Tagesnachrichten 29. Juli 1998
von ALBANEWS und anderen
Daily Report No 1505 July 29, 1998
Kosova Information Center
Tagesnachrichten 29. 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
_______________________________________________________________________Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT # 1505-B
Prishtina, 29 July 1998Second Edition: 18:30 hrs
Five Killed in Malisheva Municipality
LDK chapter pleas for help to save the population from catastrophePRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - Xhevdet Bajraj, a writer from Rahovec, himself a refugee in Malisheva after Serb crackdown on Rahovec, told the KIC by phone from the village of Ponorc three Albanians are known to have been killed: Smajl Morina (58), and Hysen Krasniqi (62), mute and deaf, both residents of Drenoc, and Sejdi Javori (76) from Llazicë village. In the village of Bubavec two unidentified corpses have been spotted, he said.
Yesterday, Serbian troops, with some 50 tanks, took over Malisheva, dubbed for months the 'stronghold' of UÇK. The latter retreated without a combat.
Tens of thousands of people, many of whom refugees themselves, were on the move yesterday while the Serb forces were advancing into Malisheva.
The chapter of the LDK in Malisheva called today on the international community - the UN Security Council, the United States of America, and the EU - and humanitarian organizations to do whatever is in their power to save the population of Malisheva "from extermination by Serbian violence". Food and medical supplies are desperately needed, the LDK said.
The chapter further called on the UÇK and some political forces to respect and abide by the decisions of the institutions of the Republic of Kosova.
A prominent LDK activist in Malisheva, Cen Desku, told the KIC by phone the local LDK leadership was standing by and sharing the fate of the people there.
Mr. Desku said tens of thousands of displaced people have fled to the wooded forests of the villages of Ponorc, Turjakë and Llapçevë. Basic staples, even bread and water, are lacking there, sources said.
Drinking water is in short supply: there are only two wells in Ponorc.Kosova Information Center
Last page!
President Rugova Receives the EU Troika
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - The President of the
Republic of Kosova Dr. Ibrahim Rugova received today in Prishtina political
directors of the European troika: Mr. Albert Rohan, Secretary General of
the Austrian MfA; Dr. Emyr Jones-Parry, Political Director in the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office; and Mr. Wolfgang Ischinger, Political Director
of the German MfA. The EU troika - political directors of the previous,
current, and future EU presidency holders - is on a mission to Belgrade
and Prishtina.
We have come to express the support of the European
Union for a peaceful settlement to the Kosova issue, Albert Rohan said.
President Rugova and the EU senior officials
discussed the current developments in Kosova.
Rugova said the latest Serbian military and police
offensive has left many victims and thousands of uprooted persons. The
Serb operations against the unprotected Kosova population, including summary
executions of entire families, are aimed at a massive ethnic cleansing
of Kosova, President Rugova stressed. He urged for an urgent international
intervention and preventive measures to protect the people of Kosova, and
stop the ethnic cleansing campaign.
President Rugova said the people of Kosova and
its leadership have been making efforts to handle the prevailing dramatic
situation through a better organization. "We are in the process of creating
an all-party government. Progress has been made in this direction, but
the process could not be completed because of the latest Serb offensives
and the dramatic situation on the ground," he said, adding that consultations
between political forces for a stronger democratic unity in Kosova have
been continuing.
The Kosova President said it was critical for
dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade to resume, but it could be done
only after the Serb aggression had ceased, and an appropriate climate for
meaningful and substantial negotiations has been created.
Rugova, Rohan and Ischinger to the Press
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - After the meeting President
Ibrahim Rugova of Kosova had with the political directors of the EU troika,
Rugova, Albert Rohan, and Wolfgang Ischinger spoke to the press in Prishtina
today (Wednesday).
President Rugova said the meeting was held at
a time Kosova is going through "difficult times", in the wake of Serbian
offensives in Malisheva and Junik.
"We called for preventive measures by the European
Union, the United States of America, and indeed the international community,
to prevent ethnic cleansing in Kosova, to prevent massacres and displacement
of the population", Ibrahim Rugova told reporters.
He said there as been some progress in the work
to form a broadly- based coalition government in Kosova, which would include
all political forces, and create the conditions for talks with Belgrade,
the President said.
Albert Rohan, the Secretary-General of the Austrian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "Our message is very clear: violence
has to stop immediately. We cannot tolerate the increasing number of victims,
destruction, hostages. A dialogue on the negotiated solution of this problem
must start immediately. Our view is that it is very important that the
whole stuff of political leadership in Kosovo is united in one platform.
Therefore, we support President Rugova in his efforts."
Asked by reporters whether they were optimistic,
Wolfgang Ischinger, the Political Director in the German Foreign Ministry
said: "I am always optimistic. We are never going to give up. We are going
to pursue this, and there is going to be in the end a negotiated settlement
to the problem. We share your grief, we share everyone's impatience with
lack of success so far. We'll be spending another day in Belgrade, making
the points that we continue to make with the authorities there. That's
our job."
Serbian Forces Advance Into Malisheva with
50 Tanks
Villages in flames, tens of thousands of people
spend the night in the open sky
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - Tens of thousands of
people in the municipality of Malisheva have spent the last two nights
in the open air, without any conditions for life, including food, the LDK
Information Commission in Malisheva said.
Serbian forces with some 50 tanks advanced into
the small town of Malisheva yesterday. The area had been dubbed an UÇK
'stronghold', but the UÇK had retreated without a fight.
Many villages in the municipality, from the village
of Kijeva on the Prishtina-Peja highway, to the town of Malisheva have
been burning, with unharvested wheatfields set ablaze, local sources said.
The house of Ramadan Krasniqi was burned by Serb forces, and an oil station
owned by him damaged, whereas many other buildings plundered, sources said.
Reports said the village of Shkozë in Malisheva
was being shelled by Serb forces today.
A stepped up movement of Serb police and military
is reported in the municipality.
There was overnight shelling and gunfire in the
villages of Drenoc and Zatriq, the municipality of Rahovec, sources said.
Alarming Situation in Skenderaj, Entire Villages Reported in Flames
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - The situation in Skenderaj
('Srbica') has been reported exceptionally critical today (Wednesday).
The local chapter of the Council for the Defense
of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) in Skenderaj said the village of Runik
has been ablaze since morning today. Another village, Kostërc, was
burned down almost completely last evening when Serb infantry advanced
into it, the CDHRF said.
Since yesterday, Serb troops have been pounding
other villages in the area, including Runik (all houses of the Sejdiu extended
families have been leveled to the ground already), Kllodernica, Leqina,
Padalishta, Çitaku, Vitaku, Çubreli, Radisheva and Kotorri.
These villages were shelled from a rocket system on Mokna mountains. Multiple
rocket launchers were also used in the attack, the human rights council
said.
The village of Llausha e Epërme, houses
along the Peja-Mitrovica road in particular, have been under incessant
fire since yesterday afternoon.
Central Drenica has been flooded by waves of
people fleeing the villages under Serb fire, as well as from the municipalities
of Gllogovc, Klina and Malisheva, areas which have been attacked by Serb
troops since last weekend. A large number of uprooted people, have spent
the past few days and nights in the open sky, mostly along the Fushë
Kosova-Peja railway road.
Sources in Skenderaj said the villages of Kryshevc,
Prekaz and Polac came under heavy Serb artillery fire today afternoon,
beginning from 1:30 p.m. LDK sources could so far learn about one man wounded
in Kryshevc.
The two villages have been swelled by Albanians
who had fled area under Serb attack. Thus, it is feared that casualty-toll
can been high.
Serb Military Offensive on Junik and the Reka e Keqe Region Continues
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - Overnight and today,
heavy Serbian troops, backed up by heavy guns, have been closing in on
the huge village of Junik and the border villages of the Reka e Keqe region,
the LDK Information Commission in Gjakova reported. Local Albanian resistance
forces have been putting up a strong resistance, sources said.
In the latest Serb offensive last night and today
Serb helicopter gunships flew overhead the town of Gjakova and headed to
the battlefields. The sound of heavy artillery detonations was heard all
night in Gjakova.
The town itself is sealed off, so it has been
impossible to learn about the casualty-toll or indeed the extent of damage
in Reka e Keqe and the in the region of Has, which have likewise been under
Serb attack.
The population is on the move, streaming not
only towards the town of Gjakova and other villages, but also to the wooded
areas.
A humanitarian catastrophe is feared.
The local Albanian structures called on the international
community and NGOs to intervene so as to help the suffering population.
Village in Suhareka Shelled by Serb Forces
People from Malisheva on the move, heading to
western Suhareka Villages
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - Today, several Serb
shells landed in the village of Peqan, municipality of Suhareka, sources
said. No casualties were reported.
Food and medical supplies are running low in
many villages in the municipality. Many people fleeing the neighboring
Malisheva municipality have been on the move, seeking shelter in the western
villages of the municipality of Suhareka.
There was a half-hour fighting yesterday afternoon
in Biraç, above the vineyards of Suhareka. Several shells landed
in the village of Sllapuzhan, but the consequences are unknown.
There was intermittent automatic fire from Serb
checkpoints last night in Suhareka. The population lives in anxiety.
Serb Forces Shell Villages in Shtime
PRISHTINA, July (KIC) - Serbian forces shelled overnight and today the villages of Zborc, Carralevë, Belincë, and Pjetërshticë, local sources said. The LDK Information Commission in Shtime said Serb forces entered today in the village of Zborc. The population of these villages has found itself under Serb siege and under constant threat of fresh attacks, LDK sources said.
Serb Forces Attack Albanian Villages of Opoja Region
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - In the morning yesterday
(Tuesday), fighting broke between Serbian military and police troops and
local Albanian resistance forces, the LDK Information Commission in Prizren
reported. The fighting went on till late evening, LDK said. Another source
said the villages of Pllavë and Brezne were shelled by Serb forces
positioned in Dubravë. There were no immediate reports on casualties.
A large number of people from the villages of
Brezne, Buqe and Pllavë were forced to flee their homes and seek shelter
in relatively safer areas.
The LDK Information Commission in Dragash quoted
eye-witnesses as saying a group of citizens was arrested by police today.
A senior army officer was killed and a police officer wounded in unclear
circumstances Tuesday evening, LDK sources in Dragash said.
Serb Pound Albanian Houses and Farms in Klina
Three Albanians killed in Wednesday shelling
of Klina villages
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - Serb forces pounded
overnight several villages in the municipality of Klina, central Kosova,
local LDK sources said.
The villages of Siçevë, Ujmirë,
Gllarevë, Jashanicë were shelled for several hours last night,
from a couple of Serb positions in the area. The LDK Commission in Klina
said many houses were burned down in the villages, but it could not say
if there were human casualties. Witnesses told the KIC that smoke was billowing
today morning from villages on both sides of the Prishtina-Peja roadway,
around Klina and Kijeva.
Meanwhile, the LDK chapter in Klina said it learned
that two Albanians - Xhemail Daka (75) and Balë Balaj (50) - were
killed during the Serb shelling of Cerovik village last night. Another
man, Alush Berisha (1956) from Gjurgjevik i Madh village, was killed yesterday
afternoon.
Firefighting Reported around Obiliq Villages
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - Heavy gunfire
was reported today morning around the villages of Obiliq and the Bardhi
i Madh ('Belacevac') coal mines.
LDK sources in Obiliq said the villages of Hamidi,
Lajthishtë and Sibofc were fired upon from Serb positions near Hade
and Janovodë, as well as the "Kosova B" power plant in Dobrosellë.
The same source said the fighters of UÇK also fired back on Serb
positions today morning.
The local defense units in Grabovc Ulët
village repelled last night an attempt of a group of Serbs to raid abandoned
Albanian houses and loot them.
Yugoslav army aircraft flew low overhead the
villages of Obiliq and Fushë-Kosova today morning.
Sources in Fushë-Kosova ('Kosovo Polje')
said Serb policemen manning a checkpoint near Bardhi village opened fire
in the direction of passersby and workers leaving the mines.
Volatile Situation in Villages Neighboring on Drenica
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - The situation
in the Lipjan villages neighboring on Drenica region has been reported
highly volatile today.
The mining town of Magurë, and the villages
Shalë and Krojmir, are particularly vulnerable, the LDK chapter in
Lipjan said. The area has been under intermittent fire for several days
now, it said.
Witnesses told the KIC that a 45-year-old Albanian
was killed yesterday at Shala village.
The Krojmir village was pounded with heavy artillery
today morning.
The local population has been in panic and on
the move, fearing an imminent crackdown on the village by Serbs infantry.
Witnesses said that Serbs have been raiding and looting the abandoned houses
of Albanians in Magure. Most of the local Albanian population left this
mining town ten days ago, when Serb troops launched a heavy artillery attack
against the villages in its vicinity, Vershec and Leletiq.
Advancing Serb Troops Loot and Burn Albanian Houses
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - Serb forces have
resumed today pounding Albanian settlements in the municipality of Shtime,
south-wet of Kosova, sources said.
The LDK Information Commission said that after
having shelled for hours the village of Belinca, on the Shtime-Prizren
road, the Serb forces have advanced into the village, plundering and then
burning farmhouses there.
The LDK said the intensity of fighting in the
area has abated today, though the echo of sporadic detonations can be still
heard in the town of Shtime.
Serb Police Detains Kosova Parliament Vice-President
PRISHTINA, July 29 (KIC) - Zef Morina, vice-president
of the Parliament of the Republic of Kosova, was reported detained by the
Serbian police in Gjakova on Tuesday.
The Albanian Christian-Democratic Party of Kosova
(PSHDK), to which Zef Morina is a member, said he was interrogated for
a couple of hours about the newly convened Parliament. The PSHDK said Mr.
Morina was ordered to report back to the premises of the Serb security.
Hunger Striking 'Angel', Sally Becker, Unconscious in Prison Hospital
PRISHTINA, July 28 (KIC) - The British aid worker,
Miss Sally Becker, who is in a Serbian-run jail near Prishtina, Kosova,
is unconscious in a prison hospital after collapsing during a hunger strike,
reports said Tuesday.
Supporters of the 37-year-old Briton, dubbed
the 'Angel of Mostar', said she had been put on an emergency fluid drip
by doctors after five days of refusing food and drink in protest against
the conflict in Kosova.
Miss Becker was sentenced last week by the Serbian
authorities to 30-days in prison for crossing into Kosova without a visa.
Her spokesman in Britain, Mike Mendoza, said
friends and relatives were hopeful an appeal against the jail term on humanitarian
grounds would lead to the charity worker being released soon. Mr Mendoza
said: "Sally is seriously ill, she was put on an intravenous drip after
collapsing unconscious in her cell."
The British aid worker's father, Jack Becker,
is due to fly out to Kosova after being granted a visa by the Serb authorities.
Serbs Resume Deploying Fresh Military Troops in Kosova
PRISHTINA, July 27 (KIC) - Fresh Serbian military
troops have 8continued to arrive last night and today morning in Kosova.
The LDK Information Commission in Podujeva, the
town in north- eastern Kosova near the border with Serbia, said today that
a convoy of around 60 military trucks of the Yugoslav army drove through
Podujeva, heading to Prishtina, capital of Kosova, today at around 13:00
hrs.
Sources in Fushë Kosova said that a huge
shipment of Serb troops and equipment, including 16 tanks, arrived today
morning in the local railway station.
Several huge convoys of Serb army troops, escorted
by police armored vehicles, have been reported entering Kosova from Serbia
over the past few days.
Kosova Information Center
Last page!
_______________________________________________________________________EU urges immediate halt to violence, start of dialogue in Kosova
PRISHTINE, July 29 - ATA correspondent Behlul Jashari reported that a European Union (E.U) troika delegation headed by Albert Rohan, Secretary General at the Austrian Foreign Ministry urged in a meeting with President Ibrahim Rugova in Prishtina on Wednesday a prompt halt to violence in Kosova and start of Prishtine-Belgrade dialogue for a peaceful solution to the crisis there.
Rohan and Rugova said that the meeting was very important particularly in these difficult moments Kosova is facing and the latest Serb offensives in Malisheve, Junik and other parts.
Rugova asked for preventive measures by the European Union, United States and international community to prevent massacres and ethnic cleansing under way in Kosova.
"We are in unity with all the political groupings. We will include all political forces in a wide ranging coalition government to pave the way for dialogue," Rugova said.
"Given the conditions Kosova is facing is very difficult to negotiate but, however we should negotiate," Rugova said.
The delegation comprising political directors of the foreign ministries of Great Britain and Germany, held close door meetings with parliamentary deputies and the negotiating group of Kosova. It (delegation) was expected to meet with the U.S. diplomat on Kosova Christopher Hill. mima/ak/US diplomat meets KLA fighters
PRISHTINA, July 29 - ATA correspondent Behlul Jashari reported that the U.S. diplomat on Kosova Christopher Hill on Wednesday visited Drenica, the Kosova region engulfed by war.
Informal sources said that the U.S. diplomat, who was accompanied by representatives of political parties and associations in Kosova, held a close door meeting with the Kosova Liberation Army (KLA) fighters and no statement was made after it. rxh/mima/ak/
_______________________________________________________________________No news available from Malisheve
PRISHTINE, July 29 /ATA correspondent B. Jashari reports:
There is no information available from Information centre and the Council for the Defence of Human Rights in Kosova about what is happening in Malisheve, where heavy Serb military, police and paramilitary forces entered last night.
Sources from the spot say that the population have fled Malisheve and many villages.
Public opinion in Kosova and the Prishtine press express the fear that massacres might take place there. Serbian post office last night cut off mobile telephone links in Prishtine and other centres of Kosova.
Yugoslav army military planes are hovering over Prishtine today, while fighting is going on in many parts of Kosova. The most dramatic situation prevails in Junik, the biggest village in the area bordering Albania, which has been under the siege and attack of Serb forces for several days now./la/das/lm/Belgium to ask NATO intervention in Kosova -Lizin
TIRANA, July 29 (ATA)-By I.Luto,
Belgium will ask NATO intervention in Kosova if the situation there continues to aggravate.
Belgian senator Anne Marie Lizin told a news conference in Tirana on Wednesday that "further aggravation of the situation would mount pressure on Belgrade to halt violence against the civilian population of Kosova and if the conflict continued to escalate at this rate, Belgium would ask the intervention of the NATO troops".
Lizin considered positive the stand of the Albanian government towards the crisis in Kosova and, referring to the latest incident at the customs point of Morine, she added that "the Albanian authorities should continue to keep calm in face of these situations, because it seems Serb provocations against Albania will continue."
Referring to the efforts of the European diplomacy Lizin said that it has not at all been indifferent towards the developments in Kosova, but the Contact Group's activity leaves to be desired and this has been criticised by Belgium, she said.
The Belgian senator considered right the reaction of the Kosova people to self-defence and considered the KLA "the army of the freedom fighters".
As to the problem of refugees, she proposed the setting up of an urgent cell in the CE so as to aid the Albanian government to cope with the influx of the Kosova refugees. /s.s/das/lm/Yugoslav forces deployed around Skenderaj
PRISHTINE, July 29 (ATA) - Drenica is facing a new attack by large Serb military forces. Many tanks, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and heavy artillery weapons are moved in around Skenderaj and Llaushe village since midday.
The thumps of artillery rounds could be heard from Runiku surroundings engulfed by columns of black smoke. /bj/ak/
ALBANIAN DEFENCE COUNCIL TAKES SECURITY MEASURES FOR THE NORTHERN BORDER_______________________________________________________________________TIRANE, 29 JULY/ENTER/.- The situation on the northern eastern border of Albania was analised tuesday during the meeting of the High council of Defence of Albania , the press office of the albanian president informed.
The meeting of the council was presided by the albanian president Rexhep meidani and analised the situation on the northern border of Albania due to the fightings in Kosova and in reply to this situation took all the necessary measures.AMBASSADOR HILL COULD NOT ENTER MALISHEVE
PRISHTINE, 29 JULY /ENTER/ The american ambassord in Scoplje Christofer Hill, which went tuesday to visit Malisheve, could not enter the city due to the serb poststations on the highway which did not allow him to pass the road, the albanian sources informed.
The region of malisheve continues to be under the seige of the serb forces. The situation is very grave and serb military planes had flew during of the day over the city.PARLAMENTI SHQIPTAR DISCCUSED WITH CLOSED DOORS THE CONFLICT IN KOSOVA
TIRANE 29 JULY /ENTER / Albanian parliament discussed tuesday evening with closed doors the escallations of the fightings in Kosova.Parlamentary sopurces said to Enter that this session was asked by the general secretary of SP, Pandeli majko and is supported by all deputies.
The chairman of the parlamentary commission of the foreign policy Sabri Godo said to enter that this session "would have been organised early having in mind the threating situation created by the serb attacks which aim to draw Albania into war". Godo said that having in mind the history after the Second World War,none of the states had proclaimed war in the classic meaning of the term,but the provocations begin slowluy its the conviction for a bigger intervention is created.
"Serbia is playing the game to include albania in war and latter would ask moral responsability and if the albanian goverment had understood this strategy then it must take all the necessary measures in self defence not only military,but denouncing at all diplomatic structures the risk to Albania " Godo said.
The minister of Public order and of foreign Ministry, respectively Teta and Milo reported before albanian parliament on the situation north of Albania after the opened serbe violations of the albanian territory in the last
days.GRAVE SITUATION ON THE ALBANIAN -KOSOVA BORDER
TIRANE, 29 JULY /ENTER/ - The on the border between Albania and Kosova the situation continues to be very tense due to the fightings in Kosova, the albanian Public order Ministry reported tuesday. The serb forces have shelled with heavy weapons the villages on the border line.The sources said that the witnesses in the area and the observations on the border line have concluded that the concentration of the serb forces continue along the border.
Sources of this ministry said that during the meetings of the joint bilateral commissions, the serb side was of the opinion that the incidents on the border had not been on aim.
The albanians said that the serb actions aimed the ethnic cleansing of the albanian population from the border.The sources said that after the latest incident on the border, the readiness and the concentration of the albanian troops is increased in these areas.
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B92 Open Yugoslavia, Belgrade Daily News ServiceOpen Yugoslavia, News for Wednesday July 29, July 29, 1998
Issue ID: 0729981e.asc
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All texts are Copyright 1998 Radio B92. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
------------------------------------------------------------------EU DELEGATION IN BELGRADE
BELGRADE, SERBIA. Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic yesterday told a European Union delegation that terrorism and separatism were to blame for the current crisis in Kosovo. The delegation from the EU troika consisted of the political directors of the foreign affairs ministries of Austria, Germany and the UK. Jovanovic told the delegation that there was no reason for international measures which were obstructing the economic and social development of Yugoslavia. He added that the best support the international community could give for a resolution in Kosovo would be strong condemnation of terrorism and separatism and cutting off foreign sources of funding for terrorists.
The EU delegation will today hold meetings with Serb authorities and Albanian political leaders in Kosovo. Tomorrow they will meet Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.ROAD STILL BLOCKED
PRISTINA, SERBIA. The road between Pristina and Pec was still not open yesterday despite claims by Serb police that it had been unblocked. Serbian police and army were reported to be regrouping in the Drenica area, but no fighting has been reported there.
There is still little information available from the village of Junik, which police have surrounded since Monday, but the Pristina Media Centre reported yesterday that police have surrounded the village of Malisevo which, along with Junik, is believed to be one of the UCK's principal bases.HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS
PRISTINA, SERBIA. The escalating conflict in Kosovo is leading to a problematic humanitarian situation in the province, according to UNHCR representative Maki Sinohara. Sinohara told media on Tuesday that many refugees had fled from villages into the hills where it was very difficult to reach them and deliver assistance. She said that about 107,000 people had been displaced since the beginning of the conflict in Kosovo and that this number had probably increased after the most recent fighting.
AUTONOMY ACCEPTED?
BELGRADE, SERBIA. Sources in the US State Department say that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has already accepted enhanced autonomy for Kosovo as a transitional solution, according to FoNet agency. The Washington Post reported yesterday that US diplomat Christopher Hill was already negotiating this solution with Belgrade. Ibrahim Rugova, say the Washington sources, has already agreed to this solution. The outstanding issues, they say, are the question of police control and profits from Kosovo's mining industry.
MORE MONITORS
ATHENS, GREECE. Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has accepted a Greek proposal to allow more monitors in Kosovo, according to a statement from the Greek Foreign Ministry yesterday. The monitors will be permitted to undertake observation missions in Kosovo providing they had previously presented their diplomatic credentials in Belgrade. The proposal was made to Milosevic on Monday by the secretary-general of the Greek foreign ministry, Pavlos Apostodis. At present there are thirty EU monitors in Kosovo, all of whom are accredited diplomats.
RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC_______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 2, No. 144 Part II, 29 July 1998SERBS TAKE UCK STRONGHOLD.
Serbian paramilitary police and Yugoslav army troops captured Malisheva in southwest Kosova on 28 July, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Most of the town's civilian population and the 20,000 refugees who recently took shelter in what had been a stronghold of the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK) fled to the surrounding mountains. Kosovar sources charged that the Serbian forces committed "massacres" of Kosovar civilians who had surrendered. The reports could not be independently confirmed. Meanwhile in Geneva, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that 107,000 people have been displaced within Kosova in 1998. He added that another 25,000 persons have fled to Montenegro and 13,000 to Albania. In Belgrade, spokesmen for the International Red Cross noted that some 400 Kosovars and 130 Serbs have been reported as missing during the current conflict. PM
ALBANIA WARNS SERBIA ON BORDER VIOLATIONS.
A Defense Ministry spokesman said in Tirana on 28 July that "the Albanian army will reply strongly to any provocation by the Serbian army that violates the [territorial] integrity" of Albania. He added that the ministry has ordered the army to use its weapons should it encounter further violations of the frontier, "Gazeta Shqiptare" reported. The government has recently accused Serbian forces of firing onto Albanian territory with machine guns and mortars in a series of incidents (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 July 1998). Observers noted that the troops have been under orders to avoid confrontation and that the decision that they should use their weapons marks a policy change. FS
KOSOVARS TO FIELD JOINT TEAM FOR TALKS...
State Department spokesman James Rubin said in Washington on 28 July that U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia Christopher Hill may soon be able to put together "an all-party [Kosovar] executive that will have responsibilities to include negotiations with the Serbs." Rubin added that three points on which Hill insisted in his recent talks with various Kosovar factions are that shadow-state President Ibrahim Rugova be "in charge," that the "executive" be based in Prishtina and not outside Kosova, and that the team represent the entire Kosovar political spectrum. Observers noted that the three points mean that the UCK will be included but that it will not be in control. A major problem for the international community in seeking a negotiated solution in Kosova has been the failure of the Kosovars to form a single negotiating team. PM
...UNDER DEMACI'S LEADERSHIP?
The "Washington Post" wrote on 28 July that Rugova made a major concession in agreeing not to lead the talks himself. Instead, the chief negotiator will be an unidentified intellectual who was once Rugova's ally but now is closer to the UCK. Observers noted that this description fits Adem Demaci, who was Kosova's most prominent dissident under communism and who was dubbed "the Kosovar Mandela." The article added that the UCK has not yet agreed to Hill's proposal. The U.S.-backed plan reportedly calls for broad autonomy for Kosova now and a vote on independence that would take place "years later." The plan does not deal with some thorny issues, including control over the police or the division between Belgrade and Prishtina of revenues from Kosova's mineral resources. PM
DRASKOVIC'S PARTY WANTS 'STATE OF EMERGENCY' IN KOSOVA.
Leaders of Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Renewal Party (SPO) agreed in Belgrade on 28 July that the party's representatives in both the Yugoslav and Serbian parliaments will demand that the authorities declare a "state of emergency" in Kosova. The SPO leadership expressed alarm that part of Serbian territory "is under occupation," which presumably refers to the areas controlled by the UCK. The leaders called for "energetic action by the army and police" in the province, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. PM
DJUKANOVIC BACKS AUTONOMY FOR KOSOVA.
Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic said in Podgorica on 28 July that Kosova should have territorial autonomy within Serbia and a legal status giving it ties both to Serbia and to the Yugoslav federal government, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported.
Meanwhile in Belgrade, a spokesman for the U.K. embassy confirmed that British aid worker Sally Becker, who is imprisoned in Prishtina, has been weakened by a hunger strike and is being fed intravenously (see "RFE/RL Bosnia Report," 22 July 1998). In Zurich, spokesmen for the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office said that that office has frozen two bank accounts belonging to unnamed Kosovars on suspicion that the accounts are being used to finance arms purchases.
Police also raided the homes of two unnamed Kosovar refugees in Switzerland to seek evidence about illegal arms dealings, the "Financial Times" wrote on 29 July. PMARMED ALBANIANS ATTACK MACEDONIAN BORDER GUARDS.
A Macedonian Defense Ministry spokesman said in Skopje on 28 July that a "large group" of armed Albanians attacked border guards between Zirovnica and Peshkopi the previous day. He added that the group was trying to enter Macedonia illegally and that it may have included UCK fighters. The spokesman noted that at least one Albanian was injured but that the group managed to escape back across the border. The Macedonian authorities subsequently reinforced border patrols, "Gazeta Shqiptare" reported. It was the latest in a series of incidents on the Macedonian-Albanian border since February, when Serbian forces launched their crackdown in Kosova (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 13 and 27 July, 1998). FS
ROW OVER WHO WILL MANAGE ALBANIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE.
Conservative employees of the Institute for Archaeology and National Monuments sent a petition to President Rexhep Meidani on 28 July opposing plans by the Ministry of Culture to allow the British-based Rothschild Foundation to help administer Butrint, which is one of Albania's most important archaeological sites. Socialist legislator Limoz Dizdari, who heads the parliament's Culture Commission, agreed with the petitioners and said that inviting foreigners to help manage Butrint meant that Albania "risks losing its national culture." Auron Tare, who heads the Rothschild-backed Butrint Foundation, told "Gazeta Shqiptare" of 29 July that the charges are unfounded and that his foundation is supported by UNESCO. The Butrint site was heavily damaged during the 1997 unrest, as were many of Albanian's museums and historical sites. FS
PLAVSIC SAYS SERBS FACE CHOICE.
Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic said in Banja Luka on 28 July that Bosnian Serb voters will choose between integration into Europe and isolation when they vote in the 12-13 September general elections. She added that the government of her ally Prime Minister Milorad Dodik offers "economic prosperity and inclusion in European structures." Plavsic stressed that a victory for the hard-liners in Pale would mean prosperity only for a small number of people. Elsewhere, regular rail traffic resumed between Sarajevo and Capljina via Mostar. PM
Council of Ministers convenes_______________________________________________________________________TIRANA, July 28 (ATA)-The Defence Council of the Republic of Albania, chaired by the President of the Republic, Rexhep Meidani, convened on Tuesday, according to the press office close to the president.
The council analysed the situation created on the northeastern border of Albania due to the fighting in Kosova and, considering the situation, took the respective measures. /s.s/das/lm/Demirel praises constructive stand of Meidani to resolve Kosova Issue
TIRANA, July 28 (ATA)-President of the Republic Rexhep Meidani has recently received a letter from the President of Turkey, Sulejman Demirel, who cordially thanks his Albanian counterpart for the warm reception he was extended during his two-day visit to Albania, July 14-15, according to the Press and Information office close to the President of the Republic.
"The visit enabled me to discuss and exchange opinions on regional issues and problems linked with bilateral relations," the letter says.
"I particularly evaluated your principled and constructive stand in resolving the Kosova issue. Allow me to stress once again that Turkey is ready and would like to contribute to all measures to resolve this issue."
"With the same message I have addressed letters to leaders of the Contact Group countries and several regional countries, to express my increasing concern about the situation in Kosova. I have also written a letter to President Milosevic and stressed the importance of Yugoslav forces's withdrawal from Kosova, the safe return home of the refugees and the start of a dialogue for a peaceful settlement of this issue".
"I hope, Your Excellency, to meet you in Turkey and continue our consultations on issues of mutual interest. I avail myself of the opportunity to reiterate my highest consideration," the letter concludes./a.ke/das/lm/EU delegation arrives in Prishtine
PRISHTINE, July 29 (ATA)-A European Union (EU) delegation, composed of senior officials from Austria, Great Britain and Germany, arrived in Kosova today.
The EU "troika" is due to meet with the president of the Republic of Kosova, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, and hold other meetings with Albanian representatives. /bj/das/lm/
PRISHTINE, July
28 - ATA correspondent Behlul Jashari reported that fighting in Kosova
continued in areas around Duhla Pass, the way heading for Malisheva from
the Prishtina-Prizren highway, in the border line with Albania and in other
regions in Dukagjin and Drenica.
No bus or other
vehicle left Prishtina for Peja today though the Serbian media had informed
on Monday that the way was opened. In areas along the road in Llapushnik
Pass one can see houses of Albanians in flames and military-police Serb
reinforcement.
The Prishtine-Prizren
and Mitrovice-Peje highways were closed due to fighting.
Firefight between
Albanian and Serbian forces started later on Monday in Nerodine e Eperme
and Poshtme villages and in Ferrizaj area. Residents who fled these villages
said that heavy fighting are going on and that units of Serb armed civilians
are sent in to fight against Albanians. pta/pas/ak/
Demirel praises Albanian constructive stand on Kosova issue
TIRANA, July 28
(ATA) - Turkish president Sulejman Demirel in a letter recently to the
Albanian prime minister Fatos Nano has praised the constructive stand of
the Albanian government for a solution to the Kosova issue and reiterated
Turkish readiness to offer its help for a peaceful solution to that.
Demirel, referring
his two-day visit in Albania from July 14 to 15, expressed gratitude towards
the prime minister, government and the Albanian people for their warm hospitality
towards him and his delegation, press and information office at the Council
of Ministers said. s.s/eva/ak/
Ambassador Hill fails to go to Malisheve besieged by Serb forces
PRISHTINE, July
28 /ATA correspondent Behlul Jashari reports: The Melisheve region (some
50km southeast of Prishtine), surrounded by the Serb forces, is living
under the fear of attacks and massacres.
The situation
is grave and, according to Albanian sources, Yugoslav military planes hev
been hovering over the town and ist suburbs today.
The sources say
that the U.S. ambassador in Skopje, Christopher Hill, who left this morning
for Malisheve, failed to reach the town as he was turned back at roadblocks
set up by Serb forces.
The Serb forces
overnight bombarded the villages around Malisheve-Mlecan, Bubavec and Carralluke,
over which smoke and flames are still visible.
Sources from the
Kosova Information Centre (KIC) say that many inhabitants are fleeing the
said villages along with thousands of others settled there after the massacres
in Rahovec.
"If the
Serb forces attack Malisheve, a real tragedy is likely to take place here,"
said a LDK activist from Malisheve. /p.ta/das/lm/
Dramatic situation in Junik and Malisheve
-Serb forces shoot dead 20 Albanians of one family
PRISHTINE, July
28 /ATA correspondent Behlul Jashari reports:
The situation
in Junik and its suburbs is dramatic. Twenty Albanians, mostly children,
members of one family in Junik, the major village of Kosova bordering Albania,
were barbarously killed today by the Serb forces.
The macabre crime
occurred in the suburbs of Junik while the family was fleeing the village
to escape the attacks by Serb military, police and paramilitary forces.
Albanian sources
say that the family peacefully surrendered, but the Serb forces, considering
no war rule, opened fire at the civilians.
The fighting which
has been going on for three days around Junik has also killed an Albanian
fighter and injured 15. Junik and the other surrounding villages are being
attacked from three strategic directions by many Serb military and police
forces, infantry, artillery and motorised forces.
The Serb heavy
artillery is constantly shelling Junik and its suburbs from the military
positions in Podi i Geshtenjave, Cuke e Baballocit, in Cuke, in Bitef,
Ponoshjec and in Kodra e Qabrait of Gjakova.
The medical centre
in Junik in which were hospitalised the 15 injured Albanians was also pounded
today.
The Serb heavy
artillery is also attacking other villages of Decan country, Shaptejn,
Gramacel, Irzniq, Prejlepin and Kodralin.
Heavy fighting
is also taking place in Strello i Eperme, Carrabreg i Poshtem and in Lebushe,
where two Serb policemen have bee killed. Many houses are engulfed by fires.
Gjakova, too,
has been the target of Serb snipers positioned at strategic points of the
city's high buildings for 24 hours and on.
The city and its
suburbs have been under constant terror and are running out of food and
medicines because of the Serb forces' complete blockade.
A great massacre
is threatening Malisheve today. At 17:30, according to reports, the Serb
forces were one km near Melisheve and on their way they are shelling and
setting Albanian villages on fire. There is a large displacement on the
part of the population, which are surrounded on all sides by the Serb police,
military and paramilitary forces. /r.xh/das/lm/
ON THE WIDESPREAD REPRESSION AND HARASSMENT PERPETRATED
BY
THE SERBIAN POLICE AND OTHER AUTHORITIES IN KOSOVA
FROM JULY 23 UNTIL JULY 26, 1998
The text you can read at week426.htm
_______________________________________________________________________
Betreff:
Report No. 425
Datum:
Wed, 29 Jul 1998 12:39:45 -0700
Von:
"Ibrahim Sh. Makolli" <ibro@EUnet.yu>
REPORT NO. 425
ON THE WIDESPREAD REPRESSION AND HARASSMENT PERPETRATED
BY
THE SERBIAN POLICE AND OTHER AUTHORITIES IN KOSOVA
FROM JULY 19 UNTIL JULY 23, 1998
The text you can read at week425.htm
Taken without permission, for fair use only._______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________Kosovo conflict also fought in cyberspace
By Jeremy Gaunt
BELGRADE, July 29 (Reuters) - The conflict in Kosovo might reflect old Balkan antagonisms, but both sides are using a decidedly New Age weapon against each other -- the Internet.
Serbs and ethnic Albanians alike have taken to cyberspace to push their claims for Kosovo, where more than 500 people have been killed and as many as 150,000 displaced in the past five months in a secessionist uprising.
The first real war you can follow on-line, the Belgrade-based independent weekly Vreme called it in a recent article that tracked the use of the Internet as a hot new propaganda tool.
Among the more pointed web sites is www.kosova-state.org, the home page of the breakaway Republic of Kosova, which like many of the ethnic Albanian pages uses the Albanian name for the region.
The page offers information in Albanian, English, French and German on the Republic which, it states, was founded in 1990 and is under virtual occupation by Serbia. Kosovo is a province of Serbia but has a 90 percent Albanian majority.
Another site run by ethnic Albanians in Kosovo is www.uni-pr.edu which provides information in both Albanian and English on the University of Prishtina, an underground, parallel university in the Kosovo capital Pristina.
Again, the site uses the Albanian rather than the more widely used Serbian spelling for the town.
The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), the guerrilla group fighting for Kosovo independence, also has a web page -- but only in Albanian and apparently published abroad.
Not surprisingly, the Serbian side of the conflict offers a more establishment-oriented range of web sites.
Key among them is www.serbia-info.com, the home page of the Serbian Information Ministry. Here Serbias official position and claims on Kosovo are presented along with general Serbian news and glossy photographs.
Serbs living in North America run a site on Serbian affairs that delves deeply into the Kosovo crisis at www.suc.com.
Underlining the complexity of political and ethnic divisions in the region, Internet surfers can also find the Serbian Resistance Movement -- representing Kosovos resident Serbs -- at www.srpska-mreza.com.
According to Vreme, the ethnic Albanians are the early winners in Kosovos cyberspace war.
The Serbs were at first very restrained as they tried to minimise and ignore the effects of the conflict, hoping that not too many people (would) take interest in the fighting, it wrote. When their strategy proved woefully wrong, they threw themselves at the Internet.
Vreme noted ruefully that no page had come up with a solution to the conflict. But it may have missed www.members.xoom.com/kosovacrisis, which at least offers options.
The page asks readers who will bring peace to Kosovo and directs them to vote for five choices -- ethnic Albanian political leader Ibrahim Rugova; the KLA; Rugova and the KLA together; the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO); or European passivity.
Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Albanian government uses broadcasts to obtain support for Kosovo
Copyright © 1998 Nando.net
Copyright © 1998 The Associated Press
TIRANA, Albania, (July 28, 1998 3:40 p.m. EDT
http://www.nandotimes.com)
-- For two hours each night, Albania's government
television broadcasts graphic reports about the struggle in neighboring
Kosovo between rebel ethnic Albanian "heroes" and their Serb "enemy."
The regular appeals
on state television for Albanians to "give their all for Kosovo's independence"
are at odds with the official Albanian line: peaceful dialogue to end Kosovo
violence, which many fear could spread across the Balkans.
But Albania's government
barely controls this impoverished, factious country of more than 3 million
people. So it is using the broadcasts to win public support, by whipping
up sentiment for the Kosovo Liberation Army.
The KLA is seeking independence
for Kosovo, a province in southern Serbia where Albanians make up 90 percent
of the population. A hard-line KLA wing also seeks to unite Albanian-speaking
communities throughout the Balkans into a "Greater Albania" -- an idea
opposed by major Western powers and Yugoslavia, which includes Serbia and
Montenegro.
"There is a big difference
between what the government declares and what it really does," said Remzi
Lani, an Albanian political analyst. "The world has closed one eye to what's
happening in Albania. Albania has closed both of them."
KLA rebels move freely
from sanctuaries in northern Albania into Yugoslavia, carrying weapons
and ammunition to battle the Serbs.
Former President Sali
Berisha, who was defeated by Fatos Nano in last year's elections, openly
supports the KLA, apparently gambling that nationalist feelings among Albanians
will propel him back to power.
Nano, whose shaky government
desperately needs foreign assistance to rebuild the economy, has tried
to steer a course between Western nations -- which oppose independence
for Kosovo -- and Berisha's vigorous opposition.
Albanian state television
has set up a special Kosovo department financed by Albanian communities
abroad and with links to a Kosovo government-in-exile.
Six staffers prepare
a daily program about Kosovo, in which about 15 Kosovo Albanian correspondents
provide satellite-telephone reports of the fighting. KLA rebels are referred
to as "the heroes." Serbs are "the enemy." Videotapes from the front are
ferried by KLA fighters.
The rest of the two-hour
program is devoted to dramas, documentaries and concerts promoting "Albanianism."
A recent documentary -- "An Unseparated People" -- portrayed the Albanian
version of the centuries-long struggle between Albanians and Serbs in the
southern Balkans.
A senior adviser to
the prime minister said the broadcasts do not reflect official policy --
even though the station is government-run.
But the adviser, Vladimir
Prela, said any attempt to shut down the Kosovo department or tone down
coverage would backfire among the populace.
The broadcasts have
attracted attention abroad. Foreign Minister Paskal Milo admitted Monday
that the government "has often been obliged to give explanations to foreign
governments and international organizations for certain television reports."
Bajram Asllani, chief
of Albanian television's Kosovo department, makes no secret of his views.
"This is a historic
chance for Albanians," Asllani said in an interview. "And if our leaders
in Tirana and (Kosovo's capital) Pristina fail to take it, shame on them
for the rest of history."
By MERITA DHIMGJOKA, Associated Press Writer
LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - Western powers are
turning a blind eye to an offensive by Serbian troops to recapture areas
of Kosovo seized by ethnic Albanian separatists in the hope it will force
the guerrillas to negotiate, diplomatic sources say.
Governments which only
weeks ago were threatening massive NATO air strikes to stop Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown in the southern Serbian province have been
virtually silent as his forces have inflicted defeats on the Kosovo Liberation
Army (KLA) in the last 10 days.
"There is a general
recognition that the KLA was getting too big for its boots and needed to
be taken down a peg or two before there can be negotiations," a Western
official involved in Kosovo policymaking said.
"The KLA were giving
American diplomats the run-around, refusing to negotiate and acting as
if they believed they could liberate Kosovo by force. No one will be too
sad to see them get their comeuppance, provided it doesn't go too far,"
a West European diplomat said.
The only expressions
of outrage have come from German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel, who is
locked in a difficult election campaign, and his rival, Defence Minister
Volker Ruehe, has firmly ruled out military intervention for now.
The offensive by the
Yugoslav army and police to regain control of key arteries and border areas
has coincided with moves by West European governments to try to stop the
flow of funds and weapons to the KLA from Albanian exiles abroad.
Swiss police raided
the homes of Kosovo Albanians on Monday and froze bank accounts on suspicion
they were being used to fund the guerrilla war. The German government is
also trying to stop KLA supporters extorting "revolutionary taxes" from
the estimated 140,000 exiles living in Germany.
At the same time, U.S.
and European diplomats are engaged in a shuttle to try to revive negotiations
between Belgrade and the ethnic Albanians, which hinge on putting together
a Kosovar delegation with at least tacit support from the KLA.
That might require elected
Kosovo leader Ibrahim Rugova, whose pacifism is derided by the KLA, taking
a back seat and allowing someone else to head the team.
One source said such
a delegation might be led by Adem Demaci, a critic of Rugova believed to
enjoy credibility with the KLA.
"Once the balloon of
euphoria is burst, KLA leaders may be more realistic about negotiating,"
the Western official said.
The trick for the diplomats
was to get talks going at a moment when both sides were prepared to be
realistic, he said.
There was a risk that
Milosevic, who had talked recently to Western negotiators about accepting
the need to change Kosovo's status, would misinterpret the situation and
try for a "knock-out punch," the European diplomat said.
Western observers would
be monitoring closely to ensure Milosevic's troops did not deliberately
target civilians or systematically destroy villages in the sort of attacks
that spurred outrage earlier this year.
NATO military commanders
have virtually completed a range of military options should allied governments
choose to intervene, and one component was a swift, limited air strike
that could be ordered in retaliation for any atrocity that generated pressure
for a rapid response, a source in the alliance said.
One of the main Western
concerns is to prevent Albania, which is too weak to police its border
with Kosovo, being sucked into the conflict by Yugoslav action against
the KLA, which has established rear bases in northern Albania.
The Albanian government
has been playing up isolated incidents of Serbian shells landing across
the border in the crackdown on KLA supply routes across the mountains.
But diplomats said there
was little enthusiasm in NATO for the idea, raised earlier this year, of
a preventive Western military deployment in northern Albania to seal the
border.
"It would be a long-term,
heavy operation in a lawless area with no infrastructure, where NATO troops
would have to bring everything including the Corn Flakes," one said.
It would take substantial
forces to interdict KLA weapons supplies and protect NATO troops from being
taken hostage by gunmen or simply being pillaged by bandits, he said.
^REUTERS@
Copyright 1998 Reuters News Service.
LINK to further press news
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