Tagesnachrichten 4. Oktober 1998
     von dpa, from ALBANEWS and others
     News of the day - October 4, 1998
     Kosova Information Center : Daily Report No 1572

         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

 

Offene Fragen:

     Ein ethisches
           Ein juristisches
                 Ein politisches Problem ?

                        Wenn sich jemand nicht an seine Zusagen,
                                an getroffenes Vereinbarungen,
                                an geschlossene Verträge,
                                an Gesetze hält,
                        kann der dann von anderen die Einhaltung genau
                                dieser Absprachen und Regelungen einfordern ?
                        ist der - sind die - Vertragspartner
                                dann noch an ihr Wort gebunden ?

Open questions:

     An ethical
           A juridical
                 A political problem ?

             If someone keeps not his promises,
                    incured agreements,
                    contracts,
                    laws,
             can this one call in from others to keep
                    even these agreements and arrangements ?
             is the - are the - partner of contract
                    in theses circumstances liable to keep his - their - word ?

Rußland und Jugoslawien warnen vor NATO-Militäraktion
Belgrad/Moskau (dpa) - Rußland und Jugoslawien haben vor unvorhersehbaren und tragischen Folgen einer NATO-Militäraktion im Kosovo-Konflikt gewarnt. Dies geht aus eine am Sonntag in Belgrad veröffentlichten Erklärung hervor, wie die Nachrichtenagentur Itar-Tass aus Belgrad meldete.
     Die Erklärung wurde nach Gesprächen des russischen Außenministers Igor Iwanow und Verteidigungsminister Igor Sergejew mit der jugoslawischen und serbischen Führung veröffentlicht. Beide Politiker flogen anschließend nach Moskau zurück.
     Iwanow habe dem jugoslawischen Präsidenten Slobodan Milosevic eine persönliche Botschaft des russischen Präsidenten Boris Jelzin überreicht, hieß es ohne nähere Angaben. Rußland und Jugoslawien seien einig darüber, daß der Konflikt im Kosovo ausschließlich auf friedlichem Wege gelöst werde dürfe.
     Die Führungen von Serbien und Jugoslawien seien zum politischen Dialog bereit. Eine Militärintervention von außen wäre ein Akt der Aggression gegen Jugoslawien, hieß es in dem Dokument. Dies wäre ein verantwortungsloser Schritt, den die Weltgemeinschaft nicht zulassen könne.
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Oberster Verteidigungsrat in Belgrad berät Kosovo-Krise
Belgrad (dpa) - Angesichts der massiven Drohungen der NATO mit einem Militäreinsatz wegen der Krise in der südjugoslawischen Provinz Kosovo ist am Sonntag der Oberste Verteidigungsrat Jugoslawiens in Belgrad zusammengetreten. Das berichtete die Agentur Beta (Belgrad).
     In dem Rat sitzen der jugoslawische Staatspräsident Slobodan Milosevic, die Präsidenten der Teilrepubliken Serbien und Montenegro, sowie der Verteidigungsminister und der Armeechef.
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Papst mahnt ökumenischen Dialog an
Split (dpa) - Papst Johannes Paul II. hat am Sonntag die kroatische Bischofskonferenz zum ökumenischen Dialog mit anderen christlichen Kirchen und Glaubensgemeinschaften in der Region aufgerufen.
     Dieser Dialog könne zur Evangelisierung im neuen, demokratischen Umfeld beitragen. «Mensch, Familie und Gesellschaft werden dadurch vor den Fallen des Hedonismus und der Konsumgier abgehalten», sagte er am Sonntag nachmittag in der dalmatinischen Hafenstadt Split.
     Gleichzeitig diene der ökumenische Dialog der Aussöhnung auf dem Balkan. «Er dient der Beseitigung unnötiger Mißverständnisse und erleichtert die gegenseitige Achtung sowie die Zusammenarbeit im Dienste der Menschen», sagte das Kirchenoberhaupt.
     Johannes Paul hatte zuvor bei seiner Messe in Split vor Hunderttausenden Menschen die internationale Gemeinschaft zum sofortigen Handeln in der südjugoslawischen Unruheprovinz Kosovo aufgerufen. Noch am Abend wollte der Papst nach Rom zurückfliegen.
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Drei Balkanländer fordern zum Waffenstillstand im Kosovo auf
Athen (dpa) - Die Regierungschefs Bulgariens, Griechenlands und Rumäniens haben am Sonntag in Delphi zum sofortigen Waffenstillstand im Kosovo aufgerufen, um doch noch den Weg für eine politische Lösung des Konflikts zu ebnen und einen Eingriff der NATO zu vermeiden.
     Die Präsidenten Bulgariens und Rumäniens, Petar Stojanov und Emil Constantinescu, sowie der griechische Ministerpräsident Kostas Simitis haben am Wochenende in Delphi über die Lage auf dem Balkan, insbesondere im Kosovo, und über die Möglichkeiten der intensiveren Zusammenarbeit ihrer Länder gesprochen.
     In ihrer gemeinsamen Erklärung appellierten die drei Regierungschefs vor allem an die jugoslawischen Seite, aber auch an alle Beteiligten im Kosovo-Konflikt, friedliche Lösungen zu finden und unbedingt auf den Einsatz von Waffen zu verzichten. Der erste Schritt sei ein sofortiger Waffenstillstand.
     Der griechische Außenminister Theodoros Pangalos erklärte während der zweitägigen Delphi-Konferenz: Diejenigen, die Entscheidungen in Bezug auf den Balkan treffen, sind viele, aber es sind diese drei Länder (Bulgarien, Griechenland und Rumänien), die die Rechnung bezahlen müssen".
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Vor Annan-Bericht: Rußland warnt NATO vor Militäraktion im Kosovo
Moskau/Belgrad/New York/Madrid (dpa) - Unmittelbar vor einem Bericht von UNO-Generalsekretär Kofi Annan über die Kosovo-Krise hat Rußland die NATO mit allem Nachdruck vor einem Militärschlag gewarnt.
     Der russische Außenminister Igor Iwanow traf am Sonntag überraschend zu Gesprächen mit dem jugoslawischen Präsidenten Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrad ein. Iwanow wolle Belgrad drängen, ernsthaft Gespräche über eine politische Lösung zu führen.
     NATO-Generalsekretär Javier Solana bekräftigte die Bereitschaft der Allianz, militärisch einzugreifen. Wenn Milosevic nicht nachgebe, werde die NATO innerhalb von zwei Wochen handeln, drohte zuvor US-Verteidigungsminuister William Cohen.
     Das albanische Informationszentrum in der Kosovo-Hauptstadt Pristina berichtete am Samstag von neuen Kämpfen. Serbische Polizei und die jugoslawische Armee hätten mehrere Dörfer in der Umgebung der Stadt Djakovica angegriffen. Die Bewohner hätten ihre Dörfer verlassen müssen, zitierte die Agentur Beta (Belgrad) aus der Mitteilung.
     Die russische Regierung warnte die NATO am Sonntag eindringlich vor einer Militäraktion ohne Mandat des Weltsicherheitsrats. Eine solche Aktion würde das «gesamte System der gegenwärtigen internationalen Beziehungen untergraben», hieß es in einer Erklärung der russischen Regierung.
     Moskau machte sowohl die Führung in Belgrad als auch separatistische Bestrebungen der Kosovo-Albaner für die Zuspitzung verantwortlich. Belgrad habe keine angemessenen Schritte für eine politische Lösung unternommen.
     Anann will an diesem Montag seinen Bericht über Belgrads Reaktion auf die Kosovo-Resolution des Sicherheitsrats vorlegen. Er will den Rat am späten Abend persönlich über seine Erkenntnisse unterrichten. Der Sicherheitsrat wird dann an diesem Dienstag darüber beraten, in welcher Form er auf den Bericht eingeht. Die vorerst letzte Resolution des Sicherheitsrats zum Kosovo beinhaltet keine mögliche Militäraktion.
     «Die russische Regierung hält es für notwendig, noch einmal zu unterstreichen, daß die Anwendung von Gewalt gegen einen souveränen Staat ohne entsprechende Sanktionen des UNO-Sicherheitsrats ein äußerst grober Verstoß gegen das UNO-Statut wäre», hieß es in der Erklärung in Moskau. Eine Militäraktion könnte auch die Sicherheit der internationalen Friedenstruppen in Bosnien und Herzegowina bedrohen.
     Der neue russische Außenminister Iwanow traf am Sonntag mit Verteidigungsminister Igor Sergejew in Belgrad ein, wie die Agentur Beta meldete. Iwanow wollte den Informationen zufolge Milosevic aufrufen, die UNO-Resolution zu erfüllen. An den Gesprächen sei auch Jugoslawiens Armeechef Momcilo Perisic beteiligt gewesen.
     NATO-Generalsekretär Javier Solana verwies in einem Interview mit der spanischen Zeitung «El Pais» darauf, daß Milosevic auch seine Versprechen gegenüber Moskau nicht eingehalten habe. Er äußerte sich zuversichtlich, den Widerstand Moskaus gegen einen NATO-Militärschlag überwinden zu können.
     «Wir sind bereit», sagte Solana. «Die Zeit für Milosevic läuft ab.» Papst Johannes Paul II. forderte in Split ein rasches Handeln der internationalen Gemeinschaft im Kosovo-Konflikt.
     US-Verteidigungsminister William Cohen hatte in Washington Milosevic erneut aufgefordert, Streitkräfte und Polizeieinheiten aus der Krisenprovinz abzuziehen und die humanitäre Hilfe und Rückkehr der Flüchtlinge nicht länger zu behindern.
     Wenn Milosevic nicht nachgebe, werde die NATO innerhalb von zwei Wochen handeln, drohte Cohen. Angesichts der wachsenden Bereitschaft des Westens zu einem Militäreinsatz berief die jugoslawische Regierung für den morgigen Montag eine Sondersitzung des Bundesparlaments ein. Das Auswärtige Amt in Bonn riet von Reisen nach Jugoslawien ab.
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Papst fordert verfeindete Brüder auf dem Balkan zur Versöhnung auf
Zagreb/Split (dpa) - Wie ein einsamer Rufer mahnte der Papst unter der strahlenden Sonne Kroatiens die Aussöhnung auf dem Balkan an. Doch auch der neuerliche Appell des Kirchenoberhauptes erreicht nur verfeindete Brüder.
     «Hierzulande verstehen die Menschen nur knallharte Botschaften», sagte ein Gottesdienst-Besucher. Knapp drei Jahre nach den Kriegen in Bosnien und auch Kroatien ziehen über dem Balkan neue Gewitter auf. Während sich Kroaten, Serben und Moslems in diesen beiden Staaten mehr oder weniger um friedliche Verhältnisse bemühen, verschärft sich weiter südlich der Konflikt im Kosovo.
     Wie kompliziert die Verhältnisse auf dem Balkan sind, zeigt auch die politische Wertung der Papstvisite durch Kroatiens Präsident Franjo Tudjman. Der nutzte die seltene Gelegenheit eines ranghohen Besuches für eine politische Selbstdarstellung. In einem ungewöhnlich scharfen Kommentar unterstellt die unabhängige Tageszeitung «Novi List» dem international weitgehend isolierten Tudjman, er mißbrauche die Visite «zur Untermauerung seiner These der Weltverschwörung gegen Kroatien».
     Selbst die Seligsprechung des umstrittenen kroatischen Kardinals Alojzije Stepinac (1898-1960) wurde zum Politikum. Der frühere Erzbischof von Zagreb wird von den einen als Märtyrer verehrt, von den anderen als Nazi-Kollaborateur verdammt. Seine Gegner werfen ihm vor, er habe sich während des Zweiten Weltkrieges der Deportation Tausender von Menschen in die Konzentrationslager nicht entschieden genug widersetzt.
     Seine Anhänger verehren ihn, weil er die von Tito geplante Abspaltung der katholischen Kirche Kroatiens von Rom verhinderte. In einem Schauprozeß wurde er von den jugoslawischen Kommunisten 1946 zu einer 16jährigen Haftstrafe verurteilt.
     Noch heute scheiden sich die Geister, geht es um die Rolle des Kirchenmannes in den 40er Jahren. Für viele Serben ist er weiterhin das Symbol des damaligen verhaßten kroatischen Ustascha-Regimes. Die Kroaten verehren ihn dagegen als Verfechter und Befürworter des ersten kroatischen Staates in diesem Jahrhundert. Und als Opfer der heute unbeliebten Kommunisten.
     «In der Person des neuen Seligen verknüpft sich die ganze Tragödie, die das kroatische Volk und Europa im Verlauf dieses Jahrhunderts mit den drei großen Übeln Faschismus, Nationalsozialismus und Kommunismus getroffen hat», sagt der Papst.
     Für viele Kroaten war der Besuch des Kirchenoberhauptes wie Balsam für die Seele. Etwa eine Million Menschen strömten zu den Messen, säumten fähnchenschwenkend die Straßen, warteten in reichverzierten Landestrachten geduldig auf das Papamobil. «Faszinierend», ruft ein Soldat.
     Ein ehemaliger Parlaments-Abgeordneter erinnert sich: «Bis vor zehn Jahren wurde hierzulande nur schlecht über Stepinac gesprochen.» Deshalb sei die Seligsprechung ein großes Ereignis für die Kirche in Kroatien und den kroatischen Staat. Ordensschwester Maria strahlt vor Freude. «Der neuerliche Besuch des Papstes in Kroatien ist ein Zeichen seiner Liebe zur Kirche hier und zu den Kroaten.»
     Schon bei seinem ersten Besuch in Zagreb hatte Johannes Paul 1994 zur Versöhnung aufgerufen und eine «Kultur des Friedens» gefordert. Doch auf dem Balkan werden die ethnischen, religiösen und politischen Feindschaften weiter gepflegt. Daß 20 000 Polizisten zum Schutz des Papstes aufgeboten wurden, ist ein Beweis für die Instabilität der Region.
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Russischer Außenminister Iwanow überraschend in Belgrad
Belgrad/Moskau (dpa) - Der russische Außenminister Igor Iwanow ist am Sonntag überraschend zu Gesprächen in der jugoslawischen Hauptstadt Belgrad eingetroffen. Dies meldete die Nachrichtenagentur Itar-Tass aus Belgrad.
     Iwanow wolle der jugoslawischen Führung die Besorgnis der russischen Regierung über die Entwicklung des Kosovo-Konflikts erläutern.
     Unter Berufung auf vertrauliche Quellen meldete Itar-Tass, daß Iwanow Präsident Slobodan Milisevic treffen wolle. Diesen wolle er dazu aufrufen, die jüngste Resolution des Weltsicherheitsrats vollständig zu erfüllen. Nach Informationen von Itar-Tass wird Iwanow vom russischen Verteidigungsminister Igor Sergejew begleitet.
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Papst fordert schnelles Handeln des Westens im Kosovo
Split/Zagreb (dpa) - Papst Johannes Paul II. hat die «Tragödie im Kosovo» beklagt und ein rasches Handeln der internationalen Gemeinschaft gefordert. «Mögen Gewalt und Verwüstung endlich dem Verständnis, dem gegenseitigen Respekt, der Vergebung und der Wiederaussöhnung weichen», sagte das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche am Sonntag in der kroatischen Hafenstadt Split. «Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, darf die internationale Gemeinschaft es nicht unterlassen, rechtzeitig zu helfen.»
     Die Stadt an der Adria war die letzte Station seiner dreitägigen Kroatien-Reise. Insgesamt rund eine Million Gläubige waren zu den Veranstaltungen des Papstes erschienen.
     Auch in Split bereiteten Hunderttausende dem Pontifex einen begeisterten Empfang. Am Abend wollte der Papst nach Rom zurückreisen. Für seine Sicherheit hatten die kroatischen Behörden rund 20 000 Polizisten aufgeboten.
    Bei strahlendem Sonnenschein rief der Papst in Split zu einem Neuanfang in Kroatien auf. Knapp drei Jahre nach dem Krieg müßten die kroatischen Christen ihrer Heimat «ein neues Gesicht geben», sagte das Kirchenoberhaupt. Die kroatischen Christen müßten sich nun in der Gesellschaft für die ethischen und moralischen Werte einsetzen, die vom Totalitarismus und dem Krieg untergraben worden seien.
    «Diese Aufgabe erfordert viel Energie und einen festen Willen», mahnte das Kirchenoberhaupt: «Und es eilt.» Erneut rief der Papst dazu auf, die Mitbürger wie Brüder zu behandeln. Die zweite Kroatien-Reise des Papstes nach 1994 stand wieder unter dem Motto der Wiederaussöhnung.
     Unter dem Jubel von fast 500 000 Menschen hatte der Papst am Samstag den umstrittenen kroatischen Kardinal Alojzije Stepinac (1898-1960) seliggesprochen. Das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche sprach im Wallfahrtsort Marija Bistrica bei Zagreb von einem «historischen Moment» für die Kirche und Kroatien.
«In der Person des neuen Seligen verknüpft sich die ganze Tragödie, die das kroatische Volk und Europa im Verlauf diesesJahrhunderts mit den drei großen Übeln Faschismus, Nationalsozialismus und Kommunismus getroffen hat», sagte der Papst.
     Das Beispiel von Stepinac ermahne zum gegenseitigen Verzeihen und zur Aussöhnung, sagte der Papst. Der frühere Erzbischof von Zagreb sei eine Lichtgestalt und ein Märtyrer gewesen. «Verzeihen und Aussöhnen heißt, das Gedächtnis reinigen vom Haß, vom Groll, von Rachegelüsten.»
     Die Seligsprechung von Stepinac hat eine neue Diskussion über dessen Rolle im Zweiten Weltkrieg ausgelöst. Seine Kritiker, vor allem Serben, lasten ihm an, er habe nicht genug gegen die Deportation von Gegnern des faschistischen Ustascha-Regimes unternommen.
     Das Simon-Wiesenthal-Zentrum, das sich international gegen Rassismus und Antisemitismus einsetzt, forderte eine Verschiebung der Zeremonie. Zunächst müsse die Prüfung unabhängiger Historiker zum Verhalten des Geistlichen abgeschlossen werden, sagte ein Sprecher in Paris.
     Die jugoslawischen Kommunisten hatten Stepinac 1946 zu 16 Jahren Haft verurteilt. Angeblich soll er während des Zweiten Weltkrieges das Ustascha-Regime unterstützt haben. Nach offiziellen Biografien mischten ihm die Kommunisten im Zuchthaus kleine Mengen Gift ins Essen, woran er schließlich gestorben sei.
     «Die letzten 15 Jahre seines Lebens waren eine einzige Qual», sagte der Papst. Selige und Heilige gelten als herausragende Zeugen des Glaubens ihrer jeweiligen Zeit. Die Seligsprechung ist die Vorstufe zur Heiligsprechung.
     Im heutigen Kroatien wird Stepinac vor allem deshalb verehrt, weil er sich standhaft den Kommunisten Titos widersetzte. Der frühere jugoslawischen Staatschef Josip Broz Tito wollte Stepinac zum Werkzeug für seinen Plan zur Abspaltung der katholischen Kirche in Kroatien von Rom machen. Damit sollte der Weg für eine «Volkskirche» geebnet werden.
Der 78 Jahre alte Papst wirkte von den Strapazen seines Amtes gezeichnet, auffällig zitterte seine linke Hand.
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NATO bekräftigt Bereitschaft zum Eingreifen in der Kosovo-Krise
Madrid (dpa) - Die NATO hat angesichts der Krise im Kosovo ihre Bereitschaft zu einem militärischen Eingreifen bekräftigt.
     «Die Allianz ist bereit», erklärte NATO-Generalsekretär Javier Solana in einem Gespräch mit der spanischen Tageszeitung «El Pais» (Sonntags-Ausgabe). Die Anwendung der Gewalt sei gerechtfertigt, nachdem in den vergangenen Monaten alle diplomatischen Bemühungen an Belgrad gescheitert seien. «Die Zeit für Milosevic läuft ab», erklärte Solana unter Hinweis auf den jugoslawischen Präsidenten.
     Nach den Worten Solanas geht es nicht nur darum, neue Massaker im Kosovo zu verhindern: «Der enorme Einsatz von Menschen und Mitteln aller Art im ehemaligen Jugoslawien, vor allem seitens der Europäer, darf nicht verloren gehen.» Mit Blick auf die ablehnende Haltung Rußlands zu einem Militärschlag äußerte sich der NATO-Chef zuversichtlich.
     Milosevic habe auch seine Versprechen gegenüber Moskau nicht eingehalten, und das habe Rußland zu denken gegeben. Die Kontakte zu der russischen Regierung sollen vertieft werden, ergänzte Solana.
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«The Sunday Times»: Die NATO steht am Pranger
London (dpa) - Mit der westlichen Reaktion zur Kosovo-Krise befaßt sich am Sonntag die britische «Sunday Times»
     London (dpa) - Die USA und ihre Alliierten haben bisher zuviele Entschuldigungen für ihre Inaktivität hervorgebracht. Es ist an der Zeit, das Mißverhältnis zwischen westlicher Macht und einer fehlenden glaubwürdigen Strategie zu beenden. Die NATO steht genauso am Pranger wie der serbische Diktator.
     Wenn sie das Ende des Abschlachtens vor ihrer eigenen Tür nicht erzwingen kann - wie in Bosnien - wird ihre Schwäche vor der ganzen Welt offenbar werden. (Präsident) Milosevic muß begreifen, daß das nicht zugelassen werden kann. Der Eindruck der Schwäche des Westens muß im Interesse des Kosovos - und in unser aller Interesse - verbannt werden.»
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«La Repubblica»: Diesmal wirklich
Rom (dpa) - Die linksliberale «La Repubblica» (Rom) kommentiert am Sonntag die Entwicklung im Kosovo:
     «Als Meister in der Taktik des Zeitgewinnens hat der jugoslawische Präsident Slobodan Milosevic einen Teilrückzug seiner Spezialtruppen aus dem Kosvo angeordnet und hat UNO-Generalsekretär Kofi Annan nach Belgrad eingeladen. Zudem hat die jugoslawische Regierung für diesen Montag eine Sondersitzung des Parlaments einberufen.
     Wenn auch Rußland weiterhin eine militärische Intervention der internationalen Gemeinschaft ablehnt und verlangt, daß ein Luftschlag ausdrücklich vom UNO-Sicherheitsrat erlaubt werden müsse, wo Rußland alles mit einem Veto blockieren kann - diesmal scheint die internationale Gemeinschaft wirklich die Absicht zum Eingreifen zu haben.»
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Bonn warnt vor Reisen nach Jugoslawien - Neue Kämpfe im Kosovo
Bonn/Belgrad/Washington (dpa) - Angesichts der Zuspitzung der Kosovo-Krise hat das Auswärtige Amt in Bonn von Reisen nach Jugoslawien (Serbien und Montenegro) abgeraten. «Die Gefahr einer - unter Umständen auch kurzfristigen und daher nicht rechtzeitig vorhersehbaren - Verschärfung der Lage mit ernsthafter Beeinträchtigung der persönlichen Sicherheit» könne nicht ausgeschlossen werden, hieß es am Samstag in einer Mitteilung des Amtes. Auch die USA, Großbritannien und Belgien hatten bereits vor Reisen in die Bundesrepublik Jugoslawien gewarnt.
     Das albanische Informationszentrum in der Kosovo-Hauptstadt Pristina berichtete am Nachmittag von neuen Kämpfen. Serbische Polizei und die jugoslawische Armee hätten mehrere Dörfer in der Umgebung der Stadt Djakovica angegriffen. Die Bewohner hätten  ihre Dörfer verlassen müssen, zitierte die Agentur Beta (Belgrad) aus der Mitteilung.
     Zuvor hatte US-Verteidigungsminister William Cohen in Washington erneut den jugoslawischen Präsidenten Slobodan Milosevic aufgefordert, Streitkräfte und Polizeieinheiten aus der Krisenprovinz abzuziehen, die humanitäre Hilfe und Rückkehr der Flüchtlinge nicht länger zu behindern. Ferner müsse Belgrad mit ernsthaften Verhandlungen über eine dauerhafte friedliche Lösung beginnen. Wenn Milosevic nicht nachgebe, werde die Nato innerhalb von zwei Wochen handeln, drohte Cohen.
     Angesichts der wachsenden Bereitschaft des Westens zu einem Militäreinsatz berief die jugoslawische Regierung für morgen (Montag) eine Sondersitzung des Bundesparlaments ein. Die Abgeordneten beider Kammern sollten die aktuelle Lage im Kosovo sowie die dadurch in Mitleidenschaft gezogene internationale Position Jugoslawiens bewerten. Nach Angaben der Agentur Beta (Belgrad) wurde von den Parlamentariern ein zunächst nicht näher definierter Sonderbeschluß zum Kosovo erwartet.
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USA kündigen Eingreifen im Kosovo innerhalb von zwei Wochen an
Washington/ (dpa) - US-Verteidigungsminister William Cohen hat in Washington angekündigt, daß die NATO innerhalb von zwei Wochen handeln werde, wenn der jugoslawische Präsident Slobodan Milosevic in der südserbischen Krisenprovinz Kosovo nicht nachgebe.
     Cohen erklärte am Samstag weiter, daß der jugoslawische Präsident alle Forderungen erfüllen müsse: Abzug von Streitkräften und Polizei-Einheiten, ungehinderte humanitäre Hilfe, Rückkehr der Flüchtlinge und Beginn ernsthafter Verhandlungen über eine dauerhafte friedliche Lösung.
     Er glaube nicht, sagte Cohen, daß es ein NATO-Mitglied gebe, das damit zufrieden wäre, wenn Milosevic allein das Blutvergießen beenden würde. Er könne sich nicht einfach eine Bedingung heraussuchen, sie erfüllen und den Rest Verhandlungen überlassen.
     Wie bereits die USA, Großbritannien und Belgien zuvor warnte am Samstag das deutsche Außenministerium vor Reisen in die Bundesrepublik Jugoslawien.
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    Bayern wollte Kosovo-Albaner per Flugzeug via Schweiz abschieben

Bern (dpa) - Nach Inkrafttreten des Landeverbots für die jugoslawische Fluggesellschaft JAT in Deutschland versuchen die Behörden des Bundeslandes Bayern nun, abgewiesene Asylbewerber aus dem Kosovo via Schweiz abzuschieben. Das erklärten Vertreter der Schweizer Flüchtlings-Bewegung am Freitag in Bern.
     Ein erster Abschiebungs-Versuch scheiterte nach den Angaben der Flüchtlingshilfe am 21. September - allerdings nicht an den Schweizer Behörden. Ein jugoslawischer Staatsangehöriger sei von Frankfurt über Zürich mit der JAT nach Belgrad geflogen worden, wo ihn die jugoslawischen Behörden aber zurückwiesen.
     Die Schweiz hatte sich dem vor vier Wochen von der EU beschlossenen Landeverbot für die JAT nicht angeschlossen. Sie fliegt immer noch einmal täglich ab Zürich.
     Zur Begründung hieß es, selbst die EU-Länder wollten sich nicht alle an das Verbot halten. Belgrad akzeptiert keine abgeschobenen Asylbewerber, die auf dem Landweg nach Jugoslawien gebracht werden.
     Das bayerische Innenministerium soll sich in der Schweiz nach Angaben der Flüchtlings-Bewegung eingehend über Möglichkeiten informiert haben, in Zukunft Kosovo-Albaner mit Maschinen der Fluggesellschaft JAT von Zürich nach Belgrad zu bringen.
     Der bayerische Versuch, das JAT-Embargo zu umgehen, zeige, daß der Schweizer Alleingang hochproblematisch sei, erklärte der Zentralsekretär der Schweizerischen Flüchtlingshilfe, Markus Loosli.
     Die Nationalrätin Vreni Müller-Hemmi aus Zürich richtete in der Sache eine Dringliche Einfache Anfrage an den Schweizer Bundesrat. Darin fordert sie die Landesregierung unter anderem zu einer Erklärung darüber auf, warum die Schweiz ein einzelnes deutsches Bundesland dabei unterstütze, einen Entscheid der gesamtdeutschen Regierung zu unterwandern.
     Das Außenministerium nannte dagegen die Schweizer Haltung zum Milosevic-Regime «sehr kritisch». Ministeriums-Sprecher Livio Zanolari verwies auf die Schweizer Sanktionen gegen Belgrad, die von der Regierung am Montag weiter verschärft worden waren. Er ließ erkennen, daß man in Bern erneut über eine Teilnahme an dem EU-JAT- Embargo nachdenken wolle.
© dpa

Still there is no Stop of deportations ! - Immer noch kein Abschiebe-Stop !

......... 
 
 

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 # 1572
Prishtina, 4 October 1998

No Sign of Serb Forces Withdrawing from Kosova to Serbia
Tensions run high as Serb forces buildup continues in Podujeva area

PRISHTINA, Oct 4 (KIC) - The situation in the northern municipality of Podujeva is still highly volatile. Most of the Albanians displaced from their villages in the wake of Serb attacks last month have not yet returned to their homes. They fear Serb forces may resume their attacks.
The villages of Llapashticë e Ulët and Lapashticë e Epërme, in whose vicinity heavy Serb military troops have been deployed for quite some time, are deserted. More than Serb 40 tanks and other pieces of equipment stay there.
LDK sources in Podujeva said Serb police stations in Orllan, Lluzhan and Kërpimeh have been reinforced, adding that the Serb police checkpoint in the suburbs of the town of Podujeva, near the former Besiana motel, has been further strengthened.
There has been no sign of Serb forces withdrawing from Kosova in the direction of Serbia.
Most of the Serb troops and hardware arrived in Kosova via the highway passing across Podujeva, a town 30 km north of capital Prishtina.
Serb troops have not been withdrawing, but rather regrouping inside Kosova, namely those parts of Kosova which have not yet been destroyed in the seven-month military offensive, observers say.

Remains in Volljakë May Well Belong to Albanian Victims, Local Sources Say
Serbs launch yet another PR campaign to appease the wrath of the world, head off international intervention

PRISHTINA, Oct 4 (KIC) - LDK sources in Sverkë e Gashit village of Klina, which is in the vicinity of the abandoned Volljakë boxite mine, said they have indications that the corpses which according to the Serb government propaganda have been found dug in this mine, are the remains of Albanians killed by Serb forces in Grabanicë village.
On 18 May Grabanicë Arben Krasniqi, his neighbour, Xhezair, and two other still unidentified Albanians had been killed and buried at Grabanicë, near Drini i Bardhë river. Later, Serb forces had them dug up and reburied in the Volljakë mine, LDK sources quoting eyewitness accounts.
A number of residents of Volljakë said two nights ago Serb soldiers had asked in the village for bags, strings and other stuff.
It is believed that the Serb regime has launched this public relations drive to try to placed the blame on Kosova Albanians, and bring down the wrath of international factors caused by massacres of Albanians committed by Serb forces in Drenica and elsewhere.
In late summer, Serb authorities launched two similar PR campaigns after Serb troops captured Kleçka and Gllogjan, two bases of the UÇK (Kosova Liberation Army). Albanian resistance forces had cremated Serbs in Kleçka, and there was a massive grave of Serbs in Gllogjan, the Serb propaganda machinery alleged.
The Serb authorities and experts have not yet been able to produce the name of a single Serb, let alone a child, burned in Kleçka. The identification of the remains in Gllogjan indicated that many of them belonged to killed Albanians.

Serb Forces' Buildup Continues, Ten Villages of Suhareka Still Inaccessible to Albanians
Serb forces stationed in Reçan village of Suhareka yesterday

PRISHTINA, Oct 4 (KIC) - A considerable territory of the municipality of Suhareka is still under a virtual siege by Serb forces. Yesterday, Serb forces were stationed in the village of Reçan.
Albanian political and humanitarian structures have not yet been able to have access to the villages of Krushicë e Epërme, Krushicë e Ulët, Muhlan, Stravuçinë, Vërshec, Grejçevc, Qadrak, Papaz, Budakovë and Matiçevë as Serb forces continue their presence there, local sources said.

Two Bodies Were Still Burning in Vraniq Yesterday

PRISHTINA, Oct 4 (KIC) - The bodies of a man and a woman were still burning yesterday (Saturday) in the house of Ramadan Raçi at Vraniq, the LDK Information Commission in Suhareka said. A delegation of local Albanian structures toured yesterday the villages of Vraniq and Bukosh, which have been devastated by Serb attacks.
Eye-witnesses said Serb police had slaughtered a man and a woman at another location. The mutilated bodies were then taken into the houses of Mr. Raçi and set afire. The slain and burned persons are suspected to be Ymri Palushi and Zelfije Palushi, LDK sources said.
Serb police arrested at least 80 Albanians at Vraniq.
Serb forces have burned 250 farmhouses at Vraniq, whereas only 7 houses have remained intact in the other village, Bukosh.
Reports from Suhareka said there was gunfire shooting overnight in the small town. The sound of high-caliber guns could be heard, sources said.

Two Other Bodies Found Near Site Where Dozen Albanians Were Executed by Serbs
Serb forces launched mortar attack on Dragobil village yesterday

PRISHTINA, Oct 4 (KIC) - The mutilated bodies of two Albanians were found Saturday afternoon in a forest near Gollubovc village of Malisheva.
The LDK chapter in Malisheva said local villagers and activists identified the two Albanians as Sylë Balaj (35) and Milazim Balaj (29), both of them residents of Gllareva village of Klina. Their bodies were badly mutilated, the source said.
At least 12 Albanians were massacred by Serb troops in Gollubovc and the neighboring village of Plloçica about ten days ago.
Witnesses claimed Serb forces had cracked down on a cluster of displaced persons, separated menfolks from their families and executes some of them near the village.
Meanwhile, Serb forces launched a mortar attack in the direction of Dragobil village of Malisheva Saturday noon, sources said. The sound of gunfire could be heard in Malisheva too, they added. There was no word on casualties, though.

Kosova Information Center
Last page!

KOSOVA (victims – Gllogoc)
More corpses found -- 20 other killed and massacred Albanians during Serb offensive

Gllogoc, 3 October (ARTA) 1530CET --
CDHRF activists in Gllogoc identified 20 other corpses of Albanians, killed, and massacred during the current Serb force offensive in the municipality of Gllogoc, CDHRF information service informs on Saturday.
The corpses of Sadri Maloku and Naim Kluna from Poklek i Vjetër, Zeqir Fazliu and Skënder Bardiqi from Gradicë, Bilall Demaku, Vesel Demaku, Xhevdet Demiqi and Driton Hyseni, were found massacred and slaughtered.
The same source reports about the identification of the massacred bodies of Valdet Xhemajli, Afrim Hajdaraj, Menduhije Deliu, Habit Deliu and Hysen Deliu from Obri e Epërme, of Fatos Krasniqi and Skënder Shala from Negroc, Fejzë Ramadani and Naim Salihu from Shtuticë, Afrim Kliçina from Baincë, Mursel Sefedini from Shtrubullovë and of Islam Shala from Krajkovë.

KOSOVA (torture – Shtime)
Serb military tank drags Albanian from Petrovë to Shtime

Shtime, 3 October (ARTA) 1635CET --
In the village of Pestovë, Shtime municipality, on September 30th, Serb forces arrested Bislim Nasuf Bislimi originating from the village of Drobesh, Viti municipality. Serb military forces forced him to wear the KLA uniform, than tied him behind the tank and dragged him all the way to the town of Shtime.
Bislim Bislimi is now in Prishtina's hospital and his health condition is very critical, claim Bislimi family sources from the village of Drobesh.

KOSOVA (Serb offensive – Gjakovë)
Serb police\military reinforcements in the bordering belt

Prishtina, 3 October (ARTA) 1700CET --
Serb army recommenced shelling the Albanian villages along the bordering belt Kosova-Albania, Friday night, sources from the ground and LDK local sources from Gjakovë inform.
Fierce clashes were confirmed to have continued during Saturday as well.
The shooting and detonations could be heard, in all the villages of Rekë e Keqe region, in the municipality of Gjakovë.
According to witnesses, the entire northwestern territory of Gjakovë is blocked, thus no information on eventual causalities is available.
Serb police and military reinforcements, composed of tanks, APCs, trucks and other motorized fighting vehicles, continued going in the direction of the villages of Rekë e Keqe.
Sources from Gjakovë state that Serb police and army squadrons, not only did they not withdraw from their position, but also they continue to get reinforced.

KOSOVA (arrests – Gjilan)
Three aid workers are being kept at Gjilan Prison

Gjilan, 3 October (ARTA) 1910CET --
According to CDHRF branch in Gjilan, Ruzhdi Rashiti, chairman, Xhevat Nevzati and Hetem Arifi, vice-chairmen of "Mother Theresa" charity organization, as well as Nazmi Rapuca, driver, are been kept at the County Prison. These aid workers have been arrested on Wednesday, September 30. According to the information of this charity organization, the pretext of their detention is the distribution of some humanitarian aid four months ago in Mitrovicë. But, police at the entrance of Prishtina stopped the truck that was carrying the aid, and the Prishtina’s state security people took the aid workers. The convoy with humanitarian aid was confiscated.
So far, the aid workers haven't been released yet from Gjilan's Prison.

KOSOVA (victims – Ferizaj)
Seven killed Albanians in Jezerc

Ferizaj, 3 October (ARTA) 1800CET --
Serb police and military units killed seven Albanians, during their last offensive against the village of Jezerc, in 28 September, CDHRF informs. The same source notifies that Serb forces in this village killed Gursel Sylejmani and Bajram Sylejmani from Sadovinë e Jerlive, Sejdi Sejdiu from Nerodime e Epërme, Kemajl Hetemi from Ferizaj, Bashkim Vishi from Dubravë e Epërme, and two other unidentified Albanians.
Over 1,500 residents of Jezerc, municipality of Ferizaj remained completely besieged by Serb forces, ever since the village was shelled. LDK branch chairman, Adem Salihu made an appeal today to all international organizations, to intervene and save this population, mainly composed of women, children, and elderly, from the massacres of the Serb forces they are being threatened.

KOSOVA (victims – Obiliq)
One Albanian killed and one wounded

Obiliq, 3 October (ARTA) 1630CET --
During the last Serb offensive against the villages of Obiliq municipality, in Sibovc, the Serb military killed another Albanian, Ibrahim Pllana (55) and severely wounded Nazmi Kongjeli (22), also from the village of Sibovc. Hajriz Kelmendi (80) was wounded also in this village. He was afterwards taken hostage by the Serb forces and has since vanished.

KOSOVA (victims – Prizren)
48 Albanians killed in Prizren and outskirts during September

Prizren, 3 October (ARTA) 1530CET --
According to CDHRF monthly report, 48 killings, 14 wounding, 350 maltreatment cases, and 4 thousand people taken hostage, and maltreated for arms "possession", were registered in Prizren during September.
138 Albanians suffered body injuries, due to the police tortures, whereas 472 houses were burned down, during the Serb offensive against the villages of the municipality of Prizren, mainly in the regions of Vërrin and Prizren Has.
During the month of September, 4505 persons were registered as maltreated, as an overall number of 9421 cases of human rights violation, respectively of Albanians were evidenced in Prizren.

KOSOVA (victims – Prizren)
Two wounded brought from Budakovë to the Hospital of Prizren

Prizren, 3 October (ARTA) 1630CET --
Bafti Bajraktari (85) and Sokol Bugjali (26), from the village of Budakovë, municipality of Suharekë, were wounded and brought to the intensive care department in the Hospital of Prizren. Sedat Miqaj and Sami Ahmeti from Matiqevë were also brought to the Hospital of Prizren, in a critical health state, as a result of the Serb police tortures they underwent.

KOSOVA (victims – Rahovec)
20 killed, 36 wounded, 242 arrests and 17 burned villages

Rahovec, 3 October (ARTA) 1700CET --
Cases of human rights violations in Rahovec were registered by CDHRF in Prizren due to the impossibility of CDHRF in Rahovec to function properly. 20 killings, as a result of the Serb police repression, 36 wounding, 242 arrests and 17 villages of this municipality, burned up to 70%, were registered in the municipality of Rahovec. 995 cases of human rights violation of Albanians and 150 maltreated persons were evidenced in the sub council of Prizren, alone.

KOSOVA (clashes – Malishevë)
Shootouts continue in the villages of Malishevë

Malishevë, 3 October (ARTA) 1900CET --
According to the KLA official sources, yesterday morning, units of the 122 Brigade of the Pashtrik operative sub zone, carried out a successful operation in pushing back the Serb military and paramilitary forces as they were looting Albanian houses in the village of Carallukë. The units of this brigade undertook similar actions today in the village of Dragobil, as well. The Serb forces were compelled to withdraw from Albanian houses, which they were looting at the time.
Fire exchange between the 122 brigade and the Serb forces, was evidenced during last night as well. KLA sources state that these clashes resulted with no victims from their side and a large number of victims and material damages from the enemy's side.
In the meantime, the Serb forces in sign of revenge for the losses they suffered by the KLA forces set fire to several Albanian owned houses in the villages of Carallukë and Baincë today.

KOSOVA (Serb offensive – Istog)
Serb police\military forces continue cruising down Istog - several Albanian houses attacked

Istog, 3 October (ARTA) 1930CET --
A bus loaded with armed paramilitaries, escorted by three police cars, cruised down the town of Istog, today at around 1230CET. The same schedule, at around 1415CET, had other military forces, which also included a tank. These two convoys headed for the direction of the Dubravë jail, which still remains the main destination as an important military\police base.
Two nights ago, at around 2130CET, Serb locals shot in the direction of Albanian houses in the villages of the southeastern border with Drenica (Kërninë, Belicë, Kosh and Padalishtë). These firings that lasted for more than an hour, were particularly focused in the Sylaj neighborhood (in Kërninë e Ulët), where the families of Dervish Sylaj, Sefer Sylaj, Imer Sylaj and Muhamet Sylaj, were attacked, as some bullets were also fired on several houses in Kërninë e Epërme.

KOSOVA (Serb Government of Kosova)
Who are the members of the Serb Government of Kosova?

Prishtina, 3 October (ARTA) 2000CET --
The Parliament of Serbia, that a few days ago named its Serb "Government" of Kosova, in its special session, headed by Zoran Andjelkovic, published the names of the other members of this "executive body". Albanians, as figured, evaluated this so-called Government, as hypocrite, while the analysts announced that in it is it is very unlikely to find somebody that is not a collaborationist. The Government, prepared by Serbia, to administer Kosova, will be composed of the following person:
 

Verica Tepavcevic - Aleksic, responsible for the finances

Bosko Drobnjak, responsible for information

Selim Goxhufi, responsible for political sciences

Gul Behar Sabovic

Jovica Jovanovic

Petrit Kostari - member of the "Yugoslav" United Leftist

Qerim Abazi -

Nexhmedin Kaliqanaj - deputy executive director of the detention center "Dubravë" in Istog

Ratomir Jocic

Ibro Vait Goranac

Zejnelabedin Kuresi

Vesko Piric

Vukasin Andric

Bashkim Hisari - former member of the Provincial Committee and former director of Prishtina RTV

Faik Jashari - from Gjilan, considered by the Serb authorities as very devoted to the Serb authority

Bajram Haliti - journalist of the Roma language staff in Prishtina RTV, administered by Serbs

Dragutin Markovic

Xhafer Gjuka - from Pejë, considered by the Serb authorities as very devoted to the Serb authority

So far, Bashkim Hisari is the only one that did not declare himself, claiming that he "will not accept such an offer, considering the circumstances in which the Albanian people are in".
Nevertheless, this Government, as it could be assessed, was considered by the leadership of Kosova as unacceptable as any of the other bodies of the Serbian rule in Kosova. For Albanians, this "Government" is alien, and as such, it proofs about the hypocrisy of the Serb authorities, followed by the massacring of the Albanian people, mainly consisted of children, elderly, and women.

KOSOVA (legal offensive – Kamenicë)
Another group of six Albanians of "terrorism"

Kamenicë, 3 October (ARTA) 1930CET --
Gjilan's County Court filed an investigating procedure and sentenced detention for 30 days to Shpejtim Krasniqi (27) from Kamenicë, Xhevdet Keçmezi (29) from Koretin, Zeqir Lenjani (34) and Lah Keka (33), both from the village of Karaqevë e Poshtme. The investigation procedure against Bashkim Avdyli (23) from Kamenicë and Besim Keka (28) from Karaqevë e Poshtme is being conducted in their absence.
These citizens, according to the lawyer Osman Arifi, are charged with "terrorism" and "association for hostile activities", by the article 125 in conjunction with article 136 of "FRY" Criminal Code.
Jahir Zubaku, Refik Shabani, and Ahmet Bucolli, also originating from Kamenicë, are charged with same accusations. The first two are being kept at the County Prison, while the investigation procedure against the third one is being conducted in his absence.

KOSOVA (Agani – Prishtina)
Agani: "A letter aimed at softening pressure"

Prishtina, 3 October (ARTA) 2000CET --
Vice-president of the Serbian Government, Ratko Markovic, in a letter published in press, invites the head of the Albanian negotiating team, Dr. Fehmi Agani, to recommence negotiations. However, in Dr. Agani's opinion Mr. Markovic’s letter is dedicated to the Serb and international public opinion.
"It aims to soften current pressure on Serbia and not to recommence negotiations. As for the negotiations, it is known what the circumstances for their commencement should be, on top of the fact that such circumstances have not been established. The conditions upon which the negotiations stopped have not been surmounted", claimed Agani.
The Contact Group, on Friday, again has reviewed Ambassador Hill's revised working document for Kosova's political settlement that was approved by the six member-states and should be offered to the Albanian and Serb side. The Montenegrin president Milo Djukanovic approved this document, for it does not threaten the current position of Montenegro. Some analysts claim that such pronunciation from the Montenegrin president proves that Kosova's status might be something less than Republic.
"Nobody from the Albanian negotiating team knows anything about this - neither about any Hill proposal nor of the document that was discussed by the six-member Contact Group", says dr. Agani. It seems that Albanians have made attempts to find out what the project is about, however the Albanian negotiating group for the time being shrugs its shoulders.

KOSOVA (raids – Gjakovë)
Serb forces positioned in Albanian owned houses

Gjakovë, 3 October (ARTA) 1600CET --
Serb forces, in the village of Dushnje, have forcefully entered four Albanian houses. In the village of Ponoshec, in the burnt house of Hazir Shabani, as well as in the village of Popoc, the police forces have constructed bunkers.
The Serb police settled in these houses after evicting Albanian families.
On Friday in the village of Nec, municipality of Gjakovë, the Serb police raided the house of Marjan Markaj (17) and Florim Markaj (16). The police arrested them. In the village of Ramoc, the Serb police arrested Gjergj Cenaj and several other youngsters that have not yet been identified.
The search for the Kamberaj family, from the village of Lëbushë, municipality of Deçan, continues.

KOSOVA (arrests – Mitrovicë)
Gypsies beat Albanians in presence of Serb police; threatens: "We will terminate all of you Albanians... ".

Mitrovicë, 3 October (ARTA) 1745CET --
Fazli Kajtazi (47), from Prekaz i Epërm, municipality of Skënderaj, was kept in arrest for five days at the Serb police station in Gllogoc, as one of the thousand Albanians in the forest of Çiçavicë, arrested by the Serb police\military forces, on 24 September, CDHRF in Mitrovicë informs.
According to his statement given to CDHRF branch, he stayed in a room along with a number of other arrested Albanians, which were taken out by the police and paramilitary, mainly during the night, but during the day as well. Some of them were never returned. Kajtazi claims that the terrifying screams, that could clearly be heard, indicated that Serbs were exercising violence on the arrested Albanians.
On 24 September, Serb forces arrested Hajriz Islami (63) and his son Agim Islami (19), from Mikushnicë, municipality of Skënderaj.
Hajrizi was kept under arrest for three days and then he was released, whereas his son Agim is still arrested and nothing is known about him ever since.
Among the 235 arrested on 27 September, in the village of Baincë, municipality of Skënderaj, were also Azem Gashi (36), from Rezallë and Naim Sinani (19) from Ticë, municipality of Skënderaj. They were both held in the police station in Gllogoc, for two days.
They tell how they were detained in a stable in Gllogoc, where several gypsies beat them with rods. According to them, one of the gypsies told them as he was hitting them: "We will terminate all of you Albanians... ".

KOSOVA (intimidation – Mitrovicë)
Serb policeman threatens his Albanian neighbor

Mitrovicë, 3 October (ARTA) 1845CET --
According to the CDHRF in Mitrovicë, a Serb policeman stopped Smajl Tahiri (60), resident of Tuneli i Parë, on Wednesday evening.
Upon stopping him, the policeman Nesko Rashic, immediately started kicking, punching and hitting him with the gun, without any reason.
Tahiri suffered bad facial injuries, and was also threatened that if he does not move out Tuneli i Parë, he will "be killed".

Betreff:  SM News:6705: NYT: Kosovo Quiet as Serbs Halt Operations Against Separatists
Datum:  Sat, 3 Oct 1998 16:14:40 -0400 (EDT)
    Von:         delphi77@yahoo.com

Marko Miljkovic posted Message 6705 in the SM News:
 
Dated  : October 03, 1998 at 16:14:17
Subject: NYT: Kosovo Quiet as Serbs Halt Operations Against Separatists
October 3, 1998

Kosovo Quiet as Serbs Halt Operations Against Separatists
By JANE PERLEZ

DOBROVODE, Yugoslavia -- For the second day, the thud of artillery and columns of smoke from burning villages were largely absent from much of Kosovo Province, leading Western officials to conclude that President Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia had ordered his troops to halt obvious operations against separatist rebels.
The eerie calm in places in central Kosovo that had been the scene of artillery fire, killings and looting just a few days ago suggested that Milosevic was anxious to fend off military action that has been threatened by NATO.
But diplomatic observers, who tour the countryside on daily monitoring missions, said that in the last two weeks Milosevic's forces had completed punishing offensives against ethnic Albanian villagers and the rebels they support.
Tens of thousands of ethnic Albanians became refugees in the period that began with a Serbian offensive in Podujevo, just northwest of the capital, Pristina, swung around to the Cicavica Mountains last week and ended among villages west of Suva Reka this week.
The lack of obvious military action and the sightings of long convoys of tanks and personnel carriers apparently heading toward barracks this week still left uncertainties about the status of Belgrade's military forces, Western diplomats said.
To forge a political settlement in Kosovo, where the Kosovo Liberation Army is seeking independence from Serbia, Washington has demanded that Milosevic withdraw the extra army and police units sent to fight the insurgents. Serbia is the dominant republic of Yugoslavia.
Some units of the Serbian interior ministry's police appeared to have left Kosovo altogether, said the diplomatic observers, who come from the United States, the European Union and Russia.
There were some "minor" movements of tanks and sporadic gunfire and shooting in some places around Suva Reka Saturday, they said.
On main roads and dirt tracks from Pristina to the towns of Mitrovica and onto Klina Friday checkpoints were much freer. Places that had been sealed by the military were open. Army tanks and armored personnel carriers were not visible.
In Mitrovice, the ethnic Albanian deputy chairman of the local branch of the Council for Human Rights in Kosovo, Halid Berani, said that in the last two days he had received no reports of shelling and only a few incidents of shooting in the Cicavica Mountains.
The Serbian police were still in the region, he said. But they appeared to have established temporary posts and were not on the move.
On Monday, the Serbian government declared victory against the Kosovo Liberation Army, and a group of Serbian paramilitary forces paraded through Pristina in a convoy of trucks.
Since then, there have been continuing announcements by the Serbian authorities of the return of various kinds of police units and army personnel to barracks.
The state-run Yugoslav news agency Tanyug said "anti-terrorist" police units returned to their bases on Wednesday and Thursday.
But the authorities have also stressed that they have the right to retaliate against any "terrorist" attack from the insurgents.
As well as issuing threats of military force against Milosevic, Western officials have appealed to him to take measures that would encourage ethnic Albanian refugees to return to their villages. An estimated 250,000 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo have been forced from their homes since March. And up to 50,000 are still in the outdoors, too intimidated by the presence of the Serbian police around their villages to go home, relief officials say.
Here in the village of Dobrovode, only one family has dared to come back. The other houses, burnt and shattered by shells, remained empty Friday.
On the hill above the center of the village, a family of three brothers, their wives, 13 children and a grandmother were cleaning up the debris left in their three-story house from shells that hit on Aug. 2.
The men of the family refused to give their last name, saying that as the lone returnees they still felt vulnerable to attack from the Serbian police.
They had been camping since the attack on the village but returned Monday,
they said, pulling up to the house with a tractor and large wooden trailer packed with possessions they had transferred to the forest.
Much of the furniture in the house, built with the proceeds of money earned by Binak, 38, as a builder in Switzerland, had been destroyed. The middle floor of the house was burned, and only a few windows were still intact.
His herd of sheep had been stolen by the Serbian forces and eaten at their
temporary headquarters in the village school, Binak said.
But the roof of the house was intact, and Binak said he wanted to restore the rooms before winter.
His return did not signify the end of the conflict in Kosovo, he said. "If the war was over," he said, "all the villagers would be back and normal life would return."

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The views expressed in the news reports and messages posted to the List by the List members are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policy or position of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Quoting is allowed only if the source of the information  is specified.
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Betreff:         PressInfo 47, Questions Before Bombing Serbia
Datum:         Fri, 2 Oct 1998 15:51:03 +0200
    Von:         Transnational Foundation TFF <tff@transnational.org>

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

P r e s s I n f o  # 47                                    October 2, 1998

Q U E S T I O N S   B E F O R E  B O M B I N G   S E R B I A

"What on earth would be the POLITICAL AIM of bombing Serbia now? Violence has been used by both parties for almost a year. Some 250.000 people may already be displaced, homes and towns torched and destroyed. KLA is defeated and Serbia's government has declared that the war is over, provided KLA's military struggle does not resume. Before the UN Security Council, NATO or other actors in the international 'community' decides to carry out air strikes throughout Serbia, it would be wise to ponder a few questions, problems and risks and come up with some answers. I offer some of both in what follows," says Jan Oberg who, with his TFF colleagues, has conducted analyses and served as a citizen diplomat in the region since 1992.

* IF WE BELIEVE THAT NATO INTERVENTION WOULD STOP THE KILLING, ETHNIC
CLEANSING AND MASSACRES, WHY HAS IT NOT HAPPENED LONG AGO?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) The international "community" is not a community when it comes to managing conflicts. There are too many solid national interests and the EU is divided internally with Germany and the UK being more interventionist than the rest. And they cannot act without the United States. 2) Bombings of Serb facilities will unavoidably be interpreted as a support to (violent) secessionism. Thus, Kurds, Palestinians, Turk Cypriots, people in the Basque province and in   Chechenya, to mention some, may be encouraged - and the West doesn't exactly want that. 3) It can't be done without ignoring the Russians - but they are on their heels anyhow. 4) Perhaps no bombings is really contemplated; it's all a game. But then there is a public relation problem vis-a-vis citizens: why do statesmen solemnly declare their moral outrage, threaten tough measures and thereby create expectations worldwide about resolute action - fully well knowing that they won't do anything? 5) Powerful actors may see it fit to wait and "fail" with preventive diplomacy in order to present military options as "necessary."

* IS THIS COMPATIBLE WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) It is probably the first time NATO bombs a sovereign, recognised state in support of a movement whose stated aims are complete independence and integration with a neighbouring state. 2) Bombings would destroy (parts of) Yugoslavia's self-defence capacity (capacity on its own territory) which it has a right to have according to Article 51 of the UN Charter. 3) Yugoslavia has not invaded another country. 4) Ironically, the United States recently conducted bombings with some 70 cruise missiles against three countries thousands of kilometres beyond it own borders and justified it with reference to the same Article 51. No international organisation has taken steps to investigate the legality of this unilateral action. Thus, the international "community" seems to judge that this is acceptable behaviour, although the only appropriate term for it would be 'state terrorism' - terrorism defined as violent action involving or targeting people who are innocent or otherwise not party to a conflict. 5) No NATO country is threatened, so there is no justification for a NATO response. The involvement of peaceful countries with no international power ambitions, such as Norway and Denmark, ought to be ruled out. Alas, they have already made fighter planes available! 6) Whether legal or not, bombings would contrast the international community's policies elsewhere: when in 1995 Croatia drove out 250.000-300.000 legitimate Croatian citizens of Serb origin who lived in the self-proclaimed state of Republika Srpska Krajina, it was HELPED by the international community, especially the United States, to do so. Such lack of principled policies undermines any attempts to develop a universal normativity towards global governance.

* WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN SERBIA?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) Increased sense of once again being treated in an unfair manner by the world, leading to increased support for Yugoslav President Milosevic, no matter how destructive his Kosovo policies have been to the country as a whole. This means  strengthening of a hardline, self-isolationist policy and a further weakening of every decent opposition. 2) Milosevic may decide to say: "Fellow Serbs, the whole world is against us, I can do no more in the face of NATO bombs. We have to divide or give away parts of the Kosovo province." Remember, Milosevic is not a nationalist; he has given up major national issues and the welfare of Serbs both in the Croatian Krajina conflict and in Dayton. 3) As he is the only politician the West and Russia deals with for real, he will be offered a good deal for throwing in the glove concerning (parts of) Kosovo, perhaps even lifting of the present sanctions and re-integration into the international community - and a guarantee that he himself will never be indicted for war crimes.

* WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN KOSOVO?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) Psychologically, every Kosovo-Albanian will see bombings of Serb installations as the long-awaited support for their struggle from the West. 2) Militarily, with Serbian defence installations destroyed, the Kosovo-Albanian military wing(s) is likely to contemplate re-starting the military activity, alternatively switch to more systematic hit-and-run terror actions. In such a situation, what will NATO/UN do? Deploy troops on the ground? Ask for UN peacekeepers? Permit Serbia/FRY to counteract it again? 3) Dr. Rugova will remain the leader chosen by the West, at least until some other figure turns up. It is difficult to know whether the defeat of the KLA will place him in the centre again, among the elites as well as the Kosovars in general. Be this as it may, bombings can only serve a purpose as part of a long-term strategy. So far, Kosovar politicians have shown little interest in Western proposals that offer less than total independence. Has the US or the EU a secret guarantee that they will be more flexible after NATO air strikes? Do they have a Kosovo-Albanian politician to install who can both negotiate without preconditions AND have the loyalty of the majority of Albanians? And who will represent the Serb minority in Kosovo?

* WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN BOSNIA?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) That depends somewhat on what happens in Serbia/FRY and the position of president Milosevic after bombings; he is still needed to some extent for the Dayton implementation process. 2) The flow of refugees into Bosnia could increase dramatically, and they are not welcome anywhere. 3) The Serbs in Republika Srpska will see even less reason to co-operate with the international community if that same community bombs Serbia. With the new Radical Party president of Republika Srpska, Nikola Poplasen, who has replaced Western-backed Biljana Plavsic, the international community - even though trying to deny it - is likely to face even more problems ahead. Poplasen's party colleague in Serbia, deputy prime minister Seselj has mentioned the option of taking UN personnel hostage in Bosnia. 4) Serbs in Bosnia will ask themselves why they were bombed because they wanted an independent state while now the Albanians are rewarded for having the same wish.

* WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN MACEDONIA?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) The divided Albanian community will come closer to each other and interpret NATO intervention in Kosovo as a support for their long-term goal of living in one Albanian state. 2) This means new problems for Macedonia whose stability is vastly exaggerated by the West. 3) In the event of bombings, Macedonia's willingness to place its territory and airspace at the disposal of NATO will be tested. De facto it has no choice. President Kiro Gligorov will face a very difficult dilemma, as it is not in his country's interest to participate in something that is bound to antagonise Serbia and look like a support to Albanian separatism through violence. But Macedonia still wants weapons, military training, NATO membership and EU integration, so it won't protest too loudly. 4) Having very limited capacity to accommodate more than 20 000 refugees, the country may collapse if refugee flows increase because of a) the approaching winter, or b) the Kosovo-Albanian military struggle and/or terror resumes under the (presumed) protection of NATO; or c) Kosovars run away from NATO bombs and Serb retaliation. 5) Serbian military or paramilitary units could strike against American soldiers in Macedonia.

* WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO PREVENT LOCAL VIOLENCE AS WELL AS INTERNATIONAL VIOLENCE NOW?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) I am positive that different policies could have prevented the war in the first place. Imagine that the West had supported Serb prime minister Milan Panic and his excellent ministers in 1992-93; they wanted a peaceful settlement. Imagine that the West had established a comprehensive negotiation process just five years ago. Imagine that the international community had not suspended Yugoslavia from the OSCE but kept it there (and scolded it); then the comprehensive OSCE missions in Voivodina, Sandzak and Kosovo could have remained - and the war would have been impossible. Imagine that the US and Europe had dissociated themselves earlier from the Kosovo-Albanian idea of complete independence (they didn't because the Kosovo problem served as a leverage on Milosevic). Imagine that the international community had facilitated a process of learning and reconciliation on the ground among ordinary Serb and Albanian citizens by introducing peace and human rights education, empowerment of mixed NGOs, support to multiethnic media etc. Imagine it had offered economic incentives for peaceful co-existence instead of introducing sanctions that have only impoverished Serbs and Albanian citizens and enriched the Mafia. That would have supported Dr. Rugova's non-violent line AND helped the Serbs, too. Now the West ends up supporting Albanian secessionism and violent behaviour on that side - and supporting Rugova when that violent strategy has weakened him tremendously.

* WHAT CAN STILL BE DONE INSTEAD OF BOMBINGS?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) The excellent UN mission in Macedonia could be expanded to do monitoring in Kosovo; Belgrade might have a direct interest in that. 2) A robust civil-military UN peacekeeping mission could be established in Kosovo, to provide order and security during a period of negotiations. 3) The parties could be offered positive incentives - economic aid, various international memberships, more intensive exchange with the international community, assistance to the schools, health and cultural system etc etc. - instead of threats and condescending words. 4) Yugoslavia could be brought back into the OSCE and the UN; but we know the US does not want that - and thus it does not happen. 5) Most effectively, establish a strong international presence in Albania, along the borders, and prevent arms, ammunition and soliders from entering Serbia; in short, help Albania's government to control its own territory instead of serving as a base for what comes close to international aggression.

* DO WE KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE SITUATION TO TAKE SUCH TOUGH MEASURES?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) Hardly! Facts are difficult to come by both concerning the number of refugees, their conditions and who exactly did what when it comes to massacres and alleged mass graves. 2) The biased international media coverage has repeated itself; the Serb side (also independent sources such as human rights institutes, independent media and the NGO Serb Media Centre in Pristina) has been largely ignored by leading media such as CNN, New York Times and even BBC. How much have you heard about massacres on Serbs or about KLA attacks on Albanians who would not participate in the violent struggle?  3) It does take time to find out who has committed what crimes against whom. To hastily base a decision to bomb one party on international media who think they know who the "alleged" perpetrators are a few hours after the dead bodies have been found, would be highly irresponsible. These are tricky issues in this political culture, as should be should have learnt from similar event in Bosnia as well as Croatia. 4) Serbian Democratic Party leader Dr. Zoran Djindjic has advanced the plausible hypothesis that that those who committed these atrocities at this particular moment are likely to be interested in provoking bombings. This could mean uncontrolled, extremist, fascist Serb or Albanian groupings.

* CAN PEOPLE BE BOMBED TO THE NEGOTIATION TABLE?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) It should be reasonably clear to any observer on the ground over the last years and months that the Kosovo-Albanian side is even more reluctant to engage in talks or negotiations than the Serb side. They've said 'no' to every single appeal from the international community or said 'yes' with conditions that add up to a 'no.' 2) Unless there is a deal already made with the Albanians that they WILL engage seriously after bombings of Serbs facilities, it would be utterly naive to believe that bombings in this case brings either party closer to a negotiation table. 3) In addition, a minimum of trust must be built BEFORE negotiations. Trust can lead to negotiations,  head-on negotiations are not likely to lead to trust.

* IS THE INTERIM AGREEMENT BROKERED BY US ENVOY TO KOSOVO AND AMBASSADOR TO MACEDONIA, MR. CHRISTOPHER HILL, SOLID ENOUGH TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR POST-BOMBING NEGOTIATIONS?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) I don't think so. The Kosovo-Albanians have already de facto said 'no thanks' to it and the recently elected political spokesperson for the KLA, Mr. Adem Demaqi, has resigned because of health problems (which he also had before accepting the offer to become spokesman) So, there is no one to talk politics with in the KLA and its three fractions. 2) The interim agreement may have many useful elements but it lacks two which are essential: a) a concept of civil society and peace 'from below' that invites ordinary citizens in the province to build trust, confidence and reach reconciliation either together or as good neighbours. Without such elements, no legal provisions or 'agreements' are likely to succeed in a conflict with such deep psychological mistrust. And b) a framework in which Kosovo is seen as part of the Balkans.

* WHAT WILL OTHER SECESSIONIST MOVEMENTS THINK?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) There is no way NATO countries can bomb Serbia  - while for years tacitly letting Albania, which it backs in many other ways, serve as a base for the Kosovo-Albanian arms build-up and military training - and avoid being interpreted as a  clear support for the Albanian side in the conflict, albeit not necessarily the KLA. 2) It may sound cynical but the number of dead and displaced human beings in this conflict is smaller than in many other conflicts - where the international community (the West/NATO etc) has done nothing, such as Chechenya, Algeria or Eastern Timor. This type of 'selective' humanitarian and human rights concerns is detrimental for the longterm development of a genuine global ethics and responsibility for human suffering.

* SHOULD THE U.N. LEND ITS GOOD NAME TO SUCH ACTIVITY?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 1) No! According to its preamble, the UN shall seek to solve international disputes and face threats to world peace with peaceful means; only when everything else has been tried and proven in vain - which is not the case as is argued above - can the UN take military action (or ask somebody to do so). 2) Those who want to conduct military action that can be interpreted as violating international norms and laws should do it on their own and not be provided with the legitimacy of the UN.

"In summary," says Jan Oberg, "I  fear we shall soon see high-tech, 'quick fix' military action legitimised as 'necessary' and 'moral' because of three factors: a) the international community's general lack of competence in professional conflict management, b) it's complete failure for almost a decade in terms of preventing the predictable outbreak of violence in Kosovo, and c) the creation of a world public opinion in favour of military intervention based on a biased WAR REPORTING instead of fair, research-based CONFLICT JOURNALISM." Oberg concludes: "I am convinced that bombings at this point will have more negative than positive consequences with respect to the parties' willingness to engage seriously in negotiations as well as with respect to alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe. Just think of the 'opportunity costs' - of how much humanitarian aid we could bring for the sheer costs of such a military operation. Are we really to believe that bombings is the most appropriate tool for conflict-management? That it is legitimate when SO MANY other initiatives could either have prevented the war in the first place or helped stop it months ago?
In short, bombing Serbia will be a moral as well as intellectual defeat. It shows that the self-appointed international 'conflict managers' have failed miserably long ago. I think they know it deep inside. It's not acceptable to compensate for that weakness - or conceal it - by playing tough now.

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Dr. Jan Oberg
Director, head of the TFF Conflict-Mitigation team to the Balkans and Georgia

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