Tagesnachrichten 2. August 1998
von ALBANEWS und anderen
weitere Presse-Meldungen
further press news
Tagesnachrichten 2. August 1998
31 July 1998
TEXT: OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE CONCERNED ABOUT KOSOVO VIOLENCE
(Bronislaw Geremek, Polish Foreign Minister, at OSCE) (390)
Warsaw -- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE,
Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, expressed his "profound concern
about the further deterioration of the situation in Kosovo," including
in the border region between the "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" and Albania.
In a statement released
by OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] July 30,
Geremek indicated that "he has drawn the attention of the Secretary-General
of the United Nations to his judgment that the Kosovo crisis has entered
into a phase of unpredictable consequences for regional stability."
The release further
stated that Geremek urged those involved to cease hostilities and to explore
existing avenues of political dialogue. He reiterated that "OSCE maintains
its readiness to assist in a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Kosovo
in the framework of decisions made by its participating States."
Following is the OSCE press release:
(Begin text)
ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN
EUROPE
July 30, 1998
OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE DEPLORES ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE IN KOSOVO
Warsaw -- The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE,
Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, expressed today his profound
concern about the further deterioration of the situation in Kosovo, including
in the border region between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Albania.
He deplored in the strongest terms the escalation of violence, bloodshed
and the real threat of a full-scale military conflict. He urged those involved
to cease hostilities and any inflammatory action and to explore still existing
avenues of political dialogue. The international community should act to
stop violence, prevent war, and establish necessary conditions for peace
talks.
Mr. Geremek indicated
that as the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE he has drawn the attention of
the Secretary-General of the United Nations to his judgment that the Kosovo
crisis has entered into a phase of unpredictable consequences for regional
stability.
The Chairman-in-Office
reiterates that the OSCE maintains its readiness to assist in a peaceful
resolution of the conflict in Kosovo in the framework of decisions made
by its participating States. In this context he points to the recent OSCE
technical assessment mission to the FRY. He calls on the parties to assume
positions conducive to taking up political dialogue and negotiated solutions.
(End text)
30 July 1998
TEXT: OSCE MISSION REPORTS ON FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
(Says international involvement essential in Kosovo) (610)
Vienna -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE) issued its findings from a July 14-22 technical assessment
mission to the "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" ("FRY") July 23.
The report, presented
to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, concluded that in Kosovo, "committed,
high-level international involvement in the negotiation process" was essential.
"The most pressing need,
the report said, was for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The Mission
also expressed concern about the humanitarian situation," according to
an OSCE press release.
The report also stressed
the need to reestablish the OSCE Missions to Kosovo, Sandjak and Vojvodina,
as well as the mission of Felipe Gonzalez, the personal representative
of the OSCE chairman-in-office and the representative of the European Union.
It also noted that the
situation regarding the media, judiciary, legal, and electoral systems
"did not appear to have improved significantly" (since 1996).
Following is the text of OSCE press release:
(Begin text)
Vienna, 23 July 1998 -- An OSCE Technical Assessment
Mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) presented its findings
today to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna. The Mission, headed by Ambassador
Hansjorg Eiff (Germany), just returned from a week-long visit to the FRY,
from 14-22 July.
The members of the Mission
included representatives of the OSCE Troika (Poland, Denmark and Norway),
the Contact Group, the Austrian Chairmanship of the EU, and a representative
of Mr. Felipe Gonzalez.
On Kosovo, the Mission
concluded that "committed, high-level international involvement in the
negotiation process" was essential, given the "total lack of trust between
the two communities in Kosovo, against the background of increasing violence,
and the distance between the political positions as to how the conflict
could be resolved." The most pressing need, the report said, was for an
immediate cessation of hostilities. The Mission also expressed concern
about the humanitarian situation.
The report affirmed
the need for the rapid reestablishment of the OSCE Missions to Kosovo,
Sandjak and Vojvodina as well as the mission of Mr. Felipe Gonzalez, the
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the Representative
of the European Union. The report cited the "deteriorating situation in
Kosovo, together with the relative lack of progress on the issues identified
by Mr. Gonzalez in his December 1996 report" as reasons for the need for
OSCE involvement.
In this context, the
Mission noted that the situation regarding the media, judiciary, legal,
and electoral systems "did not appear to have improved significantly" (since
1996). While the situation of the print media had improved, and a network
of independent radio and TV stations had been set up outside Belgrade,
"serious concern still remained in respect of the State media, the overall
legislative framework governing the information sector and the Government's
implementation of that legislation." The Mission also cited a continuing
lack of confidence in non-official circles in the legal system, including
the legislation relating to the election process. The report also said
the Law on the University also "gave great cause for concern as it provided
for Government control over the administration and teaching staff and limited
the possibility of political expression by students."
However, the Mission
regretted that while the FRY indicated its readiness to accept the return
of the OSCE Mission to Kosovo, it was only prepared to do so in return
for the simultaneous participation of the FRY in the OSCE. The FRY was
suspended from the Organization in 1992.
The Mission recommended, and OSCE participating States supported, the continuation of OSCE-FRY talks.
(End text)
30 July 1998
TRANSCRIPT: STATEMENTS OF CLARK, KITANOSKI IN SKOPJE JULY 30
(At airport as Clark departs, following meetings) (460)
Skopje, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia -- General Wesley Clark, supreme allied commander Europe (SACEUR), met with Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia Defense Minister Lazar Kitanoski, U.S. ambassador to FYR Macedonia Christopher Hill, and other officials July 30 to discuss a range of issues, including the situation in Kosovo, the U.N. Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP), and the upcoming Partnership for Peace exercise at the Krivolak training area.
Following is the transcript of Clark's and Kitanoski's statements upon Clark's departure, provided by USIS:
(Begin transcript)
STATEMENT OF SACEUR, GENERAL WESLEY CLARK UPON
DEPARTURE FROM SKOPJE, FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
3:00 PM, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1998
General Wesley Clark:
Ladies and gentlemen, I am General Clark, the
Supreme Allied Commander of Europe and the Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Forces
in Europe. I have come here today for consultations with the Minister of
Defense, the Chief of the Defense staff, the U.S. Ambassador, Ambassador
Hill, and our commander of Task Force Able Sentry, the U.S. component of
the U.N. Preventive Deployment Force here. We flew down and looked at the
[Krivolak] training area, where we are going to be conducting a NATO Partnership
for Peace exercise in September. It is a very impressive training area.
We have held consultations
on the situation in Kosovo, and we have discussed further cooperative measures.
We remain concerned, obviously, about the situation in the Balkans, and
we are determined to continue to provide assistance and support Macedonia.
Thank you very much. I have no time for questions, I am sorry. Thank you
Defense Minister Lazar Kitanoski:
This can be considered one of the regular consultations
we have with General Clark. We have of course discussed Kosovo, and then
both sides briefed on their views. Furthermore, we discussed the nomination
of Krivolak as one of the NATO/PFP training centers. That is an idea that
has existed for a long time. There have been other states-candidates for
training centers. General Wesley Clark wanted to familiarize himself with
this center. He was also interested in the preparations regarding the "Cooperative
Best Effort" exercise to take place this fall in the Republic of Macedonia.
He wanted to see the ground. He was very pleased by what he saw.
Normally, at the end,
we discussed that NATO and the U.S. government will continue to support
the Republic of Macedonia, that they will do everything which is in their
power to equip the Army of the Republic of Macedonia, but will also do
everything in terms of political support. That is, Macedonia must continue
being a secure country in the region. Thank you.
(End transcript)
TRANSCRIPT: STATE DEPARTMENT NOON BRIEFING, JULY
30
EXCERPTS
TRANSCRIPT: PENTAGON REGULAR BRIEFING, THURSDAY,
JULY 30, 1998
EXCERPTS
TEXT: STATE DEPT. ON MILOSEVIC ASSURANCES ON
KOSOVO SITUATION, JULY 31
__________________________________________________________________
30 July 1998
TRANSCRIPT: STATE DEPARTMENT NOON BRIEFING,
JULY 30
EXCERPTS
(St. Kitts, Greece/Burns, Kosovo) (7610)
State Department Spokesman James Rubin briefed.
......
KOSOVO -- Rubin announced that "an agreement
in principle" has been reached with the Kosovar Albanians to establish
an all-party executive to serve as a vehicle for negotiations with the
Serbs.
"By putting together
an all-party executive, at least in principle, we are making substantial
progress towards being able to get a credible negotiating process begun,"
Rubin said. But he added that "there are significant details that remain
to be worked out...."
The participation of
the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) "is not a primary hurdle at this point,"
Rubin said. "The real hurdle is who exactly sits on the delegation, how
many from each grouping. But the KLA issue, I think, has been largely resolved.
There will be those at the table who reflect their views either directly
or indirectly."
US officials have said
that Ibrahim Rugova, the moderate leader of the Albanian Democratic League
of Kosovo, should be the leader of the all-party executive. Contrary to
some press reports, the United States has "not marginalized or sidelined
Dr. Rugova," Rubin said.
There is "a general
view" that Rugova is "the leader of the Kosovar Albanians, and that he
is a central and indispensable player," Rubin said.
Rubin said that there
is the possibility of "additional participation" by Mehmet Hajrizi. Hajrizi
has been described in the press as the leader of the newly formed Albanian
Democratic Movement and the man to persuade rebel Kosovar Albanian forces
to accept a negotiated settlement.
Rubin said that it is
possible Hajrizi could play a role "as 'a Number Two' in the system."
According to Rubin,
"the problem in the last couple of days has been the climate created by
("Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" President) Slobodan Milosevic's Serb
forces taking offensive action in Kosovo." Nonetheless, there is "substantial
progress towards getting what we think is an intention for all the Albanian
parties and viewpoints to be reflected and a mandate to be created for
negotiations," the spokesman said.
He emphasized that the
United States does not support independence for Kosovo, which is now a
province of Serbia. The United States does, however, support greater "self-government"
for Kosovar Albanians, he said. "The autonomy that was stripped from them
by President Milosevic so many years ago has denied them their legitimate
rights, but we do not support independence," Rubin said.
....
Following is the State Department transcript:
(begin transcript)
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING INDEX
Thursday, July 30, 1998
Briefer: James P. Rubin
STATEMENTS
.....
SERBIA (KOSOVO)
7-13 Agreement on All Parties Executive / Amb
Hill's Efforts / Pres Milosevic's Responsibilities & Actions/US Military
Option/Kosovo Secession/ Negotiating Delegations/US Contacts With Europeans/Dr.
Rugova's Role in Talks
11,12 Displaced Persons/Delivery of Aid
....
Q: Do you have anything new on Chris Hill's attempts to get talks started in Kosovo?
RUBIN: I spoke to Ambassador Hill this morning,
and we want to welcome the agreement in principle that has been reached
to put together an all-party executive. By putting together an all-party
executive, at least in principle, we are making substantial progress towards
being able to get a credible negotiating process begun. And it is only
that negotiating process that can provide us the ability to resolve this
problem. It is a problem that can only be resolved through the negotiating
process.
But let me say this
there are significant details that remain to be worked out for that negotiating
team. They have not been nailed down, and Ambassador Hill is working with
them on the remaining details. The problem in the last couple of days has
been the climate created by Slobodan Milosevic's Serb forces taking offensive
action in Kosovo. That climate of intimidation and, as a result of that
offensive, has made it difficult in the last two days to get some additional
things locked in that would have enabled this thing to be put together
completely.
But we are making substantial
progress towards getting what we think is an intention for all the Albanian
parties and viewpoints to be reflected and a mandate to be created for
negotiations.
Q: Do you have any idea how long this might take, Jamie?
RUBIN: It's hard to say. I just told you the climate was set back by the Serb offensive, but Ambassador Hill is working on it.
Q: Do you have any reason to believe that Milosevic is deliberately trying to sabotage efforts to set up this team?
RUBIN: That would require us to get inside his
head, and it's not some place I want to be. But with respect to our analysis
of the situation, let me say this -- we, at various times, have thought
that President Milosevic has begun to realize that it is only through negotiations
can he save Yugoslavia from further chaos. But that doesn't mean it has
sunk in sufficiently for him to not pursue the kind of offensives that
have alienated the people there, radicalized the population and made it
harder and harder for us to conduct these negotiations.
In that regard, let
me say that we hold the Serbian authorities responsible for the civilian
casualties and the civilian disruptions and murders, as they may or may
not have been committed -- there have been reports to that effect that
are resulting from these military operations, and we hold him responsible.
Whether he is trying to sabotage the negotiating process is a question
only he can answer. What we can do is to try to bring home to him the danger
of allowing this thing to spin out of control both for him, for Yugoslavia,
but primarily for the people living there.
Q: Jamie, the Serb media just a few hours ago is reporting that Milosevic has called a halt to all offensive operations in Kosovo. Can you --
RUBIN: We'll have to see; there has been --
Q: Are you seeing that on the ground?
RUBIN: I don't have a real-time analysis from the last two hours from since those words were uttered; but we are going to be watching actions and not words. The Serbian authorities have been promising to exercise restraint, and we don't think there was restraint in the last series of activities. We think they further radicalized the population and made it harder, as I indicated, in very concrete ways, to get the various Kosovar Albanian factions to work together in an all-party executive.
Q: But you did see the statement?
RUBIN: I'm familiar with news reports to that effect, but what I can tell you is that we're going to wait and see what happens. Even if there were a drop in fighting for two hours, that has no substantive meaning.
Q: But you haven't tried to flesh it out with the Serbian Government?
RUBIN: I expect Ambassador Hill to be back in Belgrade tomorrow to discuss this further. Our monitors are in the field doing their job and trying to get access to all the areas they need to get access to do their job. I don't have a report from the last two hours from the monitors on the ground.
Q: But would it be fair to say that you're skeptical of the claim?
RUBIN: It's hard to be this is not a person whose words and actions are in sync on a regular basis.
Q: Is one of the details that you mentioned --
RUBIN: Go ahead.
Q: It's been about four years since I sat in this chair and when I left my post --
RUBIN: We've missed you.
Q: Yes, well, you don't know me, so you probably haven't. But when I left my post, though, your predecessor was standing on that podium saying much the same thing about Bosnia -- it's terrible and Milosevic has to stop, the consequences are going to be awful. And here we are again, same thing, hundreds of thousands of refugees. I mean, why would he take these words with any kind of seriousness whatsoever?
RUBIN: Well, since you sat in that chair, you're familiar with the use of American military power against the Serbian authorities and the efforts that Ambassador Holbrooke made to make peace in Dayton, so I'm sure you can answer your own question.
Q: Follow-up all that kind of stuff happened after I left, absolutely. But is there a threat of American military power; and if so, could it be made a little more explicit?
RUBIN: Well, certainly not because you posed the
question; but I will state our policy. The policy is quite clear that we
regarded the situation as one in which there were national security interests
engaged. The concerns that we have about what has gone on in the last several
months have generated very quickly a sanctions package that has been put
on Serbia and an accelerated military planning package that has been going
over and finalized and fleshed out by the military experts who do this
work.
We have made quite clear
that the concerns we have are related to the instability and insecurity
that could be created by a massive refugee exodus from Kosovo, and the
instability and insecurity that could create in the region; as well as
the humanitarian effect of these kinds of military offensives. So those
factors are the factors that generated our military planning, that made
it very clear that we were not going to rule out the military option, that
we were going to explore all options. When we are ready to report more
on that, we shall do so.
Q: Can I get a follow-up? Is it clear to Milosevic has it been made clear to Milosevic by US officials the US does not support secession? I mean, you spoke of Yugoslavia and if he wants to maintain Yugoslavia (inaudible). Yugoslavia has been shrinking, as you noticed, over the last ten years; and of course, further shrinkage must alarm him. I know it's been said here in Washington several times that those people that those ethnic Albanians have other goals. Has the US told him that secession has not got US support or encouragement?
RUBIN: Yes, we've made very clear to everyone concerned I've certainly said it from this podium that we do not support independence for the people of Kosovo. We think that is an illusion. We do support greater self-government by them; and the autonomy that was stripped of them by President Milosevic so many years ago has denied them their legitimate rights. But we do not support independence.
Q: You say you can't get into his head, and that's understandable. What is it, then, that keeps him from negotiating?
RUBIN: Well, at various times he has negotiated and discussed matters with us, and parts of what he's said, he's followed through on. I'm just not prepared to say that everything he says, he will follow through on until we see it.
Q: No, I mean, he's not prepared to send a negotiating delegation to the table to talk to ethnic Albanians, is he?
RUBIN: Well, we don't think his --
Q: I mean, on a long-term basis.
RUBIN: Barry, I don't think we see this as a procedural
problem; we're not having procedural problems. The procedural problem,
to the extent there was a procedural problem, was related to the Albanian
side in getting an authoritative group together that could speak for all
the relevant voices in Kosovo. We are hoping very shortly to nail down
the details of such a negotiating delegation.
With respect to face-to-face
meetings, that is not the issue. We have begun discussions with President
Milosevic and with some of the Kosovar Albanians about what would be necessary
beginning with a reduction in fighting and, ultimately, greater self-government
for the people there. So the substance is being discussed. We've made clear
our views to both sides. But we don't care to share the details of those
kind of diplomatic exchanges at this time.
Q: Is one of the details that's in question here the participation of the Kosovo Liberation Army?
RUBIN: That is not a primary hurdle at this point. The real hurdle is who exactly sits on the delegation how many from each grouping. But the KLA issue, I think, has been largely resolved. There will be those at the table who reflect their views either directly or indirectly. That's not a particularly important remaining detail, according to Ambassador Hill.
Q: The European representatives in that region have also been involved in this process. Is there some sort of division of labor between Christopher Hill and the Europeans, or are they working on a parallel track? What is the relationship?
RUBIN: We are in very close contact with our European allies, especially those on the Contact Group. Ambassador Hill meets with them regularly; he's met with the group that's there. I think he is probably in more daily contact, and the people working with him, with both sides than any other. But we're coordinating as best we can with other governments.
Q: What's your latest estimate on the number of displaced persons?
RUBIN: The numbers I have are that overall there are some 200,000 people that have been displaced in one form or another by the fighting in Kosovo 140,000 of which we believe are in Kosovo itself.
Q: So that isn't the kind of massive displacement that you were talking about before that might have triggered a US military response?
RUBIN: I think you probably heard me carefully; so let me say it again. The kind of displacement that would spill over into other countries.
Q: Oh, in other words, they have to be driven not only out of their homes, but out of their country?
RUBIN: I'm describing two factors to you and I
think I hope you're hearing them. They are one, the humanitarian factor;
and two, the extent to which the insecurity crosses borders into other
countries like Albania, like the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
and other places. Those factors will play into our decision-making as well
as the humanitarian situation.
With respect to the
displaced inside Kosovo, we are working very hard through the Red Cross
and the UNHCR to get help to these people. We are trying to get as much
access as possible for our monitors to help the people on the ground who
are actually suffering the people who have been driven out of their homes.
That's something that we spend a lot of time and money on, and we are working
on that. We're calling on the Serbian authorities to give us the access
we need in order to be able to avoid the kind of humanitarian catastrophe
that could happen in the absence of facilities and assistance to those
people.
Q: Back on the negotiating team, the Kosovar negotiating team is it still your condition that Dr. Rugova be the head of that panel?
RUBIN: We wanted to see a Pristina-based group led by Dr. Rugova, and we do believe that the agreement in principle that he announced reflects those needs.
Q: Okay. The reason I ask is there was a story in a British paper today which says that the United States has agreed to limit Rugova's role in favor of others, such as the Albanian Democratic Movement, in exchange for everyone's agreement to participate in this negotiation.
RUBIN: Right, I would call that an interpretive lead. That is not our view; we have not marginalized or sidelined Dr. Rugova. There is the possibility of additional participation, including by a Mr. Hajriozi who would play a role perhaps described simply as a number two in the system. Dr. Rugova is not being sidelined, not being marginalized.
We did, of course, want to get as may different views included in this all-party executive as we could, but Dr. Rugova made this announcement himself, and I think there is a general view that he is the leader of the Kosovar Albanians and that he is a central and indispensable player. People may choose to interpret things for their own reasons.
Q: And you think that this interpretation is just based on the fact that Mr. --
RUBIN: That there's a new figure in the game.
Q: These internally displaced people, where are they physically? Are they in refugee camps or are they just wandering around or --
RUBIN: I'll have to get you some further information on that.
Q: How are we delivering aid to them?
RUBIN: We're doing as I said working through the
UNHCR and the Red Cross to get them assistance.
...
_________________________
_________________________
30 July 1998
TRANSCRIPT: PENTAGON REGULAR BRIEFING, THURSDAY,
JULY 30, 1998
EXCERPTS
(Linda Tripp, Kosovo, NATO, laser weapons, Korea)
(1720)
Deputy Defense Department Spokesman Captain Mike
Doubleday briefed.
Following is the Pentagon transcript:
(begin transcript)
DoD News Briefing
Thursday, July 30, 1998 - 1:33 EDT
Presenter: Capt. Mike Doubleday, DASD (PA)
.....
Q: Are you monitoring the situation in Kosovo with this large number of displaced people? Where are they?
A: Well, we're certainly aware of the situation in Kosovo. I can't give you any firm numbers on the total of displaced persons. I've heard figures all the way from 100,000 to 200,000 people. But it's certainly a situation that concerns us very much and, to the extent that we can, we watch very closely what goes on it Kosovo.
Q: Any update on the progress, or lack of progress, in NATO plans for coping with Kosovo?
A: Well, the planning by NATO continues, I think
that you're aware that the situation on the ground in Kosovo changes almost
on a day-to-day basis and, as a result, the planning that NATO has undertaken
has to be modified to accommodate that. I think everybody is hopeful that
the situation there can be resolved diplomatically, but certainly the possibility
of military involvement by NATO is there.
....
_________________________
_________________________
31 July 1998
TEXT: STATE DEPT. ON MILOSEVIC ASSURANCES ON KOSOVO SITUATION
(U.S. says "We see the next few days as a critical test") (350)
Washington -- State Department spokesman James
P. Rubin said in a statement July 31, "Today Ambassador Christopher Hill
received assurances that [President] Milosevic [of the "Former Republic
of Yugoslavia" or FRY] would personally take responsibility to assure the
full access promised for the Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM).
"Milosevic also assured
Ambassador Hill that those displaced by the fighting could return to their
homes and that he is ready to resume negotiations with the Kosovo Albanians."
According to Rubin's
statement, President Milosevic informed the EU delegation visiting Belgrade
July 30 that "the offensive in Kosovo has come to a halt." Rubin also noted
Milosevic'a assurance to President Yeltsin June 16 of this year that "no
repressive actions would be taken against non-combatants."
Following is the text of the department spokesman's statement:
(Begin text)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
July 31, 1998
Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
MILOSEVIC ASSURANCES OF ACCESS AND REFUGEE RETURNS
Today Ambassador Christopher Hill received assurances
that Milosevic would personally take responsibility to assure the full
access promised for the Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM). Milosevic
also assured Ambassador Hill that those displaced by the fighting could
return to their homes and that he is ready to resume negotiations with
the Kosovo Albanians.
Yesterday, President
Milosevic informed the EU delegation visiting Belgrade that the offensive
in Kosovo has come to a halt. In Moscow on June 16, 1998, President Milosevic
assured President Yeltsin that no repressive actions would be taken against
non-combatants.
We see the next few
days as a critical test to these assurances. We expect the FRY government
to take appropriate actions to ensure unfettered access for the Kosovo
Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM) as well as the humanitarian organizations
seeking to provide much needed assistance.
We also expect the FRY
to take all necessary actions to create a secure environment for the return
of the many citizens that have been displaced by the fighting.
(End text)
KOSOVA UPDATE, AUGUST 02, 1998
Taken without permission, for fair use only.
Kosovo campaign continues
Kosovo Battles Rage Despite Pledge
Fighting erupts in Kosovo, major road blocked
Kosovo village caught in crossfire
British troops set to join peace force in Kosovo
___________________________________
Sunday, August 2, 1998 Published at 12:39 GMT 13:39 UK
Kosovo campaign continues
Fighting is continuing in the Serbian province
of Kosovo, despite pledges from Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic that
the campaign against separatist forces was over.
Two villages in central
Kosovo, Lausa and Poljance, were reported to be under artillery attack
on Sunday. The bombardment started at daybreak and continued into the morning.
The main road linking
the provincial capital, Pristina, to the city of Pec to the west has been
closed. BBC correspondent Jeremy Cooke in Pristina says that reporters
were turned back at a Serb police checkpoint, but columns of smoke rising
over the hills could be seen clearly. Serb officials said it was too dangerous
to go on.
Police at the roadblock
said security forces had come under attack earlier from ethnic Albanian
separatists.
Broken pledges
Last week European Union diplomats visiting Belgrade
received assurances from Mr Milosevic that the Serbs would stop their attacks
on the ethnic Albanian separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
The latest campaign
by the Serb paramilitary police and army units began a week ago, apparently
to deliver a knock-out blow to the KLA, which is fighting for independence
for the Albanian-majority province.
On Saturday, Serbian
forces were within five km (three miles) of the village of Junik, the main
remaining rebel stronghold, at the foot of mountains near the border with
Albania.
Another KLA power-base,
the town of Malisevo, was overrun by Serb forces during the campaign, forcing
tens of thousands of its inhabitants to flee.
More refugees
Sunday's fighting is expected to add to the growing
number of refugees - large numbers of families displaced by the earlier
fighting had taken shelter in the area.
An estimated 100,000
people have fled their homes in the Kosovo conflict. The Serb authorities
say that they should return, but the refugees are unlikely to heed the
official advice.
___________________________________
Sunday August 2 7:31 AM EDT
Kosovo Battles Rage Despite Pledge
ANNE THOMPSON Associated Press Writer
LIKOVAC, Yugoslavia (AP) - Government forces shelled
and burned ethnic Albanian homes west of Pristina on Sunday in what appeared
to be a campaign to drive ethnic Albanian civilians from part of Kosovo
that had been under rebel control.
Elsewhere, Serb sources
said ethnic Albanian separatists in the Djakovica area attacked a Yugoslav
army unit Sunday. Serb sources also said police were fired on along the
highway between Pristina and Pec, which government troops secured last
week.
The new fighting raged
despite promises last week by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic that
his latest offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army was over. The offensive
delivered a strong blow to independence-seeking Albanian rebels and drove
tens of thousands of civilians from their homes.
The rebels are expected
to announce this week whether they will endorse a U.S.-plan for peace talks
between Milosevic and Albanian politicians led by Ibrahim Rugova, whom
the KLA had rejected because of his nonviolent stand.
Many ethnic Albanians
want independence for Kosovo - a province of Serbia, the stronger of two
republics that form Yugoslavia. But Serbs consider the province the cradle
of their culture, and Western powers prefer to see it remain part of Serbia,
as border changes in the Balkans often lead to further bloodshed.
Ethnic Albanians make
up 90 percent of the 2 million inhabitants of Kosovo.
Mortar fire could be
heard Sunday near the village of Likovac, where the KLA maintains its headquarters.
The explosions grew louder, indicating the Serbs were on the march.
A few miles away, convoys
of panicked refugees fled by foot, tractor or car along rocky dirt roads.
They were headed toward Likovac, where they hoped to find KLA protection.
Many said they had nowhere
else to go. All told the same story of Serb destruction: Serbs fired indiscriminately
at the villages; terrified civilians gathered family members and fled for
their lives, leaving behind all their possessions.
Serb troops then moved
into the villages, looting everything of value, dousing the homes with
gasoline and setting them on fire.
"My house was burned
today," Sanje Berisha, 33, sobbed as she and about 100 others took refuge
in a courtyard of a house near Likovac.
The tactics were reminiscent
of the campaign of "ethnic cleansing," or the forced removal of rival ethnic
groups, that marked brutal conflicts in Bosnia and Croatia, which had been
part of Yugoslavia.
At Likovac, a dusty,
hilltop cluster of a dozen buildings around a rocky, open square, a KLA
commander boasted that "we have not been defeated" and that "Serb attacks
only make us stronger."
But other KLA members,
who refused to give their names for fear of punishment by their commanders,
admitted that they have been unable to blunt the Serb advance and protect
Albanian villages.
"We are underarmed and
we cannot defend them," one rebel said of the dozen villages in the area
that have come under Serb attack since Milosevic declared the offensive
over.
Despite reports last
month that the rebels were receiving heavy weapons, none were in sight.
KLA fighters were carrying mostly rifles and machine guns - ineffective
against government tanks, armored personnel carriers, mortars and artillery.
___________________________________
Sunday August 2 6:58 AM EDT
Fighting erupts in Kosovo, major road blocked
By Mark Heinrich
PRISTINA, Serbia (Reuters) - Fighting between
ethnic Albanian separatists and Serbian security forces erupted again in
central Kosovo on Sunday, closing the key east-west artery in the embattled
province.
A Reuters team travelling
between the Kosovo capital Pristina and the western town of Pec was turned
back by security forces near Komorane.
Columns of smoke could
be seen in the distance and heavily armoured military vehicles were present
with their guns trained on the nearby hills.
Police at the roadblock
said security forces had come under attack earlier from ethnic Albanian
separatists near the heavily wooded Lapusnik pass.
They would not allow
reporters to turn either right or left off the main road, insisting it
was too dangerous. There were indications that armoured vehicles had moved
up the road and that heavy fighting was going on.
A German ARD television
crew also reported fighting around Srbica, some 30 km north of Komorane,
early in the morning. They heard gunfire and saw smoke in the hills.
The Pristina-Pec road
runs through the heart of Kosovo, a Serbian province with a 90 percent
ethnic Albanian majority where separatist guerrillas are fighting for independence
from Belgrade.
The road was open on
Saturday and used by aid workers trying to reach thousands of refugees
displaced by a recent government offensive that recaptured large tracts
of territory from the seccessionist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
U.N. aid workers, making
their first emergency aid delivery since the offensive, said they found
thousands of Albanian civilians with children and some newborn infants
sheltering on slopes above Malisevo, which was abandoned by guerrillas
last Tuesday.
"The village of Crnovrana
above Malisevo, where we delivered, is simply filled with people with many
more visible further up the hills, living rough," said Eduardo Arboleda
at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees office in Kosovo.
Separatley, the independent
FoNet newsagency reported on Sunday that more than 10,000 refugees were
gathering at Ulcinj, a predominantly Albanian town on the coast in the
Yugoslav republic of Montenegro.
Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic promised on Friday to stop obstructing aid access to displaced
Albanians.
More than 270 villages
were shelled and at least 60,000 people uprooted from their homes by the
offensive, according to etnnic Albanian human rights activists.
Milosevic has promised
that the broad, week-long thrust against the KLA is over. However Serbian
forces were on Saturday within five km (three miles) of the village of
Junik, the main remaining rebel redoubt at the foot of the mountainous
frontier with Albania.
On the political front,
the Yugoslav and Macedonian foreign ministers are to meet later on Sunday.
Both countries are concerned about growing support for Kosovo separatists
among Macedonia's own large Albanian minority.
___________________________________
Sunday August 2 9:35 AM EDT
Kosovo village caught in crossfire
By Mark Heinrich
NEKOVCE, Serbia (Reuters) - Serbian forces fired
long-range cannons and mortars near the central Kosovo village of Nekovce
on Sunday, sending some of the thousands of terrified refugees hiding there
scrambling for shelter.
Reuters reporters taking
cover in the centre of the ethnic Albanian village saw four or five rounds
fly over their heads and into nearby fields. One just missed a two-storey
house where refugees were huddled.
Another round landed
on a hillside above the village, sending up a huge cloud of smoke.
The village, normally
with a population of 3,500 but now swelled by some 5,000 refugees from
Kosovo's secessionist uprising, has been caught in a crossfire between
Serbian forces and Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) separatist fighters.
The Serbian fire appeared
to be targeted at cornfields and farm houses around the village, normally
a tranquil scene dotted with haystacks and sunflowers.
As the first shell hit,
people who were walking through the village became panic-striken and started
running for cover. Some were women carrying howling children.
One woman ran down the
road holding her arm, apparently injured.
Villagers said they
had been caught in the middle of a Serbian-KLA front for some days but
that no one had been killed by the sporadic shelling.
They would not talk
about the KLA, which is dominant in this region of Serbia's province, but
said that Serbs were trying to intimidate them by towing in long-range
cannons and setting fire to fields.
The village has been
trapped for 10 days with no one officially allowed in or out except reporters.
They had no running water or electricity, and food was becoming scarce,
villagers said.
Most of the refugees,
displaced by a Serbian offensive against the KLA that was supposed to have
ended last week, were huddled in houses, sheltering from both the shelling
and from the blazing heat that has also hit region.
One local said refugees
had been coming in over the hills from the north, west and southwest and
that there were 20 to 30 holed up in every house in the village.
There was no sign that
the fighting would end soon. KLA fighters were seen heading to a hill where
the first of the day's detonations occurred to man positions.
___________________________________
August 2 1998
EUROPE
British troops set to join peace force in Kosovo
by Stephen Grey, Brussels
THOUSANDS of British troops could be sent to the
war-torn province of Kosovo and neighbouring countries under a large-scale
intervention plan to be finalised by Nato allies this week.
Nato commanders have
devised a strategy to bring peace to the region that combines airstrikes
on Serbian offensive positions within 18 hours of political approval; the
enforcement of a no-fly zone over Kosovo; and deployment of 25,000 troops
along the province's border with Albania to halt the supply of weapons
to the separatist ethnic Albanian guerrillas of the Kosovo Liberation Army
(KLA).
In the event of a negotiated
settlement to end the fighting, Nato could enforce it with up to 60,000
peacekeeping troops - as many as were deployed to prevent a resurgence
of conflict in Bosnia. The options are set out in a detailed plan, hundreds
of pages long, expected to be approved by Nato diplomats in Brussels on
Wednesday.
Britain has taken a
leading role in the planning, and its aircraft and troops would be part
of any co-ordinated action. It already has four Harrier GR7 ground-attack
jets based at Gioia del Colle, in southern Italy, just across the Adriatic
from Albania and a short flying time from Kosovo. Also available for duty
in Albania or Kosovo is Britain's Joint Rapid Reaction Force, which has
the Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines at its disposal, as well as jets,
helicopters and ships. A spearhead battalion comprising 600 men of the
Royal Marines' 40 Commando is ready to be dispatched immediately for service
abroad in any trouble spot.
"These are options and
nothing will happen without further political decisions," said one western
military commander. "But the Serbs should be aware we are in a position
militarily to respond immediately if the politicians order intervention."
The Foreign Office said
any decision to intervene would be guided by the principle of "proportionality".
The Serbs' right to defend their territory from separatists was accepted,
a spokesman said. "If the use of force by the Serbs is disproportionate
to the threat they face that is not acceptable."
Britain and its allies
believe that no ground troops should be sent into Kosovo itself while fighting
there continues.
The use of troops to
stop donkey trains of weapons moving into Kosovo from Albania's mountainous
northern border and to close down guerrilla camps would be technically
difficult, however, requiring substantial logistical support.
Even the deployment
of foreign troops as peacekeepers following a settlement would be fraught
with danger. "This would be an extremely difficult operation involving
the rounding up of all weapons from the rebel forces and supervising the
return of heavy weapons to barracks," said one Nato official.
At least 500 people
have been killed and 150,000 displaced in five months of armed conflict
in Kosovo, where the KLA is battling for independence from Yugoslavia.
According to local estimates, 50,000 people were uprooted during last week's
fighting alone, in which the KLA suffered heavy defeats. Many are now living
rough in the hills, too fearful to return to their homes.
The fighting continued
yesterday in western Kosovo, where Yugoslav forces have surrounded the
rebel-held town of Junik. There is evidence of atrocities against the civilian
population by the troops of Slobodan Milosevic, the Yugoslav president.
Refugees abandoning
their burning villages have demanded to know how much worse the violence
must become before Nato decides that intervention is justified. Albert
Rohan, an Austrian diplomat who led a three-strong European Union delegation
to the province last week, said he was shocked by the scale of destruction.
"It gives the clear impression of an excessive use of military force,"
he said. "The consequences to the civilian population seem totally out
of proportion with any military targets."
It remains likely that
Nato will wait until any possibility of a negotiated settlement has been
exhausted before approving military intervention. However, its readiness
to use force will be emphasised by an airborne exercise starting on August
17 in Albania.
Britain's Parachute
Regiment will join French, German, Italian, Russian and local Albanian
troops in an operation to demonstrate their ability to assemble and work
together at short notice.
It is hoped that such
a clear signal of western readiness to intervene will force Milosevic to
the negotiating table. However, the KLA declared this weekend that it would
"fight against the Serb barbarians until victory".
Additional reporting: James Pettifer, Belgrade
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