Tagesnachrichten 10. August 1998
von ALBANEWS und anderen
Daily Report No 1517 August 10, 1998
Kosova Information Center
Tagesnachrichten 10. August 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;________________________________________________________________________
Geplant sind Fußball-Begegnungen zwischen
FC Bayern München und FK Obilic Belgrad am
12. und am 26. August. - An sich schön, a b e r
Scheduled are football-maches between FC Bayern
München and FK Obilic Belgrad on 12th and 26th August. - Very nice,
b u t
"If you look at: http://www.sport1.de/vereine/bayern/verein/obilic.html
you will find that Bayern Munchen is writing NOTHING at all about the background
that the leader of FK Obilic Belgrad is having !!!!!
... About -Arkan-, official name Zeljko Raznjatovic´,
You can read about him in the final report of the United Nations Commission
of Experts established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 780 (1992).
For futher info about this facts please look at: http://mprofaca.cro.net/kosovo04.html
This man is a
- wellknown criminal,
- member of the Serbian Parliament,
- Leader of the notorius pramilitarian force
the Serbian Tigers who are accused for
murdering 200 croatian patients
when they were still lying in their hospital bed
at the hospital of Vukovar in
Croatia,
- international wanted by INTERPOL for heavy
robbery and suspected for other
things in Sweden as f.e. organizing
to Sweden heavy smuggling of ciggarets;
alcohol;narcotica and so on,
- on the run from a prison sentence in Belgium,
- accused for murder in Holland, Croatia,
Bosnia-Hercegovina and Kosova."
P R O T E S T !
Protest against the football match between
FC Bayern Munchen and
Arkan´s propaganda weapon, the team
FK Obilic.
If FC Bayern Munchen refuses to boycott the
match, urge them to have a
SILENT MINUTE for all the victims of the
GENOCIDE IN KOSOVA, CROATIA and BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA
( all the countries that Arkan is suspected
of conducting genocide)
before the match starts as an emphasis
of their feeling.
Please protest by e-mail :
info@bayernmuenchen.de Mail 
senden
or by FC Bayern Munchen Treffpunkt -Forum at
internet
http://www.sport1.de/vereine/bayern/treffpunkt/index_treffpunkt.html
or by fax:
+49 (0) 89 64 41 65
or make a protest telephone call
to the President of FC Bayern Munchen
Franz Beckenbauer: +49 (0) 89 699 31-0
or at the address:
FC Bayern Munchen
Postfach 900451
D-81504 Munchen
Germany
Thank you for your support to the people of Kosova !
Anders Wessman
member of the council of the
Swedish Albanians Friendship Ties
President Rugova Receives Ambassador Hill
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - The President of the
Republic of Kosova, Ibrahim Rugova, received today in Prishtina Mr. Christopher
Hill, the U.S. Ambassador to Shkup (FRYOM), and an intermediator between
Prishtina and Belgrade on the Kosova issue.
In the meeting, the extremely difficult situation
in Kosova in the wake of the Serbian offensive, as well as ways to de-escalate
the situation and create the environment for the resumption of negotiations
between Prishtina and Belgrade were discussed.
Serb Offensive Continues in Gjakova Area, Four Albanians Killed in Hereç Village
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Heavy fighting between
Serb military/police forces and local Albanians was reported last night
and today (Monday) morning in the villages straddling the Gjakova- Deçan
area. Besides the Deçan villages, the villages of Dujakë and
Plançor have been also scene of clashes, while the heaviest fighting
occurred in the village of Hereç, the LDK Information Commission
in Gjakova reported.
Four Albanians have been reported killed in Hereç
- Musë Bajrami (80), Asllan Bajrami (19), Dinë Rexhepi (63) and
Metë Dervishi (80). Many Albanians have been reported wounded there,
but their identity has not been made known. All the houses in Hereç
have been burned and destroyed, the LDK sources said. The Serbian side
is reported to have suffered casualties, too.
The sound of heavy artillery detonations can
be heard today coming from Serb forces shelling from their positions in
Kodra e Çabratit, in Suka e Biteshit and elsewhere in the region,
local sources said. While fighting continues, the Serb army has issued
an ultimatum to residents of the village of Skivjan - to surrender weapons
or leave the village.
Amidst continued Serb attacks in Hereç
and the outlying area, the population has been fleeing homes in large numbers.
Some 15.000 residents of the area have been living in the open in the meadows
stretching between the villages of Skivjan and Novosellë. They are
without shelter, food, and clean water.
The Serb police manning checkpoints in the Gjakova
suburbs is ill- treating Albanians displaced from their homes in villages
who try to enter the town.
The Albanian authorities in Gjakova say they
will not be able to shoulder the burden - to cater for the needs of so
many arrivals. They call on international organizations to do something
about their plight.
Meanwhile, reports from the ground indicate fighting
is continuing in the border area villages, as well as near Junik, the huge
village between Gjakova and Deçan.
There was low-intensity gunfire in the region
of Dushkajë last night and today, LDK sources said.
One of the Fiercest Serb Attacks on Deçan
Villages Continues Today
High casualty toll is feared inside a wide area
under constant Serb artillery fire
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Several villages in
the municipality of Deçan, western Kosova, came under renewed Serb
artillery fire since ea2rly in the morning today (Monday).
Zekë Sinani, a local journalist in Deçan,
described the situation in the area today as excessively dramatic. The
villages of Prejlep, Drogolluk, Irzniq, Rastavicë, Baballoq, Gramaçel,
Gllogjan, Shaptej and Dubravë have been pounded with all kinds of
weapons, including high-caliber cannons, he said.
The ongoing Serbian military and police troops
attack, launched Sunday morning in Deçan area, is considered to
be one of the fiercest so far in that part of Kosova.
Zekë Sinani said the casualty toll, both
in fatalities and wounded persons, is feared to be high, noting that it
is quite impossible to establish their identity.
The village of Prapaqan was reported shelled
for the first time today since the fighting broke out in the western part
of Kosova.
At last ten houses caught fire in Prejlep alone
since morning today.
A wide area around the villages under the unfolding
Serb attack has been rigorously sealed off by Serb troops, military police,
and paramilitary, witnesses said. Activists in the region said they fear,
with reason, that Serbs might mount yet another campaign of massacring
the civilian population.
The local population had returned over the past
days to many of the villages that came under the renewed Serb attacks on
Sunday. They had to flee the area under attack for a second time, and according
to witnesses Serbian forces have opened fire on the fleeing population,
mostly women and children.
Meanwhile, the chapter of the Council for the
Defense of Human Righst and Freedoms (CDHRF) in Deçan said it seemed
that the attack of Serb forces in the afternoon was centered in the Gllogjan
village. At around 13:15 hrs, Serbs began pounding the village with ground-to-ground
rockets.
Serb Police Attacks Albanian Family Compound, Three Albanians Killed Today
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Three Albanians were
killed today by Serb police in the village of Gabrricë, municipality
of Kaçanik, in south-eastern Kosova, local sources said.
A Serb police expedition, involving two armored
cars, a firefighter vehicle, and several other cars, were involved in an
attack against the Kurtaj family compound in the village of Gabrricë,
which started at 4:45 in the morning today (Monday). The house of Danush
Miftar Kurtaj (37) was the target. Three persons were killed, one of whom
was named as Xheladin Miftar Kurtaj (24), a student of the Academy of Dramatic
Arts, Dept. of Acting. The identity of the two other fatalities has not
been made known yet.
After the attack ended, Serb forces arrested
Danush Miftar Kurtaj, his wife Bylgjyzare (1971), Havushe (1963), Danush's
sister-in-law. and Fatmir Feriz Kurtaj (1962), a teacher with the local
elementary school "Ali Asllani" in Doganaj village of Kaçanik.
The Serb expedition pulled out of the village
at 9 o'clock in the morning.
The LDK Information Commission said the extent
of firepower used by Serb forces was evident in the destruction the houses
has suffered: spent casings, part of the house burned, windows smashed.
In the entrance to the houses and around the guest hall there were pools
of blood, LDK sources said.
The front door of Isuf Qazim Kurtaj (around 50
years old), who is a guest worker abroad, have been destroyed by an armored
vehicle.
The Serb police handed over the bodies of the
three killed Albanians to the Albanian Muslim Community in Ferizaj ("Urosevac')
this afternoon.
Serb Shooting Spree in Prishtina
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Serbs, ordinary citizens,
gangs and their police, demonstrated last night who has and who uses weapons
in the Kosova capital.
There was a shooting spree after 21:00 hrs yesterday
(Sunday) after victory by the 'Yugoslav' national basketball team of the
World Cup. Machine-gun fire was reported in several parts of Prishtina.
From houses and blocks of flats, from cafes and restaurants, on the streets
and from passing cars, Serbs shot their arms and their hysteria. An unacquainted
person would have been led to think real war had started.
Serb gangs roamed the streets, entering also
purely ethnic Albanian neighborhoods, singing Chetnik songs and shooting.
At 21:30 hrs, several groups of armed Serbs on board six private cars paraded
through the Kodra e Trimave ('Vranjevac') neighborhood, chanting "Serbia,
Serbia", "Gde ste siptari" ("Where are you, Albanians?"). They opened fire
on two businesses. There were no reported casualties.
Groups of Serb policemen have been building up
in Prishtina and its suburbs. Last night's shooting spree had the
organization and supervision of Serb police.
A similar Serb spree in the town of Mitrovica
left one Albanian child wounded. Endrit S. Berani (7) was shot and wounded
on his flat's balcony last night.
Serb Forces Shell the Carralevë Mountains Pass Area
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Around noon today (Monday),
Serb forces were shooting in the direction of the Gryka e Carralevës
(the Carralevë mountain pass), the LDK Information Commission in Shtime
reported. The shelling was probably to open the way for a Serb military
convoy to pass, the very convoy that paraded in the morning hours in Shtime
and headed towards Prizren eventually. The convoy involved tanks, armored
cars and anti-aircraft launchers.
LDK sources said Serb military opened fire in
different directions from its positions in the Pishnajat e Shtimes (the
Shtime pinewood) and the Kodra e Gështenjave. Local Serbs in Shtime
were reported shooting last night, and that bullets had hit Albanian houses.
Meanwhile, reports said Selim Rexhepi (55) was
buried yesterday in his native village of Petrovë. He was killed a
few days earlier by Serb forces shelling.
90 Percent of the Albanian Houses Burnt or Damaged in 25 Villages in Klina
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Serbian military and
police forces have continued their systematic campaign of destruction and
burning of Albanian houses in the villages of the municipality of Klina,
the LDK Information Commission reported.
Reports said 90 percent of the Albanian houses
have been burned or damaged by Serb shelling in 25 villages of the municipality.
Yesterday, Serb forces torched the Albanian houses
in the village of Dollc.
On Albanian house was burned in the town of Klina,
and two others in suburbs.
Meanwhile, reports said Serbs opened fire from
the village of Grapc, mostly inhabited by Serbs, on Saturday.
There was Serb fire targeting the villages of
Ranoc and Leskoc, too. Their Albanian population, as well as residents
of the village of Kosh, fled their homes, LDK sources said.
Heavy Gunfire Reported around the Sealed Off Village in Kaçanik
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Gunfire was reported
today morning around the village of Duraj in the municipality of Kaçanik,
55 km south of Prishtina.
The local LDK chapter in Kaçanik said
heavy Serb forces sealed off the area around Duraj village since about
9 o'clock in the morning. Heavy shooting was heard coming from the area
soon, said LDK activists who could not learn what actually happened there
until early afternoon.
Sources said that many residents of the Duraj
and the surrounding villages were fleeing their homes today morning, fearful
of a Serb crackdown.
Serb Sniper Shoots Dead Albanian at His Home in Suhareka
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - A 35-year-old Albanian,
Xhemail Kryeziu, was shot dead at his home in Suhareka last night.
The LDK Information Commission in Suhareka said
Xhemail Kryeziu was gunned down by a Serb sniper overnight, at around 1:15
a.m. The Commission failed to offer other details surrounding his killing,
noting only that he was in his house lobby when hit from a sniper rifle.
Over 400 Villagers Holed Up in Llausha for Eight Days Now
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Over 400 people have
been reported holed up inside a deadly siege for a week now in Llausha
village of Skenderaj ('Srbica').
Four residents of Llausha who managed to escape
from the village on Sunday have told the chapter of the Council for the
Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) in Mitrovica that over 400
villagers, mostly women, children and elderly, have been huddled in the
farmsteads of Gecaj, Shatri and Lani extended families, unable to make
it out. They have been quickly running out of food supplies, while Serb
forces dug-in in key positions, shoot at anything that moves, they said.
The witnesses claimed two women, one of them
identified as Mevlude Gecaj and the other surnamed as Taraku, were killed
last week by Serb forces, while another one, her first name being Fatime,
was wounded. While running away from their village, they said they had
spotted the body of a dead man, in his mid-forties, lying on the fields
just outside Llausha.
The Llausha villagers told the human rights council
that the Gecaj neighborhood's residential area, which used to house tens
of extended families, was burned to the ground.
Prizren College Student Leaders to Stand Trial Before Serb Court Tuesday
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Top leaders of
Students Independent Union of the Prizren-based "Xhevded Doda" teachers
training college will be brought before the Serb-run District Court the
town on Tuesday, the LDK Information Commission in Prizren reported.
Bylbyl Duraku, chairman and Nijazi Kryeziu, Aqif
Iljazi, Behare Tafallari, Leonorë Morina, Jehonë Krasniqi, Sejdi
Bellanica, Dëfrim Rifaj and Sherif Iljazi, members of the Student
Union leadership have been held in pre-trial detention since last spring.
They face Serb regime charges for alleged "terrorist activity".
The LDK chapter in Prizren has quoted witnesses
as saying that the Prizren College student leaders were subject to outrageous
torture during the pre-trial period, both at detention house in Prizren
and in the Lipjan jail.
Serb Police Embarks on Arrest Campaign of Local Activists in Kaçanik
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Half a dozen LDK activists
and leaders of the local educational authorities in Kaçanik have
been reported detained by the Serb police today. Sources in the town said
heavy Serb policemen were involved in raiding their houses since early
in the morning.
The LDK chapter in Kaçanik said it has
learned the names of the following activists rounded up by Serb police
today: Mejdi Dalloshi, head of the municipal educational bureau, Tefik
Raka, educational adviser, and his son Agron Raka, as well as Abdylgafurr
Luma, member of the LDK Presidency in Kaçanik, and Hasan Dalloshi,
a local LDK activist in Soponica village.
They were reported still in custody in early
afternoon today.
Armed Serbs Open Fire in the Direction of Albanian Villages in Vushtrri
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Last night and early
in the morning today, armed Serbs in the villages of Prilluzhë and
Plemetin opened fire in the direction of Albanian-inhabited villages of
Gllavotin, Bivolak, Strofc and Beçuk, the LDK Information Commission
in Vushtrri ('Vucitrn') reported.
Last night, Serb torched haystack belonging to
Gani Duraku in the village of Stanovc i Poshtëm.
Flat of LDK Vice-Chairman Broken Into By Serbs in Klina
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - The flat of Mr. Kolë
M. Berisha, vice- chairman of the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK), was
broken into yesterday afternoon in the town of Klina.
Mr. Berisha told the KIC that his relatives had
told him the lock to the front door of his flat had been changed and a
piece of paper with the Serb name "Rade" pasted on it.
Kosova Information Center
Last page!
Chat with Kosovo’s Rugova_______________________________________________________________________Ethnic Albanian joins MSNBC on Monday, 11 AM ET
MSNBCPRISTINA, Serbia, Aug. 7 —Ibrahim Rugova, the president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo, will take part in an exclusive MSNBC on the Internet live chat from his offices in the capital of the Kosovo province. The chat will take place on Monday at 11 am Eastern Time.
http://www.msnbc.com/chat/default.asp
Session Start: Mon Aug 10 10:41:41 1998_________________________________________________________________________<Vickie_MSNBC> **NOTE** This chat is in Auditorium mode. Questions & statements are directed only to the hosts in chat. Questions along with the answers from our guest will be pasted back into chat so all can see them. You cannot directly chat with each other or be able to see the other users in the chat.
<Chris_MSNBC> ok we are ready to begin
<Vickie_MSNBC> Ibrahim Rugova, the president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosova, is taking part in an exclusive MSNBC on the Internet live chat from his offices in the capital of the Kosovo province.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/KOSOVO_Front.asp Please ask your questions now!<President_Rugova> I greet everyone in the chat and everyone in MSNBC from the Republic of Kosova. We thank you very much for your interest in Kosova especially during these difficult times.
I hope this will contribute to the understanding and the solution of the Kosova issue.
I am very pleased to be connected with you through MSNBC's interest.<Chris_MSNBC> *GODERN says: Is some federation with albania your shortterm goal, with evental reunification or are you seeking total automony and independence
<President_Rugova> Our goal is independence for the Republic of Kosova. This is based on the 1991 referendum. We have not called for a change of Kosova borders and namely for the external borders of the former Yugoslavia
Therefore, our main goal is independence.
And that is based on the current Europe and the war.
Of course it is the will of the people and the desire to live in one State...but the current balance in the region is quite complicated.
I believe that the best solution for the SouthEast Region of Europe is for Kosova as an independent State.
This solution will calm down Macedonia, Albania and Serbia.
Other arrangements like federations with Albania are matters and topics for future discussion.
Unfortunately, federations in this part of Europe have not been so successful.
Therefore, the optimum solution for the Albanian issue, is independence for Kosova.<Chris_MSNBC> Augustus says: What is your fight based on human welfare or islamic religen
<President_Rugova> The basic goals of my policy are human welfare, freedom, human rights and the independence of Kosova.
This problem does not have any religious background whatsoever.
Albanians in general belong to a pro-western culture and preferences.
As you may recall, Albania belongs mostly to Catholic Orthodox, and Moslem... meaning that religion does not have that much influence and the state lives of Kosova.
The pro-western faces and culture and traditions among Albanians.<Chris_MSNBC> *Bob3747 says: What does Mr. Rugova see a the liklihood of achieving a resolution to the conflict and in what time frame?
<President_Rugova> It is of the utmost importance to have a cessation of Serb offensive in Kosova to reach a peace for Kosova.
Of course through an increase in the international presence in Kosova to some kind of international protector has been something I have been urging for for several years now.
This kind of arrangement would bring about the demilitarization of Kosova and help with democracy being instituted for all citizens of Kosova.
Therefore this is seen as an interim stage towards a final settelement and seen as stopping the ongoing conflict.
Namely, not a conflict because we cannot see a conflict here but rather massacres over the unprotected civilians as we are witnessing and eventually massive ethnic cleansing of this country.<Chris_MSNBC> Dardani says: Question: Has the government of Kosova been formed, and if so, when will the names of the members of the cabinet be made public?
<President_Rugova> There is a government of Kosova in exile but these days we have been talking about the creation of a government here in Kosova in the wake of the March 22nd elections.
We are looking to have a coalition government that will include all political forces.
I have been working to create and form the new government but it was obstructed by the latest civil unrest on the ground.
This will be completed soon and we will give a public announcement on that.<Chris_MSNBC> Dardani says: Question: Does the Kosova presidency presently have any contacts with the KLA and do we know where and by whom is it controlled. If so, have they agreed to join the Kosova government coalition?
<President_Rugova> It is very difficult for us to have any contact with the KLA. It is isolated by the Serbian police force.
Of course there has been some dialect but mostly indirect contact.
So that we have some kind of contact with them and will eventually bring them closer.
They will certainly have a say in our institution.
There is that difficulty in communictions with them and that is mainly due to the obstruction.<Chris_MSNBC> Dick says: Question....President Rugova.....what do you believe will be necessary to assure that Kosovo regains its independent status...and, how can the US or other nations assist in achieving that goal?
<President_Rugova> It is undoubtedly that if especially the United States and other countries can help in this course. One way of helping is establishing an international protector in Kosova with the help of the United Nations, United States, and other international forces.
I think that it is about the time to recognize independence of Kosova and take us under protection.<Chris_MSNBC> KD says: Mr. President, what does the document that was brought to you by ambasador Donelly contain?
<President_Rugova> The document contains a few proposals of the contact group and it as sort of working paper.
It is more suggestions and options -- mainly topics for discussion.
Our position is well known and that is independence.<Chris_MSNBC> oli says: What is the probability of war between Yugoslavia and Albania because of the Kosovo "problem"?
<President_Rugova> What I can say is that the Kosova problem cannot be isolated.
If a massive scale conflict ensues we will see masses of people heading towards Macedonia, and Albania, and elsewhere and that will eventually destabilize this portion of Europe.
Concerning confrontation between Albania and Belgrade, we have already received the first problems of the problems of Belgrade.
If anything like that happens it is the people of Kosova who will suffer most.
It may be the intention of Belgrade to attack Albania so the problems of Kosova will be neglected and overlooked as was the case in 1920.
I hope the situation is now different.
Expectation of help from Albania is a normal thing, but Albania itself is in a difficult situation.<Chris_MSNBC> Rima says: Dr. Rugova, could you explain why it appears to be so hard for albanians to get the team negotiations team together when as far as I know all parties have a common platform independence
<President_Rugova> It is not difficult at all -- too much noise has been raised about all that.
In spite of the Serbian violance and domination we have been successful in establishing a democracy in Kosova starting with the presidential and parlimentary elections.
We will have negotiators out of these institutes.
Our intention was to have a political built negotiating team.
GIven the very difficult situation we are in of course we have to move ahead in a political negotiating team, it is not a problem.
No matter what is done, there will always be people who object, but that doesn't mean we have to stop.
This is what we call a democracy quarter, and it is that democracy quarter that will save Kosova.<Chris_MSNBC> MarySD says: Mr. Rugova...what is the most important point you want the people of this country to understand about Kosova?
Final Question<President_Rugova> The critical point for the US to understand is that independence of Kosova is indispensable.
The United States is a symbol of independence and freedom and we would like to see independence of Kosova like the United States, western Europe and open cultures.
Only through independence can democracy and human rights be accomplished.
Kosova was part of a country that has fallen apart and does not exist any longer.
Therefore, we are in the political right to be recognized for independence and living free.
It would be a free nation a small nation, as there are many such nations in the world.
It will be a country which will be capable of maintaining itself. It has a very hardworking people.
Kosova has large natural resources.
Of course, Kosova should and must have close ties with the United States and Soviet Union.
We see Kosova in the future, as an open market economy state.
Therefore, it will be a small but independent country, the size of Connecticut.
Finally, this would bring stability and calm down this part of the world.
The people of Kosova should be provided a window of opportunity to be themselves and become a member of free nations.
Thank you very much. This is the first time I have participated in an Internet chat. We have lots of satellite dishes and we can watch the world through those dishes, but unfortunately, Albania language TV is closed down here.
With satellite dishes, the youngest generations have learned about foreign languages and western culture. It has helped a lot over the past several years. It is a spiritual link between Kosova and the western world.
Thank you, bye.<Chris_MSNBC> Thanks everyone!
<Vickie_MSNBC> Thank you for joining us, everyone! :)
Session Close: Mon Aug 10 11:39:47 1998
Vans of Serb police with number plates and symbols of the KLA seen in Istog_______________________________________________________________________PRISHTINE, August 10(ata) - During the recent days, in the center of Istog four vans of Serb police with number plates and symbols of the KLA have been stationed, the Information Centre of Kosove reports referring to LDK sources in Istog. The report says that the passers-by could recognize the policemen.
The same source reported that on August 3, at about midnight, Serb forces opened fire against the houses of Samjl and Hajdar Arifaj in Cerkolez of Istog. There were no victims but the windows were damaged. Because of this attack and total insecurity since the two houses are surrounded by houses of Serbs, the members of the two Albanian families have left their homes and are accommodated in a nearby village inhabited by Albanians. /p.ta/das/xh/Fighting extends to Kacanik outskirts
PRISHTINE, August 10 (ata) - ATA correspondent Behlul Jashari reports:
The attacks of Serb forces and fighting have also spread in the south of Kosove. Today at about 9. 00 a.m. Serb forces attacked village Duraj of the commune of Kacanik, where, according to LDK sources, shots have been fired and inhabitants are fleeing their homes amidst bullets.
Village Duraj borders the commune of Ferizaj whose village Jezerc and some other villages of this commune are arenas of fighting for several days now between Albanian forces and Serb forces. In today's early hours, Serb snipers killed an Albanian in his house in the city of Suhareka. Intensive fire of weapons have been also heard during the past night in Prishtine and other areas of Kosove. /p.ta/das/xh/US diplomat meets with Kosova president
PRISHTINE, Aug 10 - ATA correspondent Behlul Jashari reported that the U.S. diplomat for Kosova Christopher Hill held a close door meeting on Monday in Prishtina with the president of the Republic of Kosova Dr Ibrahim Rugova.
Following an over one-hour meeting, Hill said that they talked about the situation in Kosova and the need to resume as soon as possible the negotiation with Belgrade.
"Conditions for negotiations have been very difficult during the last two weeks and on the other hand it is understandable that there is no solution out of negotiations," Hill said.
Asked whether they discussed the option-document of the Contact Group on a solution to the Kosova issue, Hill said that "this issue was dwelt upon briefly."
As regards the content of the document, Hill said that "it contained different ideas. Some of them are very practical and some others maybe are not functional."
Asked about the rumors that Hill intermediate between the political parties and the Kosova Liberation Army (KLA) about the creation of a new government of Kosova, the U.S. diplomat said that "I am here to see how I can help find a solution to these horrible problems in Kosova," and warned for other talks. fh/ak/
RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC_______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 2, No. 152 Part II, 10 August 1998BALTIC COUNTRIES TO PARTICIPATE IN NATO EXERCISES.
Lithuania is sending troops to a NATO exercise in Albania that will take place August 16-22, BNS reported on 7 August. Estonia and Latvia are sending troops and Lithuania is sending observers to a NATO exercise in Macedonia scheduled to occur September 10-18. PG
WEU CALLS FOR INTERVENTION IN KOSOVA.
Fighting continued in western Kosova during the 7-9 August weekend, particularly along the Decan-Gjakova road. In Paris, the Western European Union's Presidency on 7 August called on NATO to intervene "immediately" to prevent the war from spreading throughout the region, Reuters reported. WEU president Luis Maria de Puig said in a statement headlined "Enough is Enough" that "it is now clear that the use of force is the only means of bringing about a political agreement, with which the parties must be forced to comply...The limits of what the international community can tolerate without intervening have been reached. We are in the midst of a catastrophe with more than 600 dead, over 5,000 taken prisoner, 200,000 refugees and 300 villages destroyed: This is Bosnia all over again...The international community has yet again been deceived by [Yugoslav President Slobodan] Milosevic...The time has come for military action." PM
COOK: NO MILITARY VICTORY.
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said that the plans for Kosova that British Ambassador Brian Donnelly gave to the Serbian and Kosovar leaderships over the weekend are aimed at establishing a wide autonomy for the Kosovars within Yugoslavia, the "Guardian" wrote on 10 August. Cook added that the international Contact Group's proposal would give the people of Kosova "control of their own internal affairs, control over their own security and real autonomy....We are making it plain to both sides that this is not a war that either side can win." The Kosovars have repeatedly made it plain that, in the wake of the crackdown Milosevic launched in February, the only options are full independence or an international protectorate. Meanwhile in Tirana, a Kosovar shadow-state spokesman told an RFE/RL correspondent on 7 August that the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK) is prepared to be a part of the Kosovar delegation in any future talks with the Belgrade authorities. PM
RUSSIAN VETO ON KOSOVA?
"NATO has completed preparations for military intervention [in Kosova], but this seems increasingly likely to remain a paper exercise," the "Guardian" wrote on 10 August. The London daily noted that U.S. President Bill Clinton and France's Jacques Chirac agreed in a telephone call on 7 August that they will not undertake any action in Kosova without Russian approval. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Nikolai Afanasevskii said in Belgrade on 8 August after several days of shuttle diplomacy in the region that "no one has yet explained what any foreign military interference would bring to [Kosova] and the people there." He added that the solution lies in preserving the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia while ensuring "a high degree of autonomy" for Kosova, the Belgrade daily "Danas" reported. PM
EXIT GELBARD?
The "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" wrote on 7 August that U.S. special envoy Robert Gelbard will no longer deal directly with the Kosova issue, at least not in Belgrade. U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia Christopher Hill, who has been active in Kosovar diplomacy in recent weeks, will now handle the issue on Washington's behalf. The German daily reported that Gelbard had made some unspecified remarks that offended Milosevic, who declined to deal with him any further. PM
DEADLY DANCING WITH WOLVES.
Serbian police in Kragujevac arrested an unnamed member of the State Security Service on 8 August after the man opened fire on the cafe "Kod Gileta," killing three people, the Belgrade daily "Danas" wrote. There was no apparent motive for the gunman's action, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. Among the dead was Slobodan Miljkovic "Lugar," whom the Hague-based war crimes tribunal wants in conjunction with deaths of at least 19 persons in Bosnia, where he was an officer in the paramilitary Gray Wolves. Meanwhile in Pale, unidentified masked gunmen killed Srdjan Knezevic in front of his home. Knezevic headed the paramilitary White Wolves during the Bosnian conflict but subsequently became deputy chief of police for the Serbian part of the Sarajevo area. He was a supporter of Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic, who said in Banja Luka that Knezevic was "a hero" and a victim of mafia violence. PM
JOINT RETURN OF REFUGEES.
SFOR peacekeepers accompanied 700 Muslims who returned to their villages of Sovici and Doljani in Croatian-controlled Herzegovina on 8 August after an absence of five years. At the same time, an unspecified number of Croats returned to their homes in nearby Jablanica. The Croatian news agency HINA reported that five Muslims beat up two Croats, who are members of the Bosnian federal army, on the road linking Jablanica and Doljani. PM
FIRES SWEEP DALMATIAN ISLANDS.
Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa visited the island of Korcula on 9 August, where a fire destroyed large tracts of forests and olive groves in the course of the previous four days. Firefighters meanwhile succeeded in containing the blaze. Another fire engulfed about one-third of the surface of the neighboring island of Lastovo, an RFE/RL correspondent reported from Korcula. PM
ALBANIA TO SCREEN ARABS.
In the wake of the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on 7 August, Deputy Minister for Public Order Ilir Cano told "Zeri i Popullit" of 9 August that the Office of Foreigners' Control has already begun to screen "all" Arabs living and working in Albania. Cano noted that there has been a large influx of Arabs in recent years but that the authorities have not checked on each individual's background or activities.
Parliamentary speaker Skender Gjinushi said, however, that "there are no Islamic fundamentalists in Albania." The governing Socialists recently criticized former President Sali Berisha for joining the Organization of the Islamic Conference and for inviting in Islamic charities during his presidency from 1992- 1997, dpa wrote. Many Arabs and Iranians work with charities or businesses in Albania. While a majority of Albanians are of Islamic heritage, religious life is only slowly reemerging. Prominent is the moderate Bektashi sect. PMPOLL SHOWS ALBANIAN CORRUPTION WIDESPREAD.
Almost 90 percent of those questioned in an opinion poll said that they believe there is massive corruption, ATSH news agency reported on 8 August. Some 45.7 percent said they feel that corruption has spread throughout the civil service. Some 21 percent identified the state administration as particularly corrupt, while 17.7 percent said that the judiciary is the worst. Furthermore, many respondents said that they had paid bribes to employees in the health system. According to a report by the Albanian Consumer Association (SHKSH) that included the poll results, a doctor's house visit costs between $1 and $2, while operations can run up to $70, which is the equivalent of one month's salary. An average citizen may pay about $1 as a bribe to obtain a birth certificate and between $50 and $200 to receive a business license. FS
ALBANIA TO PRODUCE AMMUNITION FOR TURKEY.
Albanian and Turkish defense ministry officials signed an agreement in Ankara on 3 August providing for the production of ammunition for Turkey in a factory in Polican. Turkey will assist the company by upgrading its machinery and technology. The deal will allow the metallurgical factory there to increase its number of employees from the current 300 to 800. Most Albanian factories of all sorts are have been gutted by looters or lie idle. FS
Continuous attack on villages of Decan - Serb forces shoot on population -_______________________________________________________________________PRISHTINE, August 10 (ata) - The attack of Serb forces against villages of Decan, which started yesterday morning, is intensively continuing, the Information Centre of Kosove reports. Targets of the Serbs are the villages Lluka e Eperme, Carrabregu i Poshtem, Belegu, Prejlepi, Rastavica, Baballoci and Gramacelli, which are being shelled and attacked with all kinds of weapons by Serb forces.
In the above villages, besides Carrabreg i Poshtem and a part of Prejlep, the population returned to their homes some days ago. It is presumed that there have been casualties in the ranks of civil population because Serb forces attacked the people who have been fleeing their homes, mainly children, women and elderly people, stressed Information Centre of Kosove. /p.ta/das/xh/Serbs have set to fire 46 houses in Likoc
PRISHTINE, August 10 (ata) - During the attacks by Serb forces on August 7 in the village Likoc of Drenice, 46 homes have been set ablaze while school buildings and social institutions have been damaged and ruined, the Information Centre of Kosove reports. An eyewitness told ICK that the quarter Ahmetaj has been completely ruined while quarter Zabelaj has been partly destroyed. In Abri i Eperm the burnt bodies of two unidentified people were found on August 6.
The houses of quarters Gecaj and Vjovie in village Llaushe are reported to have been looted and then torched and nobody knows of the fate of 500-600 Albanians reportedly sealed off in village Llaushe. Great damages are registered in Plluzhine. About 4000 refugees, mainly children, women and aged people are in open air for more than a week in Fushe e Molles, between Obiliq and Verboc. /p.ta/das/xh/
DP: A new Bosnia is being repeated in Kosova_______________________________________________________________________TIRANA, August 8 - The democratic Party declared that the events of Bosnia are repeated even in Kosova, with greater speed. The leader of the democrats Sali Berisha said that within three months there are more victims in Kosova than in Bosnia in six months and this shows that Miloshevic is exercising a greater violence towards the Albanians of Kosova. PD called to all political forces of Kosova to recognize their responsibilities and to found a joint stand for the solution of the conflict. The leader of DP said that the disagreements of the political forces in Kosova have diminished the negotiating potential of the 2 million Albanians. Berisha said that the question of Kosova can be solved only in Kosova and the voices that ask a military intervention of Albania in Kosova are complicating the situation. Berisha called once more to the USA and president Clinton to intervene to stop the terror in Kosova against the civil population. Berisha said that the USA are very sensitive for the question of Kosova compared to the other European countries. Berisha said that Albanian government has a direct responsibility for Kosova because her actions, according to the democrat leader favor the division at the Albanian political forces and KLA.
Berisha: Government is creating a ghetto in Tropoja
TIRANA, August 8 - The democrats denounced Friday the stand of the Albanian government towards the treatment of the newcomers from Kosova. In a press conference the leader of DP Sali Berisha said that the government is creating a ghetto in Tropoja and misinforming the public opinion on the treatment of the Kosovars in Tropoja.The democrats said that the government has ordered to block the readiness of the local institutions to receive the newcomers from Kosova. The leader of DP Sali Berisha said that Albania must support morally and with humanitarian means Kosovars and influenced at the international organizations to solve the conflict. On the question of the Constitution the democrats said that they could not ignore the work of others, but there exist changing possibilities, because the study of the draft is opened. The democrats said that that they would made public their remarks on the round table of the parties on august 31. The leader of the democrats hailed during the press conference the Albanian and foreign businessmen who had not agreed to touch the assets of the Albanian creditors and called on the other businessmen not to buy the assets of the Albanians who had lost their money in the pyramid scheme companies. He said that DP will confiscate all these assets and properties when it will be in power.
Democristians call on international organizations to recognized Kosova's independence
TIRANA, August 8 - The democristian party declared that Albania, USA,OSCE,UNO,CE and the other European states must recognize the independence of Kosova. In a press conference Friday the leader of the this party Bushati said that this is the only means to avoid the war in Balkan and Europe.
Miloshevic, he went on wont accept nor the autonomy, independence or the dialogue for Kosova, but aims the colonization and the physical elimination of the people of Kosova and its return in a small Serbia within the Big Serbia. Bushati called on the Albanian president Meidani to be engaged personally and to ask the Albanian government to recognize the independence of Kosova. The Democristians accused the government of opening the road to organized crime and contraband and asked the approval of a special law against money laundering, which is done in Albania in all forms.UNICEF gives the alarm about children situation in Kosova
TIRANA, August 8 - /ENTER/-United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF issued a statement on Thursday that "the situation in Kosova is increasingly deteriorating as it now can be considered a human catastrophe." Major victims of the escalation of violence are children and women, said the statement. Pregnant women are obliged to give birth to their children in forests without medical care and professional assistance while the situation among children is very hopeless. In these conditions, UNICEF called on the international diplomatic community to take all necessary measures to reach a long term cease-fire in as shorter time as possible. "If no international coordinated and efficacious initiative is taken, the world leaders risk to see with their own eyes how violence and brutality will reach unbelievable levels in Kosova," the UNICEF statement said.
Thousands of Albanians in serious humanitarian situation
PRISHTINA, August 8 /ENTER/ - Since august when the Serb military-police forces entered the village of Eskove, Jabllanica and Gjakova have come under rocket propelled grenade launchers from the Eskova hill while over 10 thousand Albanian residents of the attacked villages of the commune of Klina are on the edge of a humanitarian catastrophe because they have run short of food, medicaments and other necessary things to live, Center for Information in Kosova (QIK) said.
The number of Albanians who have fled the war zones in Drenica and settled in Vushtri is estimated at 25.000 persons. Their health situation is deteriorating and they are running short of foods, clothes, medicaments and others. Around five thousand displaced people are settled in the building of an elementary school and the mosque of Qirez. Some 10 thousands have been settled at a place called Fusha e Molles in the village of Verbofc. It is said that the communal emergency council of Vushtri has offered 15tons of wheat to refugees for no aid has arrived until Wednesday from the humanitarian organizations in Vushtri.International pressure mounts on Milloshevic
BBC news, August 7President Slobodan Milloshevic of Yugoslavia is coming under renewed international pressure to halt continuing action in Kosova by Serbian forces against ethnic Albanian separatists. Ambassadors of NATO countries are discussing the conflict, a day after the United States warned that prospects of military intervention have increased. NATO has also announced that exercises in two neighboring countries - Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - will be held within a few weeks. American and Russian envoys - the US ambassador to Macedonia, Christopher Hill, and a Russian deputy foreign minister, Nikolai Afanasyevsky - have had talks together in Kosova as they continue attempts to negotiate a settlement to the conflict. A White House spokesman, PJ Crowley, earlier described the continuing Serbian offensive against ethnic Albanians as totally unacceptable. He said that systematic use of violence against the mainly ethnic Albanian population was outrageous. The US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has said the Serb action brings military action closer. Rugova welcomes intervention threats The President of the Kosova Albanians, Ibrahim Rugova, has welcomed the US threats of military intervention by NATO forces. Speaking in the provincial capital, Pristina, Mr Rugova said the people of Kosova have to be protected and he said he believed the West was serious about intervening in the province. He said the Serbian forces are still targeting villages in central Kosova and that children who had to flee their homes and are now hiding in mountains are the ones who are suffering the most.
Serb officials will not confirm if they are still carrying out operations against the guerrillas. Last week, the Yugoslav leader, Slobodon Milloshevic, assured international diplomats that the Serb operation against the Kosova civilians was over. But this is not the case.
ALBANIANS CONTINUE TO LIVE UNDER THE TERROR OF SERB ATTACKS_______________________________________________________________________PRISHTINE, 10 august /ENTER./ - During the attacks by Serb forces on August 7 in the village Likoc of Drenice, 46 homes have been set ablaze while school buildings and social institutions have been damaged and ruined, the Information Centre of Kosove reports. An eyewitness told ICK that the quarter Ahmetaj has been completely ruined while quarter Zabelaj has been partly destroyed. In Abri i Eperm the burnt bodies of two unidentified people were found on August 6.
The houses of quarters Gecaj and Vjovie in village Llaushe are reported to have been looted and then torched and nobody knows of the fate of 500-600 Albanians reportedly sealed off in village Llaushe. Great damages are registered in Plluzhine.
About 4000 refugees, mainly children, women and aged people are in open air for more than a week in Fushe e Molles, between Obiliq and Verboc.
The attack of Serb forces against villages of Decan, which started yesterday morning, is intensively continuing, the Information Centre of Kosove reports. Targets of the Serbs are the villages Lluka e Eperme, Carrabregu i Poshtem, Belegu, Prejlepi, Rastavica, Baballoci and Gramacelli, which are being shelled and attacked with all kinds of weapons by Serb forces.
In the above villages, besides Carrabreg i Poshtem and a part of Prejlep, the population returned to their homes some days ago. It is presumed that there have been casualties in the ranks of civil population because Serb forces attacked the people who have been fleeing their homes, mainly children, women and elderly people, stressed Information Centre of Kosove.
Fighting between Albanian and Serb forces have continued during the last 24 hours in the border line between Albania and Yugoslavia. During the attack on Vraniq village, of Dushkaja, Gjakova, the Serb force killed two Albanians who were defending their lands. The Serb military and police forces have ordered the population of three villages of Gjakova that is Gerine, Lipovec and Skivjan, to give up until Sunday 18.00. p.m. otherwise they will start shelling.
In Dean areas, the Serb forces have continued torching the houses of Albanians while shootings were heard in Strellc te Eperm, Carrabreg te Poshtem and Prejlep. An aggravated situation prevails in Drenica with Serb forces present in the Polac village and torching houses of Albanians.RP: EUROPE FAILED IN ITS MISSION ON KOSOVA. NATOP MUSAT INTERVENE
TIRANE,10 AUGUST ENTER/-The republican party denounced the violence and terror in Kosova and said that the only way to stop the Serb terror is a military intervention of NATO. The republicans said that Europe had failed in its attempts to stop the fightingþs and to create the conditions for the talks between the sides in conflict and only the intervention of USA and NATO would give an end to the terrorist actions of the Serbs.
The republicans criticised the actual government for apathy towards the national question and said that the present government is waiting for the others to solve this delicate and important question of the Albanian nation.
Deçan, 9 August (ARTA) 2000CET--
Today, early morning, 110 Serb military vehicles
have arrived in the area of Deçan. They were all carrying heavy
weaponry which were used to start a harsh attack on the villages Llukë
e Epërme, Carrabreg i Poshtëm, Beleg, Prejlep, Rastavicë,
Baballoç and Gramaçel. The Serb police and military forces
used tanks, large caliber canons, APCs and other military equipment. The
attack started at 0930CET.
The detonations were very loud and can be heard
from a long distance. Today's attack is one of the harshest of the Serb
police and military forces against KLA forces in Deçan.
Besides the shelling, Serb forces attempt to
penetrate in these villages with infantry units. In these zones of conflict,
a large number of houses have been damaged due to the shelling.
Local sources form the ground claim that the
Serb army has managed to reach the entrance of the village of Gramaçel
from the direction of Suka e Biteshit. However, the KLA units are resisting
the attack and are not allowing Serb military forces to get hold of the
village.
There is grounded fear that a determined number
of civilians was killed today, as it is reported that the Serb shelling
targeted the fleeing Albanians.
KOSOVA (killings/clashes – Deçan)
Serb attack over Deçan villages recommenced
Deçan, 9 August (ARTA) 1800CET--
Four Albanians, two women and two men, were killed
yesterday in their apartments in Deçan proper, LDK information sources
claim.
Serb police killed Shaban Osaj, Ajne Zymeraj
and Çaush Arifi, who were sheltered in Zymer Zymeraj’s flat, and
later they killed Çaush's wife, aged 70, in the apartment next-door.
Ever since the beginning of the first Serb operations
in the municipality of Deçan, three months ago, several hundred
Albanians are trapped inside Deçan.
Albanian sources from Deçan inform that
the Serb forces' attack over the villages of Deçan: Llukë e
Epërme, Carrabreg i Poshtëm, Beleg, Prejlep, Rastavicë,
Baballoç and Gramaçel, has recommenced with increased intensity.
This large-scale attack is claimed to have started in the early morning
hours, shortly after 0600CET.
The Serb forces are using all weaponry at their
disposal. Albanian sources claim that, besides firing grenades, the Serb
forces have also made attempts to enter the attacked villages with infantry,
but they ran into the resistance of the KLA forces and the local inhabitants.
The returned populations of all these villages
except of the villages of Carrabreg i Poshtëm and of one part of Prejlep,
managed to once again flee the attacked zones.
Although, still no confirmed data has been issued,
there are claims that there are many killed among the civilian population,
since the Serb forces also fired at the fleeing, among which there were
mainly women, children and elderly.
KOSOVA (clashes – Gjakovë)
The clashes and peoples' displacements in
the municipality of Gjakovë continue
Gjakovë, 9 August (ARTA) 1600CET--
Presently, all the villages of the municipality
of Gjakovë are taken over by the offensive of the Serb police, army
and paramilitary. The August offensive, claimed the lives of 14 Albanian
civilians, leaving over 60 thousand inhabitants, mainly children, women,
elderly and newborns, without shelter. Over 30 villages of different regions
of Gjakovë, are now turned into ashes, with destroyed houses and properties.
Last night, 1.241 inhabitants, women and children mostly, of the villages
of Anadrini, respectively of the village Ratkoc, spent the night outside
in the rain.
On the other hand, starting from yesterday, fierce
clashes between the local Albanian forces and the Serb police and army
commenced throughout last night and today in the village of Vraniq, municipality
of Gjakovë. Two victims and the destruction of several houses were
reported to have resulted from this attack. Other details could not be
issued since all the roads towards that area are completely blocked.
Harsh clashes have also taken place today along
the Gjakovë-Deçan road. The villages of Plançor, Dujakë
and Hereç are subjected to clashes. Hundreds of grenades have been
fired on these villages, the villages in the direction of Vraniq as well
as on the villages of the bordering zone. Presently the entire area of
the municipality of Gjakovë is in war, and the loud detonations can
be heard as far as in Gjakovë proper.
A source from the terrain, who wished to remain
anonymous, stated that the Serb forces have suffered large damages. Dozens
of Serb policemen, soldiers and paramilitary have been killed and that
numerous Serb owned vehicles were destroyed.
In the meantime, the IDPs are undergoing a very
difficult situation, since not a single humanitarian organization made
any effort to offer them any assistance.
KOSOVA (burning – Drenica)
46 houses burned in Likovc
Drenica, 9 August (ARTA) 1820CET--
46 houses were burned during the Serb force attack
over the village of Likovc, municipality of Drenica, as the local elementary
school and many stores have been turned to ruins, claim Albanian sources
from the ground. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled to the ground,
witnesses claim, adding that two more Albanians were killed during this
time. The same sources notify that two carbonated corpses were found in
the village of Abri e Epër.
The situation in the village of Llaushë
is reported to be very tense. Nothing is yet known about the 600 Albanians,
suspected to be trapped in this village.
The Serb forces' operation is entering the third
week ever since its beginning. As a result of the constant shelling, a
large number of houses have been destroyed in 13 villages and thousands
of residents and IDPs have fled once more, searching for shelter on the
right side of the Gllogoc-Skënderaj road.
KOSOVA (police/military movements – Drenica)
Large forces moving
Drenica, 9 August (ARTA) 2100CET--
Numerous Serb police\military force movements
were witnessed this morning on the Malishevë-Gryka e Llapushnikut
road (one segment of the Prishtina-Pejë road). For the 14th day now,
no person or civil car was seen on this road. Five buses filled with policemen,
from different parts of Serbia, came with a special escort, from the direction
of Malishevë and stopped for several minutes at the place called Smonica
near the village Tërpezë, municipality of Malishevë, at
around 1430CET.
The movements of these police\military forces
are adding to the already tense situation in Drenica and Llapushë
of Malishevë municipality. This also presents a great barrier for
the return of the 165.000 Albanians to their homes all over Kosova.
Two weeks passed ever since the Serb police\military
offensive in Gryka e Llapushnikut.
Three more killed were reported in the village
of Carallukë, municipality of Malishevë. Their corpses still
remain unburied.
The village of Carallukë, is burned to the
ground and presently this village is completely deserted.
KOSOVA (clashes – Klinë)
Massacred and unburied
Klinë, 9 August (ARTA) 1830CET--
The town of Klinë is at the same time witnessing
an increased return of the Albanian civilians and of a great number of
Serb police and armed civilians. The shooting in town during the night
has become habitual. The population of the 32 burned and shelled villages,
is continuing on without any help offered to them. For the 15th day, many
families from Çabiq, Ujëmirë, Shatricë, Zabërgjë
and Gllarevë are still in the woods. Some of the fortunate, managed
to leave the area through different channels.
Hysni Havolli, tells about the horrors he witnessed
when Jellovc, Jashanicë and Ozrim were besieged -- the burning of
the houses, killings, wounding.
"It was horrifying to see the corpse of Dibran
Shabani (60). The Serb army had ruthlessly massacred him", tells he.
Feriz Raçi from Siçevë, was
one of those who did not want to leave his house. The Serb army and police
that massacred him captured him. His body remains unburied.
Abaz Foniqi, a humanitarian activists, claimed
that for six days, the fleeing population, mainly consisted of a large
number of children, have not eaten anything but small amounts of biscuits,
just so that they can survive. It is a very disturbing sight, seeing them
without clothing or any blankets, their faces vanishing every day, claims
Abaz Foniqi.
On the other hand, three Albanians were killed
today during a Serb force attack against several villages surrounding Zllakuqan,
LDK sources inform. The same sources claim that the Serb forces have also
shelled the village of Kërrnicë, municipality of Klinë,
causing great material damages.
KOSOVA (houses burnt – Malishevë)
The Serb police burned the only Serb house
Malishevë, 9 August (ARTA) 2115CET--
Two nights ago, a Serb broadcasting station announced
the initiation of the criminal proceedings against several policemen who,
without any reason of war, burned houses in Llapushnik and Malishevë.
However, last night, the Serb police in a very organized way continued
burning houses in Bubavec and Drenoc.
On the other hand, the falsehood of the Serb
invitations sent to Albanians for their return home, is proved in the case
of Carallukë. There, the Serb police went inside the Albanian owned
houses, where they found 10 Albanians and immediately ordered them to leave
the houses. They left, under death threats.
Yesterday, Serb civilians burned the only Serb
house in Banjë of Malishevë municipality. It is supposed that
they did this to claim that Albanians burned it and thus have "a reason
for revenge".
Witnesses claim to have seen Serb civilians in
a car with Prishtina registration plates, moving around this house. It
is believed that they conducted this act.
They also approached mosque of this village,
looking at the minaret that was split into two parts, during the shelling.
Corpses of two Albanians, were identified yesterday.
One of them was completely decomposed.
KOSOVA (shelling – Lipjan)
Uninterrupted shelling
Lipjan, 9 August (ARTA) 1920CET--
The villages of the Drenica municipal region,
administered by Lipjan were shelled yesterday and today. Sources from the
ground do not report on any victims from this Serb artillery attack. The
villages with large concentration of civilian population, such as the villages
of Shalë, Krojmir and Pjetërshnicë, are completely abandoned,
fearing a possible shelling from the distance, from the Serb positions
in Shtime and in Magurë. The material damages are claimed to be very
high. Due to the deterioration of the situation in this zone, over 120
acres of grain fields remained non-harvested in Krojmir, whereas in Vërshec
there are 150 non-harvested acres.
The town of Lipjan is witnessing more incidents
and provocations over Albanians by Serbs. Last night at around 0200CET,
unidentified persons, stoned Beqir Selmani’s house. The owner of the house
reported the case to the police.
Nexhat Hetemi, from Lipjan, was called at the
police station, because he gave shelter to the displaced. Nothing is still
known about him.
There are claims that the travels on the asphalt
Janjevë-Lipjan road have recently become very difficult. Along this
road, in the Serb villages, such as in Gushtericë e Poshtme, Gushtericë
e Epërme and Dobratin, the Serb armed guards, stop and harass the
Albanian passersby. This has largely restricted the movements of the inhabitants
of this area during the night hours.
KOSOVA (raids – Mitrovicë)
The raiding of Albanian houses continue
Mitrovicë, 9 August (ARTA) 1900CET--
Several Albanian owned houses in the neighborhood
of "Tavnik" in Mitrovicë, were raided today by a police expedition,
which also consisted of Serb armed civilians, CDHRF in Mitrovicë informs.
An Albanian witness, Qerim Osmani, from the village
of Kopiliq, who managed to make it to Mitrovicë, tells that yesterday
at around 1000CET, over 2.000 Serb soldiers entered the village and poured
fuel on the Albanian houses. The Osmanaj neighborhood in the village Kopiliq
was completely destroyed. "VJ" soldiers also killed the cattle.
The "Yugoslav" Army severely wounded yesterday
Smail Zeneli (65), while Dibran Shabani, killed by the Serb snipers on
5 August, was buried yesterday.
From there, the Serb army continued its way in
the direction of Açarevë, claims Qerim, but upon facing KLA
forces, they were forced to withdraw to their bases. "The Serb army and
police, have set checkpoints in every 100 meters on Klinë e Begut
- Skënderaj road, while the Serb snipers are posted in the forests",
stated Qerim.
KOSOVA (tense situation – Prizren)
Four persons wounded during the massacre in
Rahovec
Prizren, 9 August (ARTA) 1945CET--
Loud artillery shelling and automatic shooting
was heard last night in the town of Prizren, causing great commotion among
the residents. There is no information about the eventual victims, besides
the wounding of one Serb reservist policeman, who shot himself on the leg
when he tried to cause panic among the Albanians of the "Pantali" neighborhood.
He was drunk
The Hospital of Prizren admitted four people
wounded in the massacre of Rahovec. Because of the severe injuries and
wounds, one of them was sent for medical treatment at the Prishtina Hospital.
Albanian sources claim that these people stayed
in these conditions in Rahovec for 20 days, without receiving any medical
treatment.
CDHRF in Prizren has information that there are
many others wounded inside the cellars of many Albanian houses in Rahovec.
Their condition is serious. Humanitarian and health organizations are appealed
to transfer them to larger hospital centers.
KOSOVA (KD reportage – Qirez, Drenica)
Hunger, diseases, infections are now a reality
Qirez, 9 August (ARTA) 2000CET--
Thousands of displaced, exhausted from hunger,
heat and the filthy water from unsafe streams will spent another night
under the open sky.
"We came from Ticë, we are a fifteen member
family...", said a woman. "We are twelve...", says another..."nine"..."thirteen"...
Close to a truck, stood a tent made of wood covered
with plastic. Under it, there were sponges and covers. A bit further, there
were people talking to each other. Their stories are all the same. "The
shelling started and we all ran away. We came here, we saw many others
and decided to stay. We will return when the Serb police and army withdraws
from our villages".
The children were wandering in groups, from one
tent to another, walking through the filthy water.
While we constantly hear the evaluations that
"we are at the edge of a humanitarian catastrophe", or "this is a humanitarian
catastrophe" or even "we might end up with an expansion of epidemics",
in the field filled with hopeless people, the situation is getting more
serious. There, all these evaluations are only "empty words", because there,
the hunger, diseases, infections are already a reality.
"Yes ... there, the youngest already has scabies",
says a father from Açarevë.
Nurse Myzafere, carrying a bag and a white coat
goes from one family to another, checking the blood pressure, treating
the wounds or checking the different infections due to the consumption
of the dirty water.
Then, she started treating the infected leg of
a young boy, looking at his yellowish face, a clear proof that he has hepatitis.
A little further, in the stream, where just before
bulls were in, three women were holding their clothes up, making a "bath
curtain", as on of them was having a bath.
The stream was not wider than a meter and deeper
than 80 centimeters.
There are still people at Fushë e Mollave.
According to some estimations, there are about 3.300.
The main street in Qirez, municipality of Drenica,
was flooded with tractors, women, children and elderly, who were headed
to an unknown direction, in search for a place where they could find shelter
for at least some time, a little peace from the echoes of the shelling
and the shooting.
Abdyl, who was known in the village as a leader
of the Emergency Council, said that "every family has received people,
who have now grown threefold. Every family bakes bread twice a day, once
for themselves and once for the guests". According to him, the number of
the people accommodated in Qirez and the surrounding, has now reached 30.000,
but now because some of the people moved to Mitrovicë and Vushtrri,
this number is decreasing.
KOSOVA (KD interview – Rifat Blaku, demographer)
Blaku: The number of the IDPs in Kosova surpasses
500.000
According to the Albanian demographer, there are over 500.000 IDPs inside Kosova and over 85.000 refugees outside its territory. Dr. Rifat Blaku, expert on migration issues, gives his opinion about the damages, the number of the killed, missing and displaced Albanians and the possibilities for their return. He claims that today, Kosova should have 2.438,602 inhabitants.
Blaku: The ten municipalities of the western and central Kosova, which have been subjected to the Serb military\police offensive have 958.000 Albanian inhabitants: Skënderaj 65.000; Gllogoc 68.000; Deçan 65,000; Gjakovë 146,000; Klinë 69,000; Istog 67,000; Rahovec 65,000; Pejë 165,000; Prizren 185,000; Suharekë 68,000.
KD: According to your evaluations, how many Albanians were displaced, during these last six months of the war in Kosova?
Blaku: Starting from the offensive of 28 February,
the massacre in Drenica, in Deçan, in Rahovec and in Drenica again,
the number of people that were forcefully displaced inside the territory
of Kosova surpasses 500 thousand. They mainly sought shelter in Pejë,
Gjakovë, Mitrovicë, Vushtrri, Prishtina and Prizren. Over 200.000
found "shelter" under the open wide sky in the forests of Berishë,
Çiçavicë and other forests in Drenica. These displacements
are constant and latent.
26.500 persons moved from Kosova to Albania,
over 21.800 are in Montenegro, 5.000 in Macedonia, in Bosnia over 6.000,
10.000 in Germany, 15.000 in Switzerland and several thousands in Turkey.
Over 228 Albanian villages are directly afflicted
by the war, several other tens are partially damaged, while all the other
remaining villages of the western and central Kosova are under the fear
of war. 50 villages are completely deserted, without a single person living
in them.
The damages that have been caused in these regions
are evaluated to cost over 3 billion and 600 DM.
KD: What is the number of the killed and missing Albanians in Kosova, ever since the beginning of the offensive on 28 February?
Blaku: The number of the killed has reached 600
and 500 are missing. According to our data, in the structure of the killed
and massacred people, 91.8% are children, women, elderly and mentally retarded
persons, and not KLA soldiers, which once more proves the fact that the
Serb aggressor failing to face the guerilla war, is directing all the hatred
and terror towards the undefended civilian population.
KOSOVA (Contact Group proposal)
Noisy Belgrade, silent Prishtina
Prishtina, 9 August (ARTA) 2130CET--
Diplomatic sources in Prishtina, inform that
the Contact Group proposal concerning the possibilities for the solution
of the Kosova problem and KLA's signs of readiness to engage in the coalition
Government, announce a new political "storm". Although, KLA has still not
officially replied to the invitation, the head of the Kosova Office in
Tirana, Ilaz Ramajli, evaluated that "KLA is positively observing all proposals".
This statement is evaluated by the diplomatic circles as a "sign of advance,
in the aspect of recommencing with the negotiations".
According to the international community, in
these negotiations, a series of proposed options should be discussed in
order to determine the possibilities of solving the Kosova issue. The British
ambassador to Belgrade, handed over the Contact Group document first to
the Serb political head in Belgrade and then to Ibrahim Rugova. The Serbs
evaluated this document as "highly advanced", since according to them,
any idea about the independence or a republic of Kosova is "overruled".
They also stated that "this document ensures the territorial integrity
of `FRY' and Serbia".
Following the visit to Prishtina, the Russian
Deputy-Foreign Minister, Nikolai Affanasiefsky, declared that the Contact
Group draft foresees a "high status for Kosova, within `Yugoslavia', however
excluding independence".
On the other hand, the "courier" of the Contact
Group, during his stay in Prishtina, emphasized that the document contains
different ideas about how the present problems in Kosova could be solved.
Certain sources inform that after the conversation
with Rugova, Donelly was seen travelling in the direction of the villages
of Drenica, supposedly to get KLA acquainted with the content of the document.
While the political head in Belgrade, continues
to "make noise", in Prishtina, no one has yet said anything about this
issue, as the content of this document remains "top secret".
Diplomatic sources notify that, in this document,
the Contact Group has drafted a series options concerning the solution
of the Kosova problem. These options start with a status of a third Republic
within "FRY" and end up with several forms of autonomy.
However, the speculations among the political
circles, mostly refer to the status of the "Republic minus", that means
an equal status with the one of Montenegro, but without a right to secession.
Despite the Serb "noise", one thing is for sure,
this document does not even mention Serbia nor its borders.
In the meantime, the political factor in Kosova
is anxious to hear KLA's final decision about its (non)engagement in the
coalition government, by which the conditions for the creation of a negotiating
group for the new negotiations with the "Yugoslav" side, would be created.
Nevertheless, KLA, this time also, is the one
that with its decisions, whatever they might be, about the coalition government,
international community's proposals and the negotiating process, will play
the key role in the future developments in Kosova.
TIRANA, Aug 8 (ATA)
- The Polish newspaper "Zhecpospolita" carries on August 6, 1998 an interview
with the leader of the Democratic party (DP) Sali Berisha. The interview
is prepared by journalist Rishard Bilski.
Question: Albanian
is the only country in the world which has recognised the so-called Republic
of Kosova in 1991. Was it a right decision?
Answer: For Kosova
it would have been important to be recognised by whatever country except
Albania. The international community does not like this recognition, therefore
I do not give any importance to the decision of the Albanian parliament.
Question: What
is the DP's stand on the future of Kosova. What should be done to avoid
the escalations of the Albanian-Serb conflict?
Answer: It is
necessary to respect the principles of self-rule and oppose change of border
by violence. Unfortunately, this cannot be done without the NATO intervention
in Serbia. International negotiations should be held to prevent the death
machine and define the rights and obligations of warring sides.
Question: What
are your expectations: an autonomy for Kosova or for example a solution
like that applied in Bosnia when a Croatian-Myslim federation and Republic
of Srbska were created. They are not independent states but constitute
a common state, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Answer: This is
precisely what I think.
Question: What
do you think about the aims of a part of Albanians for a Great Albania?
Answer: These
are naive aims, not real. Albanians cannot decide how will the political
map of Europe be. Politicians should aim at undertaking efforts for Albanians,
whatever they are, have the human rights respected. ypa/das/ak/
LINK to further press news_______________________________________________________________________
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