Tagesnachrichten 11. November 1998
     von dpa, from ALBANEWS and others
     News of the day - November 11, 1998
     Kosova Information Center : Daily Report No 1609

         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

 

Walker: OSZE-Mission letzte Chance zur Gewaltverhinderung im Kosovo
   http://seite1.web.de/show/3649ABD1.NL1/

Irak-Krise im Mittelpunkt von Fischers Antrittsbesuch in Moskau
   http://seite1.web.de/show/3649A300.NL1/

Drei serbische Polizisten im Kosovo verletzt
   http://seite1.web.de/show/36498D49.NL1/

Mehr als 300 Fluechtlinge in Italien aufgegriffen
   http://seite1.web.de/show/36499140.NL1/

Nato arbeitet weiter an Plaenen fuer Notfall-Truppe im Kosovo
   http://seite1.web.de/show/364993A3.NL1/

Nato-Rat beraet ueber Notfall-Truppe fuer Kosovo
   http://seite1.web.de/show/36495A5A.NL1/

Bundeswehr  "Kommando Spezialkraefte"
   http://seite1.web.de/show/364976A0.NL2/

Bundeswehr "Kommando Spezialkraefte"
   http://seite1.web.de/show/3649780B.NL2/

Serbien will keine "verraeterischen" Medien mehr dulden
   http://seite1.web.de/show/36497A0A.NL1/

Orban: Bulgarien spielt in Ungarns Balkan-Politik "eminente Rolle"
   http://seite1.web.de/show/36497E21.NL1/

Nato-Rat will ueber Notfall-Truppe fuer Kosovo entscheiden
   http://seite1.web.de/show/3648B77E.NL1/
 

ONE has to begin    to STOP  oecumenic Decade for Peace  from November 8 until 18, 1998  30 minutes prayer for PEACE  30 Minuten Gebet für den Frieden  am  9./ 10./ 11./ 12./ 13./ 14./ 16./ 17. November  jeweils um 19.45 Uhr  in der Bethlehemkirche Wertingen  Jeder, der kommen moechte  - unabhaengig von Konfession oder Religion,  ist herzlich eingeladen !

LINK zu:  Vorschlag für den Ablauf den Friedensgebetes
                  - auch als WinWord97-Datei erhaeltlich !

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 # 1609
Prishtina, 11 November 1998

Kosova Delegation Meets with Dutch and Austrian Foreign Ministers

PRISHTINA, Nov 11 (KIC) - A delegation from Kosova, consisting of Dr Fehmi Agani, Edita Tahiri, Alush Gashi and Veton Surroi, met today morning in the Hague with the Dutch Foreign Minister, Van Aksen, to discuss Kosova.
Today afternoon, the Kosova delegation met with Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schuessel. Austria is currently holding the presidency of the European Union.
Efforts towards a political settlement in Kosova and the draft plan for an interim accord offered by U.S. envoy Chris Hill were discussed in the meetings, the KIC has learned.

"Forward-leaning, Proactive, Assertive, Intrusive, Verification of Compliance", Ambassador Walker Describes OSCE Mission in Kosova

PRISHTINA, Nov 11 (KIC) - Ambassador William Walker, the head of the OSCE Kosova Verification Mission (KVM), held a press conference in the Prishtina airport today (Wednesday), in which he elaborated on aspects of this mission, the "largest undertaking by the OSCE" in any country so far.
"I think we have all waited for the definitive start of this KVM mission", Walker said, noting that he can't give an exact time or an exact date about when will the KVM be in place. He said he would decide that based on what he sees for himself in the next few days. "But I do promise that we will be here in full force as soon as humanely and bureaucratically it is possible. What I can tell you is that the number of KDOM and the number of KVM personnel continues to grow, and will increase rapidly over the coming weeks. And this, with my arrival, effectively marks the start of what is an unprecedented international effort to bring stability and peace to the people, and that is all the people of Kosovo", the U.S. diplomat in charge of the OSCE KVM.
This mission is a chance for "all sides of this conflict to bring hostilities to an end", and to improve the desperate humanitarian situation that has befallen so many people here in the past few months, Walker said.
The KVM head said this will be a verification mission, and not an observer mission. "We are here to verify compliance with agreements that will allow the conditions for a reasonable political settlement to be found. The OSCE Mission is not here to replace the legal authorities or to remove their responsibilities towards all the people of Kosovo."
Ambassador William Walker took this occasion "to encourage the political leaderships of all involved in this conflict to choose the way of moderation, the way of sanity, the way of peaceful resolution of their differences".
Since the [Holbrooke-Milosevic] agreement was signed, "the situation has improved", Walker said, adding that Serbian "special security forces have begun to withdraw, displaced persons, I am told are returning to their villages". At the same time, "violent incidents are reported every day, and people are returning to homes that are burned to the ground".
"It is obvious that we have a long way to go from this battlefield to the negotiating table. This obviously a very ambitious mission, it is the largest undertaking by the OSCE by far, something like by a factor of 10", the Ambassador said.
In his opinion, and that of the international community, this might be the last best chance to avert an irrational spiral of more violence, more human suffering, in Kosova, Mr. Walker said. "Virtually every member state in the OSCE is placing precious resources, material and human, in this effort. They are gambling with the very lives of their citizens that the overwhelming majority of those living in Kosovo want the violence to end".  He praised the KDOM and many NGOs which have all been trying to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict. "I take off my hat to those persons, to KDOM and the NGO community, who have here under very adverse conditions, doing what we are going to do in much greater numbers, and I hope in conditions of much greater safety", Ambassador Walker concluded hi introductory remarks to the press in the Prishtina airport.
A questioner asked for further details regarding the nature of the verification mission, whether the verifiers will be doing something different from KDOM (the Kosova Diplomatic Observer Mission). "It is very important that people can understand that this is going to be verification: forward-leaning, proactive, assertive, intrusive, whatever word you want to use, verification of compliance - not just observation", Ambassador Walker stressed.
The Voice of America correspondent cited some reports in the countryside today that the VJ, the 'Yugoslav' army, has turned back some of the verifiers from an area near Prizren. "They said there is fighting. We have seen this as a pattern of the past months - when there is fighting they say 'well, you can't go', and then the atrocities occurred beyond the eyes of anybody, including reporters", the VOA correspondent said, asking whether KVM would be trying to get to these villages near Prizren today.
Walker said that without knowing any detail about this specific incident the reporter was mentioning, it is tough for him to answer. "I was struck by your words ('even beyonD the eyes of journalists'). I am going to try and get my eyes and ears in as close to any of these incidents as I possibly can".
The KVM security in the first instance depends on guarantees of 'FRY' President Milosevic, who assumes full responsibility for this diplomatic mission, and all personnel assigned to it, Ambassador Walker said. "At the same time, obviously, there are other people out there, who have the power to try and hinder what we are doing. At this point of time, we are accepting promises of all those people who represent those who have guns that they are not out to harm us", the KVM head said, alluding to Albanians (UÇK), but not mentioning them by name.
The NATO 'extraction force's mission will be to be "the ultimate protection [of the KVM] if something really goes wrong here", Ambassador Walker said, stressing that everybody should understand that this OSCE mission "is not here to take sides in terms of the political problems Kosovo has undergone. We are here, however, to determine who is and who is not in compliance with agreements that have been reached".
Ambassador Walker said he would have to report to the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. "Obviously we will have periodical reports with what we have observed on the ground. We will use that to prepare reports to the member states. We will also be feeding that information to those in NATO who are responsible of overhead observation of what is going on here. That, in turn, will be delivered in terms of conclusions to such people as UN Secretary General, and the Security Council."
There is going to be a great deal of interest "in what we determine, what is our judgment as to the compliance or noncompliance with the agreements", the OSCE KVM head underlined. Asked whether the KVM will be trying to be a third source of information in Kosova, Walker acknowledged it will be trying to do something along those lines. "When it is appropriate, when there is controversy over what has happened, we will try to let our opinions come out", he concluded.

Serb Forces Shell Malisheva Villages Tuesday Evening

PRISHTINA, Nov 11 (KIC) - On Tuesday evening, Serb forces manning checkpoints in Kijeva and Mleçan, as well as forces posted at a location called Pishat e Llazicës, shelled for an hour a number of outlying Albanian villages.
LDK sources in Malisheva said the villages of Llazicë, Mleçan, Plloçicë, Gollubovc were targeted by Serb fire. The police stationed in the town of Malisheva was engaged in shooting last evening, too, sources said.
There has been no word on casualties. The material damage is reported to be considerable.
The Serb forces's fire has added to the fears of the population which had returned in great numbers in the targeted villages. No resident has returned to the town of Malisheva and the village of Kijeva, straddling the Prishtina-Peja highway, because of the Serb forces' presence there.
A resident of Balincë said the villaegs along the highway are endangered constantly by Serb forces stationed in Llazicë, from where they open fire frequently. These forces have been looting Albanian property and livestock.
Some 40 Albanian houses have been burned in Balincë. The elementary school building in Llazicë has been burned to the ground likewise.

Serbian Forces Engage in Campaign of Shooting, Maintaining Grip on Life of Kosovars

PRISHTINA, Nov 11 (KIC) -  Serbian forces, police and military, have been engaged on a daily basis in shooting and patrolling activities aimed at making the life of the Albanians impossible in Kosovar towns and villages.
Reports from Gllogovc said Serb police opened fire for an hour in Gllogovc. Police manning the police station in Gllogovc and those in the Ferronikeli plant were involved in the shooting, the CDHRF said. (Serb regime sources said Albanians fired on Serb police station in Gllogovc.)
Four Serb policemen made entry into the LDK chapter offices in Vushtrri today morning. Police have been routinely harassing and illtreating Albanians in the town of Vushtrri.
A Serb police convoy of four APCs held provoked Albanian passers-by in the Dardania neighbourhhod of capital Prishtina early in the afternoon today. They held bystanders at gun-point and sang Serb chauvinist songs. At the time, a OSCE KMV convoy of vehicles was passing through Dardania, too.
A Serb police convoy consisting of 6 APCs left the Firefighters premises in Mitrovica and headed for Skenderaj today morning, LDK sources said.
Serb police beat up severely the Albanian twins, Nexhat and Nehat Grepi (19), in the town center of Mitrovica on Tuesday afternoon, they added.
Police patrols have been reported roaming the countryside in Suhareka area, as well as being engaged in sporadic shooting there. Serbian police have not withdrawn from the villages of Reshtan, Duhël, and Grejqec. The population of the village of Mohlan is being held under a ring of steel by the Serb police.
Serb army remains still posted in Qafë e Duhlës, in the Biraq mountains, as well as above the town of Suhareka, LDK sources said.

Serb Police Kills Albanian in Negroc, Gllogovc, Tuesday

Raids house of UÇK spokesman Jakup Krasniqi PRISHTINA, Nov 11 (KIC) - On Tuesday morning, Serb forces killed Abedin Bujupi, resident of Orllat, in the village of Negrovc of the municipality of Gllogovc.
The Prishtina-based CDHRF said the Serb forces killed him during an expedition in the village of the Gryka e Llapushnikut. The Serbs took away the body of the killed Albanian as well as his car, the CDHRF said.
After killing Abedin Bujupi, the police raided in Negroc the family house of Jakup Krasniqi, spokesman of the UÇK (Kosova Liberation Army). The police threatened his father, Januz, with execution, the CDHRF said.
The police arrested a number of citizens in the town of Gllogovc last night, the CDHRF said.

Albanian Youth Wounded from Explosion of Grenade

PRISHTINA, Nov 11 (KIC) - Shaban Dugolli (16), resident of Pjetërshticë village of Shtime, was wounded Tuesday when an unexploded grenade left back there exploded, the Prishtina-based Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) reported.
The Albanian youth is in a serious condition, the human rights group said.

Police Arrests 7 LDK Activists in Gjilan Area

PRISHTINA, Nov 11 (KIC) - Early in the morning today (Wednesday), Serb police arrested seven local LDK activists in the village of Dobërçan, a dozen kilometres north-east of the town of Gjilan, the LDK chapter in Gjilan reported.
The police arrested Jonuz Aliu, a financial activist in Gjilan, Halil Halili, a football player with the "Gjilani" FC, Nazmi Avdyli, formerly a member of the police personnel in Gjilan, Shaqir Bislimi, formerly an army reserve officer, as well as Ismajl Abdyli, Kemajl Aliu and Isuf Abdyli.
The motive for the arrest of these LDK activists is still unknown, LDK sources said.
This is the second wave of Serb police arrests in Gjilan, after the one of 15-17 October. One of the six Albanians arrested on 15 October was Lutfi Haziri, a senior member of the LDK, and vice- chairman of the LDK chapter in Gjilan, who is still in police custody.

Serb Army Intimidates Vërrini Villagers

PRISHTINA, Nov 11 (KIC) - On Tuesday afternoon, two Serb army officers and 13 soldiers on board a truck toured a number of Vërrini villagers in the Prizren area, including Poslisht, Billushë, Hoçë e Qytetit, Lubeçevë, Jeshkovë, Kushnin, Leskovec, Lez and Murademë, LDK sources in Prizren said. The Serb army officers told village leaders they would have to report to the Serb-installed municipal assembly in Prizren for "cooperation" or else risk being "taken forcefully" there.

Seven Albanians Sentenced to 19 1/2 Years in Prison for 'Hostile Activities'

PRISHTINA, Nov 11 (KIC) - Today, the Serb-installed District Court in Peja sentenced seven Albanians to 19 1./2 years in prison on charges of 'hostile activities and terrorism', accusations Albanians face routinely whenever the regime chooses to have them stand trial.
The Albanians are residents of the village of Rudica, municipality of Klina, the LDK chapter in Peja said.
Shaban Imer Mehmetaj (1945) and Gani Xhemë Ahmetgjekaj (1965) were sentenced to 4 1/2 years imprisonment each, Mustafë Sylë Mehmetaj (1945) to 2 1/2 years, whereas Skënder Ramë Bajraktaraj (1952, Nezir Rexhep Bajraktaraj (1968), Arben Ahmet Bajraktaraj (1972) and Luan Selim Ahmetgjekaj (1975) to 2 years in prison each. The Albanians are serving their prison terms in Peja.

Kosova Information Center
Last page!

KOSOVA (KDOM – witness - Malishevë)
Albanian witness to the death of two policemen in Malishevë under KDOM protection – police extorted his testimony

Malishevë, 10 November (ARTA) 1500CET--
According to A. Mazreku, the person for whom the Serb police claimed that he would testify today in Prishtina (in front of the cameras) about the killing of two Serb policemen in Malishevë has denied such a statement and currently is under the protection of the KDOM.
Mazreku claimed that the Serb police threatened they will take hostage his family if he would not accept to get in front of the cameras and state that he was present when the Serb policemen were killed allegedly by the KLA.
Being under threat, he told them (the police) he is ready to do so, but he met some KDOM members by accident and informed them about the whole thing.
Mazreku claims that afterwards he went into the police station under the escort of KDOM and told there that he was forced to state things he has not seen.
According to him, a conflict burst out between the KDOM and police. Serb policemen called that as the first dispute with KDOM in the region. So far, there is no information where Mazreku is currently sheltered.

KOSOVA (Serb attacks – Malishevë)
Renewed attacks against Albanian villages

Malishevë, 10 November (ARTA) 2120CET --
Last night Serb special units renewed the attacks against Albanian villages of Malishevë municipality. After 1700CET, the Serb forces stationed in Kijevë, at the place known as "Pishat e Llozicë" and in "Smonicë" in the village of Tërpezë firing from RPGs, APCs and other light weaponry for half an hour attacked the villages of Bubavec, Llozicë, Tërpezë and Carallukë, "KD" sources inform. According to the witnesses, the attacks were renewed over Bubavec and Callarukë at around 2200CET. The Albanian sources claim they have no further information on dead or wounded, but material damage is considerable.

KOSOVA (Serb police reinforcements – Podujevë)
If international observers don’t secure the streets for patrolling until Wednesday, Serb police forces will do it themselves, says police spokesman

10 November, (ARTA) 2120CET –
The LDK CI in Podujevë informed about new deployment of Serb forces in Kosova. According to this source, 13 buses loaded with Serb policemen drove today at 0715CET from Serbia in the direction of Prishtina. The Serb police spokesman has announced that if the international observers will not secure the street patrolling until Wednesday, Serb police forces will do it themselves.

KOSOVA (maltreatment – Gjakovë)
Gjakovë: Self-proclaimed local police batters one Albanian

Gjakovë, 10 November (ARTA) 2115CET --
Yesterday, at around 0900CET, Albanian collaborationists Muharrem and Jusuf Jakupi from Osek Hyla, self-claimed local policemen, arrested Ramiz Bajrami (44) from the same village, CI of the LDK branch in Gjakovë reports. It is stated that two Albanian collaborationists battered Mr. Bajrami until he was unconscious and then, after 24 hours took him to Pejë prison.

KOSOVA (victims – Skënderaj)
The skeleton of Nuhi Pajaziti found in Qubrel

Skënderaj, 10 November (ARTA) 2150CET --
On Monday, near his compound in Qubrel, the skeleton of Nuhi Pajaziti (75) was found. It is reported that Nuhi Pajaziti was executed by Serb forces during the penultimate offensive three months ago, because the above mentioned did not want to leave his house.
The skeleton of Nuhi Pajaziti was buried yesterday in the village cemetery, in Qubrel.

KOSOVA (victims – Klinë)
The corpses of three Albanians from Klinë municipal village of Rudicë identified

10 November (ARTA) 1730CET--
Abaz Ahmetgjekaj from Klinë municipal village of Rudicë stated to the LDK CI in Pejë, that the corpses of Niman Shaban Bajraktari (51), Haki Abaz Ahmetgjekaj (23), and Bashkim Xhafer Mehmetaj (22) from Klinë municipal village of Rudicë were identified. They have been missing since 6 July in Pejë municipal village of Gorazhdec.
The same source claims that the three Albanians were massacred and mutilated by Serb paramilitaries. Their corpses were buried with the order of the Serb forces in 6 of July without allowing to be identified.

KOSOVA (victims – Rakosh)
The corpse of an Albanian woman found in Rakosh village

10 November, (ARTA) 1630CET--
Local Albanian shepherds found the corpse of an Albanian woman near the Police checkpoint in Istog municipal village of Rakosh.
It is suspected it is the corpse of Fatime Salihaj from Istog municipal village of Shushicë e Poshtme. She was missing since the Serb police and paramilitaries (situated in Dubravë prison) massacred the family of Isa Salihaj and brutally killed eight members of his family. It is informed that the corpse is disintegrated but there are chances to make the identification relying in the clothing she was wearing. The international observers in Pejë were informed about the case. They were earlier interested about the massacre in Shushicë e Poshtme and about the further fate of Fatime Salihaj, who was missing since 30 August.

KOSOVA (shooting renewed - Klinë)
Shooting from heavy and light weaponry in Klinë municipality

Klinë, 10 November (ARTA) 2145CET --
Last night in Klinë municipality automatic gun fire and fire from weapons of different calibers was heard in the region of Sverkë, Gllarevë, Dollovë, Jashanicë, Grapc, Binçë and in Dush of Gjurgjevik. During the day shooting coming from the Serb snipers stationed in Gllarevë, Përçevë, Sverkë and Grabanicë was heard, accompanied by Serb military\police machinery movements, mainly in the region of Sverkë.
On Tuesday, at 0930CET, three buses full of Serb policemen, 8 APCs, two Land Rovers and two police cars, from Klinë went to reinforce the Serb forces stationed in the village of Mrasor.

KOSOVA (Serb forces – Deçan)
Large presence of Serb police forces in Deçan

10 November, (ARTA) 1900CET--
While some displaced people are gradually returning in some municipal villages, there is no sign that life is normalizing in the Deçan municipal villages of Baballoç, Irzniq, and Voksh because of the Serb police force presence. Field sources inform that, Serb forces have again seized their previous positions, after their foregoing withdrawal from Suka e Baballoçit. Their presence prevented the return of a few local residents who were planning to spend this winter in the makeshift plastic tents on the ruins of their houses.
The same sources claim that Police is maltreating the locals of villages Ratish and Pobergjë who are not allow to return into their homes. Two days ago a police convoy prevented the IDPs to return into their village with the pretext that the Police is going to do a control on the village. Meanwhile the villagers of Shaptej were told by Police forces that they have to leave soon, claim the Albanian information sources.

KOSOVA (Serb forces – Obiliq)
When the observers appear, police hides in the premises of "ElektroKosova"

10 November, (ARTA) 1500CET--
Serb police forces are still installed in more then ten bases in the region of Fushë-Kosova and Obiliq. So far, the field reports inform only about the increasing number of the Serb troops in the region while there is no information about any withdrawal, "KD" sources from Obiliq claim.
Only the checkpoint in Bardhi i Madh has so far been removed.
"The checkpoint is removed in order to avoid the observers, while other positions are still being kept under control. They are situated in that way as to hide in the premises of ‘ElektroKosova’ when the observers appear", claims a youngster from Graboc i Epërm, who is returned (with his family) disappointed from his village for the third time.
Accordingly the villages of Graboc i Ulët and i Epërm, Sibovc, Lajthishte, Zhilivodë and Hade are still besieged, while some 'Yugoslav" Military vehicles has not withdrawn into the barracks.
Most of the dislocated people from this area are still out-of-doors, while the observers continue to report about withdrawals of the Serb police forces.

KOSOVA (Scheffer – Rugova)
Scheffer: "I have seen huge and systematic destruction"

Prishtina, 10 November (ARTA) 2000CET--
The president of Republic of Kosova, Ibrahim Rugova met US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright’s special envoy for war crimes, Ambassador David Scheffer and his team. Head of the US mission in Belgrade, Richard Miles and the director of USIS in Prishtina, Richard Huckaby also took part in the meeting.
Ambassador Scheffer claimed he has visited some war stricken regions and he has seen huge and systematic destruction. He emphasized that the investigation and of the massive crimes is very important and demanded the Hague prosecutor and investigators be enabled to investigate eventual crimes in Kosova.
President Rugova claimed that, the tragic dimensions of the Serb military and police forces in Kosova are becoming evident now. He asked for a more intensive pressure of the international community over Belgrade, in order to force him allow the investigation of war crimes in Kosova by the Hague tribunal investigators.

KOSOVA (KD interview – David Scheffer special ambassador for war crimes in the State Department)
"Yugoslavia has only one choice - to accept the presence of the Hague Tribunal in Kosova"
Valbona Mehmeti / Belgrade

The special Ambassador for war crimes in the State Department, David J. Scheffer was present in the international Conference for the condemnation of the war crimes held under the auspices of the Humanitarian Law Fund.
Scheffer coordinates the US support for the International Tribunal of war crimes for ex-Yugoslavia and Rwanda since 1997. Ambassador Scheffer also coordinates the process of compiling the files or establishing the international mechanisms for evidencing the responsibilities concerning the violation of the international human rights in the war stricken areas. He also assists the Secretary of state, Madeleine Albright in assessing the needs of the victims of such violations. Before being appointed in this position, Scheffer was a high-ranking adviser of Mrs. Albright, the then US Ambassador in UN and the representative on the American mission in UN. In the interview given to "Koha Ditore", Scheffer estimated that, the Hague Tribunal investigators in Kosova should start their work urgently.
Scheffer asserted that "The 'Yugoslav' authorities have refused to include the work of the Hague Tribunal into the agreement Milosevic -Holbrooke, while it (the agreement) was being compiled". But, according to him, Holbrooke has insisted the investigate International Law Court to be legitimated and to investigate in Kosova, while the cooperation with the Tribunal was one of the requests of the UN Resolution 1199".

Now - Kosova is under the international supervision

KD: The "FRY" Government has refused to issue visas to the investigators of the Hague Tribunal. Does this mean that Milosevic is not complying with the requests of the Resolution 1199 of the UN Security Council for Kosova?

Scheffer: This is an evident situation of not complying with the requests of the Resolutions 1160,1199,1203 of the UN SC for Kosova. I do not know what did the Belgrade authorities expect to achieve by refusing to cooperate with the Tribunal. The give the impression they are hiding something. They are breaking the moral of the Kosova people and they show they do not care at all about the justice, they do not care about the activities or the illegal behavior of the Armed forces on the field. Therefore it’s for the own betterment of the "Yugoslav" government to be more transparent to the Tribunal and to be more opened if it wants to gain a higher credibility or the support of other governments. In this way, the Government of "FRY" is only carving the future of Serbia and Montenegro, and this cannot be on its interest.

KD: Do you think that Milosevic is only gaining time and postponing the investigations for the crimes in Kosova, taking into account that investigation for the killed victims will become more difficult while the time elapses?

Scheffer: Of course, it is making such an impression. This is the logical course of his conducts. This might be his ultimate objective. As to my opinion, he has refused the chance he was offered.

KD: What measures will the Security Council undertake in that case?

Scheffer: The Security Council is scrutinizing a supplementary Resolution. It is still being discussed and we hope it will be made public by the SC very soon. That resolution directly focuses the incompliance with the requests of the Tribunal. There will be presented the failure of "FRY" to deport the main indicted responsible for the war crimes (including here the Vukovar 3).
We will see whether would be any incompliance after that resolution. If yes, than we will scrutinize the punitive measures with the highest seriousness.

KD: How do you evaluate the decision of the judge Louis Arbour and the Head of the Tribunal, Gabrielle Kirk McDonald not to take part in this Conference?

Scheffer: It is a pity that they will not participate in the Conference, but on the other hand, their decision is comprehensible. Besides judge Arbour, also other investigators of the Tribunal were not allowed to go in the Conference. She had strong reasons to sound the alarm bells. And she sounded those bells by not coming. And by asking that this matter be taken up in the Security Council
I hope "FRY" will make the appropriate decisions, which will enable the investigations. I think this is the bottom line for the "FRY" to accept the investigations and the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, because it has no way out. The Tribunal has a jurisdiction and it was confirmed unanimously by the UN SC, this is not debatable. This is the way it is. If this request will continue not to be fulfilled, the repercussions will ensue.

KD: You said on the Conference that the Hague Tribunal would not investigate only the Serb crimes in Kosova, but also those of KLA. While the "FRY" has refused such investigation, KLA through its communiques has appealed the Tribunal to do them (the investigations) an accordingly has offered its help.

Scheffer: I don't know. I hope that to be true. I hope KLA has given such statements with good and sincere intentions, and not for propaganda like previously happened in ex-Yugoslavia. The Tribunal will possess all the accusations and information necessary to investigate the crimes committed by both sides in the conflict.
 

KOSOVA (EP – Kosova delegation)
For the first time, KLA presents its political platform to the European Parliament
Augustin Palokaj

Brussels, 10 November (ARTA) 2220CET --
It is the first time that such a high European institution invites the representatives of Kosova Liberation Army among the others.
The president of the European Commission for Southeast Europe, the German delegate, Doris Pack, opened the meeting of Europarliamentarians with the guests from Kosova saying that she has the pleasure to gather in one place, in the building of European Parliament, the LDK and KLA representatives as well as the editor-in-chief of the main Albanian daily "Koha Ditore", Mr. Veton Surroi, while emphasizing, as she claimed, the importance of freedom of the press in Kosova. The KLA delegation was invited separately from the other delegation coming from Kosova.
There was no logical explanation why Kosova's independence was never backed as a potential solution. Mr. Agani stated that independence remains still as the main focal point of the Albanian Movement in Kosova, adding that "the international community bears large responsibility when it says that Kosova's independence is not backed, because this way it states to the Albanians they have to live under a regime that has racist elements". Mr. Agani emphasized that recently projects were offered and that just some days ago a new draft that has positive elements was given to the Albanian side, although, as he said, "the new project lacks a solution bringing character, because it doesn't predict what will happen after three years". Agani stated that he respects NATO's engagement, which has brought to halt clashes, but thinks "there is discrepancy between the engagement of international community and the offered projects".
Bardhyl Mahmuti initially thanked the European Parliament for giving KLA the possibility to present its platform for Kosova to this relevant institution. Mahmuti stressed that, he does not recognize the last elections (which were held under extraordinary circumstances and without the consent of several political factors in Kosova) as legitimate.
"We do not accept the dictates of LDK and Rugova. The future democratic institutions will be established through the future elections, and there would be place for everybody because now it is the ultimate time to get rid of totalitarian way of thinking", he said.
He claimed that, it is surprising that the international community is alarmed for the two Serb "so-called journalists" who were arrested and sentenced by KLA, while it (the IC) does not even mention thousands of missing Albanians.
"Serb journalists were sentenced according to our laws, they have the right to appeal and one can very soon be convinced that they were treated correctly", claimed Mahmuti.
Another issue, interesting for the European MPs was the attitude of KLA toward the OSCE verifiers as well as the armistice being respected by KLA.
The KLA representative stated that KLA welcomes the arrival of OSCE verifiers, but they did not come when they were invited by KLA and they take the information served by the Serb Media Center. He claimed that KLA has proclaimed self-restraint in order to give a chance to all those who want to work on the benefit of peace in Kosova.
A topic of particular interest for the European MPs, was the attitude of LDK and KLA toward Macedonia, respectively "they were concerned about what will happen to Macedonia if the independence of Kosova is achieved". Concerning this Mr. Agani repeated as he claimed the attitude of "all Albanian political parties in ex-Yugoslavia" that, "Kosova should be independent, while the Albanians in Macedonia would recognize Macedonia and should have the status of constitutive nation of that state". Bardhyl Mahmuti claimed that Albanians in Macedonia should be represented as equal.
Since the LDK and the KLA have given, the impression that their aims do not differ largely, Europarliamentarians wonder why isn't there any cooperation between them, especially, as the Chairwoman of the Foreign Policy, Defense and Security Committee, Mrs. Lense, when it has to do with having the same aim.
"We have disagreements here, but they are peaceful", she said.
Veton Surroi, in his speech, stressed the importance of halting the war, creating circumstances for dialogue and improving the humanitarian situation not only through humanitarian aid. He said that the Milosevic's refusal to cooperate with the Hague Tribunal is indicative that he does not respect the agreement. Mr. Surroi cast doubts on the success of the OSCE verifiers: they are unarmed, they can't go in the field during the night, and they cannot reach endangered areas. He reiterated the position of the Albanian Parliament based on the legitimate right of the Kosova Albanians for self-determination. The delegation from Kosova had meetings at the European Commission as well, also holding a press conference at the International Press Centre in Brussels.
The political representative of the Kosova Liberation Army for the West, Bardhyl Mahmuti, met Austrian Foreign Minister, Wolfgang Schuessel, and the special envoy of the EU for Kosova, Austrian ambassador in Belgrade, Wolfgang Petrich.
Mahmuti acquainted the diplomats with the KLA's political platform. In turn, they presented him with the proposals for the solution of the Kosova issue. Mahmuti promised the diplomats that their proposals shall reach the KLA General Headquarters, as an executive and decision making body.

KOSOVA (EU – Brussels)
Belgrade is obliged to cooperate with the Hague Tribunal
Augustin Palokaj, Brussels

Brussels, 10 November (ARTA) 1600CET--
The EU Foreign Ministers condemned today the refusal of the Belgrade authorities to issue visas to the main Prosecutor of the Hague tribunal, Louis Arbour and her team that was supposed to conduct the investigation for the eventual war crimes in Kosova.
The EU Foreign Ministers appealed both sides involved in the Kosova conflict (the "Yugoslav" and the Albanian one) to fully comply with all the requests of the UN SC Resolutions.
"The Resolutions of the UN SC determine accurately the obligation of the "FRY" to fully cooperate with the Hague Tribunal for war crimes", claimed the Ministers in a peculiar statement issued from today’s meeting.
The Council of ministers expects the "Yugoslav" authorities to allow the unimpeded movement of the observers and other foreign organizations throughout the entire territory of Kosova. Such a thing is expected to be allowed also to the forensic experts who ought to work and report independently and unimpeded.
Before starting the discussions pertaining Kosova the rotating chairman of the Council of Ministers, Wolfgang Schuessel and European Foreign Commissioner, Hans van Den Broek held today a press briefing.
Asked by the correspondent of "Koha Ditore", whether the EU has on disposal any measure to force Belgrade fulfil the requests of UN SC (since the refusal of giving visas, clearly indicate that Milosevic does not plan to fulfil those requests), the Minister Schuessel answered: "The attitude of EU is very clear and the message for Milosevic is that, he must fulfil the requests of the UN SC Council resolution".
While, Hans van den Broek claimed that, The Commission has realized that there are many "stretches" in the current regime of sanctions against "FRY". In order to avoid them, especially in the aspect of freezing the "Yugoslav" state assets abroad and in reinforcing the current regime of sanctions. Van den Broek stated further to "Koha Ditore" that, he expects these proposals to be approved until December.

KOSOVA (refugees – Switzerland)
Soldiers take care of the refugees from Kosova
Enver Robelli, Zurich,

10 November (ARTA) 1630CET--
According to the decree of the Swiss Government adopted in 21 October, the engagement of the soldiers who will take care about the refugees (mainly from Kosova) has started since last Monday. The engagement of special military units is limited to a six-month period, but it could be extended until the end of 1999 by the adequate decision of the Government. The number of the soldiers who will take care about approximately 2.000 refugees will not be bigger than 1.000. The soldiers will have no weapons during that service.
The first Swiss soldiers were installed on Rutibei Riggisberg on Monday, and they have to take care about 50 refugees from Kosova and other countries. A communique issued by the General Headquarters of the Swiss Army, signed by General Hans-Ulrich Scherrer, states that his soldiers have "genuine understanding, because this is an extraordinary measure in an extraordinary situation".
This is not the first time the Swiss Army is taking care about refugees. After the uprising of 1956 in Hungary, over 200.000 people emigrated towards western countries. In 26 November 1956, the Swiss Government passed a ruling to provide shelter to 6.000 Hungarians, and Swiss Army took care about them.

SB: Interview With Adem Demaci to Slobodna Bosna

Serbia Info: Witness to crime handed over to terrorists

Serbia Info: Verifier brings back the crime witness in Malisevo

Serbia Info: Still Not Possible to Visit Abducted Journalists

The Charter of the Serb Church-National Assembly, Pristina November 7, 1998

Slobodna Bosna(Sarajevo)31 October 1998
The Albanians Will Not Be Disarmed by Anybody Any More!
Interview with Adem Demaci, political representative of the Kosovo Liberation Army,
by Edina Becirevic and Merima Sijaric in Pristina

"I am like a candle. I am melting  away slowly, but I light the way for others." These are the verses written by Adem Demaci, political representative of  the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Adem Demaci completed the course of study of World Literature in Belgrade. Beginning with 1958 he spent three years in  prison in Sremska Mitrovica for ideological reasons; the core of his ideology was the awakening of the Albanian consciousness and the attempt  to remove his people from the Serbian regime and Yugoslavia. When he  heard the verdict about his imprisonment, Demaci said something that he  does not support that openly today: "Kosovo should become part of Albania,  and other options are not possible."  This is why he was called by Serbian circles "the anti-Serbian devil," and the Albanians treated him as a saint  at that time.

In 1961 Demaci was released from prison, and in 1962 he married Cemala against his will, because his mother -- as he says himself  -- wanted a grandchild. Because of the difficult political situation in  Kosovo, Adem Demaci formed an illegal movement in 1964, which had 300  members. The movement was called the "Revolutionary Movement for the Merger of Albanians." In the same year Adem Demaci was arrested and  sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment, which he spent in Nis and  Pozarevac. After 10 years Demaci was pardoned and released from prison on 8 June 1974. In 1975 he was arrested for the third time because of the  same ideology and his publicly expressed opinion that socialism could not  be developed by tyrannizing Albanians. He spent 15 more years in the prison of Stara Gradiska. Today Adem Demaci is the political leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army. He is father of two children and is divorced from his first wife. He remarried recently and lives in Pristina.

"Since reporters from Bosnia are seldom guests here, I would like to invite you for dinner to my place tonight," Demaci said after the news conference,  which was attended by approximately 50 reporters. The car with the lights  switched off and two shadows in its interior was parked in front of the  entrance to the building in which Adem Demaci lives. "Look at the window  on the fourth floor of the building opposite mine. Since Demaci became the political representative of the Kosovo Liberation Army, a candle has  been burning there every night and someone has been looking down from that window," the guide told us. The window with the candle made a ghostly impression. The man who spent 28 years in prison was wearing a jogging suit. He was relaxed.  Albanians Are Not Afraid of Serbs Any Longer [subhead]

[Slobodna Bosna] We saw that you are being watched. Are you afraid that they could enter your apartment and arrest you?

[Demaci] Let them come. So what? What can they do to me after 28 years of imprisonment?  And they know too that the Kosovo Liberation Army [KLA] will not be weakened because of that. If they arrest me, they cannot arrest all the people who have organized themselves and who are defending Kosovo. I do not mean much to them and I am really not afraid.

[Slobodna Bosna] There are speculations about how strong the KLA is. Can you tell us how many active soldiers there are in the KLA?

[Demaci] This depends; the KLA is the Albanian people. This number changes according to the need. When there were direct clashes and when the KLA held half of the free Kosovo territory, 30,000 to 40,000 people were armed. When there are no direct clashes, they perform their normal work.

[Slobodna Bosna] How much Kosovo territory is the KLA controlling now?

[Demaci] It is controlling less now, since there is no need for that, and in the future it will in any case control more. We are ready to fight and we know that the Serbs will not be able to stop the fighting that easily. This is a regime that does not respect anything, it is not clever enough, it does not make rational decisions. The Serbian Army, like  the Turkish, leaves territories only when it is forced to do so. We have  a flag, an assembly, we think that we have liberated ourselves, but in  fact everything has remained unsolved in Kosovo, because the things will  not change as long as the Serbs exploit us and take away what we produce.

[Slobodna Bosna] What is the KLA attitude toward the Holbrooke- Milosevic agreement?  It is obvious that the Albanian side -- also formally -- was avoided in the negotiations.

[Demaci] According to the agreement the Serbs should withdraw from Kosovo. In other words, they should withdraw all the forces that were brought to Kosovo from Serbia and committed the horrible massacres and caused the tragedy of the Albanian people. In other words, the conditions must be created for the establishment of contacts between Albanians and Serbs so that negotiations can start. This is, in other words, a preliminary agreement, not the final agreement. Only after the conditions have been created for the contacts to be established between the Albanians and the Serbs, this will be the basis for a future agreement. In principle, we still do not have the basis for an agreement.

[Slobodna Bosna] The KLA has agreed to respect the truce, however.

[Demaci] The KLA has agreed to that because the Albanians benefit from the preliminary agreement. The international community has driven Serbia into a corner with this agreement and has shown Milosevic that he cannot kill Albanians when and how he wants to. You know what this is like, you went through the same thing. Also in Bosnia the Serbs killed people, burned down mosques and destroyed everything they could. When the Serbs saw that they were not able to destroy the KLA, they decided to act like the crazy fisherman who realized that he would not be able to catch a fish, so he decided to drain the whole lake. Still, our people cannot be extinguished, and it is good that the international community has realized that the Albanians from Macedonia and Albania would enter the war  too, since they had already started warming up for participation in the  defense of their conationals in Kosovo.

[Slobodna Bosna] It has not come to an intervention, however. Do you think that the Kosovo problem can be solved without a NATO intervention?

[Demaci] I think that a NATO intervention will be needed in the end. The slack attitude the international community has toward the Serbs will enable Milosevic to become too free, as usual, so that a NATO air strike will be made at the moment when no one expects this any longer. An intervention will be made when the NATO and the European countries have realized that the Serbian fascist regime can no longer be negotiated with.

[Slobodna Bosna] We have seen today that some Serbian tanks have withdrawn to the barracks around Pristina. What are your observers reporting; are the Serbian forces really withdrawing or are they only regrouping?

[Demaci] They are taking positions, changing positions, covering themselves. I have received a report according to which they have large hangars where they hide tanks by covering them with plastic sheets, blankets, so that they cannot be seen from aircraft. We have also noticed that a large number of policemen are going in the direction of Pristina, thus demonstrating that they are still present, although they are not waging a war. They are trying to simulate a withdrawal in this way. They are still acting according to the motto: "If you can lie successfully, lie; if you kill and deceive the world successfully, you can do this, too!" Rugova Is a Soft Man [subhead]

[Slobodna Bosna] What do the Albanians think about Rugova? It seems that they cannot support Rugova and the KLA at the same time?

[Demaci] Everyone wants to achieve his aim with as little cost and as few victims as possible. Izetbegovic, for example, did not want to accept the war; he tried to avoid conflicts in all possible ways. Every normal man  opposes victims and war, and no normal man wants to die. I think that there is a certain number of Albanians who follow Rugova and his attitude that the situation should be resolved in a peaceful way, that someone will bring you peace on a plate. Such an opinion has not proven to be efficient, however. When the Dayton Agreement for Bosnia-Herzegovina was made, it became clear to us that wars cannot be resolved with a magic  stick! You must know that there has always been mutual disharmony here,  since the regime of 1878 up to date. All the regimes have been  anti-Albanian. After the Dayton Agreement, some wise groups have started  creating certain barriers in their heads that meant "stop the violence,"  and the people of Albanian nationality who fought in Bosnia-Herzegovina and proved to be good warriors came to Kosovo. They started organizing  the people to defend themselves.

[Slobodna Bosna] What are your relations with Ibrahim Rugova like?

[Demaci] I have personally never had bad relations with Ibrahim Rugova, but I have always opposed the policy he has pursued. He is a soft man; he is not competent to represent Albanian politics in Kosovo.  The Albanians need a different man. Rugova is too well-mannered and  cannot oppose anyone. He cannot say "No" to anyone.

*[Slobodna Bosna] It is quiet in Pristina, since the Serbs have decided to wage a guerrilla war in Kosovo, in contrast to Bosnia-Herzegovina. A guerrilla war is waged in rural, not in urban areas. They have first of all cleaned the state apparatus of Albanians – the police, army, administration, courts. They represent the power in urban areas, and there is no need to wage a war in an area where they rule anyway. On the  other hand, the Serbian side has heavy weapons, and it would be difficult  for them to enter towns without being noticed. This is why they have decided to attack villages, since this is a better ground for maneuvers.

[Slobodna Bosna] Do you think that the KLA has made a wrong assessment and that it has overestimated its capacity?  Many foreign analysts think that the KLA had a dishonest attitude toward the Albanian people, because it would start a clash and withdraw then, leaving the civilians behind, who -- as a rule -- died.

[Demaci] This opinion does not only come from foreigners. This is the opinion of all the people who do not think highly of Albanians. It can only come from the people who do not know enough about  the war problem in Kosovo. This is a manipulated story and policy, and  the problem is as follows:  When the Serbs realized that they cannot  defeat the KLA, they started making propaganda among the Albanians with  the aim to make them give up their army. I am pleased that the Albanian  people were not influenced; on the contrary. After the people lost  everything they had -- their families and houses -- they joined the  liberation army with heart. Only then had the number of KLA members risen  to the extent that we did not have enough weapons for all the people who wanted to become KLA members. The people understood the situation and  asked themselves: "What else can I do but fight, so that they do not kill  me?" The massacre that was made in the village of Prkeze was the reason  for the people to start joining the KLA in large numbers. This could not  be controlled by the Serbian police. A large free territory was created  at that time, which helped the foreign powers--who did not treat the  Kosovo issue seriously--realize that our struggle is not only a matter of religion but a revolution. We came as far as 10 kilometers away from Pristina. Then Serbia prepared an incessant offensive in which it included all available forces, even aircraft. In spite of everything, we succeeded in  developing a real army. As a revenge, the Serbs made use of the worst  possible measures: they entered villages, burned down houses, and tortured and killed civilians. Only now the Kosovo issue has become a Serbian issue too, and they understand it as a Serbian issue. Had we not organized  ourselves, the guerrilla war would have been waged for years. The  Albanians assessed this correctly. We did not predict that we would  organize ourselves that well, but with God's help we achieved much --  taking into consideration the proportion of forces.

[Slobodna Bosna] There are many speculations about the KLA ideology. Is the theory true that there are Marxists and Leninists, that is the followers of Enver Hodza's politics, in the KLA Main Committee?

        The KLA Is Not Influenced by Politics

[Demaci] The KLA signed the agreement on 13 August 1998 according to which the army must not be under the influence of politics or any ideology. The stories that the KLA is under the influence of Marxists and Leninists are propaganda. It is a fact that the KLA is closed for the media, and this is the reason why it is being speculated with these theories. KLA members must work secretly; you know what happened with the Jasari family. All the people who fight have their families, who they try to protect by hiding their identity. This is why they use false names  like Sultan, Leptirica....

[Slobodna Bosna] According to some sources, the United States of America will require demilitarization of Kosovo. What will be the  attitude of the KLA if this requirement is made?  Will the KLA, in case  the Serbian Army fully withdraws, lay down their weapons?

[Demaci] The Serbs are not withdrawing!  The United States might require from the Albanians to disarm themselves, but the Albanians will never again remain without weapons!  The Albanians have armed themselves, and we shall have our police and army in the future, and we shall not be without weapons.

[Slobodna Bosna] According to some information, the KLA has been arming itself intensely. Is it true that the weapons are coming from the Srpska Republic too?

[Demaci] We are acquiring weapons wherever we can. Large quantities of weapons used by Bosniaks are coming to us, since they have obtained better weapons from the United States of America now. The weapons are also coming from Hungary, and a large quantity from Serbia too, since money opens all doors there!

[Slobodna Bosna] You are the political representative of the KLA. Who is the KLA commander in chief?  We know that you cannot tell us names, but can you at least tell us the most important things about the profile of a commander from the General Staff?

[Demaci] Albanians protect their identity. I can only tell you that the commander in chief is a good military strategist, which can be seen from the results we have achieved in defending ourselves. We had only light weapons and were successful against a difficult enemy, who was fully armed, so that it was not a problem for him to fight successfully in such a small territory. The people who are leading us are brave. I can tell  you that the function of the commander in chief is not performed by one but by several persons. These people are Albanians who participated in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and achieved excellent results there.They have come to Kosovo now, and more and more are coming every day.

[Slobodna Bosna] How does the KLA see a final solution to the Kosovo crisis?

[Demaci] We shall try to achieve it peacefully. If this is not possible, then we shall fight. I think that I have told you enough; what about listening to the news in "Free Europe" together...?

-END-

Witness to crime handed over to terrorists
November 10, 1998
http://www.serbia-info.com/news/1998-11/10/6481.html

 Malisevo, Nov. 9 (Tanjug) - A U.S. member of the OSCE verification mission for Kosovo and Metohija on Monday afternoon took from Malisevo, before the eyes of the present reporters, a witness of Sunday night's murder of the two abducted police officers and of the attack on a police station, and handed him over to the terrorists in the nearby village of Banja.
The U.S. verifier, who did not want to reveal his name to the press, placed Azren Mazreku, 18, whose wife was kidnapped by the terrorists last night, in his armoured jeep, registration plates no. KVM 004, and took him to Banja to allegedly see his wife. Shortly after, he returned without Mazreku who he said had "decided" to remain there.
This caused Mazreku's teenage brother to burst into tears saying that they never wanted to leave Malisevo and that this is why the terrorists harassed them last night and abducted Azren's wife.
The U.S. verifier simply ignored all reporters' questions about his conduct, only repeating that he "has problems with his car" and that his "car has broken down." After the press surrounded the car, he ordered them to move or "there would be problems."
Despite claims that his car had "broken down", the U.S. verifier, who promised the police today that he would return Azren Mazreku and his wife, drove away towards Banja in that same car without giving any reasonable explanation for his conduct.
According to the police officers who spoke with Azren today, he said that the terrorists, some of whom are familiar to him, came to his house last night, harassed his wife, brother and himself demanding that they come with them.

The Mazreku family, whose house is close to the place where the terrorists attacked a police station and shot dead two kidnapped police officers, lived normally in Malisevo and never had any problems with the police.

Verifier brings back the crime witness in Malisevo
November 10, 1998
http://www.serbia-info.com/news/1998-11/10/6487.html

The American verifier, who yesterday took away Azren Mazreku, the witness of the liquidation of two kidnapped police officers and the attack on the police department in Malisevo, and left him with the terrorists in Banja village, today, after the warning of the investigating officers that he committed a serious violation he returned Mazreku to give a statement to investigative judge, Tanjug finds out from the police resources in Pristina.
 According to the same resource, the verifier, whose name wasn't in the report, was told by the police yesterday that he made a serious mistake by taking away an important witness from the location of the event and that he has to bring him back.
 He had promised to do that and this morning he brought Mazreku, whose wife was kidnapped by the terrorists in the night between November 8th and 9th when the attack on the police took place, back to the investigative judge.
 The investigative judge of the District court in Pristina, Danica Marinkovic, this afternoon was still working in the field so it was impossible to find out the details of this case.
 What happened to the witness further is for now unknown.
 In the verification commission main office in Pristina nobody wanted to comment on the case, referring everybody to the spokesman of the mission Duncan Bullivan who was "in the field".
 The American verifier, under excuse that they are going to bring back the kidnapped wife, took away Azren Mazreku to Banja in a military all-terrain vehicle with the verification mission registration number and left him there, and gave no explanation for such act to the investigating officers and reporters that were present there.

 Today's event is one of many which confirm that the international representatives, especially those from USA, can persuade the terrorists to fulfill all their demands, which, unfortunately, in the case of kidnapped Serbs, especially two reporters from Tanjug, wasn't done.

Still Not Possible to Visit Abducted Journalists
November 10, 1998
http://www.serbia-info.com/news/1998-11/10/6499.html

Albanian terrorists and their armed gangs still do not allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit Tanjug's abducted journalists Nebojsa Radosevic and Vladimir Dobricic, stated the ICRC Spokesman in Pristina G. Anselmo

 "Yesterday an ICRC team went to the village of Sedlare, taking with them the second parcel prepared by the abducted journalists' families, as well as two new family messages. We requested to see the imprisoned journalists, or to at least get their answers to family messages which we had handed them some ten days ago, but they failed to meet our requests," Anselmo said.

 To the ICRC insisting that those holding the journalists, actually terrorist groups which admitted they were holding them captive, must enable this humanitarian organisation to see them, local commander responded that presently this was not possible.

 Referred local terrorist group commander confirmed to the ICRC that the previous family message, as well as the parcel with clothes, was given to Radosevic and Dobricic, but that "it is not possible that they reply to this message," Anselmo explained.

 He added that, in spite of former failures to see Tanjug's journalists, abducted in the village of Magura, some fifteen kilometres from Pristina, back on 18 October, the ICRC "continues its efforts to this direction."

 "We shall repeat our requests to Demaci to allow us approach the journalists, and to also get their replies to conveyed messages," Anselmo underscored.

CHARTER

On National Survival of the Serbian People in Kosovo and Metohija and of Kosovo and Metohija in Serbia

The Pan Serb Church-National Assembly, as an authentic expression of the spiritual, national and democratic political consciousness of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, sincerely and permanently remains faithful to the principle that the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija should be resolved by political means, through peaceful and non-violent methods.

Therefore, in principle, the Assembly welcomes any peace initiative which aims to stop the armed conflict and violence, and terminate the bloodshed and suffering of innocent people in Kosovo and Metohija.

Since the year of 1998 is the 50th anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights we hope that the rights of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija will also be consequently respected according to the 1st, 2nd and 21st chapter of this Declaration.

Discriminating against one ethnic group, the international community would violate the proclaimed principles of universal human rights and would revert to the „barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind”(1). The Assembly believes that the international community would not make mistake in its approach to the Kosovo and Metohija status settlement and humiliate the „inherent dignity”(2).  of the Serbian people.

Footnotes:
(1)Universal Declaration of Human Rights, G.A. res. 217A (III), U.N. Doc A/810 at 71 (1948), Preamble
(2)Ibid.

THEREFORE

1. The Assembly declares that the „Milosevic – Holbrooke Agreement” which has imposed commitments only to the Serbian side to withdraw the security forces from Kosovo and Metohija, and has not explicitly specified the obligation of the so called Kosovo Liberation Army for disarmament, cannot fully guarantee the security and prevent the suffering of citizens in Kosovo and Metohija.

2. With serious concern the Assembly is warning the international community that in the “Milosevic – Holbrooke Agreement” the ethnic principle has prevailed. The Agreement permits constitution of the ethnic Albanian administration in Kosovo and Metohija which would eventually lead to the mass exodus of the Serbs.

3. The Assembly is reiterating that the core of the Kosovo and Metohija conflict is in decade-long systematic activity of the Albanian separatist movement which has a goal to create Greater Albania by means of achieving of Kosovo’s independence. After the centuries long terror against the Serbs, this movement, which is falsely reinterpreting the positions of the international community, is resolute to wipe out Kosovo and Metohija as the stronghold of the Serbian Orthodox community, jeopardize more than 1300 Serb Orthodox shrines and assimilate or expel the remaining Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija.

4. The Assembly claims that the problems in Kosovo and Metohija, which have been accumulated during the 50 years of communist rule, have been additionally severed due to undemocratic and autocratic regime of Mr. Slobodan Milosevic which has contributed to the escalation of the conflict. This regime is violating the basic human rights of all citizens and not just of one ethnic group.

5. The Assembly firmly believes that the lasting and stable settlement between the two opposed sides in Kosovo and Metohija conflict may be found only within the framework of the radical system changes in the whole country (and not only in one part of it) and the restoration of the rule of law. The restoration of democracy and civil society in Serbia is the only way towards the lasting and peaceful resolution of the Kosovo and Metohija issue.

6. The Assembly declares that any agreement on the status of this part of Serbia, achieved without democratic approval of all Serbians, will be regarded as void and the signatory of the Agreement unauthorized.

7. The Assembly indicates that any political settlement of the Kosovo and Metohija conflict which would install the Albanian ethnic administration would be directly opposed to the universal democratic and civil principles on which the international community is based. Therefore, the Assembly does not accept discrimination of ethnic Albanians as second rate citizens in Serbia as well as it cannot accept that the Serbs become second rate citizens in Kosovo and Metohija, i.e. Old Serbia.

8. The Assembly underlines that the solution which would establish new ethnic bor-ders (either internal or external) would not only be in discord with the 21st century – the age of universal integration – but might cause further potential conflicts. The support of the ethnic Albanian rule in Kosovo and Metohija may only increase instability in the entire Balkans with long term negative consequences for the peace.

9. The Assembly reminds that all previous historic experiences with the Albanian ethnic rule in Kosovo and Metohija have had as immediate consequences systematic human rights violations and mass expulsion of the Serbs as well as the assimilation of the non-Albanian population (Turks, Slav Moslems, Gypsies, Goranci etc.)

THEREFORE THE CHURCH-NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DECIDES

a) that Kosovo and Metohija must remain inalienable part of the Serbian state territory;

b) that the current regime and Mr. Slobodan Milosevic are denied right to negotiate or endorse any agreements or plans about the future status of Kosovo and Metohija in the name of Kosovo and Metohija Serbs;

c) that the eventual plebiscite on the Kosovo and Metohija status must be organized on the principle of entirety of ethnic communities in Serbia. That means that beside Kosovo and Metohija Albanians all Serbs in Serbia should participate in the plebiscite as well;

d) that HRH Crown Prince Alexander and His Holiness Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Pavle should support the plebiscite with their signatures;

e) that the representatives of the Church-National Assembly must take part in the negotiations on the settlement of the Kosovo and Metohija crisis. In Kosovo and Metohija the ethnic majorization of any ethnic group cannot not be allowed;

f) that the leaders of Kosovo and Metohija Albanians should openly condemn the violence in Kosovo and Metohija, first of all the activity of the so called Kosovo Liberation Army and other ethnic Albanian paramilitary groups,

g) that international community should urgently endorse a special resolution which would prevent the militant activities form the neighboring Albania (terrorist training camps, weapons smuggling and illegal coming of mercenaries over the border);

h) that the international community should equally and objectively treat all expelled and forcefully displaced persons from this region. Together with the Serbian and FRY authorities it should work on providing material and politic conditions for their return. That would be one of the basic factors of stabilization in this part of Serbia and the Balkans;

i) that all relevant factors in resolution of the Kosovo and Metohija issue should be aware that the Serbian people is not ready to accept Kosovo and Metohija outside Serbia or Kosovo and Metohija without the Serb population.

If, despite everything, the international community imposed and recognized the ethnic principle for Kosovo and Metohija Albanians only, the Assembly would consider organizing of the plebiscite and the establishment Serb self-governance in Kosovo and Metohija parallely with the Albanian (which would include the right of self-determination and remaining within the state and constitutional framework of Serbia) as the only democratic and legitimate means for the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija and the existence of Kosovo and Metohija in Serbia.

Finally, the Assembly, considering the gravity of the present situation, especially the great fear and confusion among our people in face of the immediate future, makes a strong appeal that our people should not leave their homes under any excuse, because only in that way we may protect ourselves and our holy land of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia.

Leaving homes in this difficult moment would be equal to a treason of the most sub-lime and eternal ideals for which St. Prince Lazar and our holy and glorious forefathers gave sacrifice.

Let us hope in God and ourselves!

November 7, 1998
Pristina

Bishop of Raska and Prizren
ARTEMIJE (Radosavljevic)

President of the Serbian Resistance Movement – Democratic Movement
Momcilo Trajkovic

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

Pan-Serbian Assembly asks plebiscite throughout Serbia on Kosova

      PRISHTINE, Nov 10 (ATA)-The Pan-Serbian Assembly held in Prishtine on Saturday hailed every peaceful initiative on Kosova, but asked that the negotiations to resolve the Kosova issue also include the Serbian representatives from Kosova and in the case of a plebiscite on the Kosova status, all Serbians in Serbia, not only the Kosova Albanians, should express themselves on it.
      "Any agreement approved without the democratic declaration by the whole Serbian people will be considered invalid, while ist signatories unauthorised," the Kosova Information Center (KIC) cites the memorial of this assembly as saying.
/p.ta/lm/

News:AP/Shkoder/looting

News:BBC-Albania-Kosov

Press-Release: Kosova Seminar_Albanian American Teachers Committee

Kosovo Rebels Add Unpredictability

By TOM COHEN
Associated Press Writer

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) — Some are villagers who turned to guns after years of Serbian repression. Others are crisply trained professionals on a military mission with a political goal: creation of a greater Albania.
The Kosovo Liberation Army is united in seeking independence from Serbia, but the diversity of its fighters and the apparent lack of a single commanding figure add unpredictability to Kosovo's simmering conflict.
What is clear is that, despite continued efforts by Western powers, the rebels show no sign of compromising or dropping their hard-line stance.
In KLA strongholds across Kosovo, guerrillas carrying automatic rifles and grenade launchers reject any notion that diplomacy has brought improvements for ethnic Albanians.
"We think it's not going to change for us," KLA officer Ramush Haradinaj, 30, said about the rebels' view of the prospects for stability in Kosovo villages.
Western powers led by the United States have forced a de facto cease-fire on the province in Serbia, the main Yugoslav republic, and now push for political negotiations that would restore self-rule for the ethnic Albanian majority.
But the West rejects the KLA goal of independence, and fears are growing that the ethnic Albanian guerrilla movement could split into radical and moderate camps over how to proceed.
That would further increase the sporadic violence continuing in Kosovo, some of it instigated by the rebels.
"If the KLA splits, then we won't have a political solution," said Belul Beqaj, a political analyst and freelance journalist. He summed up the rebel problem: "There's no one clearly in charge."
Financed by money from the ethnic Albanian community at home and abroad, the KLA began as a mostly ragtag movement using second-hand small arms from Albania.
It gradually assumed control of areas of the Kosovo countryside, prompting Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to launch a crackdown in February that brought heavy fighting to the province.
Milosevic's superior forces eventually routed the rebels and were close to decimating all KLA strongholds when the West threatened NATO airstrikes to force Milosevic to make withdrawals last month and pledge to restore the self-rule he stripped in 1989.
Heavy fighting ended, but hit-and-run attacks and other forms of low-level violence have continued. Both sides accuse the other of shooting first.
KLA spokesman Adem Demaci said Tuesday the rebels would defend villages against attacks by Serb police but would refrain from opening fire first.
A former political prisoner who wears thick glasses, Demaci is the closest thing to a top KLA authority. He signs accreditation passes for journalists wishing to work in KLA strongholds, and some of the guerrillas in the field refer to Demaci as the rebel strategist.
But asked Tuesday if the KLA claimed responsibility for the killings of two Serb policemen whose bodies were found the day before, Demaci said he lacked the authority to comment on such a matter.
In the field, the KLA presents contrasting images. At a recent funeral for a guerrilla killed by a mine, scores of fighters in green camouflage marched in formation, one wearing a Chicago White Sox baseball cap with a KLA patch sewn on the front.
In Sipitula village outside the provincial capital of Pristina, a KLA figure who gave his name as Imeri provided the group's political line.
"For nine years we've been trying for a peaceful solution. We've learned with the Serbs, you can't do that," he said over coffee as a few automatic weapons bursts sounded outside.
U.S. envoy Christopher Hill is trying to get the ethnic Albanians to accept a three-year interim period of restored self-rule, followed by further negotiations. The KLA is studying Hill's proposal, Demaci said, but he warned that even if a deal gets worked out, problems could continue among the ethnic Albanian community.
A hint of what could happen came from Imeri, the KLA figure in Sipitula, when asked about reports that the KLA killed two ethnic Albanians for urging villagers to turn in their weapons, as requested by Serb police.
"If that is true, if they executed the right guys for giving propaganda about handing in guns, they did the right thing," he said. "Everywhere in the world, traitors are executed."

The United States special envoy for Kosovo, Christopher Hill, says the humanitarian and security situation in the Serbian province has improved significantly in the past few weeks.
He told parliamentary delegates at a Nato meeting in the Scottish capital Edinburgh: "Now we have a situation where people can go back to their homes, although alas, many of them are destroyed," he said.
Mr Hill, who has been trying to broker a political agreement on autonomy for the province, said the unarmed observers sent to verify a ceasefire between Serbian forces and separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) guerrillas would be safe.
"The situation on the ground is a lot safer than it's been before ... We have not had any incidents of observers being shot at or endangered," Mr Hill said.
The shaky cease-fire was jolted on Monday when Serbian police said they would step up patrols in Kosovo within 48 hours unless the international observers guaranteed safety on the roads, following the killing of two Serbs said to be policemen, near the town of Malisevo.

Rescue force in Macedonia

The first members of the new international monitoring mission arrived in Kosovo on Saturday.
Mr Hill stressed that a European "extraction force" would be based in neighbouring Macedonia to rescue observers if they got into danger.
In an optimistic review of Kosovo developments, he said the 2,000-member verification team would be in place very shortly.
The observer force was set up by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) under an agreement brokered by US Balkan envoy, Richard Holbrooke, with Serbian President, Slobodan Milosevic, last month.
The deal averted the immediate threat of Nato air strikes on Serbian military targets.

KLA: Hypocrisy

But in a speech to the European Parliament in Brussels, a KLA leader, Bardhyl Mahmuti, accused the international community of hypocrisy.
"Twenty-six thousand homes were burned in Kosovo, which, counting 10 people per home, makes 260,000 refugees. These people have nothing left and the international community must stop this hypocrisy of telling the refugees to return home," Mr Mahmuti said.
"The return of refugees does not correspond to reality and we have to create the conditions for this return," he told the parliament's sub-commission on human rights.

 Albanian American Teachers Committee
       9 November 1998

SEMINAR ON KOSOVA

The United Federation of Teachers-Albanian American Teachers Committee (UFT-AATC) and the Organization of Albanian Students (OAS) at Pace University with support from Columbia University East Central European Center is hosting a seminar on Kosova to which all are invited.  The seminar will be held on Saturday, November 21, at the Pace University-Student Union, New York City Campus, (One Pace Plaza, New York, New York) from 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM.

Guest speakers will be:
- Dr. Prof. Barend Cohen (a forensic specialist from Holland)
-DDr Prof. Dietrich Fischer (an expert on peace studies)
-DDr Prof. Safete Juka (an Albanian scholar)
-7 Mr. Fred Abrams (from Human Rights Watch)

If there are any questions please don't hesitate to contact Mithat Gashi at mg558@columbia.edu.  To leave a message, call the United Federation of Teachers Professional Committees at 212- 598-9298 and someone will get back to you.

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