
Meanwhile, the LDK chapter in Velania neighborhood
in Prishtina said the Serbian police raided the party's local office Sunday
afternoon. Serb policemen searched thoroughly the LDK office, whereas,
Ms Refiqe Aliu, the activist who happened to be there, was interrogated
for about one hour.
British Aid Worker Jailed to 30 Days by Serb Court
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - The Serb court in Gjakova
has sentenced a distinguished British aid worker, Sally Becker, to 30 days
in jail.
The British freelance humanitarian worker known
as the "Angel of Mostar" was jailed after being arrested on Saturday for
trying to smuggle a refugee family into Albania, sources said.
The Serb regime has charged her with "illegal
crossing of the border" and sentenced her summarily to 30 days in prison.
Sally Becker was taken to Lipjan jail to serve her 30-day sentence.
Sally Becker made her reputation five years ago
after rescuing 25 wounded children from the Muslim sector of Mostar in
Bosnia, while it was under artillery and sniper fire.
David Slinn, secretary at the British Embassy
who has reportedly visited Sally Becker in jail, was quoted as saying that
she was "generally okay".
Serb Police Hunts Down Albanians Uprooted from War-Torn Areas
PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - Half a dozen Serb policemen
raided on Sunday the home of Sahit Morina in Prishtina, under the pretext
of looking for people displaced from war-torn areas in Kosova.
Sahit Morina said the police interrogated him
about the guest accommodated in his house, as well as about his sons working
abroad.
Mr. Morina told the KIC that he was ordered to
show up at the Serb police headquarters in Prishtina.
Kosova Information Center
Last page!
RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC_______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 2, No. 137 Part II, 20 July 1998SERBS, UCK CLASH IN RAHOVEC.
Serbian security forces and the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK) fought for control of the town of Rahovec in southwestern Kosova over the weekend of 18-19 July. The current situation there remains unclear.
Meanwhile, Christopher Hill, who is U.S. ambassador to Macedonia and has conducted talks with the UCK, told RFE/RL's South Slavic Service in a telephone interview on 17 July that the "main problem" for diplomats involved in the Kosovar crisis is that the Kosovars have not agreed on who can represent both the UCK and the political parties in negotiations. In Bonn on 19 July, UCK spokesman Jakup Krasniqi told German SAT 1 television that his organization has chosen its political leaders and will soon make their names public. And in Prishtina, unknown gunmen tried to kill Enver Maloku, who heads the Kosovar news agency KIC, an RFE/RL correspondent reported from the Kosovar capital. PMHEAVY FIGHTING ALONG KOSOVAR-ALBANIAN BORDER.
The UCK also clashed with Serbian security forces near the Albanian border at Padesh on 18 July, "Koha Jone" reported. The Albanian daily says that fighting began after a large number of UCK fighters crossed into Kosova from Albania. Namik Dokle, who is deputy speaker of the parliament, told Albanian state television on 20 July that approximately 70 Kosovars died when Serbian forces shelled the border area two days earlier; 19 UCK fighters were injured and fled to Albania. Local authorities flew some of the injured by helicopter to hospitals in Tirana. Another 80 civilians fled to Albania from the area near Padesh, where some were injured by mines and mortar shells as they sought to flee. FS
TIRANA CLAIMS BORDER VIOLATION...
The Albanian government issued a statement on 18 July charging that Serbian forces fired shells 500 meters into Albanian territory during the fighting. The statement said that "today's Serbian military actions have directly threatened the integrity and sovereignty of...Albania." It continued that "the government...severely denounces these actions, considering them clear provocations aimed at engulfing Albania in the flames of a regional conflict." The statement stressed that Albania remains committed to a peaceful solution but is ready to respond to aggression. "The escalation of Serbian aggressive acts in Kosova against innocent people demonstrates once again that the military machine of Serbian chauvinism cannot be stopped by statements and resolutions but only by concrete, determined, and unequivocal actions." FS
...BUT BELGRADE ISSUES DENIAL.
The Yugoslav Foreign Ministry issued a protest on 19 July accusing Albania of being responsible for several recent border violations. The note also stated that Albania has been "indulgent" toward the UCK. Since Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic launched the crackdown in Kosova at the end of February, Tirana and Belgrade have accused each other on several occasions of border violations. In Prishtina, the Yugoslav Third Army issued a statement charging that the infiltrators on 18 July included "five Albanians from Macedonia, six citizens of Saudi Arabia, and one Yemeni national. Four had German documents issued to persons with Arabic names." There has been no independent confirmation of this or other periodic Serbian reports that "Islamic fundamentalists" are fighting on the side of the UCK, which is a secular, nationalist organization. PM
ALBANIAN PREMIER WANTS UCK BROUGHT INTO SHADOW STATE.
Fatos Nano wrote in an article published in "Zeri i Popullit" on 17 July that the Kosovar shadow state should work to integrate the UCK into their negotiating team, which is authorized to talk to the Serbs and the international community. He stressed, however, that the UCK still has yet to select its political leaders. Meanwhile, the Albanian parliament issued a statement welcoming the first session in years of the shadow state parliament (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 July 1998). The statement says that the Albanian legislature "supports the will of the Kosovar population for self-determination through dialogue and peaceful means." FS
U.S. SENATE CALLS MILOSEVIC 'WAR CRIMINAL.'
The upper house of Congress passed a non-binding resolution on 18 July urging the Hague-based war crimes tribunal to take action against Milosevic on charges of "war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide," an RFE/RL correspondent reported from Washington. The text added that Milosevic is the man most responsible for the wars on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Meanwhile in Kladanj in eastern Bosnia, some 5,000 Muslims attended a prayer service on 18 July to honor those killed in the Srebrenica massacres three years earlier. Participants included Alija Izetbegovic, who is the Muslim member of the Bosnian joint presidency, and Mustafa Ceric, who heads the main Muslim religious organization. PM
PLAVSIC SAYS 'SPIRIT OF DAYTON' BIGGEST THREAT TO DAYTON.
Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic said in Banja Luka that she hopes that the new Bosnian Serb government that takes office after the September elections can be elected in the parliament entirely on the votes of Serbian legislators, "Oslobodjenje" wrote on 20 July. (The current government needs Muslim backing.) Plavsic added that the main threat to what she called the substance of the Dayton agreement is attempts by the international community to make Bosnia a multi-ethnic society again, as it was before the war. She described this foreign commitment to multi- ethnicity as "the spirit of Dayton." And she warned that the Serbs must insist instead on the implementation of what she called the letter of the agreement, which grants specific rights to each ethnic group and to each of the two separate entities, including the Republika Srpska. PM
CONCERN IN ALBANIA ABOUT TEENAGE PROSTITUTION.
Several representatives of Albanian non-governmental organizations told a recent Tirana conference on trafficking in Albanian women and children that more than 14,000 Albanian women are currently working as prostitutes in west European countries. Between 8,000 and 9,000 are working in Italy, of whom an estimated 2,500 are teenagers., while of the 5,000 or so Albanian prostitutes in Greece, some 700 are under 18. Hundreds of others are working in Austria, France, Holland, Germany, and Britain. Most of the prostitutes come from Albania's rural areas. Speakers said that traffickers often lure girls by false promises of jobs in Western countries, but there have also reports of kidnappings of young girls who are then forced to become prostitutes. FS
TENS OF KOSOVA ALBANIANS HOSPITALISED AFTER SERB SHELLING_______________________________________________________________________TIRANE, 20 JULY .ENTER/ -Tens of Albanians of Kosova who tried to pass the Albanian border on Saturday were seriously wounded due to the Serb shellings and the mined fields. The situation in Tropoja, north Albania, was tense during last weekend when flux of refugees and wounded people arrived in this northern city from Kosova.
The Director of the institution Shake Rexha said "the wounded people who arrived on Saturday are still under treatment but their life is out of danger thanks to an intensive treatment."
A number of wounded Albanians have been transported by helicopters to the main military hospital of Tirana where the doctors are treating them under intensive care.
A spokesman of the police commissariat said that a local border commission headed by the commander of the border post Bajram Gosturani went to the Padeshi border crossing to talk with the Serb local border commission on Saturday's incident.
Sources from the second infantry division said that ist units were controlling all the Albanian-Yugoslav border line and closely following the situation on the ground. They said that the situation there was calm but Serb forces continued to shell with heavy artillery the Junik village and its suburbs and near the city of Gjakova.
Calm situation in Tropoja, EU delegation visits north Albania_______________________________________________________________________BAJRAM CURRI, July 19 (ATA) - By Riza Hoxha: The situation in Tropoja, north Albania, has been calm on Saturday night and Sunday.
"There is no flux of refugees or wounded people from Kosova," a spokesman of the local police station said to ATA late on Sunday.
A calmer situation prevails in the city civil hospital. The Director of the institution Shake Rexha said "the wounded people who arrived on Saturday are still under treatment but their life is out of danger thanks to an intensive treatment."
A spokesman of the police commissariat said that a local border commission headed by the commander of the border post Bajram Gosturani went to the Padeshi border crossing to talk with the Serb local border commission on Saturday's incident.
Isa Kuliqi secretary of the district council said to ATA that a delegation of the European Union was visiting Bajram Curri. The delegation held talks with the leaders of the local government who briefed it on the grave situation in the region particularly after the incident. The delegation was interested on the present situation in Padeshi area and the health situation of the injured people.
Sources from the second infantry division said that ist units were controlling all the Albanian-Yugoslav border line and closely following the situation on the ground.
They said that the situation there was calm but Serb forces continued to shell with heavy artillery the Junik village and its suburbs and near the city of Gjakova.
From the Padeshi and Qafe Prushi border crossings, the same sources said that they could see houses engulfed in the flames following shelling from the Serb forces. ake/ak/Serbs pound Kosova-Albania border line
PRISHTINE, July 19 - ATA correspondent in Prishtina Behlul Jashari said that Serb forces had continued shelling the Kosova-Albania border line during the recent 24 hours. The Serb heavy artillery was shelling the villages of Nec, Smolice until Junik, sources of the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK) in Gjakova said.
Heavy fighting has been going on in villages of Prejlep, Carrabreg i Poshtem and Strellc i Eperm, sources from Dezan said.
Military operations are accompanied by helicopters flights of the Yugoslav army over the Gjakova city and other regions.
Albanian sources said that heavy fighting are continuing in the regions of Anadrini, between Gjakova and Rahovec.
Reports from all fronts say that Kosova Liberation Army (KLA) and the Albanian population organised in defence of their settlements are determined to face barbarous attacks of the Serb forces.
An Albanian was found killed at a suburb of Gjakova city, near a check point of Serb forces, but police did not allow the family to take the body. A Serb policeman who was trying to desert was killed by his chiefs in Strellc village.
Two convoys of Serb military machines roared passed the roads of Ferizaj on Sunday while helicopters of the Yugoslav army flew over the city. cela/ak/
Albanian sources claim that fighting is taking place in the town of Rahovec, adding that at least 2 civilians were killed and many others wounded
Rahovec, 19 July (ARTA) 1630CET --
Serb police\military forces began to attack the
village of Drenoc, today morning, using all kinds of different weapons.
Sources from the ground notify that two Albanian civilians, including a
woman, have been killed and that many others have been wounded. In the
meantime, local Albanian sources claim that fighting is taking place between
KLA units and Serb forces in the town of Rahovec.
On the other hand, the village of Bellacerkë,
is practically on fire, following the shelling and heavy artillery fire
that it was subjected to. Locals say that many civilians in the region
were massacred, but this information has not been confirmed so far.
The telephone lines in Rahovec have been cut
off, making it even more difficult to communicate.
KOSOVA (shelling - Malishevë)
The police in Kijevë killed 1 and wounded
4 Albanians
Serb forces used machine guns, grenade launchers and cannons of different calibers to carry out their attack on this municipality
Malishevë, 19 July (ARTA) 1930CET --
The situation was dramatic in most of the villages
of the municipality of Malishevë yesterday. Sources claim that Serb
forces used machine guns, grenade launchers and cannons of different calibers
to carry out their attack on this municipality. One Albanian was killed
and four wounded during the attack against the village of Mleçan.
16 year-old Musa Zogaj was killed at around 2100CET,
from a grenade that landed in his garden, as Hajrie Halil Zogaj (20), Sevdie
Rexhë Zogaj, Ymer S. Gashi (53) and a 6 year-old child were reported
wounded.
Despite the shelling that the village of Bubavec
was subjected to, no victims were reported. The local mosque, though, has
been reported damaged and Demë Kryeziu's house, destroyed. The attack
was conducted from afar and ceased only after a KLA counter-attack. There
is no information on any victims on the Serb side so far.
KOSOVA (IDPs Malishevë)
25 thousand IDPs in Malishevë
Malishevë, 19 July (ARTA) 1940CET--
According to still unconfirmed data, over 25
thousand people, the majority women and children, found shelter in Malishevë
and the surrounding villages, during last night alone. This flux of refugees,
headed to Malishevë fleeing from the fierce clashes that took place
yesterday in the town of Rahovec, between the KLA units and the Serb armed
civilians.
They were so many in numbers, that a large part
of them were forced to spend the night in the elementary school of Malishevë,
from where they were today transferred to the Malishevë families that
offered them shelter.
The Serb artillery is shelling the villages Potoçan
i Epërm, Potoçan i Ulët, Sapniç, Bellacerkë
and Drenoc, sources from the ground, inform. The same sources inform about
the new IDP flux of people from the mentioned villages into Malishevë.
The refugees from these villages could not make
it to Prizren and the surrounding because of the reinforcements of the
Serb forces coming from that direction, sources from Prizren claim.
At 1400CET, the queue of tractors and cars full
of IDPs continued being long this time these were IDPs coming from the
villages that were being shelled.
The situation in the municipality of Malishevë
is serious. The IDPs have now created a new situation -- over 75 thousand
people now live in the villages of Malishevë, that for the past two
months have not received sufficient humanitarian aid in food or medicine.
If urgent assistance is not provided to this population, this enclave will
soon suffer a humanitarian catastrophe.
KOSOVA (clashes Deçan)
Clashes in Prejlep, Carrabreg i Poshtëm
and Strellc i Epërm
Deçan, 19 July (ARTA) 2110CET--
Harsh clashes took place today in Prejlep, Carrabreg
i Poshtëm and Strellc i Epërm, local LDK sources in Deçan,
inform. Fortunately, they do not report any killed or wounded. However,
two houses were burned in Prejlep, two in Carrabreg and two in Strellc.
According to Albanians sources from the ground,
the population in these areas, helped by the KLA units, is still resisting
in defense of its lands, making great progress day by day.
On the other hand, last night in Strellc, one
Serb policeman was killed by his supervisors, while he was trying to desert,
Albanian sources claim.
KOSOVA (clashes - Gjakovë)
Fighting continues in the villages of Gjakovë
The thirty people killed in the border area, have not been brought to the morgue so far. It is still not clear what really happened with the corpses
Gjakovë, 19 July (ARTA) 1915CET --
Fighting in the villages of the municipality
of Gjakovë, has not ceased. The clashes that took place between Serb
police\military forces today, were mostly concentrated in the villages
of Nec and Smolicë. There are no reports on casualties on the Albanian
side.
The situation became more dramatic after the
killing of at least 30 Albanians at the Kosova-Albanian border, by Serb
forces. Albanian sources of information have not confirmed the death toll
so far. The bodies of the victims have not been sent to the morgue. It
is still not clear what really happened with the corpses. However, locals
say that there were frequent helicopter flights towards the border region,
supposedly to extract the victims.
Foreign sources claim that the number of killed
may surpass 90.
The situation is tense in town as well. The body
of 43 year-old Abaz Hoti, was found in the suburb of town, in Piskotë,
at around 1900CET yesterday.
On the other hand, the fighting in the municipality
of Rahovec, resulted with the Prizren-Gjakovë road being completely
blocked. Large military forces were reported stationed in the village of
Xërxë, not more than 7 kilometers from Gjakovë.
KOSOVA (shelling Suharekë)
A 12 years old girl was killed during the
shelling
Suharekë, 19 July (ARTA) 1620CET--
Raza Palushi (12) was killed while she was in
her house yard, as a consequence of the shelling conducted by Serb forces
on the village Budakovë, municipality of Suharekë. This happened
on 17 July, at around 2300CET.
The grenades fell on other houses as well, but
there, except big material damages, no victims were reported.
On the other hand, Bujar Buzhala (19), was killed
during the shelling of Budakovë neighborhoods called Hoxha and Buzhala.
The village of Krushicë was also shelled last night. The attack lasted
from 2100CET to 2200CET.
Dozens of sniper shots were heard today, ever
since the morning, but nothing is known about the consequences.
KOSOVA (casualties Deçan)
Four Albanians escorting Sally Backer were
killed
Deçan, 19 July (ARTA) 2000CET--
Albanian sources notify that the Serb police
arrested Hana Hyseni (30) with her children Dedë (12), Drita (8) and
Doruntina (14 months), at the entrance of Gjakovë, while they were
coming from the village of Nec. Sally Backer, a humanitarian activist was
arrested as well.
The Serb sources, on the other hand, inform that
a large group of Albanians were prevented from entering Albania illegally,
at the Koshare border post at the Kosova-Albanian border (from Gjakovë
side), Thursday afternoon.
Still according to same sources, during the fire
exchange, the Serb soldiers killed four Albanians that Sally Backer, a
British citizen, was helping enter into Albania.
KOSOVA (shelling Lipjan)
A 16 years old boy killed and his father was
wounded
Lipjan, 19 July (ARTA) 1730CET--
A 16 years old boy of the Dulahu family, was
killed and his father was severely wounded, yesterday in the village Vërshec,
municipality of Lipjan. They were victims of yesterday's shelling of the
Serb police\military forces settled in the police station in Magurë.
Fearing a massacre, the inhabitants of Magurë, abandoned their homes
and settled temporarily in the neighboring villages, which are not as much
threatened.
KOSOVA (comment on the Wests attitude)
Europe continues to equal the criminal and
the victim
Vienna, 19 July (ARTA) 2015CET --
EU leaders thought up a new, very awkward political
concept. According to this concept, the criminal and victim must be treated
the same. This was not stated openly, but could be made out clearly from
the statements issued by EU politicians.
Austrian Foreign Minister, Wolfgang Schuessel,
will ask the European Parliament's Commission for Foreign Policy on Monday,
to continue with pressure against Belgrade. The pressure will be applied
to push him fulfill requests made by the international community for a
political solution to the problem of Kosova. At the same time, Schuessel
and other European colleagues, will request from the EU, to pressure "the
more and more radicalized Kosovars", says a communiqué issued by
the Austrian Foreign Ministry.
According to statements made in the European
Parliament on Wednesday, the EU realized that it is itself responsible
for the wavering position of Ibrahim Rugova. However, there are no signs
to indicate that western politicians understood the reason for the unstable
position Rugova now has -- many concessions to Milosevic and continuous
pressure on Rugova. This might also be the case of a naive policy at hand,
with the conviction that the same effect could be achieved in the case
of KLA's role, through reiterating what happened with Rugova! There is
no other way to explain the tendency of condemning Serb aggression as much
as the Albanian victim.
If it, in fact, has nothing to do with political
naivete in this hypocritical approach, then it might be the case of lack
of time to analyze what is happening in Kosova: western politicians are
now concentrated on summer vacations.
Maybe the Vienna daily "Kurier" was right in
its comment: "There is no oil in Kosova, nor is there any economic interest,
so we are keeping our distance for now.
Since this is the case, we should not lose much
time in the future, say European tourist envoys who bring "humanitarian
packages" with the status of local autonomy to Prishtina everyday, but
turn to the USA, as the only place we know that has a possibility to do
really realistic politics".
KOSOVA (denial KLA)
KLA does not have a "First Brigade"
The KLA headquarters issued a communiqué
denying an information published by KIC on 17 June, claiming that "the
Commander of "KLA First Brigade" of Deçan, supports the constitution
of the Parliament of Kosova".
"KLA does not have a First Brigade. It does not
exist. These are dirty games favoring the enemy aiming at damaging this
just war. What KIC has published is a misinformation and its aim is to
cause divisions inside the KLA. Our stand is the expressed in the political
declaration issued on 17 July 1998".
KOSOVA (exclusive interview - KLA commander "Ferra"
/ excerpts)
"You cannot talk to Serbs..."
"...but time proved that there was no progress
in our issue...therefore only weapons can protect us..."
Prishtina, 19 July (ARTA) 1700CET --
Albanian daily "Koha Ditore" did an interview
with one of the regional commanders, "Ferra", only 30 kilometers away from
the capital of Kosova, in one of the last zones to be swept by war. Humble,
but very determined in his stand, the commander of the region, from where
the Serb population chased Albanian civilians, talked about the reasons
that made him turn to weapons and fight.
"We, Albanians, never wanted war", says "Ferra".
"We were the ones that tried to solve the problem of Kosova peacefully,
through dialogue. However, not only were our requests not taken seriously
by 'Yugoslavia', but the world also mocked them in some ways. Serb violence
emerged and continued to increase, and as a result of this violence, our
schools were closed, Albanians were sacked, and Albanian children were
poisoned in elementary schools. Therefore, in other words, Albanians began
being discriminated. Our requests, which favored a peaceful solution to
the problem, were not taken into consideration. Serbs began pressing and
pushing the Albanian people to that extent, that they were forced to either
take weapons in their hands and fight, in defense, or abandon their homes
and flee".
KD: Well, then your fight will end only when you achieve independence, or are you ready to compromise, meaning an autonomous status?
Ferra: Only independence can calm the situation here, and we all gave our oath to win independence or die. We believe that we deserve it. Every people has the right to self-determination with all international rights. Every people has the right to decide on their fate and the fate of their land.
KD: Diplomatic sources say that the KLA wants to create a Greater Albania. Is your goal independence or the creation of a country, often referred to as a Greater Albania?
Ferra: We are not afraid of demanding our rights. We demanded the independence of Kosova and we are determined to realize this. We will achieve our goal with blood, sweat, or whatever it takes. We will win with, or without help from outside. As a liberation army, we focused on our forces and everything that comes from our allies is welcome. As for Greater Albania -- we have no such intentions for now.
KD: International organizations called for the sides involved in the conflict, to act in accordance with war regulations and international covenants...
Ferra: We tried and will try to act accordingly with international regulations for war. However, it is very difficult to do so with such an enemy. If they do not feel under threat, there is no way to stop them. If they are not aimed at, they are ready to even cut a child in its cradle. If you are acquainted with the lifestyle of Albanians and their history, then you will know that Albanians never take what does not belong to them. Nobody ever complained that Albanians occupied them. Albanians like only what is theirs. They like freedom, but do not deny the freedom of others.
KD: Well, anyway, you have turned to weapons. Is this supposed to mean that there are no peaceful methods of solving the problem left?
Ferra: When Europe began to talk about Albanians, the Serb police did not hesitate. It began aggression against us, against Drenica. The story of Prekaz began, only to be followed by the stories of many other villages. There was an escalation of violence in Kosova while Berlin and London talked about us. We had to turn to weapons, in defense, or abandon our homes and flee, and leave Kosova deserted. That was the reason why we turned to weapons. We waited for Rugova for eight years. However, time proved that no progress was made in solving the problem of Kosova. The people realized that we can fight back the enemy only through force and arms. The enemy knows nothing of goodness, it knows only violence.
KD: Do you think Rugova is completely ineffective?
Ferra: We lost our confidence. He might have been able to achieve something in a longer period of time, but it is time that we do not have. We have no other ways of protection, only weapons can protect us.
KD: What is your military rank?
Ferra: I am not a soldier. I am about to graduate from the Philosophical Faculty. However, the task that I had -- to defend our homes and families -- made me take a weapon in my hands.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B o s N e t - July 16, 1998
______________________________________________________________________
Kosova Updates: http://www.alb-net.com/
B o s N e t Web Page: http://www.bosnet.org/
Arrest Karadzic/Mladic Petition: http://www.bosnet.org/petition/
----------------------------------------------------------------------Friends of Bosnia
http://www.crocker.com/~fob
Appeal to President Clinton to Adopt A Firm Policy to End Crisis in Kosovo
Friends of Bosnia is seeking organizational support for a letter to President Clinton demanding a firm policy to end the crisis in Kosovo. The same letter will shortly be circulated in Congress by Representative John Olver from Massachusetts.
If you are affiliated with an organization, we would appreciate your support for this letter. You can email your response to Friends of Bosnia at fob@crocker.com. Once the letter is sent to Congress, we will send out another notice on Bosnet asking readers to contact their members of Congress to sign the letter.
The letter will be presented to the President during a press conference on Tuesday, July 28 at 10:00 a.m. in front of the Congress building. Also presented at that time will be the BosNet petition with more than 18,000 names demanding for the arrest of Karadzic and Mladic.
From: Friends of Bosnia 47 East Street Hadley, MA 01035
Tel: 413-586-6450 Fax: 413-586-2415 fob@crocker.com
www.crocker.com/~fobTo: NGOs
Re: Appeal to President Clinton to Adopt A Firm Policy to End Crisis in Kosovo
Date: July 16, 1998Attached is a letter to the President, with copies to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke, sponsored by Friends of Bosnia and Massachusetts Congressman John Olver. The letter is being circulated through the House of Representatives and will be presented to the President in a press conference to be held in front of the Capitol on Tuesday, July 28 at 10:00 a.m. The same letter will be sent to the President under separate cover, signed by NGOs and grassroots groups from across the country. We are asking your organization to support this important initiative that calls for the United States to take decisive action to stop the violence in Kosovo and encourages negotiated settlement, as well as to take a firm stand against the belligerent Milosevic regime that will continue to sow destruction until it is stopped.
We are presenting the following proposals on the third anniversary of the massacre at Srebrenica to point out that prosecuting war criminals and curbing the power of ultranationalism is key to diffusing the current crisis in the former Yugoslavia and helping prevent future ones.
Experience has shown that negotiation and deal-making do not restrain Milosevic, and so should not begin until all military activity has ceased. Therefore, any serious, effective policy seeking to halt the Serbian aggression against the Albanian Kosovars must incorporate the strategic, controlled use of military force by NATO, as the means of enforcement. It is also imperative that those who have committed war crimes be treated as the criminals they are by the international community. NATO should immediately be given support for the arrest of those indicted, and the U.S. should fully support the investigations by the ICTY against Milosevic.
You may have been asked to support other similar initiatives recently, and we welcome the efforts of those legislators to advocate for stronger U.S. leadership in the Balkans. We are looking for as much support as possible to emphasize to the Administration the need to implement a clear, future-oriented policy that will confront the sources of hatred and division in the region and secure a brighter future for the people of the Balkans.
We feel it is important for all of us to take a united stand on these issues and send a strong message to President Clinton that it is time for the U.S. to adopt a serious strategy to reduce the blood being shed in the Balkans. We hope you will add your signature of support. To do so, please fax back this letter to our office at 413-586-2415, or contact us with any questions.
Sincerely,
Glenn Ruga Sharon Webb
Director Associate DirectorYes, the organization listed above supports the attached letter to President Clinton.
______________________________________________
Signature++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
July 28, 1998
The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500Dear Mr. President
On this third anniversary of the brutal massacre at Srebrenica, the undersigned urgently call on the United States to prevent Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic from pursuing his campaign of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. We urge the U.S. to send a clear message to Milosevic that NATO will intervene in the coming days if Serbian forces do not stop the attacks on civilians and the wholesale destruction of villages and that those ultimately responsible for the war crimes committed throughout the Balkans this decade will be prosecuted.
In 1991, Slobodan Milosevic led Yugoslavia's ultranationalist forces in a campaign of terror across the former Yugoslavia--beginning in Vukovar and the Krajina region of Croatia, then crossing the border into Bosnia where the gravest war crimes in Europe since World War II were committed by his forces. The apex of their criminal acts was committed three years ago in the small Bosnian town of Srebrenica. In July 1995, 8,000 unarmed men and boys were murdered. The chief architects of this massacre, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, both indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal, remain free. Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, the premier strategist of the genocidal war against Bosnia, has not even been indicted.
Over the past seven years, the U.S. response to this bloodshed has been a series of compromising agreements with President Milosevic--which have served to bolster his position as Serb leader and solidify his power in the region to the extent that, once again, he is killing and displacing large numbers of civilians, this time in Kosovo. Again, the United States and its allies have refrained from interfering--allowing Milosevic's violent oppression against the ethnic Albanians to escalate. Today, there are 700,000 Albanians living under siege in Kosovo, 80,000 who are internally displaced, tens of thousands living as refugees in neighboring countries, and hundreds of civilians who have been tortured and killed. We urge the United States to lead the international community in recognizing that the violent pursuit of nationalistic aims by the Milosevic regime is the primary cause of the continuing bloodshed and instability in the Balkans.
Any long-term solution to the crisis in Kosovo must address the issues of autonomy or independence for the Kosovo Albanians. We firmly believe that Belgrade must, at a minimum, restore full autonomy to the region. All other claims should be pursued through negotiation or democratic means rather than by armed conflict.
The growing strength of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) does not reduce President Milosevic's responsibility for nine years of oppression and persecution of Kosovo's Albanian population. While we condemn the attacks by the KLA against Serb civilians, these attacks are not equivalent to the disproportionate response by Milosevic's forces, including the wholesale bombing of entire villages.
We hereby urge the Clinton administration to take the following measures as part of a comprehensive policy to ensure long-term peace and stability among the nations of the former Yugoslavia:
* Demand that President Milosevic immediately halt all attacks by Serbian special police, military and paramilitary units against civilians in Kosovo and lift the siege of towns or face swift and robust NATO intervention.
* Demand that President Milosevic begin complete withdrawal of all special police, military and paramilitary units from Kosovo and allow immediate access by food and medical aid convoys, independent human rights monitors, and the International War Criminal Tribunal to investigate possible war crimes.
* Demand that the Kosovo Liberation Army cease all attacks against Serb civilians.
* Establish a no-fly zone over Kosovo to neutralize Serbian air superiority and prevent escalation of the conflict by any party.
* Demand that President Milosevic and the Kosovo Albanians accept internationally-mediated negotiations to determine the future status of Kosovo.
* Pursue the immediate arrest of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic for war crimes committed in Srebrenica as required by UN Security Council Resolutions.
* Actively support the indictment of Slobodan Milosevic by the ICTY and release evidence of his role in genocide and crimes against humanity.
* Maintain full economic sanctions on Yugoslavia until significant progress has been made in restoring full autonomy and human rights to Kosovo.
As we remember the victims of the Srebrenica massacre, we believe the conciliatory response of the international community toward President Milosevic is ineffective and dangerous. The failure to arrest indicted war criminals is directly related to the renewal of Serb-nationalist aggression in Kosovo. Furthermore, the current status given to Milosevic as a negotiating partner only serves to condone the crimes, past and present, committed by the forces under his control. Lastly, while we are in favor of resolving violent conflict by diplomatic negotiation, Milosevic has clearly demonstrated in both Croatia and Bosnia that only by the credible threat of force can his aggression be deterred.
We urge you to forcefully adopt the above proposals in order to bring a swift end to the conflict in Kosovo, to allow justice to prevail for the victims of war in Bosnia, and to end the belligerence of the Milosevic regime that threatens to destabilize the Balkans for years to come.
Sincerely,
Friends of Bosnia 47 East Street Hadley, MA 01035
Tel: 413-586-6450 Fax: 413-586-2415 fob@crocker.com
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