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Betreff:      [ALBANEWS] Yugoslavia and Kosovo: New Important Human Rights Reports
Datum:      Tue, 11 Aug 1998 18:34:32 +0300
    Von:     Greek Helsinki Monitor <helsinki@COMPULINK.GR>

Academic Leaders Protest Serbian Government Assault on Universities

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"The new law is a disastrous development for academics and for the future of public discussion and debate in Serbia...With international attention riveted on the conflict in Kosovo, Milosevic is tightening the screws at home."
 
Joseph Saunders
Human Rights Watch academic freedom specialist

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 (New York, August 10)--In an open letter today to Serbian President Milutinovic, the Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee, a group of internationally prominent scholars and academic leaders, protests a new Serbian law that the committee calls "an unprecedented assault on academic freedom and the autonomy of Serbian universities."
On May 26, 1998, the Serbian parliament passed a new law, the University Act, which gives government authorities exclusive power to appoint rectors, faculty deans, and governing boards at all public universities. The new law also requires that all faculty members sign new employment contracts, regardless of the terms and conditions of their existing contracts. Since the adoption of the new law, rectors, deans, and members of governing boards at universities across Serbia have been replaced with government appointees, many of them prominent members of the ruling political parties in Serbia; protests against the new law have been violently dispersed; and professors involved with opposition political parties or publicly opposed to the policies of Yugoslav President Milosevic have come under fire.

"The new law is a disastrous development for academics and for the future of public discussion and debate in Serbia," said Human Rights Watch academic freedom specialist Joseph Saunders. Noting the lack of attention paid by the international community to the crackdown on independent voices in Serbia, he added: "With international attention riveted on the conflict in Kosovo, Milosevic is tightening the screws at home."

The letter was signed on behalf of the committee by Yuri Orlov, senior scientist at Cornell University and founder of the Moscow Helsinki Group, and by Jonathan F. Fanton, president of the New School for Social Research in New York. The committee membership includes the presidents of Harvard University, Columbia University and over a dozen other universities in the United States, as well as internationally prominent academics such as Lord Ralf Dahrendorf of St. Antony's College at Oxford, Krzysztof Michalski of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, Ariel Dorfman of Duke University, John Kenneth Galbraith of Harvard University, and Fang Lizhi of the University of Arizona.

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Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch is a nongovernmental organization established in 1978 to monitor and promote the observance of internationally recognized human rights in Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and among the signatories of the Helsinki accords. It is supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. It accepts no government funds, directly or indirectly.

The Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee

The Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee aims to monitor, expose, and mobilize concerted action to challenge threats to academic freedom worldwide, and to foster greater scholarly and media attention to the critical role played by higher education in the development and preservation of civil society.

When teachers, researchers and students are harassed or imprisoned for exercising their rights of free expression and inquiry, when their work or research is censored, when access to educational institutions is restricted on discriminatory grounds, or when universities and schools are closed for political reasons, the committee responds by publicizing the abuses in the media and in the academic community, sending protest letters to appropriate government officials, and uniting concerned organizations in coordinated campaigns for effective international action.

The Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee is composed of twenty-eight university presidents and scholars. Its co-chairs are Jonathan Fanton of the New School for Social Research, Hanna Holborn Gray of the University of Chicago, Vartan Gregorian of the Carnegie Corporation, and Charles Young of the University of California at Los Angeles.

Its membership currently includes:
Johnetta Cole, President Emerita, Spelman College;
Joel Conarroe, President, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation;
Lord Ralf Dahrendorf, Warden, St. Antony's College, Oxford;
Ariel Dorfman, Research Professor, Duke University;
Thomas Ehrlich, Stanford University Law School;
James O. Freedman, President, Dartmouth College;
John Kenneth Galbraith, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University;
Bernard Harleston, Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education;
Alice Stone Ilchman, President, Sarah Lawrence College;
Stanley N. Katz, Professor, Princeton University;
Nannerl O. Keohane, President, Duke University;
James T. Laney, President, Emory University;
Paul LeClerc, President, The New York Public Library;
Fang Lizhi, Professor, University of Arizona;
Walter E. Massey, President, Morehouse College;
Krzysztof Michalski, Professor, Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna;
Joseph A. O'Hare, President, Fordham University;
L. Jay Oliva, President, New York University;
Yuri Orlov, Senior Scientist, Cornell University;
Frank H. T. Rhodes, President Emeritus, Cornell University;
Neil Rudenstine, President, Harvard University;
George Rupp, President, Columbia University;
Judith R. Shapiro, President, Barnard College;
Michael Sovern, Professor, Columbia University Law School;
Chang-Lin Tien, Chancellor Emeritus, University of California at Berkeley.

For more information:
Joseph Saunders, Human Rights Watch: (212) 216-1207
Fred Abrahams, Human Rights Watch: (212) 216-1270
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Academic Leaders Protest Serbian Government Assault on Universities -- HRW Letter

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 August 10, 1998
The Honorable Milan Milutinovic
President, Republic of Serbia
Belgrade, Yugoslavia
 

Dear President Milutinovic:

On behalf of the Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee, a group of scholars and academic leaders organized in 1991 to protest restrictions on academic freedom and abuse of the basic rights of educators and students worldwide, we are writing this open letter to express our grave concern over the assault on university autonomy and academic freedom currently underway in Serbia.

On May 26, 1998, the Serbian parliament passed a new law, the University Act, giving the Serbian government broad new powers over public universities in Serbia. The law was published in the official gazette of the Republic of Serbia and signed into law on May 28, 1998. The University Act abolishes the autonomy of the universities:

The law authorizes the government to appoint university rectors and faculty deans without input from professors or other members of the academic community (Article 108; Article 123, Para. 2).

The law strips professors and other teaching staff of the right to propose members of university and faculty-level governing and supervisory boards, the membership of which is determined by the government (Articles 128, 131). Although faculty governing boards continue to include places reserved for professors and students, such individuals are appointed by the government and can be removed by the government.

The law authorizes the government to shut down public universities at its discretion (Article 18, Para. 2). The University Act also abrogates existing contracts of teaching staff, including the contracts of tenured faculty members:

The law requires that all professors and other teaching staff sign new employment contracts. Article 165 of the law states: "Employees of the University who have begun employment up to the date of entry into force of this law are obliged to conclude a labor contract within 60 days of the entry into force of this Law."
The precise implications of Article 165 are unclear. Although the University Act does not expressly declare existing contracts null and void, or provide for specific penalties for those who refuse to sign new contracts, there is widespread fear among faculty members that government-appointed deans will interpret the new law aggressively and take punitive measures against those who do not sign. Since the law was passed, hundreds of professors have signed declarations opposing the law and stating that they will not sign new contracts while their existing contracts are still in effect. Many academics have compared the new contract requirement to an oath of loyalty to the existing government. The sixty-day period specified in the law expired on August 5, 1998. At the time this letter was prepared, the fate of professors who had refused to sign new contracts was still uncertain.

Since the adoption of the University Act, administrators deemed "unsuitable" by the government have been replaced at universities across Serbia. Not all new administrators have cracked down on perceived political enemies among faculty and staff, but the broad powers given them under the new law invite such arbitrary exercise of power. The most dramatic changes under the new law have taken place at the University of Belgrade, which in recent years has been a center of student protest and is home to a number of prominent faculty critics of the current Yugoslav and Serbian governments.

The law has had the following consequences at the University of Belgrade:

Of thirty deans of faculty at the University of Belgrade, sixteen have been replaced even though the terms for which they had been elected had not expired. Four of the sixteen themselves resigned in protest against the new law (Marija Bogdanovic, Fedor Zdanski, Ivan Juranic, Zoran Kadelburg). All four had participated in protests in 1996-97 against what they believed were rigged elections and the rector's support of police measures against student demonstrators. Of the twelve deans who were removed by the government, at least half had taken part in the 1996-97 protests. None of the replaced deans, however, were members of political parties. By contrast, fifteen of the sixteen newly appointed deans are members of the ruling parties. In addition, Mr. Jagos Puric, the newly appointed rector of the university, was formerly a prominent member of the communist party and is now a member of the Yugoslav Left (JUL), a party led by Mira Markovic, the wife of Yugoslav President Slobodon Milosevic.

At least thirteen politicians influential in Serbia's ruling coalition – comprised of JUL (see above), the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), and the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) – were named to the governing and supervisory boards of the university and its component faculties. Goran Matic and Leposava Milicevic, high-ranking members of JUL, were appointed to the governing board of the university. Vojislav Seselj, president of the ultra-nationalist SRS, now sits on the governing board of the university as well as the governing boards of the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Economics. Another SRS leader, Aleksandar Vucic, now sits on the governing boards of the university and the Faculty of Philosophy. Branislav Ivkovic, a high-ranking member of the SPS, was named to the governing board of the university, as was his colleague Goran Percevic, vice-president of the SPS. Other influential members of the ruling parties named to one or more governing boards include: Milovan Bojic, Ivan Markovic, Radoman Bozovic, Srdjan Smiljkovic, Goran Trivan, Milos Aleksic, and Zivorad Djordjevic.

At the Faculty of Philology, the government appointed Prof. Radmilo Marojevic, a member of the SRS and a junior professor of Russian, as the new dean. At a press conference on July 11, 1998, Marojevic stated that professors in his faculty were not doing "useful work." In subsequent weeks, he announced that professors could not take their holiday leave until after August 6, the deadline under the University Act for all professors to sign new employment contracts. Marojevic also interpreted the requirement that professors sign new employment contracts broadly, stating:
"It is not only a question of whether a professor or associate wants to sign the contract, but whether I, as the Dean of the Faculty, who defends the interests of the Republic of Serbia and its scholarship and education in this case, shall want to sign it." Marojevic decided that Professor Ranko Bugarski, a renowned professor of linguistics and a prominent and influential critic of the nationalist policies of the government, was no longer eligible to work at the university because he had reached the retirement age of sixty-five. Professor Bugarski, however, had signed a new two-year contract under the former dean in May 1998 and the Serbian Labor Relations Act expressly authorizes such an extension. Marojevic also has announced his intention to disband the Department of World Literature. The current head of the department, Professor Vladeta Jankovic, is prominent in the opposition. Many of Marojevic's policies are being challenged by professors and have not yet been implemented, but the broad power given to government-appointed university officials under the new law invites those kinds of policies.

At the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, the newly appointed dean, Vlada Teodosic, issued a decision on July 8, 1998 stripping Professor Slavoljub Marjanovic, an internationally respected scientist, of "all rights and obligations . . . for the subjects of Electronics I and II." The action against Prof. Marjanovic appears to have been taken in retaliation for his opposition to the changes taking place under the new law. On the acknowledgments page of his recently issued textbook on electronics, Prof. Marjanovic, who already had been threatened with suspension by the new dean, stated that he was omitting the names of his colleagues to save them from potential harassment by the new faculty authorities. He was relieved of teaching duties shortly thereafter. The new dean also appointed Milos Laban as a new associate professor. Mr. Laban, an unsuccessful candidate of the SPS in parliamentary elections in 1990 and 1992, had been refused such an appointment by the academic council of the faculty prior to the government takeover. Because of the powers granted him under the new law, the new dean was free to ignore the prior recommendation of faculty members.

Prof. Vladimir Stambuk, a member of the directorate of JUL and new dean at the Faculty of Political Science, announced that he would review all teaching appointments made in the last twenty years and refuse to sign contracts with "those who have not been adequate for their jobs."

In the days immediately before and after the passage of the University Act, the government cracked down hard on demonstrations protesting the law. The most brutal crackdown occurred on May 26, 1998, the day the law was passed by the Serbian parliament, when anti-riot police moved in on approximately 1,500 protesting students, professors, and citizens. At least ten students and professors required medical attention after the assault. Another student demonstration protesting the law was violently dispersed on June 2, 1998. Both demonstrations reportedly had been nonviolent. The government claims that the protesters lacked proper permits for the rallies.
<\ul> The developments described above constitute an unprecedented assault on academic freedom and the autonomy of Serbian universities, a principle established in Serbia nearly two centuries ago. Academic excellence requires that decisions affecting teaching, scholarship, and research be made on the basis of academic merit, not political favoritism or ideological litmus tests. The danger of the new law is that such decisions have been put into the hands of government-appointed officials, with no participation by faculty members, apart from a handful of faculty members selected by the government. Even during the Nazi occupation of Serbia in the early 1940s, the ruling authorities were required by law to consider proposals from the professorate before appointing university and faculty leaders.

Government officials and university administrators close to the government have attempted to justify the government's de facto takeover of the universities by stating that higher education in Serbia has become inefficient because some faculty are not fulfilling their responsibilities, and by insisting that the universities must be forcefully "de-politicized" because faculty are spending too much of their time engaging in opposition political activities. Neither of these rationales supports the actions taken by the Serbian government.

First, whatever the motives of the government in passing the University Act, the new law removes existing safeguards for academic autonomy and thus opens the door to political meddling in academic affairs by both present and future governments of Serbia. In principle, the university is an institution open to all on the basis of merit, and should serve as an important intellectual resource not only to governments and industry, but also to individuals and interests independent of the state. The University Act, however, appears to be turning universities into institutions that exclusively serve the interests of Serbian state authorities.

Second, if university officials believe that professors or other teaching staff are not fulfilling their responsibilities, they should proceed against such individuals on a case-by-case basis according to the terms of existing employment contracts and, where applicable, existing guarantees of tenure. Such proceedings should be adjudicated by an impartial arbiter, giving the individual professor or teacher involved every opportunity to defend himself or herself according to recognized principles of contract law and due process.

Finally, the exercise by professors of their rights as citizens to express their views should not be the cause for their dismissal or any other form of retaliation against them. As advocates of human rights and academic freedom, it is not our intention to support or dispute the opinions, ideas, or research findings of the academics and students whose cases we discuss. It is, however, a central feature of our mandate to defend their right to express their views and to study, research, teach, and publish without interference.

The Serbian government's academic justification for its assault on the universities is pernicious. Experience has repeatedly demonstrated that academic freedom – and the spirit of critical inquiry it embodies – cannot flourish where members of the academic community must fear censorship and politically motivated reprisals for expression of their views. To the extent that the University Act authorizes government-appointed university administrators to remove or otherwise sanction faculty members who have been critical of the government or active in the opposition, it violates internationally recognized human rights law, depriving such professors of their rights to free expression, association, and assembly.

As set forth in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), of which Yugoslavia is a signatory, freedom of expression "shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds." Articles 21 and 22 of the ICCPR guarantee "the right of peaceful assembly" and "the right to freedom of association with others," respectively. These freedoms are essential preconditions to academic excellence. A university fulfills its mission when academics are not forced to support an official line, an economic agenda, or a political ideology, but rather are free to use their talents to advance human knowledge and understanding. Freedom of expression, association, and assembly are also core civil and political rights essential to citizen autonomy. There can be no liberty and no meaningful citizenship where individuals can lose their livelihood for peacefully expressing their views or participating in political associations not favored by the authorities.

We respectfully urge the Serbian government to repeal the University Act, restore the autonomy of universities in Serbia, and guarantee the right of students and professors to exercise their rights of free expression, association, and assembly without fear of reprisal. Professors and other teaching staff who have refused to sign new employment contracts while their existing contracts are still in effect should under no circumstances be removed from their positions or otherwise be penalized for their principled stance.

Thank you for your consideration of these important matters. We look forward to your reply.

Sincerely yours,

/s/ Yuri Orlov
Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee
Senior Scientist, Cornell University

/s/ Jonathan F. Fanton
Co-Chair, Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee
President, New School for Social Research

cc: The Honorable Mirko Marjanovic, Prime Minister, Republic of Serbia
The Honorable Dragan Tomic, President of Parliament, Republic of Serbia
The Honorable Jovo Todorovic, Minister of Education, Republic of Serbia
The Honorable Slobodon Milosevic, President, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

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Society for Threatened Peoples
Human rights organisation for ethnic and religious minorities in consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council
Reply to: europa@gfbv.de
 

On Friday, 7 August 1998, the Society for Threatened Peoples (Gesellschaft fuer bedrohte Voelker, GfbV), the second largest human rights organisation in middle Europe, submitted their latest report about the violations of human rights committed by the Serbian troops in Kosovo.  The report summarises all so far known information about expulsion, massacres, mass executions, hostage taking and "disappearances".  We are sending you a summary of this report today.  The full version comprises 44 pages and can be obtained from the GfbV in Germany under the telephone number +49 551 49906-11 or -28.  Until now, the report has only been available in German and will be translated in the coming weeks.

Kosovo: War, Mass Expulsion, Massacres
A Report By The Society For Threatened Peoples
August 1998

- Summary -

In Kosovo, the Milosevic regime is making war with the non-Serbian people of former Yugoslavia for the fourth time.  Until 1989, Kosovo, which has a population of more than 90 per cent Albanians, was an autonomous area inside former Yugoslavia, and politically equal to the six republics.  Immediately after he took over power, Milosevic abolished this status of autonomy.  Kosovo was subject to rigid policies of serbianisation.  The Kosovo Albanians have continued a non-violent resistence to these policies for years, and hoped for help from outside to achieve self-determination again. However, after the Dayton Conference, the governments of the so-called Bosnian Contact Group (with the exception of the USA) recognised the new "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia", without considering the interests of the Albanians.  In this way they created the facts of international law which are allegedly making intervention in the "internal affairs" of Serbia impossible today, which means intervention in the war against two million Kosovo Albanians by the Milosevic regime.

Preparations For War

The war against the Kosovo Albanians has been being prepared by the Milosevic regime for a long time.  The first signs occured already at the end of 1997.  On 11 February 1998 at a press conference in Novi Sad representatives of opposition parties in Vojvodina pointed out that they had "incontrovertible evidence" that the army was being mobilised for war in Kosovo.  On 5 March 1998, shortly after the outbreak of the fighting, UNHCR speaker Mons Nyberg protested against the recruitment of Serbian refugees from Croatia for military service in Kosovo, in opposition to international humanitarian law.  In June 1998, members of the Hungarian minority from Vojvodine confirmed to the Society for Threatened Peoples that more that three hundred soldiers were in operation in Kosovo against their will.  The strength of the Serbian forces is estimated at up to 50,000 men, the cost of the war is estimated at two million US dollars daily. In addition, the Serbian troops in Kosovo are running looted Dutch APCs, stolen in July 1995 from the Dutch UNPROFOR who were stationed in Srebrenica.

The Course Of War

The war began on 28 February 1998 with the massacres in the Drenica region and extended quickly.  The war in central Kosovo started in the middle of June, the fighting intensified in the regions of Mitrovica and Prizren in the middle of July, and on 14 July Serbian troops were observed in the south, in the region of Opoje on the border to Macedonia.  On 19 July, the Serbian troops fired numerous grenades into the territory of the neighbouring state of Albania.  On 25 July the Serbian troops finally started their large offensive in central Kosovo.  During the attacks, they went forward directly against the civilians.  Two people from the Yugoslavian Army who surrendered to the "Kosovo Liberation Army", UCK, told the OSCE that they received such commands.

Refugees

The number of refugees is increasing constantly.  From the beginning of March until the beginning of July, there were 160,000 people in flight, according to estimates by the GfbV.  Albanian aid organisations give a figure of 200,000 refugees already on 16 July.  On 29 July, the Kosovo relief organisation, Mother Theresa, in Malisheva estimated the figure of inland refugees to be 263,000.  International organisations are warning of a humanitarian tragedy.  Already in June 1998 Charles Raedersdorf, the leader of the Swiss relief agency, SKH, called for urgent preparations for the breakout of winter which is to be expected in the middle of October.

The Plan Of The Attacks

The attacks follow a system which reminds one of every attack during the Bosnian War.  They frequently begin with a surprise attack at dawn which is carried out using heavy weapons such as rockets and grenades.  Then snipers are positioned who restrict freedom of movement of the civilian population.  As a result, many civilians hide themselves in the woods and return to their houses by night in order to receive necessities for their survival.  Finally heavily armed troops draw in who block all transport connections during the day.  Under their protection, special units in dark uniforms with machetes and "scorpion" guns arrive in the area.  These troops are supposed to carry out massacres.  After days or weeks of terror, the bombardments are increased further and in addition continued into the night, until the population leaves the area.  Plundering follows.  The houses are burnt to the ground.  The cattle are left uncared for or are killed.  According to statistics from the GfbV, between the beginning of March and the end of July 1998, more than two hundred and fifty Albanian villages were attacked by the Serbian forces, bombarded with heavy artillery and partly or completely destroyed.  According to the US human rights organisation, Physicians for Human Rights, women were imprisoned and raped.  Some women are said to be "missing" thereafter.  The GfbV estimates that at least 1,000 people had been killed by the end of July.

Massacres And Mass Killings

Since the offensive in the Drenica region at the beginning of March, the Serbian forces (Serbian special police, the Yugoslavian Army, and paramilitary "Chetnik" troops under the leadership of the alleged war criminals, Zeljko Raznjatovic "Arkan" and Vojislav Seselj) have committed severe violations of human rights against the Albanian population.  During the massacres in Qirez/Cirez, Likoshan/Likosan, Prekaz, Glogjan/Glodjan, Zhara, Drenoc, Lubeniq/Ljubenic, Poklek i Ri near Glogovc/Glogovac, Padesh in the mountains near Decan, and during the storming of the town of Raho-vec/Orahovac, whole families were executed, pregnant women, elderly people and children were killed, men were hung up on electricity pilons and hand grenades were thrown into cellars housing refugees.  The Albanian human rights organisation, Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF), in Prishtina, the Serbian human rights organisation, Humanitarian Law Fund (HLF), in Belgrade, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights and UN investigators have submitted first documentations of the events on the basis of local investigations and witness statements.  The UN War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague started investigations into crimes in Kosovo on 12 June 1998.CampsSome reports say that prisoners are being held temporarily, tortured and probably executed in the Serbian forces headquarter "Munitions Factory" in Skenderaj/Srbica.  According to statements by the Greek Helsinki Committee and by Human Rights Watch, again and again refugees have named the secondary school and the "Dekor" building in the now destroyed town of Decan as an internment camp for Albanian men.  In the prison in Gjilan/Gnilane, Albanian prisoners were apparently so seriously mistreated that one was able to hear their cries of pain from the street. The whole area of Kosovo is under the control of Serbian forces who have erected a comprehensive network of checkpoints on all streets, important crossroads, train stations, bus stops, and arterial roads in the towns and villages. Men of military age in particular are being pulled out of buses and trains incessantly (predominantly by the Serbian forces, but also by the Kosovo Albanian guerilla army, the UCK) and during the conquering of towns and villages are being arrested and mistreated, as well as imprisoned and abducted.

Missing Persons

While about 400 Albanians are missing without a trace on the one hand, on the other hand, again and again, corpses are being found or being brought into morgues by the police under unexplained circumstances, as well as being unidentified.  On 8  July 1998, in a dramatic appeal, the Kosova Albanian human rights organisation Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) called on "all sides" to respect the Geneva Conventions and release all prisoners.  According to statements by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the fate of 130 Serbian people remains unexplained.

The Humanitarian Situation

Since March 1998, the humanitarian situation in the whole area of Kosovo has been strained. Tens of thousands of refugees from the immediate areas of fighting must be cared for.  The relief provided by international aid organisations is being seized or stopped and is not allowed to pass into the emergency areas. In twelve areas of Kosovo, mainly in the west and south west, the provision of food stuffs, medication and other relief goods have been partly or completely blocked since March.  Electricity and water were also partly or completely broken down. The population in these areas was estimated to be 750,000 people in the middle of June, of which more than 100,000 are refugees.  While the UCK controlled areas are hermetically encircled by the Serbian troops, the people in the Serbian areas are also living in an exceptional situation.  Every move is watched by the Serbian snipers, no-one can enter or leave the area freely.  Again and again, relief transports are turned back and workers in Albanian relief organisations are imprisoned for "supporting the enemy".

Human Rights Violations By the UCK

The Kosovo Albanian guerilla army, the Kosovo Liberation Front UCK, comprising 30,000 men according to their own statements in the middle of July, have declared that they respect international humanitarian law.  Massacres and the employment of artillery against Serbian civilians are not known of until now.  However, according to information presented to the GfbV, the UCK have been involved in hostage taking, mistreatment and disappearances of predominantly male Serbian civilians and non-combattants, even if not on the same scale as the Serbian forces.  UCK speaker, Jakub Krasniqi confessed that the UCK have carried out executions, in the Albanian newspaper, Koha Ditore.  On 8 July 1998, the Albanian human rights organisation, CDHRF claimed the number of Serbians missing was 32, while the ICRC spoke of 130 missing Serbians at the end of July.  Apparently, elderly people and women are handled fairly by the UCK, while men of military age and allegedly Albanian "collaborators" are victims of human rights violations.

Appeal from the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV)

* The GfbV appeals to the governments of the so-called Bosnian Contact Group, in particular the German Government, to put a stop to the "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo and to give the Serbian leadership an ultimatum.  The Serbian forces must return to their barracks immediately and leave Kosovo within fourteen days, release all hostages and prisoners immediately, and allow relief organisations and representatives of the UN complete freedom of movement.  If Milosevic ignores these demands, then NATO must prevent further attacks on the Albanian population in Kosovo.

* The GfbV appeals to the governments of the Contact Group to demand of the Albanian resistance movement, the UCK, the release of all hostages and prisoners, the punishment of all perpetrators of violence within the UCK, the explanation of the fate of all Serbian civilians whose disappearence is connected with the operations of the UCK, the end of the practice of condemning alleged "collaborators" without a far trial, as well as the respect of the cultural, historical and religious monuments and goods of the Serbian minority population in Kosovo.

* The GfbV asks the governments of the Contact Group to organise free and secret elections in Kosovo, under international control, to recognise the decision of this parliament about the future status of Kosovo in international law, and to guarantee the realisation of this decision, as well as to take care that the human and minority rights of the Serbian, Montenegrian, the Muslim Bosnian, Turkish and Roma peoples in Kosovo are protected by a minority statute.The complete report (in German) can be obtained from the Society for Threatened Peoples under the telephone number +49 551 4990611 or by email under versand@gfbv.de. The English translation will be available in the end of August.

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                                PRESS RELEASE

ICG Publishes Report Examining the Macedonian Dimension of the Kosovo Conflict

                                10 August 1998

The International Crisis Group (ICG) publishes today a report examining the Macedonian dimension of the Kosovo conflict.

The 24-page report, entitled The Albanian Question in Macedonia: Implications of the Kosovo Conflict for Inter-Ethnic Relations in Macedonia is the latest in a series of ICG studies in the southern Balkans and the second to focus specifically on Macedonia.

As the one former Yugoslav republic which has managed to keep itself out of the wars of Yugoslav dissolution, Macedonia has often appeared to outsiders as a beacon of hope in the Balkans.  However, inter-ethnic relations in the young state are poor.

As fighting between ethnic Albanian separatists and the Serbian police and military escalates in Kosovo, relations between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians -- who make up at least 23 percent of the population -- are deteriorating alarmingly.  As a result, Macedonia and its entire population, irrespective of ethnic origins, stand to be among the greatest long-term losers of the Kosovo conflict.

The report discusses the domestic context of inter-ethnic relations in Macedonia and assesses the influence of events in Kosovo on the aspirations and strategies of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia.  It also analyses the increase in inter-ethnic tension in Macedonia as a result of the conflict in Kosovo.

It looks at existing security arrangements in the country and the possible ramifications of additional foreign military deployment in Macedonia.  The report also considers how the international community might take account of the fragile situation in Macedonia when framing its response to the crisis in Kosovo, and contains a series of recommendations about appropriate international actions to alleviate the tension in Macedonia and to contribute towards longer-term stability.

Appendices at the end list key constitutional provisions and include a useful who’s who of Macedonian politics and media.

For further information and copies of the report, contact ICG in Sarajevo on (+387 71) 447 845, 447 846 or 200 447, in Washington on (+1 202) 986 9750, or in Brussels on (+32 2) 502 9038.  The report can also be accessed via the Internet on ICG’s web site - http://www.intl-crisis-group.org.

_______________________________________

Greek Helsinki Monitor & Minority Rights Group - Greece
P.O. Box 51393     GR-14510 Kifisia     Greece
Tel. +30-1-620.01.20     Fax +30-1-807.57.67     e-mail: office@greekhelsinki.gr
http://www.greekhelsinki.gr

REPORT NO. 429

ON THE WIDESPREAD REPRESSION AND HARASSMENT PERPETRATED BY
THE SERBIAN POLICE AND OTHER AUTHORITIES IN KOSOVA
FROM AUGUST 6, UNTIL AUGUST 9, 1998

The attacks of Serbian police and military forces continue. Serb paramilitaries continue to plunder, burn and destroy the Albanian houses which were preserved up to now. Many were killed or died due to wounds or torture. Many were arrested and ill-treated. Yet, what threatens most, are the 270.000 displaced persons, mainly women, children and elderly. Those who did not manage to flee to Albania, Montenegro or to other regions which were not affected by war, had to seek safety in the open, with no food and water, clothing, medicine or medical assistance. They are threatened by epidemics and a true humanitarian catastrophe. We continue to list the names of those killed and massacred or those who died due to torture during the last few days.
On July 29, Serb paramilitaries killed Ramë S. Gashi (78), a shepherd from Lutogllava near Peja.
On August 2, Nekë Halit Pajaziti (53) from Dobrosh near Gjakova was killed between the villages of Meja and Madanaj.
On August 4, Teki Ramshaj (26) from Rahovec died due to being tortured at the police station in Prizren.
On August 5, Agim Brahim Zekaj (27) from Raushiq was found killed in the vicinity of the police check-point in the outskirts of Peja.  Brahim Krasniqi from the village of Maxhunaj near Vushtrria died in the Tirana hospital. He died due to wounds inflicted by shelling.
On August 6, Idriz Ramadan Krasniqi (1985) was killed by the Serbian police in Billusha near Prizren. Jeton Tërstena (24) was killed in Pantina near Vushtrria.
On August 7, Serbian forces killed Elmi Veli Kadriu (51), from Likoc, mentally ill, Sokol Aruçi (60) and Hana Zabeli (85) from Rezalla, paralysed. In Abria e Epërme, two youngsters were killed due to shelling. Two corpses were brought to the morgue of the Gjakova hospital. It is supposed that the killed are Prekë Shaban Krasniqi and Prelë Sadri Krasniqi from the village of Meqa near Gjakova. Mark Tunë Lleshaj (73) and Kolë Gjon Lleshaj (30) were killed while defending their houses in the village of Vraniq near Gjakova.
On August 8, Serbian forces killed Shaban Osaj, Ajne Zymer Zymeraj, Çaush Arif Bajraktari and his 70-year-old wife. All were killed in their flatys in Deçan. Miftar Zekaj (70) from Rracaj near Reka e Keqe was buried in Shaptej near Deçan. He was killed while fleeing from the Serbian agression. Fetah Bali Gashi (90) was buried in the village of Bubavec near Malisheva. The corpses of Murat Kryeziu (50) and Hazir Kryeziu (50) could not be buried. All three were killed due to shelling.

Prishtina, August 11, 1998              Information Service

Situation Update

Many Convoys

Mercy Corps International made several distributions today in three different locations.  A convoy with Catholic Relief Services, Children's Aid Direct and Doctors of the World went to western Malisevo/Malisheva today to deliver food and non-food items.  MCI sent 5 tons of wheat flour, 2 tons of detergent, 100 blankets, 300 kg of milk powder, 600 jars of baby food and 110 packs of high protein biscuits.

At the same time, MCI arranged a convoy consisting of seven trucks, one 4WD vehicle and one van to Vushtri/Vucitern and Mitrovica.  A total of 84 tons of wheat flour, 100 cooking stoves, 50 bales of plastic sheeting, 200 blankets and 71 sleeping pads were delivered.  Doctors of the World sent 3,000 food packs to both locations.  All items are for IDPs, host families and social cases and were delivered to the Mother Theresa Society warehouses in both locations.  The convoy encountered one police checkpoint before Vushtri and were waved on after a 15 minute delay.  Police were very professional and courteous.

MCI staff conducted an assessment in the area near Vushtri/Vucitern and made a visit to Qirez, in the Serbica/Skenderaj municipality.  Along the road, dozens of tractors and cars taking IDP families to Vushtri were noted.  Staff counted between 200-300 people in tractors/cars.  In Qirez, between 500-800 IDPs were counted, some living in the school and some in the local Mosque.  Those whom staff spoke with had arrived within the past two days from nearby villages, some from Likovc which was shelled earlier in the day. Smoke from that direction could be seen.  A few UCK soldiers were in the area and one UCK checkpoint had to be crossed.  Most families we spoke with were preparing to go to Vushtri.

Montenegro Flour

By the end of this week, Mercy Corps International will have made good on its pledge to deliver 150 tons of wheat flour to Montenegro.  The lastest IDP counts for Montenegro are over 23,000.  MCI will continue to assess the situation there and will work with UNHCR and other organizations to address the needs of IDPs.

August 8 IDP Count

The Mother Theresa Society has put the August 8 IDP count at over 307,000 for Kosovo.  This is up from 263,000 on July 28.  Most news organizations are now quoting over 200,000 IDPs and Richard Holbrooke noted on CNN a figure of "10 percent of the population" which is consistent with 200,000. People continue to move from village to village and a large number of people (50,000-100,000) are now living outside in disasterous conditions. They are living in crowded, unsanitary and primitive conditions with the potential for health hazards growing day by day.

The Mother Theresa Society count (by municipality) for August 8 is:

 8,000          Serbica/Skenderaj
17,000          Glogovac/Gllogovc
50,000          Mitrovica
10,000          Lipjan
18,000          Vushtri/Vucitern
   480          Obilic/Obiliq
11,330          Pristina
40,000          Malisevo/Malisheva
10,000          Istog
   N/A          Runik
30,500          Pec/Peja
10,000          Klina
25,000          Djakovica/Gjakova
   N/A          Fushe Kosove
 7,800          Ferizaj
25,000          Decan
   N/A          Junik
25,000          Suhareke
 3,900          Magure
   N/A          Isniq
 5,500          Shtimje
   N/A          Rahovec
   120          Mramor
10,000          Prizren
   N/A          Caber

307,396 Total for Kosovo

 5,800          Rozaje (Montenegro)
 6,402          Plav
10,300          Ulcin

22,502          Total for Montenegro

We will continue to keep you updated as we receive information on this humanitarian crisis.

Rrezja

U.S. Newswire
 7 Aug 11:55

 FAS Statement on Tribunal for Kosovo War Crimes
 To: National and International desk
 Contact Jeremy J. Stone of the Federation of American Scientists,  202-546-3300

   WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Federation of American Scientists:

                TRIBUNAL EXISTS FOR KOSOVO WAR CRIMES

   An International Tribunal exists with the jurisdiction and the competence to review war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and its governing statute covers, besides genocide, crimes against humanity that include "forced deportation".

   In the attached letter to the Tribunal's prosecutor, faxed to her today, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) called upon her to investigate the actions of Yugoslav Army forces and armed units allied with them in apparent efforts to "cleanse parts of Kosovo of its ethnic Albanian citizens."  Upon discussions with human rights advisers on genocide and war crimes, the scientists' group concluded that this constituted forced deportations.

   The Federation noted in its letter that Article 7 of the Tribunal's Statute holds responsible all persons who have "planned, instigated, ordered, committed or otherwise aided and abetted in the planning and preparation of a crime."  And this included, under the same article, all officials, including a "head of state."

   Asked why there had not been more notice taken of the authority of this Tribunal for actions in Kosovo, FAS President Jeremy J. Stone said: "The West is torn between hoping that President Milosevic will help end the fighting and, on the other hand, denouncing the actions of his army as war crimes.  The time has come to call in the prosecutors."

   The Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a democratic non-profit civic organization, founded in 1945 by World War II atomic scientists, is sponsored by 59 Nobel Prize winners and has worked for peace and disarmament, throughout the world, for five decades.
    ------
   Following is the text of the letter:

   August 6, 1998

   The Honorable Louise Arbour
   Prosecutor
   The International Tribunal for The Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in The Territory of The Former Yugoslavia Since 1991.

  The Hague, The Netherlands

   Dear Justice Arbour:

   The International Tribunal has jurisdiction over all crimes agai nst humanity, war crimes, and genocide committed since 1991 in the territory of the former Yugoslavia.  This area includes Kosovo.

   From news reports, it appears that there is an organized effort by Yugoslav Army forces, and armed units allied with them, to cleanse parts of Kosovo of its ethnic Albanian citizens by committing sufficient killing of these Albanians, and wholesale destruction of their property, to put them to instant flight and to keep them too terrorized to return to their homes.  Article 5 of the Tribunal's Statute gives the Tribunal the authority to prosecute, as a crime against humanity, just such "forced deportations"--as well as the genocide perpetrated by mass murder on ethnic and religious grounds of Albanians.

   Under Article 7 of the Tribunal's Statute, all persons who have "planned, instigated, ordered, committed or otherwise aided and abetted in the planning and preparation of a crime" are individually responsible.  And because these crimes are being committed by Yugoslav troops, officials of the Yugoslav Government, including its Head of State, have command responsibilities under this same article which observes: "The official position of any person whether as head of state or Government or as a responsible government official shall not relieve such person of criminal responsibility nor mitigate punishment."

   The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) calls upon the International Tribunal to investigate these deportations, and related crimes, and to make known immediately to relevant officials of the Yugoslav Government, the Tribunal's authority to punish such actions.

   Sincerely,

   Jeremy J. Stone
   President
   Federation of American Scientists

7 August 1998

The President
The White House
Washington, DC  20500

Dear Mr. President:

Your strong leadership three years ago this month brought an end to the war and massive human rights abuses in Bosnia.  Your administration galvanized support among NATO allies to use its military strength to bring about peace in the Balkans.

Atrocities reminiscent of the war in Bosnia are now occurring in Kosovo.  President Milosevic has unleashed his military, police, and paramilitary forces against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and will not desist until confronted with NATO's concerted military strength. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) strongly urges you to uphold your 1993 pledge to intervene in Kosovo should President Milosevic ever besiege this province and use whatever means necessary to stop further bloodshed in Kosovo.

Meanwhile, the suffering of hundreds of thousands of civilians continues, and increasing reports of human rights atrocities emanate from the field.  This week allegations of mass graves in Kosovo surfaced in the press.  Without conclusive forensic evidence of such atrocities, many disbelieve the possibility that hundreds of civilians from Orahovac were slaughtered and bulldozed into mass graves.

Yesterday, however, PHR received credible reports from a local health and human rights organization that had just conducted interviews with displaced families from Orahovac.  They report witnessing 12 trucks filled with cadavers being hauled out of their town immediately following the July 21st Serb offensive. They further testify that Serb forces killed more than 500 civilians during this fighting, who are now believed to be buried in mass graves.

To avoid the Bosnian outcome where thousands needlessly died before NATO finally took military recourse, the United States must lead the international community in taking decisive action now that will save countless lives.

We urge the United States government, by using any unilateral, bilateral, or multilateral means available, to take the following actions:

· Act immediately and decisively to stop the fighting in Kosovo where civilian populations are the target of brutal and systematic abuse.

· Support the establishment of an international peacemaking force, organized under NATO auspices, in Kosovo requiring all Serb forces (army, police, special police, and paramilitary) to withdraw from Kosovo at once and requiring KLA units to cease their military activities.

· Monitor with satellite photography possible mass grave sites in and around the town of Orahovac; maintain aerial reconnaissance of specific sites of reported mass graves to determine whether these sites are tampered with in the future and immediately make public these photographs.

· Insist that Yugoslav authorities permit impartial forensic investigations under the auspices of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia to gather evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Those army, paramilitary, or police officials responsible for atrocities must be held accountable.

· Secure with military force reported sites of mass graves to safeguard material evidence that would be furnished to the ICTY.

· Prepare for the delivery and distribution of needed humanitarian aid, through respected local and international organizations, to the hundreds of thousands of displaced Kosovars immediately once appropriate military intervention brings a halt to the current fighting.

· Once stability is achieved in Kosovo, support the establishment of a robust human rights monitoring mission under UNHCHR auspices that would work in collaboration with local human rights groups to monitor and investigate abuses.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

/s/
Leonard S. Rubenstein

cc: Madeleine K. Albright
     U.S. Secretary of State

             NEWS: KOSOVA UPDATE, AUGUST 11, 1998

Taken without permission, for fair use only.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Negotiations continue as at least 17 die in clashes
          Irish Times, August 11, 1998
U.N. Reports Little Help in Monitoring Balkan Arms Ban
          The New York Times, August 11, 1998
Annan: Kosovo Embargo Not Working
          AP, August 11, 1998
Kosovo Rebels Vow To Continue Fight
          AP, August 11, 1998
Kosovo Rebels Cling To Territory
          AP, August 11, 1998
Kosovo diary: Tinderbox of tension
          MSNBC, August 11, 1998
Ethnic Albanian leader accuses Serbs of killing civilians
          MSNBC, August 11, 1998
Peace plan put to warring sides
          SMHerald, August 11, 1998
Serbs continue to pound Kosovo rebels
          MSNBC, August 10, 1998
___________________________________

WORLD
Tuesday, August 11, 1998

Negotiations continue as at least 17 die in clashes

Kosovo: As international efforts to negotiate a ceasefire continued, clashes between Serbian security forces and ethnic Albanian separatists reportedly left at least 17 people dead - including 10 policemen - in the troubled Serb province of Kosovo in the past 24 hours.
     Serb sources said ethnic Albanian guerrillas killed 10 policemen in Kosovo as diplomats sought ways to end the violence.
     Efforts to arrange a ceasefire and bring the two sides into negotiations continued with the arrival of the US ambassador to Macedonia, Mr Chris Hill, in Kosovo's regional capital, Pristina.
     Mr Hill, who spearheads the US effort to mediate in the region, met Dr Ibrahim Rugova, whose position as chief representative of Kosovo's ethnic Albanians has been challenged by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
     The two focused on the situation on the ground and on people displaced by the continuing fighting. An estimated 200,000 people have fled and hundreds have died since fighting broke out in February.
     Mr Hill also met the deputy Yugoslav Prime Minister, Mr Nikola Sainovic.
     There was no immediate word on their discussions and Mr Hill left without making any statements to reporters.
     But political sources said it was assumed they would talk about the peace plan submitted by the six-nation Contact Group.
     Many ethnic Albanians are demanding independence for Kosovo, which was stripped of its autonomy by Belgrade in 1989. The international community supports broad autonomy for Kosovo, but not independence.
     The Contact Group on Kosovo - which includes the US and Russia - has drawn up new proposals for the political future of the province.
     The proposals emerged at the weekend as it became increasingly clear that NATO is unlikely to use military force to end the crisis.
     Plans for a constitutional settlement "would give the people of Kosovo control of their own internal affairs, control over their own security and real autonomy", said the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook.
     There were indications that Belgrade, seat of the Serbian government, was willing to discuss the plans, he added. "We are making it plain to both sides that this is not a war that either side can win."
     Earlier, as the fighting continued Serbian police sources had said four policemen were killed in overnight clashes near a lake but did not specify the location. The toll later rose to 10.
     The Serbian-run Pristina media centre reported that three members of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) were killed yesterday in a clash with police near Duraj.
     Four ethnic Albanian villagers were killed in sustained Serbian fire on Erec, in western Kosovo, ethnic Albanian sources said.
     In Erec, the dead were identified as two people, aged 80, a 63year-old, and a 19-year-old, the head of the Albanian Human Rights Committee, Mr Sokol Dobruna, said.
     The Kosovo Information Centre (KIC), linked to the leading pro-independence ethnic Albanian party, said Serb forces surrounded Duraj near the Macedonian border early yesterday.
     The KIC, quoting witnesses, said civilians were fleeing Duraj, a pattern seen across the province as Serb security forces seize territory previously controlled by the lightly-armed KLA.
     The rebels, however, succeeded in recapturing the strategic western stronghold of Likovac from Serb forces yesterday, an AFP correspondent reported.

- (AFP, Guardian Service)
___________________________________

August 11, 1998

U.N. Reports Little Help in Monitoring Balkan Arms Ban

The New York Times
By BARBARA CROSSETTE

UNITED NATIONS -- Five months after the Security Council imposed an arms embargo to quell the fighting in Kosovo, no international organization has volunteered to do intensive monitoring of the ban, Secretary-General Kofi Annan told council members on Monday.
     "The international community risks once again being placed in a position," he said, "where it is only dealing with the symptoms of a conflict through its humanitarian agencies."
     The Security Council begins debate on Tuesday on a resolution aimed at stopping the fighting, an issue that the "contact group" of nations most closely involved in negotiations has largely kept out of the council.
     The secretary-general was head of the U.N. peacekeeping department several years ago when the Security Council passed an ambitious resolution on Bosnia but then did not authorize troops to protect "safe havens" or carry out other tasks.
     In a report that circulated to council members Monday, Annan warned of the consequences for the Balkans if ethnic conflict is not contained.
     "The continuation or further escalation of this conflict has dangerous implications for the stability of the region," Annan wrote, referring to Kosovo. "Given the responsibilities of the United Nations in the wider region and the ethnic makeup in neighboring countries, I cannot but express my alarm at this prospect."
     A Security Council resolution in March called for an end to arms sales to the former Yugoslavia as Belgrade began stepping up a campaign against an ethnic Albanian separatist movement in Kosovo. The resolution asked the secretary general to recommend how an embargo could be monitored so that arms did not reach either the Yugoslavs, primarily Serbs, or the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
     But substantial arms have continued to flow to rebels from across the Albanian border, and Serbian troops remain well-armed.
     Annan told the council soon after that resolution was passed that the United Nations, already deep in debt to nations that contribute to its peacekeeping forces, could not afford to monitor the embargo. He said he would ask for help from European regional organizations.
     Now he has told the council that NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, the Western European Union and the Danube Commission all said they would enforce the ban, but are reluctant to provide the level of support that is needed.
     "At this stage," Annan wrote in his report, "the overall resources pledged by those organizations would not allow for the establishment of a comprehensive monitoring regime."
     The situation in Kosovo is of special interest to the current Security Council president, Danilo Turk of Slovenia, the first nation that emerged from the breakup of greater Yugoslavia to hold a council seat.
     In a briefing for reporters on Friday, Turk, a former professor of international law, said that the contact group's only success has been in preventing the Security Council from having a role in the crisis.
     The Slovenian delegation had tried and failed in the past to get the Security Council to pay more attention to Kosovo, but the Clinton administration and the Europeans and Russians in the contact group preferred to work on the issue among themselves and through their own envoys to the region.
     Diplomats here wonder whether that will change when Richard Holbrooke, who has been President Clinton's envoy in talks with President Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia, moves to the United Nations as U.S. representative in the fall.
___________________________________

Tuesday August 11 12:14 PM EDT

Annan: Kosovo Embargo Not Working

RON KAMPEAS Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - International agencies have failed to make good on promises to monitor arms embargo against Kosovo, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Security Council today. He said the influx of arms has eroded chances for compromise.
     The Security Council is considering Annan's written report on Kosovo. At least three member countries - Britain, France and Slovenia, the council's current president - hope to get the council to announce action against Yugoslavia.
     Annan noted that soon after the conflict between Serbian authorities and ethnic Albanian separatists broke earlier this year, he recommended that organizations such as NATO and the European Union monitor the arms embargo.
     The organizations expressed a willingness to do so, he said, but so far nothing has materialized.
     "The continuing infiltration from outside the borders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia of weapons and fighting men is a source of continuing widespread concern," Annan's report said.
     Serb forces have recently driven the secessionists from most of the strategic central region in the Serbian province, an offensive that has killed hundreds.
     Two permanent Security Council members, China and Russia, have resisted sanctions against Yugoslavia.
     The Clinton administration has said that NATO has approved contingency plans to use military action against Serb forces in Kosovo.
     Kosovo is a province in southern Serbia, where ethnic Albanians represent 90 percent of the population. Serbia and the smaller republic of Montenegro make up what is left of Yugoslavia.
___________________________________

Tuesday August 11 10:37 AM EDT

Kosovo Rebels Vow To Continue Fight

ISMET HADJARI Associated Press Writer

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) - Secessionist ethnic Albanian rebels vowed today to fight on in Kosovo province despite a string of recent losses to Serb government forces.
     Albanian sources reported fighting today in the western Decani region near the Albanian border. They said a column of 110 Yugoslav army vehicles, including 36 tanks, was seen heading for the area.
     The Albanian-run Kosovo Information Center said about 15,000 refugees were trapped in the Decani region "because of an iron circle" formed by Serb forces. The bodies of five killed ethnic Albanians were brought overnight to the morgue in nearby Djakovica, the report said.
     The government-run Serb Media Center said a Serb policeman was shot dead late Monday in fighting near Djakovica. The independent Beta news agency said 14 Serb policemen have been killed since the Serb's latest offensive began July 20. It said 217 ethnic Albanians are known to have died in the same period.
     In the Albanian capital, Tirana, the government said today 70 people fled across the border from Kosovo within the last 24 hours, including two badly wounded guerrillas.
     Independent media in Belgrade, the Yugoslav capital, said Kosovo Liberation Army fighters have regained control of the central village of Likovac, the rebel headquarters which Serb forces overran last week.
     The reports could not be confirmed independently.
     In a statement distributed to ethnic Albanian media, the KLA said the Serb offensive "has only strengthened our resolve to bravely continue on the road to freedom."
     The statement called on Kosovo Albanians, who represent 90 percent of the Serbian province's 2 million people, to "unite with the KLA and help us in our just freedom fight."
     It also warned NATO not to deploy troops on the Albanian border - the main route of arms supply for the KLA - "because we would consider this the second offensive against our freedom and our national pride."
     Despite the statement, a top KLA official told the Albanian Koha Ditore daily newspaper the militants might join an all-Albanian negotiating team in peace negotiations with the Serbian government.
     Rebel spokesman Shaban Sala said the KLA rebels had agreed "in principle" during a meeting with U.S. envoy Christopher Hill earlier this month to form a Kosovo Albanian coalition government.
     Diplomatic efforts to return ethnic Albanian and Serb leaders to the negotiating table have been inching forward. Hill met with Serb and ethnic Albanian leaders Monday in Kosovo's provincial capital, Pristina.
     Hill has been mediating between pacifist ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova and leading politician Mehmet Hajrizi, who has close contacts with the ethnic Albanian rebels, in hopes of getting the Albanians to rally behind one leader.
     For five months, Serb troops have been fighting the KLA, which seeks independence from Serbia, the dominant republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo's ethnic Albanians remain largely divided between those loyal to Rugova and those who support the militants.
___________________________________

Tuesday August 11 2:41 AM EDT

Kosovo Rebels Cling To Territory

ISMET HADJARI Associated Press Writer

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) - Diplomatic efforts to return ethnic Albanian and Serb leaders to the negotiating table inched forward amid sporadic clashes in Kosovo province.
     While U.S. envoy Christopher Hill met with representatives of both sides Monday, there were reports of fighting in the southern Serbian province, particularly in areas still held by the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army.
     Hill has been navigating between pacifist ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova and leading politician Mehmet Hajrizi, who has close contacts with secessionist ethnic Albanian rebels, to try and get the Albanians to rally behind one leader.
     The envoy also met with Yugoslav Vice Premier Nikola Sainovic.
     For five months, Serb troops have been fighting the Kosovo Liberation Army, which seeks independence from Serbia, the dominant of two republics that make up the remainder of Yugoslavia.
     Ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs in the province 9-to-1. The Albanians remain largely divided between those loyal to Rugova, and those who support the KLA.
     Ethnic Albanian sources claimed fierce fighting around Djakovica and the strategic western village of Junik, near the Albanian border, where the KLA managed to hold its positions.
     Serb officials said three KLA fighters were killed in a clash with Serb police in the village of Dura, about 25 miles south of Pristina, Kosovo's capital. Authorities there said the KLA attacked a police patrol and police fired back.
     Fighting also was reported to be intense along the Djakovica-Decane road in the west.
     The Kosovo Information Center, which maintains close ties to Rugova, said four Albanians were killed and houses were burned in the village of Erec, where the Serbs also suffered an undetermined number of casualties.
     The center also reported several villages were under siege in the Decane area close to the Albanian border.
     In another village, Skivjan, Serb forces reportedly gave an ultimatum to the fighters and residents to give up their weapons and surrender.
     According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the Serb offensive has forced 167,000 people from their homes in Kosovo since the conflict exploded in late February.
     Hundreds have been killed, with thousands of others remaining in the woods and hills, many without food or water.
___________________________________

Tuesday August 11 9:00 AM ET

Kosovo diary: Tinderbox of tension

By Preston Mendenhall

DRENOVAC, Serbia - If he weren't carrying an automatic assault rifle, Zdravko Dobric would have looked perfectly normal walking down the street. Usually, a gun would look out of place on a man wearing sunglasses, a striped T-shirt, baggie shorts and sandals. But this was a small village dominated by Serbs, and ethnic Albanian rebels had been sniping at police checkpoints in the town.
     DOBRIC WAS NOT in the military. He was just a civilian "protecting my town." He also said he and other residents had been helping an old Albanian woman who lived over the hill, because she was too sick to go out and get supplies. So Dobric and his friends took food to her.
     A water truck stopped on the road beside us. A gun was waved menacingly from the window. A Serb man got out and started yelling at me and my traveling companions for talking to Dobric, who yelled back at the man. The truck driver was upset that we were distracting Dobric from his duty to protect the town. He pointed his gun at us and accused us of being traitors. Dobric stepped in to protect us from his comrade.
     The truck driver asked Dobric for his documents; Dobric demanded the same from the driver. Forgetting why we were all there in the first place, the two argued until, somewhat awkwardly, we intervened.
     Dobric and the driver then seemed to shake off their hostility. They gave each other a hug, and shook hands with me and may traveling companions.
     The tension in Kosovo is palpable. Even local comrades sometimes can't bear it - or each other.
___________________________________

Tuesday August 11 9:00 AM ET

Ethnic Albanian leader accuses Serbs of killing civilians

By Preston Mendenhall

PRISTINA, Serbia - Ibrahim Rugova, the president of the self-declared Republic of Kosovo, on Monday accused the Serbs of ethnic cleansing. Rugova spoke during an MSNBC chat live on the Internet.
     "We do not call this a conflict, rather massacres over unprotected civilians, eventually [leading to] massive ethnic cleansing of this country," he told an audience of more than 300 users.
     A top issue for Rugova is the assembly of a unified negotiating team to join talks with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who has said he will consider granting autonomy to Pristina if Kosovo remains within the Serb republic. The region once had autonomy, but Milosevic ended it in 1989.
     Ethnic Albanian rebels of the Kosovo Liberation Army, or KLA, have proven to be the great unknown in the negotiating process because they lack a unified political policy.
     An MSNBC viewer called Dardani asked Rugova what role the rebels would play in talks.
     "They will certainly have a say in our institutions," he aid. "But there is difficulty in communications and that is mainly due to the obstructions on the part of the Serb forces."
     "It is very difficult for us to have any contacts with the KLA armed groups, because they are isolated by the Serbian police force. Of course, there has been some direct contacts, but mostly indirect ... we have some kind of contact with them and eventually will bring them closer," he said.
     Various rebel commanders have said in recent months that they will only negotiate for full independence.
     For talks to get under way with Yugoslavia, "it is of the utmost of importance to have a cessation of Serb offensives in Kosovo, to reach a kind of cease-fire in Kosovo," Rugova said.
     Rugova, who was elected in a clandestine democratic vote in 1992, was sitting at his kitchen table when reporters arrived for MSNBC's exclusive online chat. He and an aide were having an afternoon glass of wine.
     Wearing his trademark blue suit, maroon sweater vest and yellow-patterned tie, Rugova switched to mineral water as he sat on the veranda of his residence while answering chat questions through his personal interpreter.
     "I hope this [Internet chat] will contribute to the understanding and solution of the Kosovo issue," he said. "It is of course the will and desire of one people to live in one state, but the current balance in the region is quite complicated."
     Rugova, the author of 10 books, commands the appearance of a Paris intellectual. He studied with the great French literary philosopher Roland Barthes in the mid-1970s.
     His rise in Kosovo came through his books, and later as the president of the Kosovo Writers' Association.
     When he was elected "president" in 1992, his Serb neighbors tried to drop flowerpots on his head when he left his one-bedroom apartment. The house he lives in now has five floors and is rented by supporters.
     He reiterated his support for an independent Kosovo. "I believe that the best solution for the southeast region of Europe is Kosovo as an independent and mutual state. This kind of solution would calm down Macedonia, Albania and Serbia," Rugova said.
     Kosovo is a province of the Yugoslav Republic of Serbia, and its ethnic Albanian population has long suffered discrimination at the hands of Belgrade, which sees the territory as an integral part of the Serbian state and culture. Ethnic Albanians in the region of 2 million outnumber Serbs by a ratio of 9-1.
     In an effort rein in Kosovo's independence movement, Milosevic revoked the province's autonomous status nearly 10 years ago. Since March, violence between Serb police and the KLA has escalated. More than 300 people have been killed and 250,000 displaced.
     Rugova, a writer by profession, has been a somewhat reclusive president in Kosovo. He travels abroad frequently and meets almost daily with U.S. and E.U. envoys. But he avoids one-on-one contact with reporters, limiting his availability to his traditional Friday press conference at his offices in Pristina. During the online interview, Rugova was relaxed and said he was fascinated by the ability to speak to an international Internet audience.
     Rugova blasted the Yugoslav government for its continued pursuit for control of the region. "Kosovo was part of a country that has fallen apart, that has disintegrated, and does not exist any longer. Therefore, we are entitled to the right to independence and living free," he said.
     "If a massive-scale conflict ensues, we will see masses of people heading toward Macedonia, Albania and elsewhere, and that will eventually destabilize this region of Europe," he said.
     "Mr. President, could you explain why it appears to be so hard for Albanians to get the negotiation team together?" asked a viewer called Rima.
     Rugova laughed heartily, joking that it's an inherent trait of Albanians to disagree. He also defended the democratic process in Kosovo.
     "No matter what is done, there will always be people who will object, but it doesn't mean that we have to stop. But this is what we call a democratic order, and it is exactly this democratic order that will save Kosovo," Rugova said.
___________________________________

Tuesday, August 11, 1998
KOSOVO

Peace plan put to warring sides

By RICHARD NORTON-TAYLOR in London

The six-country Contact Group on Kosovo, which includes the United States and Russia, has drawn up new proposals for the political future of the war-torn Serbian province.
     The proposals emerged as it became increasingly clear that NATO was unlikely to use military force to end the worsening humanitarian crisis. Britain's Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, said plans for a constitutional settlement "would give the people of Kosovo control of their own internal affairs, control over their own security and real autonomy".
     There were signs that Belgrade, seat of the Serbian Government, was willing to discuss the plans, he said.
     "We are making it plain to both sides that this is not a war that either side can win."
     Serbian forces, gaining control of more territory from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), were reported to be engaged in a scorched-earth policy, with the hill village of Likovac and surrounding hamlets in flames.
     The Kosovo Information Centre, linked to the leading pro-independence ethnic Albanian party, said Serbian units backed by tanks shelled villages surrounding Decani, in the west. Serb forces had also attacked the KLA stronghold town of Junik, it said. The Serbian offensive has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes. The United Nations estimates that there are now 200,000 displaced people, but charities say the figure is higher.
     NATO has completed preparations for military intervention, but this seems increasingly likely to remain a paper exercise. After a weekend telephone call between the US President, Mr Bill Clinton, and France's President Jacques Chirac, a spokesman for Mr Chirac said the two leaders agreed they would need Russian approval before launching any NATO action.
     The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Nikolai Afanasyevsky, made it clear that Moscow opposed such plans.
     The Contact Group's proposal was handed to the two sides in the conflict at the weekend.

The Guardian
___________________________________

Monday August 10 9:33 AM ET

Serbs continue to pound Kosovo rebels

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia - Serb troops continued to pound ethnic Albanian rebels in Kosovo today, pushing the insurgents into a few remaining strongholds.
     Kosovo Liberation Army fighters skirmished with Serbian forces throughout the weekend and again today, the Associated Press said. Meanwhile, Western diplomats pushed them to agree to peace talk.
     Although one moderate KLA faction signaled its readiness for negotiations that could lead to the province regaining autonomy from Serbia, prospects for talks remained uncertain, acccording to the AP.
     U.S. envoy Christopher Hill arrived in Pristina, capital of Kosovo, today to try to push the peace process forward.
     Kosovo is a province in southern Serbia, where ethnic Albanians, who demand independence, represent 90 percent of the population. Serbia and the smaller republic of Montenegro make up what is left of Yugoslavia.
     Reports from both sides today showed skirmishes were continuing at several locations.
     The pro-Serb Media Center said three KLA fighters were killed today in a clash with Serb police in the village of Dura, about 25 miles south of Pristina. Authorities there said the KLA attacked a police patrol and police fired back, killing three.
     The ethnic Albanians' Kosovo Information Center said one Albanian was killed today by a sniper in Suva Reka, about 25 miles southwest of Pristina.
     About 400 civilians were being encircled by Serb forces in the village of Lausa, one of the KLA's biggest strongholds until it fell to Serb forces Aug. 2. Four civilians who managed to get out of the village said two women and a man were killed during the attack, the Kosovo Information Center said.
     British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook criticized the Serbs for their recent attacks involving civilians, particularly the fires set by Serb forces to crops in Kosovo to try to ensure villagers won't return.
     "The events of the last 10 days have been deeply disturbing and have undoubtedly caused great hardship to many civilians throughout Kosovo," Cook told BBC1 on Sunday.
     Pressing for talks while holding out the threat of NATO intervention, Western diplomats gave the warring sides a proposal outlining how autonomy might work in Kosovo.
     "This is not a war that either side can win," Cook said. "The only way this war can be ended is by both sides coming to the table with an international presence and negotiating a satisfactory constitutional political settlement."
     According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the Serb offensive has forced 167,000 people from their homes in Kosovo since the conflict exploded in February, with a total of 231,000 displaced, including those who fled the province.
     Hundreds have been killed, with thousands of others remaining in the woods and hills, many without food or water.
 

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