Kosova Daily Report #1346, 98-02-16

Kosovo Information Center: Kosova Daily Report Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: Kosova Information Center <kic_pr@zana-pr.ztn.apc.org>

Kosova Information Center

KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1346

Prishtina, 16 February 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Belgrade Hardens Position Visa-a-Vis Wavering International Community

[02] Serb Police Kills Kosovar Albanian in Gllogovc Saturday

[03] Party of Slavic Muslims Supports the Kosova Presidential and Parliamentary Elections

[04] Serbs Deploy Additional Policemen in Kijeva

[05] Serb Army Tanks Head Towards Drenica this Morning

[06] Fifty Albanian Neighborhoods in Sk&nderaj Face Total Black-Out

[07] Albanian Bus Owners Blackamailed to Buy Liquor for Police to Pass Check-point

[08] 14 Kosovars Died of Tuberculosis Last Year

[09] Repression Chronicle

[01] Belgrade Hardens Position Visa-a-Vis Wavering International Community

Mr. Kinkel said in early February he and his French counterpart would visit Belgrade in March to 'encourage their initiative" on Kosova.

The two ministers had sent 'FRY' President Slobodan Milosevic a joint letter last November, pressing for a 'special status' for Kosova within the 'FRY'.

The planned joint visit, and on such a platform, by the German and French ministers is "unacceptable", Dragomir Vucicevic, Political Director in the "FRY" Foreign Ministry said Friday. Kinkel and Vedrine would be welcome to visit Belgrade individually, he stated.

As usual with the Serbian brinkmanship policies in the past half a dozen years, Belgrade hardens its position vis-a-vis the international community whe8never it feels it pays off, namely that the world is budging towards accepting Belgrade's views, initially dubbed by that very community as unacceptable.

The French Foreing Minister Vedrine had said a day earlier (Thursday) in Vienna 'FRY" could expect re-entry into the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) if it allowed OSCE missions to Kosova, Sandjak and Vojvodina.

The missions had been expelled by the Milosevic regime in the summer of 1993, in the hope of pegging their eventual restoration with a re- instatement of Belgrade into the organization from which it had been suspended in 1992 in the wake of the violent break-up of former Yugoslavia amidst a Serbian aggression.

A return of the missions to Kosova, Sandjak and Vojvodina, "would allow (us), in our opinion, to respond to the wishes of Belgrade to be a member of the OSCE by means of a formula acceptable to all parties", the French AFP news agency quoted Hubert Vedrine as saying while addressing the Permanent Council of the OSCE in Vienna.

Couched as it is in subtle diplomatic language, one can't fail noting that this is what in essence Milosevic has been seeking for years. 'We want re- instatement into the OSCE first, before we can allow the organizations' missions back' has been the hard-and-fast formula the Serbian regime recited all along.

An 'outer wall' of international sanctions on Belgrade has been in place since November 1995, when the Dayton Accords were reached in the United States of America. The sanctions bar Belgrade from re- integration into the world community, this being pegged to the addressing of the Kosova issue, cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, and the completion of the succession proceedings.

Re-entry of Belgrade into the OSCE at this stage and with such a negligible concession (return of OSCE missions) would amount to a blatant violation of the outer wall of sanctions and a mockery of the resolve of the international community to press ahead with the resolution of the outstanding issues in the former Yugoslavia, Kosova being the critical issue.

The Milosevic camp is well-trained in buying time, driving wedges among the key factors in the international community, and most important, in making the most out of the concessions the world has been making to them unilaterally for years on end.

[02] Serb Police Kills Kosovar Albanian in Gllogovc Saturday

The Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) chapter in Mitrovica has learned that Avdullah Nika, an electrician, native of Gllanasella village of Gllogovc, was killed while in his workplace at an electric supply terminal in ^ikatova village near Gllogovc on Saturday at around 16:30 hrs.

The CDHRF has quoted an eyewitness, Nezir Selmani, a watchman at the ^ikatova terminal, as saying that on Saturday afternoon he was on duty together with the now late Avdullah Nika when about 10 Serb policemen walked into the building. The police first ordered the watchman hand over the revolver he was carrying by permit as part of his job with the company, then hand-cuffed both men. The two Albanians were provoked and interrogated for about half an hour in connection with an alleged underground organization, the Liberation Army of Kosova (U^K). They denied having any knowledge whatsoever about the alleged organization, Nezir Selmani said.

Meanwhile, a Serb police inspector entered the building and took the hand- cuffed Albanian Avdullah Nika outside, allegedly taking him to the toilet. Nezir Selmani said that only a few seconds later he heard automatic shootings coming from the outside of the building. "Your friend wanted to run away" the police told Nezir Selmani. When telling the police that it could not be, because Avdullah Nika like himself was hand-cuffed, the police started to beat Nezir Selmani with rifle butts. He was beaten unconscious and kept in the building until next day morning, at around 10:00, when he found himself wrapped in a blanket, and sent to Prishtina, where he was released at around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. He hired a car and went to his brother's place in Mitrovica the same afternoon.

Meanwhile, another watchman of the ^ikatova terminal where the Albanian was killed in Saturday, has told the Mitrovica chapter of the Human Rights Council that on Sunday at around 10:00 he was ordered by Serb police inspector to get the body of Avdullah Nika into an ambulance car.

Albanian Students to Stage Fresh Protests March 13th PRISHTINA, Feb 16 (KIC) - The Independent Students Union of the Prishtina University announced that the next protest over the return to University premises will be staged on 13 March.

The Protest Committee said the new protests will be better organized, massive, more serious and dignified, and will have a clear message. The Board decided that besides demanding the unconditional return to University buildings and accessory premises, the students will also protest against violence and war.

Albanian students said March 13 is the orientation date for the beginning of a new wave of student peaceful protests.

The Prishtina University students staged three protest manifestations last year, in 1 and 30 October and 24 December.

[03] Party of Slavic Muslims Supports the Kosova Presidential and Parliamentary Elections

A statement of SDA for Kosova signed by its vice-chairman Hilmo Kandic said that SDA "recognizes the will of the Albanian people of Kosova for the Republic o Kosova expressed in the referendum". The statement said that a delegation of SDA from Kosova headed by Hilmo Kandic met last week with the leadership f the SDA for Sandjak. The Kosova parliamentary and presidential elections were also discussed in the meeting, the statement said and added that "SDA strongly supported the decision for holding the elections" announced by the President of the Republic of Kosova.

Slavic Muslims make up an estimated 2.5 per cent of the Kosova population.

[04] Serbs Deploy Additional Policemen in Kijeva

Although there is an existing Serbian police station in this small town, the Serbian police has set up a check-point at the entrance of Kijeva, at the Prishtina-Peja highway for two weeks now, harassing and intimidating scores of passers-by.

The Serbian police increased the number of police force with additional 30 policemen Saturday sheltering them at the existing police station and the building of the "Kijeva" agricultural company.

Besides the heavy equipped police force, the Serbian regime armed heavily the local Serb residents in Kijeva.

At least 40 local Serbs, between the age of 18-40 have been uniformed and armed over the last eight years. Scores of them are seen walking up and down the main road daily, demonstrating force and intimidating their Albanian neighbors.

The Albanian population in Kijeva and the neighboring villages are extremely concerned over the increase of Serbian police force and armed Serbian civilians.

Kijeva is the only place in the region of Llapusha (Prekorupa in Serbian) with Serb minority.

[05] Serb Army Tanks Head Towards Drenica this Morning

The three tanks were equipped with heavy machine-guns. Serb soldiers were on top of army tanks ready to discharge.

Meanwhile, the Serbian police have ten days ago set up a fortification at the cross road in Komaran. Besides the very well equipped fortification, the Serbian police have also brought various armored vehicles on the site.

[06] Fifty Albanian Neighborhoods in Sk&nderaj Face Total Black-Out

For yet unclear reasons the Serb-run electrical company "Elektrokosova", renamed to Electrokosmet following the take over by Serbian police in 1991, has unplugged all the Albanian inhabited villages of Sk&nderaj since Thursday. In Sk&nderaj the Serbian authorities cut off electricity all Albanian neighborhoods in town.

Sources in Sk&nderaj said the only village that still has electricity is Banja village, a Serb inhabited village in the region, and parts of the Serb inhabited neighborhoods in Runik, says the report.

Sources said that this is not the first time the Serbian authorities have cut off electricity over the last nine years.

Certain villages face up to 5 months without electricity during the year, says the report.

[07] Albanian Bus Owners Blackamailed to Buy Liquor for Police to Pass Check-point

All the buses of Albanian-owned bus companies throughout Kosova are stopped and searched thoroughly at Serbian police check-points. The police in every check-point demand food or alcoholic drinks as a token for passing the check-points.

[08] 14 Kosovars Died of Tuberculosis Last Year

According the Serb administrator, over the past five years as many as 5166 persons in Kosova suffered from tuberculosis. At least 66 persons infected by the disease died he said.

[09] Repression Chronicle

Januz Seferaj from Suhog&rlla of Istogut was stopped together with his two sons Shabanin and Sabit. The three were initially beaten up on the road, whereas Januz Seferaj was later taken into the police station where he was held and ill-treated for half-an-hour. The police seized 500 DM from Mr. Seferaj.

Sources said the three were inflicted heavy body injuries.

In Gjilan the Serbian police interrogated at the police station Ramiz Murseli teacher at the local primary school in Velekinca village.

On 13 February, masked Serbian residents threatened at Shalls village of Vushtrri a group of Albanian students of secondary school, while they were on their way home, LDK sources in Vushtrri said.

They were told that in case they are seen on the road after the dark falls, they'll be liquidated.

Kosova Information Center

Kosovo Information Center: Kosova Daily Report Directory - Previous Article - Next Article