Tagesnachrichten 29. Oktober 1998
     von dpa, from ALBANEWS and others
     News of the day - October 29, 1998
     Kosova Information Center : Daily Report No 1597

         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

 

USA: Gegenspieler im Kosovo halten Vereinbarungen ein

Sechs Waffenschieber wegen Kosovo-Geschaeften in Schweiz verhaftet

Verhaftungen in der Schweiz wegen Waffenlieferungen in das Kosovo

Deutschland beteiligt sich an Luftueberwachung im Kosovo

Deutschland stimmte Beteiligung an Nato-Luftoperationen zu

Fluechtlingsdrama im Kosovo gemildert - Serben ziehen weiter ab

Bulgarien will sich an Luftueberwachung im Kosovo beteiligen

Experten: Nur noch 8 000 Menschen ohne Obdach im Kosovo

Serben ziehen weitere Truppen in Kasernen im Kosovo zurück

Beckstein: Tschechien soll Flüchtlinge nicht grenznah unterbringen

Bundeswehr-Einsatz für OSZE noch nicht im Kabinett

Optimismus nach Aufhebung des Kosovo-Ultimatums - US-Kritik an Bonn

Holbrooke: Deutsche Haltung verzögerte Kosovo-Lösung

USA: Gegenspieler im Kosovo halten Vereinbarungen ein
Washington (dpa) - Die USA haben sowohl den Rebellen der Kosovo-Befreiungsarmee als auch Serbien am Donnerstag ein gutes Zeugnis für die Einhaltung des Waffenstillstand-Abkommens in der Krisenprovinz ausgestellt. Die Guerillas hätten bisher nicht den Rückzug der serbischen Streitkräfte behindert, sondern im Gegenteil die Rückkehr von Vertriebenen unterstützt und Landminen beseitigt, sagte James Foley, der Sprecher des Außenministeriums in Washington.
     Nach seinen Angaben sind die serbischen Einheiten inzwischen mit etwa 10 000 Mann Sonderpolizei und 13 000 Soldaten fast wieder bei einer Stärke, die sie im Februar vor der Zuspitzung des Konfliktes hatten. 4 000 Polizisten und 5 000 Soldaten waren zusätzlich entsandt worden.
© dpa

Sechs Waffenschieber wegen Kosovo-Geschäften in Schweiz verhaftet
Bern (dpa) - Die Schweizer Bundesanwaltschaft hat sechs Menschen verhaftet, die von der Schweiz aus Waffen und Munition an den Widerstand in Kosovo geliefert haben. Wie die Bundesanwaltschaft am Donnerstag abend in Bern mitteilte, handelt es sich bei den Festgenommenen um vier Staatsbürger aus Ex-Jugoslawien, eine Schweizerin und eine Person arabischer Herkunft.
     Die Behörden hätten bei ihnen eine halbe Tonne Munition, zahlreiche Waffen und rund 230 000 Franken Bargeld sichergestellt, hieß es. Die Verdächtigen seien bereits in den vergangenen Tagen in vier Schweizer Kantonen verhaftet worden.
     Unmittelbar vor der Verhaftungsaktion sollen sie über ein geplantes Geschäft mit Kriegsmaterial für Kosovo-Albaner im Umfang von mehreren Millionen US-Dollar verhandelt haben. Einige Waffen dürften laut Bundesanwaltschaft aber bereits im Bestimmungsland angekommen sein. Ein Abgesandter der Bundespolizei werde nach Albanien reisen, wo die Zollbehörden zwei aus der Schweiz stammende Container mit modernem Kriegsmaterial beschlagnahmt hatten.
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Verhaftungen in der Schweiz wegen Waffenlieferungen in das Kosovo
Bern (dpa) - Die Schweizer Bundesanwaltschaft hat sechs Personen verhaftet, die Waffen und Munition aus der Schweiz in die südjugoslawische Krisenprovinz Kosovo verschoben haben sollen. Wie die Bundesanwaltschaft am Donnerstag abend in Bern mitteilte, stellten die Schweizer Behörden eine halbe Tonne Munition, zahlreiche Waffen und rund 230 000 Franken Bargeld sicher. Die Verdächtigen seien bereits in den vergangenen Tagen verhaftet worden, hieß es.
© dpa

Deutschland beteiligt sich an Luftüberwachung im Kosovo
Bonn (dpa) - Deutschland wird sich an der Luftüberwachung der Nato im Kosovo beteiligen. Wie Verteidigungsminister Rudolf Scharping am Donnerstag abend in Bonn mitteilte, werden dafür rund 350 Soldaten mit unbemannten, kleinen Aufklärungsflugzeugen - Drohnen - in Mazedonien stationiert.
     Die Regierung habe auf seiner Kabinettssitzung informell diesen Beschluß gefaßt, der am Freitag der Nato mitgeteilt werden soll.
     Scharping teilte weiter mit, daß der formelle Beschluß des Kabinetts am 4. November gefaßt werden soll. Auch müsse vor der Entsendung der Drohnen-Batterie der Bundestag seine Zustimmug geben.
     Über eine deutsche Beteiligung an einer «Notfalltruppe» der Nato, die die rund 2 000 unbewaffneten OSZE-Beobachter schützen und eventuell Rettungsmaßnahmen vornehmen soll, müsse noch entschieden werden. Darüber werde noch bei der Nato in Brüssel beraten. Bonn hat bereits zugesagt, rund 200 deutsche Beobachter für die OSZE zu entsenden.
© dpa

Deutschland stimmte Beteiligung an Nato-Luftoperationen zu
Bonn (dpa) - Die neue deutsche Regierung hat informell der deutschen Beteiligung an den Nato-Luftoperationen wegen des Kosovo-Konflikts zugestimmt.
     Das Nato-Hauptquartier in Brüssel werde an diesem Freitag von der Bereitstellung der deutschen Aufklärungsmaschinen unterrichtet, teilte der Verteidigungsminister Rudolf Scharping nach der Sitzung am Donnerstag mit. Formell will das Kabinett am 4. November zustimmen. Auch das deutsche Parlament muß noch zustimmen.
© dpa

Flüchtlingsdrama im Kosovo gemildert - Serben ziehen weiter ab
Belgrad/Paris/Bonn (dpa) - Das Flüchtlingsdrama der albanischen Zivilisten im Kosovo mildert sich nach dem beschleunigten Rückzug der serbischen Sonderpolizei und der jugoslawischen Armee in der Krisenprovinz. Eine deutsch-französische Expertengruppe hat ermittelt, daß im Kosovo nur noch rund 8 000 Menschen ohne Obdach sind. Das teilte das Außenministerium in Paris am Donnerstag mit. Die Führung in Belgrad hat unterdessen den Rückzug ihrer Truppen in die Kasernen der Krisenprovinz fortgesetzt. Zwei Fahrzeuge der serbischen Polizei wurden im Kosovo nach serbischen Angaben beschossen.
     Noch Anfang Oktober waren nach übereinstimmenden Schätzungen internationaler Beobachter etwa 60 000 Kosovo-Albaner, die vor serbischen Offensiven geflüchtet waren, ohne Dach über dem Kopf. Viele lebten in improvisierten Zelten aus Plastikplanen. Ein Teil der jetzt noch immer obdachlosen Flüchtlinge müsse als Kämpfer der albanischen Untergrundarmee UCK gelten, hieß es aus dem Außenministerium in Paris.
     Die deutschen und französischen Experten waren vom 25. bis 28. Oktober in dem Krisengebiet. Das französische Außenministerium geht davon aus, daß die 200 000 bis 300 000 vertriebenen oder geflüchteten Menschen wieder in ihre Heimatort zurückkehrten, wenn die Beobachter der Organisation für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa (OSZE) vor Ort seien.
     Die amtliche Nachrichtenagentur Tanjug meldete, 15 Panzerfahrzeuge seien am Donnerstag in die Kaserne in der Provinzhauptstadt Pristina zurückgekehrt. Die Einheit war nahe des ehemaligen Kontrollpunkts Komorane, westlich von Pristina, stationiert. Eine weitere Armee-Einheit verließ ihr bisheriges Einsatzgebiet bei Dulje in Richtung der Heimatkaserne in Urosevac.
     Der deutsche Nato-General Klaus Stöckmann sprach am Donnerstag im «Deutschlandradio Berlin» von positiven Zeichen. Innerhalb von 24 Stunden seien mehr als 4 000 Mann der serbischen Sondereinheiten abgezogen worden.
     Nach Ansicht des US-Vermittlers Richard Holbrooke haben deutsche und französische Bedenken gegen einen Nato-Schlag ohne UN-Sicherheitsratsbeschluß ein schnelleres Einlenken Jugoslawiens verhindert. Hinzu seien Unsicherheiten durch den Regierungswechsel in Bonn gekommen, hatte der Diplomat am Mittwoch vor Journalisten in Washington gesagt. «Die ganze Sache hat länger als nötig gedauert», unterstrich Holbrooke.
© dpa

Bulgarien will sich an Luftüberwachung im Kosovo beteiligen
Sofia (dpa) - Bulgarien ist bereit, sich an der Luftüberwachung über der südserbischen Krisenprovinz Kosovo zu beteiligen. Mit der Überwachung des Luftraums soll sichergestellt werden, daß die Friedensvereinbarungen zum Kosovo von der jugoslawischen Regierung und der albanischen Untergrundarmee UCK auch eingehalten werden.
     Wie die bulgarische Regierung zu einem Schreiben der Nato an die Teilnehmerstaaten der Initiative «Partnerschaft für den Frieden» laut der Nachrichtenagentur BTA am Donnerstag ferner mitteilte, würde Bulgarien zur Überwachung ein Flugzeug russischer Bauart vom Typ An-30 einsetzen. Auch Rumänien, Tschechien und Rußland wollen sich mit Flugzeugen desselben Typs an den Kontrollflügen beteiligen.
© dpa

Experten: Nur noch 8 000 Menschen ohne Obdach im Kosovo
Paris (dpa) - Eine deutsch-französische Expertengruppe hat ermittelt, daß in der jugoslawischen Krisen-Provinz Kosovo nur noch rund 8 000 Menschen ohne Obdach sind. Das teilte das Außenministerium in Paris am Donnerstag mit. Ein Teil davon müsse als Kämpfer der albanischen Untergrundarmee UCK im Kosovo gelten. Die deutschen und französischen Experten seien vom 25. bis 28. Oktober in dem Krisengebiet gewesen.
     Das französische Außenministerium geht ferner davon aus, daß die 200 000 bis 300 000 vertriebenen oder geflüchteten Menschen wieder in ihre Heimatort zurückkehrten, wenn die OSZE-Beobachter vor Ort seien. Nützlich seien auch auf deutsch-französische Anregung hin geschaffenen Arbeitsgruppen in Belgrad und Genf, die die humanitäre Hilfe für das Kosovo koordinierten.
© dpa

Serben ziehen weitere Truppen in Kasernen im Kosovo zurück
Belgrad/Pristina (dpa) - Die Führung in Belgrad hat den Rückzug ihrer Truppen in die Kasernen der Krisenprovinz Kosovo am Donnerstag fortgesetzt. 15 Panzerfahrzeuge seien in die Kaserne in der Provinzhauptstadt Pristina zurückgekehrt, meldete die amtliche Nachrichtenagentur Tanjug. Die Einheit war nahe des ehemaligen Polizeikontrollpunkts Komorane, westlich von Pristina, stationiert.
     Eine weitere Armee-Einheit verließ ihr bisheriges Einsatzgebiet bei Dulje in Richtung der Heimatkaserne in Urosevac. Über den Rückzug berichtete auch die unabhängige Nachrichtenagentur Beta (Belgrad).
© dpa

Beckstein: Tschechien soll Flüchtlinge nicht grenznah unterbringen
München (dpa) - Der Innenminister des deutschen Bundeslandes Bayern, Günther Beckstein, hat die Tschechische Republik aufgefordert, Flüchtlinge in ordentlichen Unterkünften im Landesinnern und nicht mehr in Grenznähe unterzubringen. Die Zahl der Personen, die illegal über die Grenze von Tschechien nach Deutschland einreisen, habe stark zugenommen, sagte Beckstein am Donnerstag in München.
     In grenznahen Sammelunterkünften in Tschechien seien die Flüchtlinge kriminellen Schleppern ausgeliefert, die sie nach Deutschland schleusten. Wegen der Zunahme der Flüchtlingszahlen habe Bayern die Polizeikräfte im Grenzgebiet verstärkt und die Fahndung intensiviert.
     Besonders die Zahl der Kosovo-Albaner, die illegal nach Bayern kämen, sei stark gestiegen, sagte Beckstein. Im August seien 36 Menschen, im Oktober bereits 276 aufgegriffen. Von Januar bis September dieses Jahres hätten mehr als 22 000 jugoslawische Flüchtlinge, meist Kosovo-Albaner, in Deutschland Asyl beantragt.
     Beckstein forderte von der EU, für eine angemessene Unterbringung dieser Flüchtlinge in den Kosovo-Nachbarstaaten wie Albanien, Montenegro oder Mazedonien zu sorgen. «Es kann und darf nicht sein, daß wie im Falle Bosnien-Herzegowinas erneut Deutschland die Hauptlast eines Balkankonflikts trägt», sagte Beckstein.
© dpa

Bundeswehr-Einsatz für OSZE noch nicht im Kabinett
Bonn (dpa) - Das deutsche Kabinett wird sich am Donnerstag noch nicht, wie ursprünglich geplant, mit der Beteiligung von 350 Soldaten der deutschen Streitkräfte (Bundeswehr) an einer schnellen Eingreiftruppe zum Schutz der OSZE-Beobachter im Kosovo beschäftigen.
     Wie das Presseamt erklärte, stünden jetzt auf dem Programm der Kabinettssitzung «Personalia» und «Verschiedenes». Ursprünglich wollte die Kabinettsrunde über die Entsendung der deutschen Soldaten beraten, die mit anderen Nato-Truppen in Mazedonien stationiert werden sollen.
     Es handelt sich bei der geplanten Teilnahme der Bundeswehr an der Nato-Eingreiftruppe, die wenn nötig die unbewaffneten OSZE-Beobachter beschützen oder retten soll, um eine Drohnen-Batterie.
     Mit ihren unbemannten kleinen Aufklärungsflugzeugen - Drohnen - soll zusammen mit anderen Aufklärungsflugzeugen der Nato sicher überprüft werden, ob sich der jugoslawische Präsident Slobodan Milosevic an seine Zusagen zum Abzug seiner Streitkräfte aus dem Kosovo hält.
     Nach Ansicht des US-Vermittlers Richard Holbrooke haben deutsche und französische Bedenken gegen einen Nato-Schlag ohne UN-Sicherheitsratsbeschluß ein schnelleres Einlenken Jugoslawiens verhindert.
     Hinzu seien Unsicherheiten durch den Regierungswechsel in Bonn gekommen, sagte der Diplomat am Mittwoch in Washington. «Die ganze Sache hat länger als nötig gedauert», unterstrich Holbrooke.
     Unterdessen trafen die ersten OSZE-Beobachter im Kosovo ein. Insgesamt will die OSZE 2 000 Beobachter entsenden, von denen Deutschland 200 stellen wird.
© dpa

Optimismus nach Aufhebung des Kosovo-Ultimatums - US-Kritik an Bonn
Pristina/Bonn/Washington (dpa) - Einen Tag nach Aufhebung des Ultimatums der Nato an den jugoslawischen Präsidenten Slobodan Milosevic haben sich westliche Vermittler vorsichtig optimistisch über eine mögliche Lösung der Kosovo-Krise geäußert. Das Bundeskabinett in Bonn will heute (Donnerstag) der Nato die Beteiligung von 350 Bundeswehr-Soldaten an einer schnellen Eingreiftruppe anbieten. Die Truppe soll die unbewaffneten OSZE-Beobachter in der Unruheprovinz schützen.
     Der US-Sondervermittler, Christopher Hill, sagte am Mittwoch in der Kosovo-Hauptstadt Pristina: «Es beginnen sich nun jene Bedingungen vor Ort herauszubilden, die wir schon seit geraumer Zeit für erfolgreiche Verhandlungen benötigen.» Der österreichische EU-Gesandte Wolfgang Petritsch pflichtete bei: «Auch wir glauben, daß dies nun ein entscheidender Moment ist.»
     Hill und Petritsch räumten gleichzeitig ein, daß man von einer politischen Lösung noch weit entfernt sei. Die internationale Gemeinschaft versucht beide Seiten zu Autonomie-Verhandlungen zu bewegen. Der kosovo-albanische Unterhändler Fehmi Agani bekräftigte, daß die albanische Seite an ihrem Recht auf Selbstbestimmung festhalte. Hill unterstrich dagegen erneut, daß die Unabhängigkeit des Kosovo keine wünschenswerte Option darstelle.
     Unterdessen trafen die ersten OSZE-Beobachter im Kosovo ein. Ein Sprecher der Organisation für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa bestätigte in Pristina, daß die 13 norwegischen Experten in der Kosovo-Hauptstadt tätig sein werden. Ihre Aufgabe werde darin bestehen, den Rückzug der serbischen Sicherheitskräfte sowie die Normalisierung der Lage in der Provinz zu kontrollieren. Insgesamt will die OSZE 2 000 Beobachter entsenden, von denen Deutschland 200 stellen wird.
     Die Nato wird nach amerikanischen Angaben eine schnelle Eingreif-Truppe aufbauen, die in Mazedonien stationiert wird und wenn nötig die unbewaffneten OSZE-Beobachter beschützen oder retten soll. Die Bundeswehr werde sich an dieser Truppe mit rund 350 Soldaten beteiligen, hieß es in Bonn. Das Angebot über die deutsche Beteiligung an der Truppe will das Bundeskabinett am heutigen Donnerstag machen.
     Nach Ansicht des US-Vermittlers Richard Holbrooke haben deutsche und französische Bedenken gegen einen Nato-Schlag ohne UN-Sicherheitsratsbeschluß ein schnelleres Einlenken Jugoslawiens verhindert. Hinzu seien Unsicherheiten durch den Regierungswechsel in Bonn gekommen, sagte der Diplomat am Mittwoch vor Journalisten in Washington. «Die ganze Sache hat länger als nötig gedauert.»
© dpa

Holbrooke: Deutsche Haltung verzögerte Kosovo-Lösung
Washington (dpa) - Deutsche und französische Bedenken gegen einen Nato-Schlag ohne UN-Sicherheitsratsbeschluß haben nach Ansicht des US-Vermittlers Richard Holbrooke ein schnelleres Einlenken Jugoslawiens in der Kosovo-Krise verhindert. Hinzu seien Unsicherheiten durch den Regierungswechsel in Bonn gekommen, sagte der Diplomat am Mittwoch vor Journalisten in Washington. «Die ganze Sache hat länger als nötig gedauert.»
     Ein Schlüssel sei schließlich das Treffen zwischen US-Präsident Bill Clinton und dem designierten Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder Anfang Oktober gewesen. Schröder und sein künftiger Außenminister Joschka Fischer hatten dabei in Washington erklärt, keine Einwände gegen einen Nato-Schlag ohne UN-Beschluß zu erheben. Erst danach habe er, Holbrooke, gegenüber dem jugoslawischen Präsidenten Slobodan Milosevic die Entschlossenheit der Nato zu einem Angriff glaubhaft machen und ihn zum Einlenken bringen können. «Es bricht mir das Herz, daß die Vereinbarung nicht drei oder vier Monate früher kommen konnte.»
     Nach den Worten Holbrookes gibt es keine Garantien dafür, daß Milosevic seine Zusagen einhält. Doch im Zweifel sei die Nato bereit einzugreifen. Das Bündnis hatte am Dienstag sein Ultimatum nach dem Rückzug serbischer Sicherheitskräfte aus dem Kosovo aufgehoben.
© dpa

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 !

* Nichtamtliche Übersetzung
   UNHCR-Positionspapier über die Behandlung von Asylsuchenden aus
   dem Kosovo in Asylländern: Maßgebliche Überlegungen
   25.8.1998 mit Anhang Stand: 13.8.1998
                    http://www.unhcr.de/news/statemen/misc/kosbob.htm

* UNHCR-Eckpunkte zu Problemen des Flüchtlingsschutzes in Deutschland
   Oktober 1998
                    http://www.unhcr.de/news/statemen/misc/eckpkte.htm

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT # 1597
Prishtina, 29 October 1998

President Rugova Receives Russian Diplomats

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - The President of the Republic of Kosova Dr Ibrahim Rugova received today Russian diplomats, Yakov F. Gerasimov, Minister-Counsellor in the Embassy of Russia in Belgrade, and Vladirmir Ivanovskiy, Consul-General of the Russian Federation in Istanbul.
The current situation in Kosova and the possibilities of creating the necessary conditions for the start of a negotiating process to resolve the Kosova issue were discussed.
President Rugova stressed the importance of full implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions as well as other demands of the international community on Kosova.

FOCUS: 25,000 Serb Troops Remain in Kosova, Withdrawal Symbolic
Who for God's sake is speaking of withdrawal of Serbian troops from Kosova?

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - Chief NATO commanders for Europe, General Wesley Clark and General Klaus Naumann, negotiated with Serbian leader Milosevic last week in the run-up to the expiration of NATO deadline of 27 October.
The result of their long hours of negotiations was that Milosevic would be permitted to keep 25,000 Serbian troops - 15,000 military and 10,000 police - sources said.
After that Milosevic ordered the withdrawal of 4,100 Serb special police from Kosova, which was widely reported and turned out to be just enough for NATO to suspend its threat of an immediate air strikes against Serb targets.
Brussels and Washington were relieved, just like Belgrade.
The deal concerned Kosova.
Milosevic has been credited with having complied significantly.  A senior Pentagon official said "upwards of 80 percent" of the Serbian army tanks and armored personnel carriers had returned to their garrisons, and about 90 percent of the special police that had gone to Kosova to suppress Albanians had departed.
The bottom line is Kosova remains a heavily militarized area.
Milosevic has been allowed to keep the same number of Serb police (10,000) and more military troops (15,000) than he actually had committed here in Kosova to perpetuate his military occupation of Kosova.
It goes without saying that the actually withdrawal of one sixth of Serb troops from Kosova is better than nothing, optimists would say. It is next to nothing, pessimists would retort. It is just that, one sixth of the troops out of Kosova.
Kosova has just over 2 million people, of whom 90 percent Albanians.
The 25,000 Serb troops are unwanted by Albanians, because they have killed Albanians, destroyed their villages and towns this year, last year, the year before the last, .... They are seen here as nothing less that 25,000 members of an alien, hostile force trying to perpetuate occupation and neo-colonial rule.
So, who are they going to serve here? The less than 200,000 Serbs and Montenegrins. A Serb policeman/soldier in every eight Serbs/Montenegrins.
The problem is not whether Serbia had 25,000 or 29,000 troops in Kosova. The issue at point is that Milosevic has created a fait accompli in Kosova after his military aggression of this year. He has done this through the use of his sheer force, as well as his byzantine diplomacy, outsmarting the West for the hundredth time or so.
Last but not least, U.S. envoys Holbrooke and Hill have been speaking of 2,500 police personnel in Kosova, which should be the heart of the much talked about interim accord plan for Kosova that has all the signs of becoming a permanent solution.
Why was the rationale of NATO commanders Clark and Naumman giving Milosevic the blessing to maintain ten times as much troops now as part of an arrangement the West has called a 'deal' on Kosova?
Who for God's sake is speaking of withdrawal of Serbian troops from Kosova? The 25,000 heavily-armed Serb military and police troops in Kosova are within shooting range in this small embattled country of less than 11,000 square kilometers.

Serb Troops Have Only Partially Withdrawn, LDK Says

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - Serbian military and police troops have only partially withdrawn from Kosova, despite NATO pressure, the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK), the strongest political party in Kosova, said in a press release today.
The LDK leadership welcomes the decision of the North Atlantic Treaty to maintain the Activation Orders for possible strikes against Serb targets, and hails the engagement of the international community, especially the United States and NATO, the party statement said.
It called on Russia to be more constructive in international efforts to secure a solution to the Kosova issue.
"There are so many Serbian troops, military and police, as well as combat hardware, that a partial withdrawal cannot create the necessary confidence for the Albanian refugees and IDPs to return back to their homes", the LDK said.
Instead of withdrawing, Serb military and police troops are being stationed in garrisons and other camouflaged positions inside the territory of Kosova, ready to always use pretexts to attack the Albanian communities in their homes, the major Kosovar political force said.
The Serb police personnel is being now clothed in traffic police and deployed up and down Kosova, the LDK said.
Thousands of Albanians are still living rough in the open, despite their burning desire to return to their homes, be they even burned, the party said, adding that Serb. They cannot return because of the presence of the Serb police and military as well as the local Serb and Montenegrin civilian population armed to the teeth, the LDK statement said.
Therefore, the Presidency of the LDK called on the UNHCR and the ICRC as well as other international mechanisms to step up their efforts to create conditions for an organized and safe return of displaced people to their homes, the statement concluded.

Returning Refugees Find Dead Relatives and Neighbors in War-Torn Villages

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - Displaced Albanians trickling back to their villages after the Serb forces pulled out from some of the outposts have been finding the dead bodies of their relatives and neighbors slain by Serb forces earlier this year.
Sources in the Kosova war-torn municipalities reported that bodies, mutilated or decomposed, of a dozen Albanians were found during the past two days in central and western Kosova villages. It is feared that hundreds of Albanians who had gone missing for months lay in fact killed with scattered bodies in the villages which had been attacked by Serb troops in the summer.
Sources in Malisheva said the decomposed body of Jashar Krasniqi (53) was found two days ago in the the woods near his village of Tërpeza. The late Krasniqi, teacher with a local school, had gone missing for almost three months.
While returning to their Tërpeza village, local villagers found the bodies of three other neighbors. The bodies of Demush Krasniqi (63) and Ajet Krasniqi (85) were charred, while the third one, Rasim Krasniqi (87), was covered with mud.
The corpse of Ramadan Hoti (80) was found in his guest hall in Carrallukë village of Malisheva.
Unconfirmed reports said that Albanian refugees returning in their villages have found mutilated bodies of their fellow villagers in Bubavec and Llazicë.
The LDK chapter in Gjakova said Albanian villagers returning to their homes have been finding dead bodies of their neighbors or relatives scattered in the fields or under the rubble of their homes.
The mutilated body of Tunë Gjuka (42) was found on Tuesday in Bardhaniq village.
Zef Dreni (65) was found dead near his village of Firza on Wednesday. Witnesses said his body was papered with bullets and "Zastava" made (Serb) bullet cartridges were found only a few meters away, a sign that he could have been shot dead from a short distance.
The chapter of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) in Skenderaj ('Srbica') said the body of a 82- year-old man, Hazir Hoti (82), was found on Wednesday near his farmhouse in Likoc. The late old man was killed in early October, the CDHRF quoted local villagers as saying.

Camouflaged Serbs Crack Down Brutally on Women and Children near Deçan

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - Serb forces cracked down brutally today (Thursday) on a group of women and children between Lëbushë and Isniq villages of Deçan, western Kosova. The Albanians were picking chestnuts in a forest, the LDK chapter in Deçan said.
Witnesses said that camouflaged Serb forces with painted faces were hiding in the forest. Several women and children sustained severe body injuries, including Jeton Zeqiraj (16), Ms Cyme Zeqiraj (40), Mërgim Zymeraj (16). Jeton Zeqiraj was beaten unconscious. A teenager girl (S. Z.) was captured by several Serbs, who forced her into the woods. It is suspected the Serbs raped her, witnesses said.
Sources said that several Albanians were rounded up by Serb forces in the forests above Isniq village. The LDK Information Commission said it could learn the identity of only one of them by midday today, naming him as Avdi Ahmetxhekaj. People told the Commission that the apprehended Albanians were taken to the Serb Monastery in Deçan.

Serb Police Still Manning Half a Dozen Checkpoints on Mitrovica- Skenderaj Roadway

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - Serb forces were manning half a dozen checkpoints on the Mitrovica-Skenderaj road today (Thursday) morning, the LDK chapter in Mitrovica said. Moreover, some of the checkpoints have been reinforced with fresh troops, it said.
The LDK named the following locations on the Mitrovica-Skenderaj road where Serb police were still in place today: near the Barani hamlet, at "Përroi i keq" near Llausha, in Çubrel and Vitak. Serb forces are camouflaged and are hiding in other locations which cannot bee noticed from the main road, witnesses said.

Serbs Build Military Outpost in Kosova-Albania Border

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - Yesterday, the Serbian army started building a military outpost at the foot of the Pashtriku mountains in the Kosova-Albania border.
Serbs have built a 22-km long road to the military outpost.

Serb Military and Police Troops Camouflaged in Lipovica Mountains

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - Considerable Serb forces and mechanized vehicles were seen camouflaged in the Lipovcia mountains Wednesday, LDK sources in Lipjan said.
The Albanian residents of Vërshec, Leletiq and other villages in this municipality are afraid to return to their homes, shelled earlier by Serb forces.

Serb Police Clothed in Workers' Uniforms in Grabovc Village

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - Serbian forces have not withdrawn from the village of Grabovc i Ulët, municipality of Fushë Kosova, LDK sources said.
Serb police have been disguised in workers' uniforms in this village, they said. They have occupied the house of Rexhep Berisha.
These Serb police have been looting Albanian houses.

827 Albanian Houses Burned, 102 Shelled, By Serb Forces in Vushtrri Area

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - Serbian military, paramilitary and polcie forces burned 827 Albanian farmhouses and shelled 102 ones in 21 Albanian villages of the Vushtrri municipality, the LDK Sector for Emigration and Refugees said.
The LDK offered a detailed report on the consequences of the Serbian offensive in late summer, early autumn, in the municipality of Vushtrri.

Serb Regime Court Sentences Albanian to 2 Years in Prison
Trial of 13 others underway

PRISHTINA, Oct 29 (KIC) - On Thursday, the Serbian-run District Court in Peja sentenced Ukë Golaj, resident of the village of Sheremet in the municipality of Gjakova, to two years imprisonment. He became a member of a local 'terrorist' organization in the village of Sheremet, the Serb press said.
Albanians are tried for their political beliefs and routinely charged with hostile activities and terrorism by the Serb regime.
The trial of 13 Albanians on such trumped up charges started Thursday in the Serb court in Peja. They are Fadil, Qerim, Burim, Valdet, Kastriot, Agim, Abdyl, Mustaf, Kujtim, Flamur, Behar, Zenel and Adem Jetishi, all of them residents of Prekovc village, municipality of Gjakova.

Kosova Information Center
Last page!

KOSOVA (no withdrawal – Klinë/Malishevë)
Serb forces still in Pishat of Volljakës and near the bauxite mine

Malishevë, 28 October (ARTA) 1630CET --
"The Serb forces and all their fighting machinery remain in their positions in Pishat e Volljakës, near the bauxite mine and near the village Guri i Zi, local information sources in Malishevë inform".
Shooting was heard coming from these directions at around 0830CET. On the other hand, their presence is preventing the residents to go back home, the same source states.
As in the villages the Serb forces withdrew, the escapees stared going back, the town of Malishevë remains empty, a "KD" source from Malishevë informs. According to him, there are still Serb special police units. They even took a new position at the building of the Mirushë enterprise, near the village of Carallukë.
In the meantime, the checkpoint in Smolicë, of Tërpezë is still functioning.

KOSOVA (shelling – Klinë)
The villages of Çupevë, Volljakë, Sverkë, Përçevë, Dush and Këpuz shelled

Klinë, 28 October (ARTA) 1930CET --
The villages Çupevë, Volljakë, Sverkë, Përçevë, Dush and Këpuz were shelled on Wednesday with heavy artillery installed in the Serb military bases in Volljakë, Sverkë, Mrasor, Përçevë and Gremnik, informs the correspondent of "Koha Ditore" from Klinë.
According him, shelling were conducted also in the afternoon, but with a lower intensity. The correspondent of "Koha Ditore" asserts that, in some places the population has returned into their houses.

KOSOVA (shooting – Mitrovicë)
Recent shooting in the villages of Shala e Bajgorës

Mitrovicë, 28 October (ARTA) 1700CET--
According to the sources of CDHRF branch in Mitrovicë, last evening after the NATO ultimatum for withdrawing the Serb forces expired, the villages of Shala e Bajgorës: Mazhiq, Vidishiq, Melenicë and Bare were attacked again.
The attack of the last evening was conducted with automatic weapons and heavy machine-guns is stated in the information. According to the statements of the witnesses, Serb military and police initially flashed the field with flares and conducted the attack afterwards. The police checkpoint in Faqja e Lmuet, is still in the place it was before, as well as two checkpoints in Prroi i Keq and in Tërrnac where police has hidden the checkpoint behind the building of the water-pipe system, informs the correspondent of "Koha Ditore".

KOSOVA (withdrawal – Deçan)
Checkpoints removed from the Serb colonists settlement in Baballoç

Deçan, 28 October (ARTA) 1700CET--
Notwithstanding, that during the course of Monday and Tuesday, were seen large movements of tanks, buses and trucks loaded with policemen and soldiers driving in the direction of Pejë and Gjakovë through the center of the town, still there are no information whether these forces have retrieved completely from their previous positions or not, claims the correspondent of "Koha Ditore" from Deçan.
According to him, while the police checkpoints along the highway from the residence of the Serb colonists in Baballoç and as far as Strellc i Epërm are removed, still there is no information whether these forces have withdrawn from Voksh region (villages in the border area).

KOSOVA (victim – Gllogoc)
CDHRF: The killed and massacred body of Rrahman Gashi found"

Gllogoc, 28 October (ARTA) 1700CET --
"Activists in Gllogoc informed today that they found the body of Rrahman Gashi (60), from Llapushnik, killed and massacred by the Serb forces during the last offensive, that lasted from 22 September until 27 September", it is stated in a report issued by the CDHRF in Prishtina. The body of the late was completely decomposed and the family members identified him by his hat, it is further stated in the communiqué of the CDHRF information service.

KOSOVA (press conference – Hill & Petritsch)
Hill: Kosova is going through a crucial phase

Prishtina, 28 October (ARTA) 1800 --
"We have made some progress in the agreement, but we still have as long way to go, but I think everyone agrees that we are getting to a rather crucial phase", stated following the meeting with the Albanian negotiating team, the American envoy Christopher Hill, in a press conference, at the USIS premises in Prishtina, where he was joined by Wolfgang Petritsch, a EU envoy for Kosova.
"We are now beginning to get the conditions in the ground that we have needed for some time to get a successful negotiation, and I think that things are stabilizing and this will be very helpful to the negotiations", he added.
The Austrian Ambassador to Belgrade, and at the same time a EU envoy for Kosova, Wolfgang Petritsch, agreed with Hill that Kosova is going through a crucial phase. "We too believe that this is a very crucial moment and that we now have to get our acts together and make some decisive progress", he said.
Ambassador Petritsch, agreed with the opinion of some journalists that USA took the initiative concerning the solution of the Kosova issue, even though Kosova is in Europe and it is Europe that should have taken the initiative.
"You are absolutely right", he told the journalists. "I would also be much happier if the EU or Europe would have taken the initiative, but I believe that you are aware of the political system here and in Europe and this explains it", he continued and added that EU completely supports the American plans.
He evaluated the American initiative as a gigantic mission and added that the important thing has not been completed yet and that "we will be united in this direction".
To support Petritsch, Hill explained that many elements in the American initiative, stand from the earlier cooperation with the Europeans, from the Contact Group meeting, in Bonn, London as well as from the cooperation of the Venice Commission.
Concerning the opinion of the Albanians about the agreement, Hill said that: "I think that there some areas that they would like to make some changes, especially relating to the Kosova status."
"As you may know the agreement is designed to work on creating institutions, democratic institutions in Kosova, to restore the Kosova self-government, which was taken away some ten years ago and ensure the development of a democratic Kosova", he said adding that "the concept is that after three years this will be fully achieved, and additional measure will be taken".
"They have some ideas, where they would like to see some changes in some of the institutions and they would like us to look forward a little more to the future status", explained Hill, who meet some of the Albanian political leaders.
As for the dialogue between Albanians and Serbs and the claims of the Albanian head of the negotiating team, Fehmi Agani that there are no chances for the dialogue to start before 2 November, Hill once more excluded the possibility of the independence of Kosova.
"It is the position of the US that we do not support Kosova independence, we do not feel that this would be a stabilizing factor in the region", said the American Ambassador to Macedonia. "We are working on a agreement which will acquire an agreement from both sides, and we do not see that the Serbs are going to be able to support the Kosova's independence, and therefore it is a very difficult at this point to negotiate ", he continued expressing great optimism concerning the beginning of the dialogue on 2 November.
"As for the 2 November, the Serbs gave a statement in which they expressed the readiness to move ahead on the negotiation. They agreed on certain elements that would appear on the text", he stated adding that Americans also want to move quickly.
"We believe that there are many Albanians here in Kosova, who would like nothing but a political settlement, as soon as possible.
The American envoy to Kosova at the same time stressed that KLA should not misuse the withdrawal of the Serb forces.
"We are looking forward that this withdrawal contribute to the stability, peacefulness and the facilities to return these people to their villages, and we are very pleased for that, because I don't know about you, but I am getting cold out here", said Christopher Hill.
Petritsch, on the other hand, added that "we made an appeal to the EU and to the Albanian side and KLA to be very careful... not to enter the positions from where the Serb forces have withdrawn, in order not to jeopardize the whole process".
After the persistence of several journalists that KLA is nevertheless taking the positions abandoned by the police, Ambassador Petritsch said that "this is true, but fortunately there were no fighting going on, because the Serb forces would be acting with responsibility and we would also appeal to the Albanians to do the same, otherwise new problems will be built up".
He also talked about the security of 2,000 OSCE observers that will be arriving in Kosova to follow the fulfilling of the agreement. "This is our number one concern, we want to provide security to these observers", said Wolfgang Petritsch.
Ambassador Hill was surprised by the question as to whether there is any mechanism to include the Serbs of Kosova in the negotiations.
"Kosova Serbs?! To the negotiating process?!"
He quickly added that the agreement "will ultimately be supported by the people of Kosova and the people of Kosova are obviously other nationalities as well. Agreement involves a considerable amount of protection for those national communities. We want to make sure that they too consider Kosova as their home and not to become guests in their own home", claimed Hill and emphasized that if the agreement does not achieve this than it is bound to fail.
Concerning the release of the two journalists of Tanjug, arrested by KLA, Hill said that he had talked about this with Albanian representatives. "I can say that I raised this issue on a number of occasions with a number of Albanian groups, including the KLA. " This is not a situation that is going to be solved by anyone setting up a checkpoint. There is some enthusiasm in this immediately change and believe that people will realize that this is not the way that they are going to secure their rights in Kosova", ended Hill.

KOSOVA (KD reportage – Malishevë)
Paçarizi family: "After seven weeks of hope that we were going back home, mourning captivated us..."
By Garentina Kraja

Dragobil, Malishevë 28 October (ARTA) 1600CET --
"I have a message for all the present - the blood of the heroes such as the one today, is a duty, it is an obligation for all the rest of us to continue this just path we began..." - were the words that the KLA Commander Çelik, expressing his condolences to the Paçarizi family members, the soldiers of the 122 brigade of the Pashtrik sub zone and to the villagers, in the name of the KLA General Headquarter, during the funeral ceremony of Ali Paçarizi (20), from Dragobil.
"After seven weeks of hope that we were going back home, mourning captivated us...", a relative of Ali was crying in front of the numerous reporters.
Although the police withdrew from the visible positions they had until yesterday, they left behind many land mines. According to Commander Çelik, that is how Ali died. As he tells, Ali was escorting some civilians who were trying to go back home. Just by their house, Ali stepped in a mine and died, and two other civilians that were found close to him, got wounded. Their conditions is still critical.
In a relatively narrow room, Ali's body, wrapped all in white and with flag over him, was placed in two tables, joined together, as he was surrounded at one side by the family members and at the other honored by four soldiers. His father was standing above his had, crying. The line of people that were waiting to express their condolences to the Paçarizi family and to pay the last respect to the killed soldier, seemed endless.
The flag and the picture of the killed soldier were placed on a table at the entrance of the stone house, that once was used as a school building. Two other soldiers were standing up in front of the table.
After almost all entered the room where Ali's body was placed, and came out crying, four soldiers placed the corpse in a white van. The van was slowly driving down the mud road in the direction of the village's cemetery. About 60 lined up soldiers followed it. Then there was his family and the other villagers.
A few minutes before twelve, as the grave was still being dug, under the shade of the thick trees, that the other villagers were buried, they brought the corpse. The hand was holding Ali’s mother by her brother. The father, was at first sympathized by the soldiers, and then took a position near the corpse of his son. His sister was holding tight a vanished buckeye of flours, without shedding a tear.
After the ceremony of the funeral began, the attendants had a minute of silence to honor the hero.
In addition, slowly the crowd began dispersing... Somewhere further, in the background, the foreign journalists were reporting about the event -"... this is the signal they will be giving to everybody -- they are here and will stay here".

DIOCESE OF RASKA AND PRIZREN: ALARMING NEWS FROM DEVIC MONASTERY

Reuters: Kosovo Serbs Ask World For Help After Army Retreat

Vuk Draskovic On the New Information Law

PRESS RELEASE:
For immedieate release

ALARMING NEWS FROM DEVIC MONASTERY

Prizren, October 28
On Tuesday, October 27, the Abbess of Devic monastery Anastasia on her way from Devic to Pristina reported that all previously held police check points were in the hands of the KLA. While she was driving through Lausa village near Srbica the armed Albanians were shooting all around but no one was injured and the monastery car was not damaged. The sisters in Devic live in great fear and they have no protection at the moment. The monastery is without power supply and the telephone line for several months because no one dares to fix the lines which go through the area controlled by the KLA.

Devic monastery, built in the 14th century, is situated in the heart of Drenica region in which there are almost no Serbian population. The nuns have been living for the several last months under the virtual siege by the KLA. After the police actions against the KLA in August and September the access to the monastery was somewhat safer but now police completely withdrew from the vicinity of the monastery and no one feels safe to visit this Orthodox shrine.

Many Serbs fear traveling the Kosovo roads these days because after the withdrawal of the police forces and dismantlement of the check points members of the KLA are freely appearing on the roads stopping cars and checking passangers.

Information Service of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren

Devic Monastery Page:
http://www.decani.yunet.com/edevic.html

--
Decani Monastery               tel +381 390 61543
38322 Decani, Serbia           fax +381 390 61567
http://www.decani.yunet.com    e-mail: decani@EUnet.yu

Kosovo Serbs ask world for help after army retreat
08:09 a.m. Oct 28, 1998 Eastern
By Julijana Mojsilovic

PRISTINA, Serbia, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Dismayed by their security forces' retreat from Kosovo under NATO pressure, local Serbs said on Wednesday only the world could protect them from revenge by majority Albanians in the Serbian province.
     "The result of such policies will put the Serbs in a very difficult situation and they will have to, whether they like it or not, ask the international community for protection," Serb opposition leader Randjel Nojkic said.
     His opinion was shared by others in the Kosovo capital Pristina a day after NATO resolved to maintain its air strike threat, leaving Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic under heavy pressure not to renege on demilitarisation.
     "NATO helped them (Kosovo Albanians), but they haven't seen anything yet. When the Albanians start taking revenge, the world will have a lot of problems to protect us," said a Serb student who said he was afraid to give his name because of Albanian neighbours.
     "I think the world will continue to threaten the Serbs as long as the Kosovo crisis remains unresolved," said Nojkic, the Serbian Renewal Movement leader in Kosovo.
     Kosovo Serbs were trying to recover from the shock of seeing army troops and security police pull out en masse to beat a NATO deadline that required ethnic Albanian separatist guerrillas to respect a ceasefire but not to disarm.
     The initial reaction of some Serbs was to think about leaving Kosovo. Then some started to ponder defence.
     "I would like to leave. But where to go? Milosevic wouldn't have us like he didn't want to see Serbs who had to leave from other parts of ex-Yugoslavia," the student said, referring to war refugees from Croatia and Bosnia in 1991-95.
     He said his friends and many other Kosovo Serbs he knew had turned away from Milosevic and Belgrade, the Yugoslav federal and Serbian republic capital 375 km (230 miles) to the north.
     "We created him, and we may destroy him."
     Milosevic consolidated his authoritarian rule in Kosovo a decade ago when, embracing Serb nationalism, he revoked ethnic Albanians' governing autonomy and later drove Croatia and Bosnia to secede violently from federal Yugoslavia.
     "No one knew (Milosevic) then. We launched him into Serbian and world politics. If he has really sold Kosovo out, we could come to Belgrade and that might be his political end," a friend of the student said, giving only his first name as Stevan.
     Nojkic said Kosovo's Serb inhabitants were now in danger with most security police and army troops confined to barracks or out of the province altogether.
     "They (separatist rebels) have already started stopping cars and buses and checking people," he said.
     International observers, about 100 of them so far with another 200 expected soon as part of an eventual 2,000-strong contingent, have seen Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) guerrillas occupying some positions left behind by government forces.
     But they said they had no reports of activities that would jeopardise freedom of movement around Kosovo.
     In Belgrade, Serbs shrugged off NATO's decision to maintain the threat of air strikes and many said they were unaware that any deadline for military intervention had elapsed.
     "Isn't all that over? Was there any deadline (on Tuesday)? I didn't hear anything on our television news," said 28-year-old bank clerk Vesna Dimkovic.
     Yugoslav state television and pro-government newspapers ignored the latest NATO threat, which was suspended but not lifted on Tuesday after Milosevic obeyed U.N. demands to withdraw security forces from Kosovo.
     Belgrade's intimidation of the independent media with the threat of draconian fines ensured that their reporting of the crisis was muted to avoid antagonising the government.
     Milan, 45, said he knew nothing about the NATO decision or about the existence of Tuesday's deadline.
     "They want to keep people ignorant so that they can do what they want. I do not trust these authorities any more," he said.

VUK DRASKOVIC ON LAW ABOUT INFORMATION
(SPO press conference, 27 October 1998)

Serbian Renewal Movement has not been indebted with anything good by either state or the so-called independent media. They both touched the bottom of dishonour with slanders, insults, rigged reports and crudest lies about the SPO.
     Resolutely standing against the conspiratory and police Law about information, the SPO is defending neither the right to lie, nor the right to insults or vulgarity. We are defending Serbia's honour in front of the world, we are defending our Constitution and our laws. Since it has been founded, the SPO has advocated free and responsible journalism. One could freely do what one pleases, but with responsibility to the truth  and journalism and human ethics.
     According to our Constitution, journalism is absolutely free, and according to our current Criminal and Civil law, it is responsible, because lies, slanders and all other activities against the state sovereignty are liable to punishment and the facts are established in a regular legal proceeding, just as the case in the USA, France, Italy or any other civilised country is.
     The other problem is that our judiciary is ideological, not independent, so it has not punished lies and slanders the victims of which have beenideological opponents.
     The recently adopted Law about information, however, has suspended the Constitutional norms about free information, as well as the norms of the Criminal and Civil law about the responsible informing. It might have been necessary to speed up the procedure in charges and suits in the regular courts.
     A coup d'etat against the Constitution has been made, because the magistrates and the police have got unconstitutional authorisations to within 24 hours decide on things which are in the exclusive power of the Constitution and of regular courts.
     The country has been returned to 1948 when according to the similar conspiratory law, the magistrates and the police sent people to death and several-year hard labour.
     Serbian Renewal Movement has stood up against such lawlessness, against the right of force and of jungle.
     We have stood up against the shame that Vojislav Seselj, the symbol of lie, vulgarity and lawlessness, should decide what is permitted in Serbia and what is not.
     When the freedom of information is concerned, we cannot feel ashamed of our Constitution and our Criminal and Civil law, in front of America and Europe.
     Unfortunately, the UN Security Council passed the Resolution which proclaims Serbia as a country of dictatorship and terror because the Law about information.
     The President of Serbia must defend both the Serbian Constitution and Serbian laws from everyone, even the Serbian Government Vice-President and from all those who support his conspiratory and  hazardous regulations and police laws against the Serbian Constitution.
     Vojislav Seselj had publicly condemned all six conclusions of the Contact Group two days before all conclusions were accepted in the Milosevic-Holbrooke Agreement.
     In the same way in which he brought down the "Z-4" plan for Republika Srpska Krajina, and now there is no Krajina nor the Serbs in Krajina, Seselj is bringing down the Milosevic-Holbrooke Agreement. That man and national hazards from the Government who support him are ready to sell Serbia to the Chechnyians, to reduce it to the Municipality of Zemun, just so they could command that miserable broken little Serbia.
     They are doing everything so that we could lose Kosovo.

-END-

BC-KOSOVA-SHOOTING-CONTINUE
Shooting continues in Malisheve

      PRISHTINE, Oct 29 (ATA)- Shooting continues from Serbian forces units, which are still concentrated at the place called Pishat e Volljakes, in the vicinity of the bauxite mine and the Guri i Zi village, according to the Kosova Information Centre.
      Gunfire was heard yesterday before noon from these forces, while their presence is hindering the inhabitants' return to their homes, LDK sources in Malisheve say, adding that the inhabitants' return is being hindered also by the Serb forces pulling out from roadblocks but which continue hiding in mountains.
      The sources said that the Serb police forces yesterday opened fire in the direction of the inhabitants of the Mrasor village, who had come to see the situation.
/p.ta/lm/

BC-ALBANIA-SERB FORCES-
Serb forces continue to control some villages of Suhareka

      PRISHTINE, Oct.29 (ata) - Serb forces did not withdraw yesterday from villages Mohlan, Duhel, Krushice e Ulet, Reshtan and the Gryke e Carraleves and some other spots of the commune of Suhareka.
      From these strategic points, the Serb forces control all the villages of the commune, making impossible for the displaced Kosovar to resettle at their houses, say sources of LDK in Suhareke, adding that a Serb police patrol went to village Sopije yesterday, and stopped and maltreated some Albanians.
      Also Serb police forces continue to stay in Ratoc of Prizren and in the old police station in Zym of Has.
/p.ta/xh/

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The Clinton administration is no longer closing the door on statehood for the Serbian province of Kosovo.
     Although the administration does not support independence for Kosovo, U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke says the potentially explosive issue must be settled at the negotiating table. Previously, Washington had ruled out independence for Kosovo under any circumstances.
     Furthermore, Holbrooke, who stage-managed NATO's recent efforts to force Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to stop his "rampage" in the ethnic-Albanian province or face alliance bombers, said it would not be right to ask the Kosovars to "give up their dream of independence."
     "We do ask them for a peaceful resolution of it," Holbrooke said today during a news conferencee at the State Department. "The ultimate political settlement is for the people themselves to work out."
     Under the plan agreed to by Milosevic -- whose forces killed hundreds of people and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes during Belgrade's effort to crush a militant separatist movement -- Yugoslav forces must stop their operations and return to positions they held prior to the brutal eight-month crackdown.
     Once the redeployment is complete, Milosevic agreed that it could be monitored for three years by an international observer force of at least
     2,000 people. A degree of autonomy will be returned to the Albanian majority, most of whom want outright independence from Belgrade, leading up to negotiations on the southern province's ultimate political status.
     Meanwhile, in Belgrade today, Serb secret police head Jovica Stanisic was reportedly fired by Milosevic in an apparent disagreement over Kosovo.

--------- Begin forwarded message ----------
From: sina7@juno.com (beqir sina)
To: bota-sot@blewhich.ch
Cc: Sina7@juno.com
Subject: interview with Joseph DioGuardi
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 10:28:47 -0500
Message-ID: <19981028.102857.10094.0.sina7@juno.com>

Interview with Former Congressman Joseph DioGuardi, President of the Albanian American Civic League with the New York Correspondent  of Radio Contact Beqir Sina.

B. Sina: During the six months of escalation since the beginning of the conflict in Kosova, there have been many declarations and ultimatums, yet nothing has been realized until now.  What are your thoughts on this?

JR. DioGuardi: Slobodan Milosevic, who has been declared a war criminal by the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament, has made a mockery of our foreign policy and has made Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke look like a fool.  Our U.S. foreign policy, declared by President Bush and confirmed by President Clinton, is that all Serbian troops and paramilitary forces must leave Kosova in order to prevent a wider Balkan war.  So now that the world has witnessed atrocities against the Kosovars on a grand scale in the last six months (which have been going on unnoticed for years), how can the Albanian people accept anything less than complete independence from a brutal dictator that no one trusts and his nee-Nazi regime, which is hell bent on Albanian ethnic cleansing and genocide?  Short of using force--which should have been already--to get the Serbian army out of Kosova, only a well--armed international protection force can guarantee the security of the Albanian civilian population of Kosova.

B. Sina: Mr. Holbrooke has called Milosevic's recent decision a success of American diplomacy.  There are those who maintain, however, that there is no real change from the previous situation.  Should the Albanians believe in an American success or in the underhandedness of Milosevic?

J. DioGuardi: The Holbrooke peace initiative for Kosova, far from being a success, is a disaster in the making for the Albanians of Kosova and for peace in the Balkans.  Milosevic has never kept his word, and he should not be trusted now.  He is a war criminal, not a peacemaker.  He is the problem,not the solution.  As we have recently seen with the arrest of former Chilean President Augusto Pinochet for his crimes against humanity, the U.S. government should bring  Milosevic to the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, not to the negotiating tables in the Balkans, Brussels, and Washington.  Only then can a real peace process begin for Kosova and the Balkans.

B. Sina:  As a former congressman and as president of the Albanian American Civic League, you have been very active on Albanian issues and have a deep understanding of the Albanian political landscape.  How do you view the level of political organization in Albania, Kosova, Macedonia and Montenegro?  Is there cooperation on the part of the political parties within each of these specific areas, and, furthermore, among Albanian parities in general across these borders?

J. DioGuardi:  It is unfortunate that misguided European politics, overly and unfairly influenced by Russia and Greece in the early part of the twentieth century, resulted in a partition of the Albanian nation so that more than half the Albanians in the Balkans live outside the state of Albania in hostile Slavic regimes, especially Serbia and Macedonia.  It is equally unfortunate that, for fifty years after World War II, the Communist governments of Yugoslavia and Albania collaborated to keep the national aspirations of the Albanian people in check, subjecting them to the worst human rights atrocities and deprivation of freedom of any group in Europe, except for the Jews under Hitler's Nazi regime. With UDBA in Belgrade and the Sigurimi in Tirana collaborating to buy, trick or kill those Albanians with democratic aspirations, it is no wonder that it has been extremely difficult for seven million Albanians to organize themselves as a nation, or even politically within the five jurisdictions in which they reside.  While there is some cooperation among political parties in certain areas and across borders, true democratic, independent-minded Albanian leadership has been lacking and this has contributed to the divisions, confusion, and betrayal of the Albanian cause in the Balkans and in America.

B. Sina:  What are your thoughts new Albanian government, which has stressed that they are "the government of continnnuity"?  Their statement about "continuity" reminds us of the Hoxha Congress sessions, when the affirmation of continuity meant the denial of change.  How do you view it?

J. DioGuardi:  I was born and educated in America and know very little about what Communists think or mean when they speak or write.  But in college, I read J. Edgar Hoover's book on Communist leaders  and regimes describing them as  "Masters of Deceit" and feel certain that Enver Hoxha and Slobodan Milosevic are liars to the core who would do anything to preserve their power, even killing their own "friends" and fellow citizens.  The only solution for Albania is true democracy and free enterprise, which we have yet to see there.  So, for me, "continuity" can only mean that the current Socialist regime will resist a democratic process based on genuine economics, human, and political freedom, leading to political pluralism and competition in all sectors of the country. Many members of the Albanian American Civic League and members of our Board have families in Albania, and they are very concerned about the direction taken since the fall of Dr. Sali Berisha's democratic government.

B. Sina:  Government officials and the left wing in Albania have stated that the U.S. State Department has blamed the opposition for the present situation in Albania. They say that the opposition is guilty.  As an American politician with years of experience and wide connections and friendships in both the House and the Senate, how do you view this assessment?  As true, or as part of a political game?

J. DioGuardid:  Our State Department knows full well that the Nano regime was the most corrupt in Europe, and this inevitably led to the removal of Nano by his own party.  But this would not have been accomplished without the vocal opposition of former President Sali Berisha and his Democratic Party of Albania and the people's response to the assassination of political activist Azem Hajdari.  The present situation in Albania is mainly due to the broken promises  of the new Socialist government regarding the return of millions of dollars to the people defrauded by the pyramid schemes and the rampant corruption in government, which has led to great distrust and cynicism on the part of the Albanian people. While tho opposition has to share some of the blame for not shutting down the pyramid schemes after many warnings beginning in 1993, and for losing the election to the former Communists, the opposition today is acting responsibly as watchdogs and as political competition to keep the Socialists publicly accountable for their actions (or inaction).

B. Sina:  How do you feel about the level of organization in the Albanian American community?  Is it on the level needed in order to help the Kosova situation and to make a positive impact on all the Albanian problems?

J. DioGuardi:  The Albanian American community is poorly organized, reflecting the divisions, confusion, and even the traditional politics of personality that exist in the Balkans, especially in Kosova and Albania. Without a fully functioning Albanian State or States in the Balkans representing the national rights and democratic aspirations of the large Albanian population in Albania and the former Yugoslavia, political parties have had and will have little effect or significance and will serve to politically weaken and compromise an already divided Albanian community in the United States.

B. Sina:  Are you happy with the results of the elections in Macedonia?

J. DioGuardi:  I understand that twenty-two Albanian deputies were elected in Macedonia last Sunday and maybe more will be elected in the second round this Sunday.  This increase in Albanian political power in difficult circumstances in Macedonia can be attributed to creative and bold leadership of Arben Xhaferi, the chairman of the Albanian Democratic Party of Macedonia.  His initiative in uniting all Albanian political parties around one agenda before the election has made a big difference for Albanians in Macedonia and indirectly for Albanians all over the Balkans.  So, while I am somewhat happy about the outcome, I will not be happy until the University of Tetova is recognized, the mayors and other municipal leaders of Gostivar and Tetova are released from jail, and Albanians are treated as equals in Macedonia.

B. Sina: Thank you very much, God bless you, the American people, and the Albanian people.

For Radio Contact this was prepared by the New York Correspondent Beqir Sina     October 30,1998
Radio Contact--Tirana
Tel    355-42-49-474

New York Correspondent
Beqir Sina
Tel  (718) 373-8067
138 Avenue S
Brooklyn, NY
11223---U.S.A.

Call for Papers

"Rethinking Identities: State, Nation, Culture"

ASN 4th Annual Convention
International Affairs Building,
Columbia University, NY
Sponsored by the Harriman Institute
15-17 April 1999
 

The Annual Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) has become the premier event for the burgeoning community of scholars, journalists, and policy-makers interested in issues of national identity, ethnic conflict and state-building in the post-Communist world. The Convention has grown remarkably since its inception in 1996, boasting over 450 participants and 60 panels in 1998. It also acquired a genuine international stature, with one-third of last year's paper-givers arriving from overseas, particularly from Western and Eastern Europe.

The central theme of the 1999 Convention will revolve around questions of identities in East-Central Europe and the post-Soviet Union. Special considerations will be given to inter-disciplinary panel proposals.

Convention panels cover the most burning issues in the field. Examples from 1998 include the Caspian Sea and Oil Politics, the Wars in the Caucasus, Kosovo, Security in East-Central Europe, Ukrainian Nation-Building, the OSCE, Ethnic Violence, Citizenship in the Baltics, the Hungarian and Russian-Speaking Diasporas, and many more.

Videos/Films. The Convention intends to show short videos (10-15 minutes), integrated into regular panels, as well as medium- and full-length videos or films, as special events. We welcome suggestions and proposals for videos and films focussing on East-Central Europe or the former Soviet Union. All correspondence should be sent to the Program Chair, Dominique Arel (address below).

Location. As has been the case since the beginning, the Convention will be hosted by the Harriman Institute at Columbia University, in the International Affairs Building, 420 W. 118th St., New York.

Schedule. The convention will begin on Thursday, April 15th, at 1 PM, and ends Saturday, April 17th in early evening. Contrary to previous years, there will be no panels on Sunday, and the dates do not coincide with the Jewish and Orthodox religious holidays, which take place earlier in the month.

Panel/Roundtable/Roundtable Proposals. There is no particular application form to fill out. The vast majority of proposals were e-mailed to the Program Chair last year, but proposals sent by fax or regular mail are also accepted. For instructions on the proposals, see the "Application Information" below. All proposals must be sent to the Program Chair, Dominique Arel (address below).

Registration. Registration fees are $25 for ASN Members, $40 for Non-Members ($20 for East European Non-Members) and $10 for Students. Registration will be waived for students if they become first-time ASN Members (at the student rate of $25). All panel participants have to register by March 18th, 1998.

Membership Subscription to ASN. A yearly membership to ASN is $45, and $25 for students. Members receive the quarterly Nationalities Papers, Analysis of Current Events (ACE), the bi-annual ASNews, and a registration discount at the ASN Annual Convention. Beginning in 1999, ASN Members will also have the option of subscribing to Europe-Asia Studies at the cut-rate of $52 yearly. Membership forms are available at the ASN head office, c/o Oded Eran (see address below).

Funding. Participants are responsible for seeking their own funds to cover all travel and accommodation costs. ASN is unable to assist participants financially, including applicants from Eastern Europe.

Accommodation. ASN has a list of several recommended hotels, some in the $55-$75 price range, others in the $100-120 area. For further information, please contact the Convention Coordinator Oded Eran (address below).

Advertisements/Exhibitors. Several dozen companies had exhibits and/or advertised in the convention program in 1998. Due to considerations of space, advertisers and exhibitors are encouraged to place their order early. For information, please contact the Convention Coordinator Oded Eran (address below).

Web Site. Our web site will soon provide continuously updated information on the ASN Convention: <http://library.pace.edu/asn>.

We look forward to seeing you at the convention!

Dominique Arel, Program Chair
Oded Eran, Convention Coordinator

Application Information

ASN is accepting proposals for panels, roundtables, or individual papers.
There is no particular form to fill out. Proposals can be emailed (preferably), faxed or mailed to the Program Chair (address below).

Proposals for panels with presentations based on papers must include:
        *a chair, no more than three paper-givers and a discussant
        *the title of the panel and of the three papers
        *the affiliation, postal address, telephone, fax, and email (very important) of all participants
        *a one-paragraph cv of the participants

Proposals for roundtables must include:
        *a chair and no more than four presentors
        *the title of the roundtable
        *the affiliation, postal address, telephone, fax, and email (very important) of all participants
        *a one-paragraph cv of the participants

Proposals for individual papers must include:
        *the title and a one- or two-paragraph abstract of the paper
        *the affiliation, postal address, telephone, fax, and email (very important) of the applicant
        *a one-paragraph cv of the applicant

If audio-visual equipment is required, please indicate so.

As before, applicants must abide by three golden rules:
        *No participant may be listed more than once on a given panel or roundtable
        *No participant may present more than one paper at the convention
        *No participant may appear more than twice in the convention program

The proposals must be sent to Dominique Arel (address below). Email applications are accepted.

Deadline for proposals: 10 December 1998

Dominique Arel
ASN Convention Program Chair
Watson Institute
Brown University, Box 1970
Two Stimson Ave.
Providence, RI 02912
401 863 9296 tel
401 863 1270 fax
darel@brown.edu

Oded Eran
ASN Convention Coordinator
Harriman Institute
Columbia U.
1215 IAB, Columbia University
410 W. 118th St.
New York, NY 10027
212 854 6239 tel
212 666 3481 fax
asn@columbia.edu

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