Tagesnachrichten 26. September 1998
     von dpa, from ALBANEWS and others
     News of the day - September 26, 1998
     Kosova Information Center : Daily Report No 1564

         Die Bibel sagt  -  The Bible says
 

If available you find on this page  -  Soweit verfügbar finden Sie auf dieser Seite     1. Meldungen von dpa    2. Remarks - Hints - Special informations    3. Reports about deportation and persons repatriated to Kosova  in deutsch und englisch     4. Daily Report from KIC  (Kosova Information Center)    5. news from ARTA  (Koha ditore)    6. news from RFE/RL NEWSLINE    7. news from Fr. Sava  (Decani Monastery)    8. Reports from Human Rights Organisations        especially CDHRF  (Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms, Prishtina)    9. news from ATA /ENTER  and so on  10. eventual additional press news  Link to Background-information  Link to earlier news - so far as room is given by my provider on the server  The Bible says  -  Die Bibel sagt

 

1. Meldungen von dpa

Meldung vom 26.09.1998 16:01 http://seite1.web.de/show/360CF3E2.NL1/

Anklägerin am UNO-Tribunal in Den Haag: «Wir kriegen sie alle»
Hamburg (dpa) - Die Chefanklägerin des UNO-Tribunals für Kriegsverbrechen in Den Haag, Louise Arbour, hat sich zuversichtlich über die Möglichkeit geäußert, Kriegsverbrechen im früheren Jugoslawien zu ahnden.
     In einem Gespräch, das «Der Spiegel» in seiner neuesten Ausgabe veröffentlicht, sagte Arbour über die Aussichten, den jugoslawischen Präsidenten Slobodan Milosevic als obersten Kriegsherrn der Serben in Bosnien nach Den Haag zu bringen: «Es liegt nicht an mir zu sagen, mit welchen Mitteln er überzeugt oder gezwungen werden kann. Die Verantwortung trägt letztlich der UNO-Sicherheitsrat, der dieses Tribunal eingesetzt hat. Er kann alle Zwangsmittel anwenden, bis hin zu Bombenangriffen und der Entsendung von Truppen.»
     Das Mandat des UNO-Tribunals erstrecke sich ohne zeitliche Begrenzung auf das gesamte Territorium des ehemaligen Jugoslawiens. «Auch Vorgänge im Kosovo fallen in unsere Zuständigkeit, selbst wenn Jugoslawien es nicht wahrhaben möchte und den Konflikt als eine innere Angelegenheit behandelt.»
     Die Frage sei nicht mehr ob, sondern wann Angeklagte festgenommen würden. «Wir kriegen sie alle über kurz oder lang. Mann für Mann müssen sich vor diesem Gericht verantworten.»
© dpa

Rühe dringt auf rasches Ultimatum gegen Milosevic
Bonn (dpa) - Der deutsche Verteidigungsminister Volker Rühe dringt - im Gegensatz zu NATO-Generalsekretär Javier Solana - auf ein rasches und «klares Ultimatum» gegen den jugoslawischen Präsidenten Slobodan Milosevic. Dieses Ultimatum müsse es «schon in den nächsten Tagen» geben, sagte Rühe der «Welt am Sonntag» (Hamburg).
     Solana hatte zum Abschluß der NATO-Verteidigungsministerkonferenz am Freitag abend im portugiesischen Ort Vilamoura gesagt, über die Möglichkeit eines Ultimatums zur Beendigung der Feindseeligkeiten im Kosovo werde vermutlich «erst in den nächsten Wochen» in der Allianz diskutiert. Er persönlich sei «nicht dafür, Belgrad eine Frist zu setzen», um die jüngste UNO-Resolution zu erfüllen.
     Mit Blick auf Solanas Äußerungen sagte Rühe: «Offenbar haben einige immer noch nicht begriffen, wie sehr die Zeit drängt. Im Oktober bricht im Kosovo der Winter ein. Das Klima ist dann dort hart und unerbittlich. Zehntausende Albaner, viele Säuglinge und Kinder, auch viele alte Menschen ohne Hab und Gut, vegetieren schon jetzt in den Wäldern dahin. In einigen Wochen haben sie keine Überlebenschancen mehr.»
     Zu ihrer Rettung wäre nach Rühes Einschätzung schon jetzt eine Hilfsaktion «ungeheuren Ausmaßes mit Tausenden von Helfern» notwendig.
     Im Winter gebe es dazu keine Chance mehr. Außerdem würden die Serben einer solchen Aktion nie zustimmen, wenn nicht vorher militärisch Druck gemacht werde. «Deshalb muß jetzt sofort gehandelt werden», erklärte Rühe.
© dpa

Mindestens 68 Tote bei jüngster Offensive im Kosovo
Belgrad/Pristina (dpa) - Bei der jüngsten Offensive serbischer Polizeikräfte und von Einheiten der jugoslawischen Armee in der südjugoslawischen Provinz Kosovo sind nach albanischen Angaben in den vergangenen Tagen mindestens 68 Albaner getötet worden.
     Die endgültige Zahl der Opfer auf albanischer Seite könnten «weit höher» liegen, teilte am Samstag das Informationszentrum der Albaner in der Provinzhauptstadt Pristina mit.
     Von offizieller serbischer Seite war bereits zuvor mitgeteilt worden, daß bei den Kämpfen der vergangenen Tage drei Polizisten und ein Soldat ums Leben kamen. Die Zahl der Verwundeten auf serbischer Seite wurde mit acht angegeben.
     Die Offensive der serbischen Verbände richtete sich gegen die Ortschaften Vucitrn, Mitrovica, Glogovac und Srbica. Nach Darstellung der Albanerführung in Pristina waren am Samstag mindestens 5 000 Menschen in Vucitrn von serbischen Einheiten eingeschlossen.
© dpa

Rühe dringt auf Ultimatum - 68 Tote bei neuer Offensive im Kosovo
Bonn/Belgrad/Pristina (dpa) - Im Zusammenhang mit der sich abzeichnenden humanitären Katastrophe in der südserbischen Krisenprovinz Kosovo hat der deutsche Verteidigungsminister Volker Rühe auf ein rasches Ultimatum gegen den jugoslawischen Präsidenten Slobodan Milosevic gedrungen.
     Dieses Ultimatum müsse es «schon in den nächsten Tagen» geben, sagte Rühe der «Welt am Sonntag» (Hamburg). Bei der jüngsten Offensive serbischer Polizeikräfte und Einheiten der jugoslawischen Armee sind nach albanischen Angaben in den vergangenen Tagen mindestens 68 Albaner getötet worden.
     Solana hatte zum Abschluß der NATO-Verteidigungsministerkonferenz am Freitag abend im portugiesischen Ort Vilamoura im Gegensatz zur Position Rühes gesagt, über die Möglichkeit eines Ultimatums zur Beendigung der Feindseligkeiten im Kosovo werde vermutlich «erst in den nächsten Wochen» in der Allianz diskutiert. Er persönlich sei «nicht dafür, Belgrad eine Frist zu setzen», um die jüngste UNO-Resolution zu erfüllen.
     Rühe sagte hingegen: «Offenbar haben einige immer noch nicht begriffen, wie sehr die Zeit drängt. Im Oktober bricht im Kosovo der Winter ein. Das Klima ist dann dort hart und unerbittlich. Zehntausende Albaner, viele Säuglinge und Kinder, auch viele alte Menschen ohne Hab und Gut, vegetieren schon jetzt in den Wäldern dahin. In einigen Wochen haben sie keine Überlebenschancen mehr.»
     Zu ihrer Rettung wäre nach Rühes Einschätzung schon jetzt eine Hilfsaktion «ungeheuren Ausmaßes mit Tausenden von Helfern» notwendig. Im Winter gebe es dazu keine Chance mehr.
     Außerdem würden die Serben einer solchen Aktion nie zustimmen, wenn nicht vorher militärisch Druck gemacht werde. «Deshalb muß jetzt sofort gehandelt werden», erklärte Rühe.
     Der deutsche Außenminister Klaus Kinkel schlug dazu die kurzfristige Einberufung einer UNO-Nothilfekonferenz zur Lage der Flüchtlinge vor. Die Konferenz solle bereits in der kommenden Woche in Genf stattfinden und Sofortmaßnahmen zur Linderung des Flüchtlingselends im Kosovo beschließen.
     Dies forderte Kinkel am Samstag in getrennten Schreiben an den Generalsekretär der Vereinten Nationen, Kofi Annan, und die UNO-Hochkommissarin für Flüchtlinge, Sadako Ogata, unter Bezug auf die jüngste Kosovo-Resolution des UNO-Sicherheitsrates vor.
     Nach Ansicht Kinkels sollten das Internationale Komitee vom Roten Kreuz, die Mitglieder der Kontaktgruppe, Vertreter der Bundesrepublik Jugoslawien und der Führung der Kosovo-Albaner sowie vor Ort tätige Hilfsorganisationen zu dieser Konferenz eingeladen werden. Bislang sind etwa 300 000 Menschen auf der Flucht.
     Wie am Samstag das Informationszentrum der Albaner in der Provinzhauptstadt Pristina zur jüngsten Lage mitteilte, dürfte die endgültige Zahl der Opfer auf albanischer Seite «weit höher» als bei 68 liegen.
     Von offizieller serbischer Seite war zuvor mitgeteilt worden, daß bei den Kämpfen der vergangenen Tage drei Polizisten und ein Soldat ums Leben kamen. Die Zahl der Verwundeten auf serbischer Seite wurde mit acht angegeben. Die Offensive der serbischen Verbände richtete sich gegen die Orte Vucitrn, Mitrovica, Glogovac und Srbica.
© dpa

Kinkel schlägt UN Hilfskonferenz für Kosovo-Flüchtlinge vor
Bonn (dpa) - Der deutsche Außenminister Klaus Kinkel hat die kurzfristige Einberufung einer UNO- Nothilfekonferenz zur Lage der Flüchtlinge im bürgerkriegs-geschüttelten Kosovo vorgeschlagen. Die Konferenz solle bereits in der kommenden Woche in Genf stattfinden und Sofortmaßnahmen zur Linderung des Flüchtlingselends im Kosovo beschließen. Dies schlug Kinkel am Samstag in getrennten Schreiben an den Generalsekretär der Vereinten Nationen, Kofi Annan, und die UNO-Hochkommissarin für Flüchtlinge, Sadako Ogata, unter Bezug auf die jüngste Kosovo-Resolution des UNO-Sicherheitsrates vor.
     Der Rat hatte seine tiefe Besorgnis über die Verschlechterung der Lage für die Flüchtlinge im Kosovo zum Ausdruck gebracht und vor einer bevorstehenden humanitären Katastrophe gewarnt. Nach Ansicht des deutschen Außenministers sollten das Internationale Komitee vom Roten Kreuz, die Mitglieder der Kontaktgruppe, Vertreter der Bundesrepublik Jugoslawien und der Führung der Kosovo-Albaner sowie vor Ort tätige Hilfsorganisationen zu dieser Konferenz eingeladen werden. Der Konflikt im Kosovo hat bislang annähernd 300 000 Menschen in die Flucht getrieben.
© dpa

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Welche von diesen Formulierungen gefällt Ihnen ?
                     - What kind of these formulations do you like ?

"Was Du nicht willst, was man Dir tu,
das fueg auch keinem andern zu "
                                                                     Deutsches Sprichwort

"What you don't like been inflicted on you that don't inflict on another one."
                                                                     German proverb
oder

"Handle so, dass die Maxime Deines Willens jederzeit zugleich als Prinzip einer allgemeinen Gesetzgebung gelten koenne."
                                                                     Kategorischer Imperativ Immanuel Kants
oder

"Wie ihr wollt, dass euch die Leute tun sollen,
so tut ihnen auch!"                                    (Lukas 6,31)

"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."  (Lk 6,31)

"Alles nun, was ihr wollt, dass euch die Leute tun sollen,
das tut ihnen auch!"                                      (Matthaeus 7,12)

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them"                                                         (Mt 7,12)

 

3. Reports about deportation and persons repatriated to Kosova

....
erhaltene Berichte - received reports       Namensliste ==> Einzelheiten   /   list of names ==> details

Kennen Sie Fälle von Abschiebungen nach Kosova ? - Bitte senden Sie mir Ihren Bericht !
Do you know cases of deportations to Kosova ? - Please send me your report !

Postkarten schreiben ! -  Write postcards !

Postkarten schreiben ! -  Write postcards !

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT # 1564-B
Prishtina, 26 September 1998

Second Edition: 18:00

President Rugova Discusses Situation in Kosova with Chief of UN Refugees Agency

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) - The President of the Republic of Kosova, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, received today for talks Ms Sadako Ogata, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. This was the second visit of Madam Ogata to Kosova since the Serb forces cracks down in Kosova in early spring.
The Kosova President and the chief of UN agency for refugees talked at length about the plight of hundreds of thousands of Kosovar refugees and displaced persons and the looming humanitarian catastrophe in Kosova.
Sadako Ogata said that in a tour to Vushtrri today she could witness herself the very difficult situation of the uprooted people. The UN refugees agency is deeply concerned about their situation, she said and expressed commitment to assist in alleviating their situation.
President Rugova noted with concern that the Serb offensives have been unfolding with impunity in most parts of Kosova, leaving hundreds of civilians dead, scores of people kidnapped and arrested, and thousands of new refugees on a daily basis. The Serb regime scorched-earth tactics and the deliberate destruction of the entire communities in Kosova has made thousand of people homeless, many living still rough in the open or in the make- shift shelter in the hills, he said.
Dr. Rugova urged for urgent steps on the part of international community and its organizations in taking into protection the people of Kosova and into making the Belgrade regime end the brutal campaigns of killing and destruction of property in Kosova. Energetic and immediate actions of the international community would help in preventing the humanitarian disaster from escalating any further, he said.
The President noted that the Kosova leadership has persistently asked for the return of uprooted people to their homes under international monitoring and assurances.
He reaffirmed that a strong international involvement is indispensable in assisting a negotiated political settlement for Kosova.

Identity of Five Other Albanians, Killed in Drenica, Made Known
Charred body of Albanian woman found in Prekaz
Casualty-toll in the latest Serb offensive in Çiçavica region reaches 73
More dead Albanian are feared scattered in the fields and in ruins of their homes

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) - The LDK chapter in Mitrovica confirmed today the identity of four other Albanians killed during the latest Serb offensive against Albanian communities in north-west Kosova.
Bodies of Murat Haliti (33), Hajrush Ahmeti (55) and his son Fatmir Ahmeti (22) were found today at Lubovec village. Local sources warned that there may be other killed Albanians scattered in the field and forests or under the ruins of their houses in this village.
The dead body of Fazli Avdiu (56) was found in Klinë e Epërme village.
In the village of Prekaz i Epërm (Gornji Prekaz) the carbonated body of Fetije Bislimi (32) was found in her burned down house.
According to the accounts of LDK chapters in Vushtrri ('Vucitrn'), Mitrovica, Gllogovc and Skënderaj circulated by Saturday morning, the casualty toll in the villages under Sreb attack since last Wednesday was 68.
Many of them were killed while attempting to flee their villages or even slain in camping sites in the hills. The LDK chapters offered account on the locations the 68 Albanians were killed: 10 Albanians were killed in Galica, 4 in Oshlan, 13 in Zhilivodë (13), 20 in Beqiq, 3 in Lubovec, 5 in Prekaz, 1 in Klinë e Epërme, 4 in Dashefc and 8 in Shtuticë.
With the five more dead bodies found today in Lubovec and Prekaz, the casualty-toll reaches 73.

Entrapped Civilians Inside Serb Siege in Dobroshevc Village, Appeal for Help

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) -  Around 1000 Albanians entrapped inside a Serb siege in the hills near Dobroshevc village of Gllogovc have been appealing on the international community to intervene with Serb regime in order to prevent a possible massacre.
Sources in Gllogovc said today morning that around 5000 civilians had seen themselves encircled by the Serb troops at a location called "Lugu i Madh" since near Dobroshevc village Gllogovc since Friday afternoon.
The village was pounded with artillery fire yesterday afternoon, which made the local population and many others who has sought shelter there to run away to the nearest forests.
Activist in Gllogovc warned that Serbs may embark on campaigns of brutality and terror against them, similar to the ones committed only a few days ago.
On Thursday Serb troops clamped down on hundreds of displaced Albanians camping a location called "Fusha e Mollës" valley in the Drenica hills, killing at least four Albanians.

Kosova Information Center
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Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT # 1564-A
Prishtina, 26 September 1998

First Edition: 13:30 CET

At Least 68 Albanian Victims During a Serb Offensive in North-West Kososva

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) - According to the accounts of the LDK chapters in Vushtrri ('Vucitrn'), Mitrovica, Gllogovc and Skënderaj, at least 68 Albanians have been killed during the latest Serb offensive against communities in the Çiçavica mountain foot, north-west of Prishtina.
Since Wednesday morning, around 20 villages on the mountain foot of Çiçavica, straddling the municipalities of Mitrovica, Skenderaj, Gllogovc, and Obiliq have been under a fierce Serb troops offensive.
Most of the Albanian were killed during the first day of the Serb offensive in the region on 24 September, the LDK chapters said. According the evidence collected so far by the local organizations in the area, 10 Albanians were killed in Galica, 4 in Oshlan, 13 in Zhilivodë (13), 20 in Beqiq, 3 in Lubovec, 5 in Prekaz, 1 in Klinë e Epërme, 4 in Dashefc and 8 in Shtuticë.

Identity of Other Albanians, Killed in Vushtrri Villages, Established

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) - LDK sources in Vushtrri ('Vucitrn') reported today of 10 Albanians killed in Galica village, and 4 others in Oshlan village, on Thursday during unfolding Serb offensive against Albanian communities north-west of Prishtina. The LDK chapter in Vushtrri named the following local Albanians were killed by the Serb forces in Galica on Thursday:  Shasivar Ademi, his son Ramadan Ademi, Hetem Halili and his son (his name could not be learned), Bekim Haliti, Agim Ademi, Nazmi Haliti, Bajram Sahiti and the wife of Mursel Shabani, whose name was not revealed.
In another village, in Oshlan, these locals Albanians were killed the same day: Mustafë Shuti, Milazim Mani, his mother Kada Mani and Sheremet Bajrushi.
Still unconfirmed reports said 20 dead bodies have been collected at Beqiq village. Their identity could not be established by Saturday morning.
A witness claimed he had seen bodies of 13 to 15 massacred Albanians in the fields above the village of Zhilivoda.
LDK and human rights chapters in Vushtrri confirmed earlier this week the identity of 22 other Albanians killed in different villages on the Çiçavica mountain foot.
It is  believed that the member of wounded persons is very high, of whom many women nd children. Witnesses described today the situation in the villages of Vushtrri as awful. Uncollected corpses of victims scattered in the fields and torn to pieces by beasts.
Around 60 thousand uprooted persons have been sheltered in the town of Vushtrri.

Serb Offensive in Drenica Steps Up, Many Albanians Killed and Slain

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) - LDK activists in Mitrovica said today (Saturday) morning that Serb offensives against Albanian communities in the Drenica has further stepped up. The Serb offensives was focussed today morning on the villages of Lubovec and Prekaz, in the municipality of Skenderaj. Serb have been attacking Albanian communities there with heavy artillery guns, which can be clearly heard in the town of Mitrovica, they said. A resident of Lubovec village told the LDK chapter in Mitrovica that the Serbs have shot dead Murat Muharrem Haliti (33), Fatmir Ahmeti (22) and Hajrush Qamil Ahmeti (55) in this village. He added that five other Albanians were killed in Prekaz village, but he could not learn their identity.
In another village of Skendereaj, in Klinë e Epërme, the Serbs killed a local resident Daut Avdiu (56). He was killed at his home on Friday afternoon.
At Dashefc village, the Serbs have slain a 75-year-old paralysed man, Milazim Behrami and Shyqyri Islami (57). Two women Fatime Islami (51) and Selvete Islami (21) were wounded in this village.
Still unconfirmed reports said that several Albanians were killed during the past three says in the Albanian communities along the Sitnica river banks, between the village of Kçiç and Dobërlluka.
At least 40.000 people who fled the Serb offensives have so far sought shelter in Mitrovica, according to estimate of local emergency organizations.

In the wake of Serb Offensive in Vushtrri: 15 Villages Burned Down, 37 Emptied

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) -  The LDK chapter in Vushtrri circulated today morning an account on destruction of Albanian communities during the Serb attacks in this municipality in past four days. The attacks against Albanian communities in Vushtrri were part of a huge offensive of Serb troops against Albanian communities in the Çiçavica mountain foot, north-west Kosova.
The LDK chapter named these villages which have been burned almost completely: Gllavotin, Zhilivoda, Bivolak, Strofc, Beçuk, Dubofc, Gurbardh, Taragja, Liqej, Balinc, Oshlan, Okrashtica, Pantina, Pasoma and Beçiçi. The village of Shtitarica, Stanofc i Poshtëm and Mihaliq were partially burned.
These villages were pounded with Serb artillery fire: Gllavotin, Zhilivoda, Bivolak, Strofc, Beçuk, Mihaliq, Bajska, Gurbardh, Taragja, Liqej, Balinc, Oshlan, Pantina, Okrashtica, Pasoma, Smrekonica, Terllabuq, Shilovica and Shallci.
The below listed villages have been abandoned completely by their population: Pasoma, Tërllabuq, Sllatina, Bajska, Smrekonica, Shilovica, Karaça, Gumnishta, Boshlani, Skroma, Cecelia, Studime e Epërme, Samadrexha, Pantina, Oshlan, Liqejt, Okrashtica, Shtitarica, Dolaku, Taragja, Gllavotini, Gurbardhi, Bivolaku, Zhilivoda, Strofci, Beçuku, Mihaliqi, Druari, Shallci, Kolla, Dubofci, Beqiqi, Galica, Stanofci i Ulët, Sllakofci and Balinca. Part of the population have fled the villages of Vilanci, Ropica, Pestova, Novolan and Bruzniku.

Serb Troops Kill at Least 8 Local Albanians in Shtutica, Gllogovc

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) - At least 8 Albanians were killed in Shtutica village of Gllogovc during a Serb forces onslaught in this village on 22 September
Local sources in Shtutica named the following persons killed by Serb in that village on Wednesday: brothers Bajram Bajrami (40) and Qamil Bajrami (20), brothers Hysni Shabani (23) and Elhami Shabani (15), Naim Musliu (34), Fejzullah Ramadani (23) and Naim Salihu (25) - all of them local residents of Shtutca. Another man, who is believed to be resident of a neighboring village of Gushavc was killed there the same day. His identity could not be established still.

Around 5000 Civilians Entrapped Inside Serb Siege in Dobroshec Village, Gllogovc

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) -  Around 5000 civilians have seen themselves encircled by the Serb troops the hills near Dobroshevc village of Gllogovc since Friday afternoon, sources said.
The Dobroshevc village came under heavy Serb artillery fire yesterday afternoon, which made the local population and many others who has sought shelter there earlier flee in panic.
The uprooted Albanians have been crammed at a location called "Lugu i Madh", above the village. Activist in the area says they fear that Serbs may embark on campaigns of brutality and terror against them.
On Thursday afternoon Serb troops cracked down on hundreds of displaced Albanians camping a location called "Fusha e Mollës" valley in the Drenica hills, killing at least four Albanians (Shyqyri Krasniqi, Skënder Karaxha, Behxhet Karaxha and Beqir Morina's son).

Four Gllogovc Villages Face Long Hours of Brutal Attacks Friday

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) - The villages of Likoc, Obri, Tërdec and Baica, in the municipality of Glogovc, were attacked for many hours on Friday.
Local sources said that heavy Serb troops, backed dy at least 100 tanks, were involved in the offensive against these four village on the Drenica hills.
Activist of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms said a large member f Albanian were held hostage in Likoc village for many hours yesterday. The police vowed to kill them all unless the villagers surrendered their weapons. They were however let go, when the police realized that there were no hid weapons in the village, they said.
A Serb police helicopter hovered overhead Likoc and surrounding villages for several hours sources said.

Serbs Burn Scores of Albanian Houses in Grabovc Village, Obiliq

PRISHTINA, Sept 26 (KIC) - The Grabovc village, about 15 km north-west of Prishtina, was shelled for several hours from Serb positions, the LDK chapter in Obiliq said.
The village was firs pounded with artillery fire from the neighboring Vasliva village and a location called "Maja e Zezë", then the Serb troops advanced into the village with armored vehicles and tanks.
Scores of farmhouses were reported burned don in Grabovc. The local population has fled the village during the unfolding Serb offensive against Albanian communities in Çiçavica mountains.
The Serb troops have been garrisoned in the houses which were not burned in the village, witnesses told the KIC.

Kosova Information Center
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KOSOVA (Serb offensive - victims)
Circa 70 Albanians killed in the villages of four municipalities

Prishtina, 26 September (ARTA) 1745CET --
About 70 Albanian civilians were killed in the villages of the following municipalities: Skënderaj, Mitrovicë, Vushtrri, and Gllogoc, Albanian sources of information inform.
10 were killed in Galicë, 4 in Oshlan, 13 in Zhilivodë, 20 in Becic, 3 in Lubavec, 5 in Prekaz, and 1 in Klinë e Epërme, 4 in Dashec and 8 in Shtuticë.
Sources from the ground notify that the attacks against the villages of Lubavec and Prekaz, municipality of Skënderaj, continued throughout the day and they are constantly being shelled.
Witnesses claim that 5 Albanians were killed in Prekaz alone, while in the village of Klinë e Epërme one Albanian civilian was killed inside his house.
Sources from the village of Dashec state that three Albanian civilians were killed in this village and there is a large number of wounded.
From Mitrovicë there are reports of a large number of killed in the villages along the Sitnicë River, in Kçiç, up to the village of Dobërllukë.

KOSOVA (Serb offensive – Vushtrri)
56 killed in the municipality of Vushtrri - 37 ghost-villages

Vushtrri, 26 September (ARTA) 1700CET --
LDK sources in Vushtrri and other Albanian sources state that the number of the killed, in the municipality of Vushtrri, reaches 56 adding that a number of them were shot while they were trying to flee their homes and villages.
Sources from the ground inform that a large number of civilians were wounded and the women and children are seeking for rescue by fleeing from one forest to another, without any help from anybody.
There are still unburied corpses lying in the forest and fields. Reaching them proves to be Witnesses from the village of Zhilivodë, confirm that there are 15 killed in this village.
LDK's report of the recent Serb force offensive in the municipality of Vushtrri, states that there are 15 villages completely burned down, 3 are partially burned, 37 villages are completely cleansed of the population, whereas 5 are partially abandoned.

KOSOVA (victims – Mitrovicë)
Seven Albanians killed in Shalë e Bajgorës - tens of arrested

Prishtina, 26 September (ARTA) 2030CET --
Italian journalists, who visited today the war striken areas, claimed that they were told by confirmed Albanian sources that, seven Albanians are killed in Shalë e Bajgorës, while Sedullah (Selman) Dibrani from Vaganicë is massacred.
The same sources claim that two trucks with civilians (presumably 60-70) were brought in to the prison of Mitrovicë. They were brought from Shalë e Bajgorës region (especially from Brusnik village).
The news about these arrested civilians was confirmed also by the residents of Mitrovicë who further added that, those people were handcuffed and "exposed" through the streets of the town being carried in military trucks.

KOSOVA (victims – Gllogoc)
8 civilians killed in Shtuticë - 5.000 remain besieged

Gllogoc, 26 September (ARTA) 1715CET --
From the beginning of the Serb force operation in the region of the municipality of Vushtrri, to this time, Albanian sources report of at least eight Albanians killed in the village of Shtuticë, municipality of Gllogoc, alone.
All the houses of this village were shelled and burned down.
About 5,000 Albanian civilians remain besieged at the place called "Lugu i Madh", near the village of Dobroshec, witnesses claim adding that the same village was shelled with heavy artillery a day before.
Serb forces, with the support of some 100 tanks, shelled the villages of Likovc, Obri e Epërme, Obri e Poshtme, Tërdevc, and Baincë, on Saturday, sources from the ground state.
CDHRF in Likovc notified that the Serb police held hostage on Friday a large number of civilians, pressuring them to hand in the weapons.

KOSOVA (Serb offensive – Çiçavicë Mountains)

Fierce clashes around Çiçavicë –
KLA soldiers including commander, supposed killed,

Fushë Kosovë, 26 September (ARTA) 1845CET --
"We escaped through the shelling, we don't know for sure what happened but there must be many killed" an escapee from the Drenica region told CDHRF branch in Fushë Kosovë.
Presently, Sllatinë is overloaded with escapees from Drenica region, from the villages around Çiçavicë and from several villages of Fushë Kosovë.
Fierce clashes took place today particularly in the villages of Vasilevë, Gllanasellë, Graboc i Ulët, as well as around Çiçavicë. It is supposed that a number of KLA soldiers were killed during these clashes. Among them, one of the commanders of the Drenica region and his wife.
Several thousand civilians remain helpless in the Çiçavicë forest. There is fear that there are many killed and wounded among them, as a result of the continuous shelling that lasted for three days.

KOSOVA (press conference – Ogata)
Ogata: "I have to make sure that humanitarian efforts are not going to solve the problem"

Prishtina, 26 September (ARTA) 1930CET --
"I saw about 2000 terrified people who were gathered in the village of Resnik, the mosque and around it. The tiny hamlet of Resnik now houses thousands of people, who fled from other villages", stated Sadako Ogata, a UN senior official.
"The people were traumatized, I saw several children totally traumatized, some of them were almost in coma". I think it is very important for the international organizations to help, but not only materially or financially, but give them a sense of care and security", stated Senior Commissioner, Ogata.
Concerning the so far assistance for the dislocated of Resnik, she claimed: "We were given a chance to go there since yesterday. We sent two truckloads of food, and I think they’ll be sending some more things today. ICRC was there to deal with the wounded, twenty of them, and they took them to a nearby hospital. I think it is very important to address the issue of the need to built a sense of security and this is the only way people will be back where they would like to be back and try to lead a more normal life. I regret to say that we noted some shelling. We heard them however in a distant hill, so it does mean that the situation is not quite normal yet".
Answering the question as to whether there is a deadline, beyond which she fells there will be an extremely serious humanitarian situation, Ogata said: "I came here now because I was worried that the winter was coming in, and we know that in the Balkans winter comes very, very early. At the same time, as for our humanitarian work, there is no deadline. So as long as there is a need, we will try to do our very best, but time is against us, and this what I think, we should do as quickly as possible.
First of all, don't leave people out in the open, don't allow new displacements. This is very important. We cannot just be bringing in humanitarian assistance wherever there is a new displacement; this cannot go on, especially during the winter".
Evaluating the meeting with Milosevic, she said: "We agreed on one thing, which he repeated at the end, the first priority is to help those who are displaced outside in the open, and we will do everything together to help them".
Ogata said that the dislocated have no place to go back to but they will do everything to go back.
"At the same time, one thing is very clear. They are afraid", she said and added that "as long as they are afraid they will not go back and start rebuilding, so there has to be clear assurance, including frequent international visits or even stay there, to make sure that the way they go back to normal life will not be disrupted all the time", stated Ogata.
The senior official said that she was not surprised with the situation of the dislocated cause this was nothing exceptional. "We have had enough information. This is the first time I directly saw this kind of displacement. I've seen many displacements in the former Yugoslav countries. At the same time I am surprised that this is continuing, it started before I had a meeting with Milosevic and we will have to have a serious discussion".
Answering the question concerning the military intervention which would help the humanitarian situation, Ogata stated: "At the same time I have to make sure that humanitarian efforts are not going to solve the problem you are facing here. We can help the situation... but the humanitarian problems are results or effects of a much deeper political problem you are facing here and that has to be solved", said Sadako Ogata in a press conference held in Prishtina.

KOSOVA (IDPs – Shtime)
About 15 thousand displaced from the villages of Shtime

Shtime, 26 September (ARTA) 1545CET --
Following the Serb force operation in the region of the municipality of Shtime, many villages were cleansed off the population.
Albanian sources inform about a large number of burned, destroyed and demolished houses. Houses are completely destroyed in the majority of the villages. In Zborc alone, out of 150 houses, 100 of them are destroyed. The houses in the villages of Pjetërshticë, Carralevë, Petrovë, Karaqicë, Dugë, Belincë, Reçak, Mollopolc etc. are also burned.
According to the same sources, over 14,800 residents of the municipality of Shtime fled as a result of the Serb force attacks. A number of them found temporary shelter at their relatives, living in less threatened areas, while the majority of them are living outdoors and their situation is very bad.
CDHFR reports about a critical health situation of those living in tents and under plastic covers. There is great shortage of medicine, food, clothing, and with the approach of winter, timber.

KOSOVA (Serb offensive – Klinë)
Dozens of destroyed houses in Klinë municipality

Klinë, 26 September (ARTA) 2000CET --
Albanian sources inform that Xhemajl Halil Agushi (17) from the Drenoc village was killed in the border belt between Kosova and Albania today. Xhemajl is the 86th Albanian victim from this region since the beginning of the war in Kosova.
Albanian sources suspect that this number is far bigger, because there are claims of numerous unburied corpses, which have remained though the mountains of Çeskovë and Këpuz.
After burning and destroying hundreds of Albanian houses in Përçevë, Sverkë, Dush, Gremnik and Çupevë a large number of Serb military and police forces withdrew on Saturday from the Boxite mine in Volljakë, claim the field sources.
There are claims that the people of these villages do not dare return into the destroyed villages, because of the Serb snipers, which are positioned at the highest points of these villages.

KOSOVA (Serb offensive – Prizren)
Five arrested following Serb offensive in Rogovë

Prizren, 26 September (ARTA) 1600CET --
According to CDHRF reports in Prizren, during the Serb military\police offensive against the village of Rogovë, in the Prizren Has region, 7 houses were raided, and badly demolished and 5 local residents were arrested.
Due to the offensive, a large number of residents of the village of Rogovë and of the surrounding localities sought shelter in Prizren proper and in other less threatened areas.
Albanian sources, on the other hand, confirm that military forces, mostly consisting of anti-air weaponry, settled again in the village of Landovicë, at the military base called "Kodra e Landovicës".
The residents of the villages of the Prizren Has region: Gjonaj, Mazrekë, Krajkë, and Zym were once more given an ultimatum to "hand over the weapons".
Nothing is still known on the whereabouts of Fatmir Dina, although two months have already passed since the Serb force offensive against Rahovec.

KOSOVA (victims – Deçan)
A corpse of another Albanian found – IDPs return to their destroyed houses

Deçan, 26 September (ARTA) 1900CET --
The corpse of Sylejman Zekaj (62) was found in the village of Carrabreg i Epërm, municipality of Deçan, on Friday, local sources from Deçan inform. He is supposed to have been killed days before by the Serb military\police forces. He was buried in the cemetery of the village of Carrabreg i Epërm.
On the other hand, the number of those returning to the destroyed houses of this municipality is increasing every day.

SWITZERLAND (Kosova refugees – Switzerland)
Refugees from Kosova sheltered in Swiss military barracks - numbers rising rapidly

Zurich, 26 September (ARTA) 1750CET --
In a press release of the Swiss Federal Bureau for Refugees (BFF), it is stated on Friday that due to the large number of the asylum seekers, this institution, starting from mid October, will open new shelters with an overall number of 250 beds.
They were referring to a military shelter in Bronschofen (Thurgau canton) and to a civil defense hall in Chiasso, a bordering point with Italy.
These sheltering places are expected to give shelter to the asylum seekers that are constantly coming to Switzerland, and for whom the regular shelters of the Confederation, have no free spaces.
The press release that was distributed to the media states that during the last two months, the number of the asylum seekers increased constantly. In fact, it is so high, that in certain days up to 200 refugees apply in the immigration offices in Geneva, Basel, Kreuzlingen, and Chiasso.
Presently, 300 people are waiting to be accepted by one of the centers.
Presently, 150 Albanians live in Switzerland, with a sojourn status (B) and settled status (C), as well as 30 thousand asylum seekers and refugees with an accepted status, it is stated in the BFF report.
According to these data, it is evident that about 180 thousand Albanians live in Switzerland, as the number of those staying illegally, is unknown.
The officials of BFF assess that the number of the dislocated in Kosova reaches 300 thousand, the majority of which are living in the forest.

ALBANIA (visas)
Albanian Embassy asserts that Albania to be entered-only with visas

Zurich, 26 September (ARTA) 1900CET --
The Albanian Ambassador in Switzerland, Vlladimir Thanati, explained for "Koha Ditore" that, "officially no decision in applying visas for Kosova Albanians is made, but during the last days many Kosovar citizens came in the premises of our embassy to get visas".
He claims that "measures for an enforced control, in order to confirm the identity of the persons who enter into Albania are undertaken, because through these last years Albania became a territory without any control concerning the movement of people entering Albanian territory".
In addition, Thanati claimed that only those Albanians who possess passports in which their Albanian nationality is confirmed besides the citizenship (i.e. USA, Swiss, "Yugoslav", etc) could enter into Albania without visa.
For example: If in the passport of an Albanian-American stands that he is an American citizen of Albanian citizen, then that person can enter into Albania without a visa.
Nevertheless, the problem emerged with Kosova citizens, who have "Yugoslav" passports and citizenship, but there it is not written that they are of Albanian nationality. So in order to have a more thorough control this technical measure is undertaken", said Ambassador Thanati.
He claimed further that the Albanian Embassy in Bern has issued visas without any problem to all the compatriots who wanted to go in Tirana.
"Since the citizens of Kosova asked the Albanian visa not to be printed in their passports because of the eventual problems, they may have when going back to Kosova or elsewhere, we printed them in an additional form", claimed Vlladimir Thanati.

KOSOVA (Serb offensive – Klinë)
Neighboring villages of the Boxite Mine shelled - many Albanians missing

Klinë, 25 September (ARTA) 1930CET --
Serb military forces (with more than 50 tanks and other military hardware, installed in the Boxite mine in Volljakë) started shelling the villages Përcjell, Sverkë, Voljak, and Dush, since early morning hours.
Hundreds of grenades were fired against these villages and it is believed that there are many killed and wounded civilians. More than 20.000 residents have remained homeless, and are targeted by Serb grenades, inform "Koha Ditore" sources in Klinë.
The traffic between Prishtina and Pejë is blocked again. The situation in the region has intensified, especially after 22 September, when KLA forces destroyed a Serb armored vehicle together with its crew, claim sources close to the KLA.
A tense situation is confirmed also in the Region of Ozdrin and Jashanicë e Epërme, which are continuously being shelled by the Serb forces. Still, there is no information on the fate of Ramadan Baca, from Dremnik, a teacher at the "Luigj Gurakugi" high school in Klinë, nor on the whereabouts of Doctor Zaim Gashi, from Rastok. There is no information on Bajram Gazmend Gashi, from the village of Përcjell, either.
Sahit Salihu, from Pejë municipal village of Rashic and Salih Isufi from Klinë municipal village of Bokshiq, were arrested and there is no confirmation on their fate or whereabouts.

KOSOVA (Serb offensive – Central Kosova)
Serb offensive on the run in Central Kosova – many feared dead

Central Kosova, 25 September (ARTA) 2200CET --
Local "Koha Ditore" sources inform that the Serb offensive against Drenica, Obiliq and Fushë-Kosovë municipal villages continued on Friday.
The infantry of the Serb paramilitaries headed into the villages Dobroshec, Gllanasellë, Godanc, Gradicë, Qirez, Likoshan, Prelloc, Graboc i Epërm, Sibovc, Zhilivodë, Hamidi, Gllavotin, Kollë and Sallç – villages of the Vushtrri municipality.
After the Serb forces entered the villages, they immediately started burning the houses and abducting young Albanians.
Witnesses from this region claim about many killed and massacred people. So far, only the slaughtering of the Albanian Adem Lushtaku and five found corpses of other residents are confirmed.
Another source confirmed that an attack that commenced on Friday at 1100CET, against the villages Graboc i Poshtëm and Vasilevë continued all day long.
There is no information about the damages caused from this attack, but it is confirmed that tanks that are continuously shelling surround hundreds of civilians.

KOSOVA (Serb offensive – Suharekë)
The village of Reqan attacked – one wounded – one kidnapped

Suharekë, 25 September (ARTA) 2230CET --
The sources of SCDHRF in Suharekë claim that, a convoy of Serb military and police, comprised of 6 APCs, two tanks and a couple of trucks, attacked the villages Budakovë, Krushicë and Papaz on Thursday.
Other Serb military units positioned in the nearby mountains reinforced this attack.
Local sources of "Koha Ditore" confirmed on Friday, that a couple of days ago, the Serb forces were installed at the entry of the village of Reqan. They started shooting into the village severely wounding Hazir Osman Bylykbashi (46) from Suharekë who was working on his property.
Serb police mal-treated some local residents, while Nait, Xhavit and Nexhat Veselaj, paid the heavy toll. Also the 16 years old Hamëz Muharrem Hasanaj from Reqan village.
SCDHRF in Suharekë claims that Serb soldiers kidnapped 62 year old Vehbi Hamëz Fetaj, from the village of Reqan. He was in front of his house at the time when the kidnapping took place

KOSOVA (Serb offensive - Malishevë)
Serb offensive continues - villages on fire - more IDPs

Malishevë, 25 September (ARTA) 1950CET
Serb police\military forces undertook a new offensive on Friday, targeting civilians of the villages of the Llapushë and Drenica region. The villages of the Malishevë municipality, Mleçan, Baincë, Llozicë, etc. are also under Serb forces attack.
From early morning hours, large Serb police\military forces began shelling and burning these villages.
At around 1400CET, Serb forces began using missiles, claim "KOHA Ditore" sources.
The villages of Cerrovik, Negroc and other villages in the region of Drenica are also in flames.
The latest Serb offensive has caused a new wave of IDPs, who now have no shelter but the nearby forests.

KOSOVA (Serb offensive - Skënderaj)
Serb forces in Likovc

CDHRF branch in Skënderaj claims that Serb police forces are positioned in the village of Likovc, while other units were seen going from the town of Gllogoc to the village of Baincë. Soon after the villages of Makërmal, Rezallë, Likovc, Obri e Poshtme, Obri e Epërme, Tërdevc, Baincë, Tërstenik, Domanek e Krajkovë were shelled.

KOSOVA (IDPs - Qyqavicë)
40.000 IDPs in the forests of Qyqavicë

Vushtrri, 25 September (ARTA) 2030CET
Some 40.000 inhabitants of the villages attacked during the latest Serb offensive, and those displaced by previous attacks, are settled in the forests of the Qyqavicë Mountains.
The IDPs are out in the open with no shelter whatsoever, no food, no medical facilities, and no medicine. A large number of wounded and sick is among them.

KOSOVA (victims - Vushtrri)
12-year-old girl dies after shell hits tractor full of civilians

Vushtrri, 25 September (ARTA) 2225CET
A 12 year old girl, Fitore Klinaku, died after e Serb grenade fell upon the tractor of the nine member family of Isak Klinaku, from the village of Bivolak, municipality of Vushtrri. Other wounded members of the family were taken to the Hospital.
LDK Information Center in Vushtrri claim that the grenade fell while the family was fleeing the under-shelling area.
Many other tractors were next to the Klinaku family, as they were trying to escape the region.

KOSOVA (victims - Mitrovicë)
Fifth Oshlan victim identified - large military convoys at the city barracks

Mitrovicë, 25 September (ARTA) 1945CET
The fifth victim of the Serb offensive on the villages of the municipalities of Vushtrri and Mitrovicë has been identified on Thursday. Mustafë Shuti, from Oshlan i Vushtrrisë, was a local teacher and an ex-prisoner. Another victim from the village of Brabonic was identified as well. The victim, Bahri Smajli, was killed during the Serb attack on this village.
Thursday night, large military convoys arrived in Mitrovicë, coming from different directions, and settling in the city military barracks.
Some 60 military vehicles equipped with heavy artillery paraded through Mitrovicë, at around 0630 CET Friday. The convoy came from the direction of Zveçan and went to the direction of Skënderaj.
The continuous movement of military personnel and equipment signifies that the Serb offensive in the region of Drenica is continuing.
It also informed that Thursday night automatic rifle shots were heard, coming from the direction of the mainly Serb village of Suhodoll. The shots were directed at the Albanian villages of Vinarc and Gushac.
The Mitrovicë city Hospital remains blocked by the Serb police, as for the last three days. No civilians are accepted at the Hospital, while there are reports that operated Albanians have been expelled from the Hospital.

KOSOVA (arrests - Prizren Has)
Albanians arrested after police ultimatum deadline expires

Prizren, 25 September (ARTA) 2055CET
The Serb police undertook a campaign of raiding Albanian houses and arresting Albanians in the village of Rogovë, in the Prizren Has region, claim "KD" sources in Prizren, Friday.
According to CDHRF in Prizren, some 40 Serb policemen raided the house of Beqir (Shaqir) Shala, who was also arrested and taken to the Gjakovë police station, along with some other villagers.
The pretext for this expedition was the "search for weapons", although a month a go the village was given an ultimatum to hand over all weapons.

KOSOVA (assassination attempt - Prishtina)
Assassination attempt on the life of Sabri Hamiti

Prishtina, September 25 (ARTA) 2040CET
"Last night, at around 0900CET, in front of his flat, an assassination attempt was made on the life of Sabri Hamiti, MP, University professor, author and a distinguished intellectual", said Ibrahim Rugova, at his press conference.
"The attempt on his life was made by unidentified persons...Mr. Hamiti is currently in Hospital".
"We warn such persons who wish to destabilize Kosova furthermore, that we shall undertake all measures available to prevent this", said Rugova adding "such persons wish to distance people from the path of independence".
Rugova, due to the tragic event, declined answering to the questions of the journalists that were present.

KOSOVA (IDPs - Vushtrri)
Death threatens over 30.000 IDPs in Resnik

Vushtrri, 25 September (ARTA) 2010CET
Over 30.000 Albanian civilians, settled by the village of Resnik, are in a very difficult position, due to the lack of food and shelter. The civilians were displaced by the latest Serb offensive on the villages of the Qyqavicë Mountains, claim LDK sources in Vushtrri.
A number of wounded civilians are among the IDPs.
Same sources say that Thursday night, Serb military and police units, positioned along the Sitnicë River bank, fired their weapons constantly, inducing panic among the citizens of the town of Vushtrri.

KOSOVA (bogus-trials – Kaçanik)
Ten Albanians sentenced to 63 years of prison

Kaçanik, 25 September (ARTA)--
The trial against 11 Albanians, from Hani i Elezit, charged with "associating for hostile activities" and "terrorism", finished today in the Serb District Court of Prishtina.
Avni Ibrahimi, Defense Attorney the indicted Sherif Berisha, claimed that the three-member panel jury, presided by Viseslava Cvetkovic, has changed the charges.
They abrogated the accusation for "terrorism" to the indicted, and have charged them instead for "trafficking weapons and ammunition for the armed groups", which is restricted with the article 139 of "Yugoslav" criminal code.
The jury proclaimed ten (out of eleven accused) as guilty. The sentence was from 5 to 10 years of imprisonment.
Rufki Suma (1968) and Nesim Curri (1969) were sentenced with 10 years imprisonment; Arif Curri (1965) with 7 years; Sherif Berisha (1969) with 6 years; Shefket Topojani (1969), Valon Berisha (1971), Hamit Berisha (1968), Rexhep Shkreta (1972), Zekeria Shkreta (1971) and Fadil Berisha (1960) with 5 years of imprisonment, while Afet Kryeziu, (1958), was freed in of lack of evidence.
Sherif Berisha, Shefket Topojani and Valon Berisha will remain in custody, while seven others are sentenced in absentia.

KOSOVA (police raids – Kaçanik)
Police raids houses - gives ultimatum for handing in weapons

Kaçanik, 25 September (ARTA) 2100CET --
There are claims that six houses of the Lushaj suburb, in Doganaj village, were raided on Thursday. Police then gave an ultimatum to the residents of this suburb to hand in the weapons, until Friday at 1200CET.
Meanwhile, Tefik Lushi (45), Bajram Lushi (52), and Ilmi Lushi (33), teacher at "Ali Asllani" local Elementary School, are summoned to the police station in Kaçanik.
The sources of the LDK branch in Kaçanik and SCDHRF inform that Serb police filmed the surrounding of this suburb, hours before.
According to these sources, this was supposedly done because "the police checkpoint was allegedly attacked some days ago, and a Serb policeman was killed".
So far, there is no information on further developments in this village.

KOSOVA (funeral – Tirana)
Ahmet Krasniqi buried

Tirana, 24 September (ARTA) 2100CET --
Kosova Albanians buried on Thursday, Ahmet Krasniqi, a military commander who was killed on Monday by unidentified masked persons, in Albania.
Soldiers wearing blue uniforms and black berets, with emblems of the Kosova Liberation Army (KLA) carried his coffin, covered with the Albanian national flag.
Krasniqi was assassinated on his way to home. Last respects were paid to the deceased in front of the central building of the Albanian Army.

KOSOVA (IDPs - Gjakovë)
Humanitarian aid distributed to IDPs

Gjakovë, 25 September (ARTA) 2200CET
The distribution of humanitarian aid to IDPs in several localities around the Gjakovë municipality began today.
In the Piskotë suburb of Gjakovë, Albanian sources claim, last night a vehicle full of policemen roamed the streets, firing automatic weapons. There are no reports on casualties or the damage caused.

* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International *
AI INDEX: EUR 70/71/98
News Service: 183/98

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia:
Amnesty International is wearing black for Kosovo

Closing borders to Kosovo refugees and displaced persons will do nothing but extend the human misery of the conflict, Amnesty International said today as it announced its International Day of Action for Kosovo on Saturday, 19 September.

     The organization's members and supporters all over the world will be wearing black for Kosovo, uniting in a demonstration of dismay and outrage at the continuing human rights tragedy in Kosovo province. The program of the events includes vigils, demonstrations, public meetings and other activities.

     Amnesty International's Day of Action is also a display of solidarity for the Serbian Women in Black organization. Women in Black, which has been in the forefront of the peace movement in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, will be holding its own public protest outside the Serbian parliament in Belgrade this evening.

     "The sluggish response of the international community in the past few months has contributed to Kosovo's tragedy," Amnesty International said. "The perpetrators of gross human rights abuse in the province have thrived through a summer of continuing impunity. With no prospect of a political solution in sight, and almost 300,000 displaced persons and refugees on the move or crowded into inadequate shelters, what will winter bring?"

     "Those who would abuse human rights in Kosovo need to be made to see that their crimes will be investigated and that they will be caught, prosecuted and punished. That message, delivered urgently and emphatically by the international community, might yet forestall a greater tragedy."

     The situation for the victims of Kosovo worsened earlier this week, when the Montenegrin authorities sealed the border with Kosovo province in an attempt to block access for those seeking shelter from the conflict. They also expelled a group of 3,500 to 4,000 Kosovo Albanians to Albania, forcing them to become refugees.

     In Kosovo province itself, thousands of internally displaced ethnic Albanians are sleeping in the open as the winter approaches. As many as 7,000 are believed to be in the Pec area, close to the border with Montenegro with little or no access to international humanitarian organizations. At least 200,000 people -- most ethnic Albanians, but also some Serbs -- are displaced within Kosovo.

     Amnesty International is repeating its earlier appeals to the Yugoslav and Serbian authorities and to the Kosovo Liberation Army to halt human rights abuses and give free access to humanitarian organizations and to the international community to ensure adequate monitoring of abuses in Kosovo.

     Elsewhere in Europe some Kosovo refugees are receiving appalling treatment. Only a few days ago Amnesty International interviewed an ethnic Albanian family from Kosovo. After four months of sheltering in hills near their home, then in Montenegro and Albania, the family had flown out of Albania in an attempt to reach relatives in western Europe. Instead of meeting their waiting relatives in a third country, the family had been effectively detained in Budapest airport, Hungary, for over a week, without proper food, washing facilities or adequate clothing. Moreover, the family had been given no information about how they might seek protection as refugees or even been provided with access to their luggage in order to retrieve their relatives' telephone numbers.

     The Montenegrin authorities have received an influx of at least 40,000 people displaced by the conflict in Kosovo, most of them ethnic Albanian civilians; on top of some 30,000 refugees from the earlier Bosnian and Croatian conflicts. Amnesty International recognizes the burden this places on a small republic, but calls on the Montenegrin authorities and the international community as a whole to redouble their efforts to protect displaced persons and refugees and meet their legal and moral obligations.

     In an attempt to justify their actions, the Montenegrin authorities have also cited the presence of some armed men -- fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army -- among the ethnic Albanians crossing into Montenegro. While such people may not enjoy the same rights to protection as civilians, their presence cannot be used to deny the protection of others fleeing human rights violations, AI argued.

     "The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia must abide by the United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons which were adopted earlier this year," Amnesty International said. "Other countries must also ensure that asylum-seekers from Kosovo are given protection."
/ENDS

******************************************************************************************************
Amnesty International has published in the last couple of months a series of reports providing detailed scrutiny of the long-standing patterns of abuses in Kosovo province. For copies of these reports or to speak to our country expert on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, please telephone Amnesty International Press Office on +44 171 413 5562 or +44 171 413 5566.

Amnesty International now has an ISDN line for studio-quality radio interviews from their offices in London. Please telephone for further details.

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U.N. refugee chief meets terrified Kosovars
By Andrew Roche

PRISTINA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The U.N.'s refugee chief visited terrified ethnic Albanians sheltering in a village mosque in Kosovo on Saturday and promised to try to protect them from Serbian forces who drove them from their homes
     "We saw people who were totally traumatised, almost in a coma" from fear, Sadako Ogata told a news conference after travelling to Resnik, northern Kosovo, where around 2,000 Kosovo Albanians have taken refuge in and around the mosque
     The civilians have fled bombardment of their villages in the Cicavica mountains where Serbian forces say they have been mopping up the last remnants of the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) after a successful offensive across the southern Serbian province
     Journalists invited by the U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) to accompany Ogata to Resnik on Saturday were turned back to Pristina after police separated their cars from Ogata's convoy at checkpoints
     Police said "Albanian terrorists" on the road ahead made the journey too dangerous, failing to explain why Ogata herself was not endangered
     Ogata said refugees in Resnik had told her of "their fear, their despair and their hopeless situation" after fleeing on foot, tractors or carts as troops systematically destroyed their homes behind them.
     "They told me in tears about what they had gone through," she said.
     "It is very important that the international organisations... not only help materially and physically, but give them a sense of security," she added.
     Some refugees in Resnik had injuries from gunfire or explosions, UNHCR officials said. Ogata said explosions could be heard in the distance during her brief visit.
     Weeping Albanians pleaded with her not to leave them, believing Serbian troops might yet attack them in Resnik itself.
     As Ogata's convoy of vehicles began to pull out of the village, a middle-aged refugee stood in the road barring its way for several minutes, a UNHCR official told Reuters.
     "He said to Ogata: 'You can run me over but if you leave they will kill us'," the official related.
     International aid organisations had to visit and possibly maintain a presence in places like Resnik to calm the refugees' fears, Ogata said.
     She said she had told Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade on Thursday that "violence, harassment and repressive measures" by Serbian forces lay behind the mass flight of refugees, which has led to threats of Western military intervention.
     The UNHCR has said some 50,000 Kosovo Albanians are living in the open as chill rains signal the approach of the harsh Balkan winter. "But the president talked of only about 700. That, I think, was too low," Ogata said drily.
     Serbian authorities say Kosovo is returning to normal after months of fighting and that they want refugees to return home.
     But Ogata said she had told Milosevic fear would prevent that unless Serbian authorities began confidence-building measures.
     "Especially, if people leave their homes, these should not be burned and looted," she said she told the Yugoslav leader.
     "The president did not deny it," she added.
     "Humanitarian efforts are not going to solve the situation. The humanitarian problems are the result of a much deeper political situation and that has to be faced," Ogata said.

NATO Prepares Yugoslavia Attacks
By Robert Wielaard Associated Press Writer
Saturday, September 26, 1998; 1:16 a.m. EDT

VILAMOURA, Portugal (AP) -- For the first time, the NATO allies plan to take the offensive, readying bombers, missiles and warships to strike at a European neighbor that, at best, poses a vague threat to them.
     The Kosovo crisis has dragged them into something new: They are publicly planning for hostilities, rather than reacting to them.
     During 45 Cold War years, NATO never said it would not be the first to strike. Nor did it say it would be. It kept Moscow at bay with the threat of massive retaliation to any attack, a strategy that worked so well the allies were able to reap a huge "peace dividend" when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.
     "But that dividend has been paid out," Dutch Defense Minister Frank de Grave said Friday after a two-day NATO defense ministers meeting.
     "NATO cannot go on endlessly cashing in that dividend. The world has not become a safer place. We still must invest in our security."
     Against that backdrop, the allies are preparing for air strikes on Yugoslavia unless President Slobodan Milosevic ends his attacks on ethnic Albanians struggling for independence in Kosovo. If necessary, NATO says it will attack with missiles and bombs, gradually intensifying the assault until Milosevic capitulates.
     After months of contingency planning, NATO knows its way around Yugoslavia. For one thing, sources say, military planners have identified 600 surface-to-air missile sites across the country that would be targeted and knocked out along with their command and control centers.
     Although allied air strikes helped end the Bosnian war, Kosovo is different.
     "What we are really talking about here is a humanitarian disaster precipitated by the cold political calculus of an autocratic leader who has pursued a political strategy by military means against his own citizens," said Gen. Wesley K. Clark, supreme allied commander in Europe.
     In Bosnia, NATO was a partner of the United Nations, which passed 36 Security Council resolutions aimed at achieving peace.
     NATO could have cited a half dozen of the resolutions to justify military action, particularly to retaliate for Bosnian Serb attacks against U.N. "safe havens" and to protect international peacekeepers.
     Milosevic threatens no NATO troops or U.N. peacekeepers and considers Kosovo an internal matter. To him, the province was Serbia's heartland in the Middle Ages and an integral part of the Serbian state since the Serbs regained independence from the Turks in 1878.
     How, then, can NATO justify attacking a sovereign country that does not threaten it?
     The United States and Germany lead a camp that argues that by bombing his own subjects, making almost 300,000 of them homeless and turning hundreds of villages into ghost towns, Milosevic undermines stability on NATO's eastern doorstep.
     An allied attack, they say, is about defending Western values and interests and NATO needs no formal approval for that from the United Nations.
     "The United States believes that no authority from the Security Council is necessary," Defense Secretary William Cohen told reporters. "The credibility of NATO is on the line."
     France and others are less sure. French Defense Minister Alain Richard, pressed by reporters, said: "It would be irresponsible to say what the next step is going to be."
     The United States is confident that, in the end, the allies won't let themselves be hog-tied by the need to get a U.N. blessing for military action and thus run the risk of a Russian or Chinese veto.
     This debate does not end with Kosovo. Next April, NATO leaders meet in Washington to approve a new overall post-Cold War strategic concept, one that will deal with new security risks and challenges just like the one the allies are facing from Belgrade now.

Copyright 1998 The Associated Press

Rugova demands international protection to save people of Kosove

      PRISHTINE, Sept.25 (ata) - ATA correspondent Behlul Jashari reports:
 President Rugova reiterated today in his news conference the appeal for  international defence of Kosove and its people and for urgent halt of the  Serb offensive and security for the return of nearly half a million displaced  refugees to their homes.
      "We demand a greater commitment to save the people of Kosove,  an international protection for Kosove, first of all from the U.S., the EU and NATO," said Rugova. In this context,  he hailed the approval of the Resolution of the Security Council and the fact that it is based on the 7th Chapter of the U.N. Charter.  Rugova also greeted NATO's readiness to protect the people of Kosove.
      The situation in Kosove, said Rugova, is very grave and dangerous, with a fierce terror by Serb forces, killings, massacres, bombing, destruction and burning in broad regions of the Rrafsh of Kosove, Drenice, Shale of Bajgore, Llap, Dukagjin, etc, where great ethnic cleansing is going on. The situation is worse for the displaced people who are surviving under the open sky, said Rugova.  He reiterated the stand that the best solution is independence for Kosove with all guarantees for the Serbs and an international protectorate as a transitory stage. /p.ta/xh/

Attempt in Prishtina
Sabri Hamiti, Kosova deputy wounded

      PRISHTINE, Sept 25, Belul Jashari, ATA correspondent reported that yesterday evening after 21.00, Dr. Sabri Hamiti, deputy of Kosova Albanian Parliament, was injured by gunfire near  his house in Prishtina. President Rugova said that it was an attempt to his life.
      "Last night, after 21.00, in front of his house an attempt was committed to Sabri Hamiti's life, a deputy of Kosova Albanian Parliament, university professor, a remarkable intellectual and writer. The attempt was committed by unidentified persons. Sabri Hamiti is in the hospital at present," Rugova said to the journalists today.
      Rugova also considered the attempt as "an attack against Kosova institutions, public personalities and remarkable people of Kosova and region as well".
      "The attempt aimed to distance the people from Kosova independence path," said Rugova, warning that "all the measures will be taken in order not to allow something like this to happen." /lola/

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