Kosova Daily Report #1462, 98-06-16

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From: Kosova Information Center <http://www.kosova.com/>

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1462
Prishtina, 16 June 1998

First Edition: 16:00 CET
Second Edition: 20:00 CET

CONTENTS

[01] Serbian Forces Resume Shelling Border Villages

[02] Red Cross to Help Burying the Dead, Securing Release of Hostages, De^an LDK Official Urges

[03] On Record: Consequences of Serbian Offensive in De^an Area

[04] List of 58 Albanians Killed in De^an Area During Recent Serb Offensive

[05] Serb Army Claims it Has Laid Mines on Kosova-Albania Border Zone

[06] Serbian Police Wounds Albanian Today

[07] Police Sets Albanian House Ablaze at Komoran

[08] Serb Police Orders Burial of Three Unidentified Albanian Men in Peja

[09] Serb Police Uses Detainees as Human Shield

[10] Scores of Albanians Maltreated by Serb Police in Gjakova

[11] McCurry on Clinton-Yeltsin Telephone Conversation on Kosova

[12] President Milosevic Agrees to Resume Talks with President Rugova

[13] Cardiff European Council: Declaration on Kosova

[14] Serbian Forces Started Shelling Two Villages in Shtimje Municipality

[01] Serbian Forces Resume Shelling Border Villages

Heavy artillery was used by Serbian forces pounding Albanian villages from their positions at Kodra e ^abratit, Babaj i Bok&s and Kodra e Pllanikut at Ponoshec village, the Commission said.

There have been no immediate reports on the extent of material damage or the casualty-toll.

Local Albanian defendants have put up a strong resistance to Serbian attacks, sources said.

[02] Red Cross to Help Burying the Dead, Securing Release of Hostages, De^an LDK Official Urges

Fighting was reported overnight at Voksh, with sources saying Serbs suffered casualties and material damage.

By midday today the situation was reported relatively calm.

Around 10 o'clock today, sporadic light arms fire was reported along the Strellc-Rastavic& roadway.

The LDK Information Commission head in De^an, Osman Cacaj, called on all international humanitarian organizations to do all they can to ensure that food and medical supplies are shipped into the area.

He also called for the International Red Cross to step in so that the burial of the dead and the release of Albanian hostages is secured.

[03] On Record: Consequences of Serbian Offensive in De^an Area

The town of De^an and the following Albanian villages have been attacked by Serbian forces, according to the LDK: Carrabreg i Posht&m, Carrabreg i Ep&rm, Beleg, Lluka e Ep&rme, Isniq, Strellc i Ep&rm, Strellc i Posht&m, Drenoc, Prejlepi and Gjocaj.

On 29 May the villages of Lubeniq, Drenoci and Krushec, administratively within the municipality of Peja, bordering on the municipality of De^an were attacked, too.

As a result of the Serbian assault, the killing of people, the destruction and burning of villages, as well as looting sprees, the following Albanian settlements have been deserted: De^an, Lubeniq, Strellc i Ep&rm, L&busha, Carrabreg i Posht&m, Carrabreg i Ep&rm, Gllogjan, Drenoc, Pob&rgja, Hulaj, Voksh, Prejlep, Rastavica, Baballoq, Gramaqel, Junik, Gjocaj and Jasiq.

More than 30.000 people lived in these settlements according to the 1991 census.

The names of 58 killed Albanians - mostly women, elderly and children - have been verified, LDK sources said, adding that hundreds of others have been wounded.

Some 300 persons are considered missing, whereas over 200 held as hostages/captive.

There has been grave material damage in the wake of Serb offensive, in which heavy artillery and air jets were used, as well as ground- to-ground missiles.

Over 80 percent of the houses have been levelled or else made uninhabitable, the LDK said, adding that most of what the Albanians had was destroyed or looted.

[04] List of 58 Albanians Killed in De^an Area During Recent Serb Offensive

The list has been compiled by the LDK branch in De^an.

[05] Serb Army Claims it Has Laid Mines on Kosova-Albania Border Zone

The LDK Information Commission in Gjakova said Albanian shepherds were told by the Serb army that they should not graze cattle in the area adjacent to the border because land mines have been laid there.

The Commission said it believed the Serbs have laid land mines in other locations in the municipality, including in Kodra e ^abratit (The ^abrati Hill) near the town of Gjakova and areas along the Ereniku river.

[06] Serbian Police Wounds Albanian Today

Agim Isuf Suka (24) was in his courtyard when he was hit and wounded.

[07] Police Sets Albanian House Ablaze at Komoran

The now burned house was near the local health center in the village.

[08] Serb Police Orders Burial of Three Unidentified Albanian Men in Peja

Sources in Peja said the Serb police brought the three corpses in the offices of the Muslim community in the town today morning, ordering an immediate burial for them.

According to the police, the three dead men were Albanians, two of them aged between 23-25, while the third in his early forties, the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms said.

The Serb police did not allow the people of Muslim community in Peja open the coffins under the excuse the corpses were spoiled.

But, the Serb police authorities said they had filmed bodies of the three men earlier, and that all those wishing to identify them could do it in the premises of the police in the town.

[09] Serb Police Uses Detainees as Human Shield

The owner of the cafe Isa Krasniqi, his son Vendim, and the waitresses Duska Nikolic and Shemsa Hankic were beaten brutally under the pretext that they had given food to members of the Liberation Army of Kosova (U^K), sources in Shtime said.

The police detained the cafe's personnel, but while on the way to Shtime, the police was attacked by U^K, so the detainees were used as human shield. They were finally taken to the police station in Shtime where they were tortured for hours, the LDK information commission in Shtime said.

[10] Scores of Albanians Maltreated by Serb Police in Gjakova

The local LDK chapter in Gjakova has named half a dozen Albanians who were subjected to the Serb police brutality, including Imer Hadri, Muhamet Ukshini, Ismet Peja and Pashk Dushku.

Imer Hadri from Skivjani village was held for five hours in Serb police custody. He was subjected to brutal maltreatment under the pretext that he had come to the town to collect the body of a dead Albanian in the town morgue.

Ismet Peja, a former clerk with the local bank, "Bankkos" in Gjakova has been reported in Serb custody since Monday morning.

The LDK commission said he was arrested under the pretext that parts of the bank's building had been turned into a sheltering center for Albanians!

Pashk Dushku from Bordosaba village was halted by the Serb police in a street of Gjakova and was badly ill-treated. In addition, the Serb police robbed him of 140 German marks and 100 dinars.

[11] McCurry on Clinton-Yeltsin Telephone Conversation on Kosova

The two leaders specifically discussed Kosova, he said, in the run- up to the Yeltsin-Milosevic meeting.

McCurry said Operation Determined Falcon did not come up during the conversation of the U.S. and Russian leaders.

The two Presidents were in agreement that it's important to work together to find the right diplomatic approaches that can convince Milosevic and his regime to do the right thing in Kosova, Clinton's press secretary said. "I think they explored in detail the prospects for getting an outcome here that would not require an "all necessary means" resolution. But I think it's very clear, and certainly the Russian government knows, that we intend to proceed with that type of resolution if necessary."

McCurry said the Russian Federation clearly believes that the actions "have been beyond the pale in Kosovo", and that actions by the Serb units, Serb security forces, and VJ units needs to be circumscribed.

President Yeltsin indicated he was going to do everything he could to convince Mr. Milosevic "of the precariousness of Serbia's position.", Clinton's spokesman said.

[12] President Milosevic Agrees to Resume Talks with President Rugova

Yeltsin said only that Milosevic had agreed to negotiate with Kosova Albanian leaders.

"I think in principle we reached agreement. The most important thing is that Milosevic agreed to sit at the negotiating table with the Kosovo Albanians," Yeltsin said in televised comments after the first round of meetings.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov was quoted by Interfax as saying Milosevic would meet with Dr. Ibrahim Rugova.

Yeltsin had been expected to press demands agreed on Friday by the Contact Group: an end to all action by Serbian security forces against civilians, the withdrawal of forces, unimpeded access for international monitors and humanitarian organizations, the right of ethnic Albanian refugees to return, and rapid progress in talks with the Kosovo Albanian leadership.

Milosevic agreed last month to hold talks with Kosova Albanian representatives, but the latter insist negotiations do not make sense while the Serbian offensive continues.

So, agreement to resume talks, as such, is not much of a news in Kosova, given Milosevic's delaying tactics and double-winged policies of shooting and talking.

The Serbian military crackdown in Kosova followed the meeting 'FRY' President Milosevic had with President Ibrahim Rugova last month, and after the first round of discussions of the negotiating teams designated by the two leaders.

[13] Cardiff European Council: Declaration on Kosova

The crisis constitutes a serious threat to regional stability and requires a strong and united international response. The European Council calls for immediate action from President Milosevic in four areas in particular: - to stop all operations by the security forces affecting the civilian population and to withdraw security units used for civilian repression; - to enable effective and continuous international monitoring in Kosovo; - to facilitate the full return to their homes of refugees and displaced persons and unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations; and - to make rapid progress in the political dialogue with the Kosovo Albanian leadership.

The European Council stresses the importance of President Milosevic taking advantage of his meeting with President Yeltsin in Moscow on 16 June, which it welcomes, to announce progress on the above steps and to commit Belgrade to their implementation in full.

Unless these four steps are taken without delay, a much stronger response, of a qualitatively different order, will be required from the international community to deal with the increased threat to regional peace and security.

The European Council welcomed the acceleration of work in international security organizations on a full range of options, including those which may require an authorization by the UN Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

Given the gravity of the situation, the European Council has agreed to supplement measures already being implemented against the FRY and Serbian Governments by taking steps to impose a ban on flights by Yugoslav carriers between the FRY and EU Member States.

A solution to the problem of Kosovo's status can only be found through a vigorous political process. The European Council calls urgently on both sides to return to the negotiating table, with international involvement, to agree confidence building measures and to define a new status for Kosovo. The European Union remains firmly opposed to independence. It continues to support a special status, including a large degree of autonomy for Kosovo, within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

If an early reduction of tensions is to be achieved, an immediate cessation of violence will be required as well from the Kosovo Albanian side. While commending the commitment of Dr Rugova to a peaceful solution in Kosovo, the European Council calls on the Kosovo Albanian leadership to state clearly its rejection of violent attacks and acts of terrorism. The European Union will play its part in stopping the flow of money and weapons to Kosovo Albanian armed groups. The European Council calls on neighboring States, whose security is a vital factor for the European Union, to ensure that their territory is not used in support of Kosovo Albanian armed activity.

The European Union has been concerned from the outset at the human cost of the fighting in Kosovo. The European Council agreed to take a comprehensive approach to solving the refugee problem within the region, based on the right of all the refugees from Kosovo to return to their homes in conditions of security. The European Council pledged to continue close cooperation with UNHCR and ICRC, in the first instance to provide immediate assistance from the European Community and from Member States to refugees and displaced persons.

Refugee return will require close international monitoring to generate confidence on the part of those returning that the rule of law has been re- established. The European Council decided that the Union would play its full part in an increased international monitoring effort. The European Council urges Belgrade to allow full access for investigations by international forensic experts to clarify the circumstances in which civilians have died. The FRY Government also has an obligation to allow the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to investigate thoroughly any possible violation of international humanitarian law in Kosovo.

The European Council expressed its full support for Felipe Gonzalez as its Special Representative to the FRY and called on President Milosevic to receive him as soon as possible in order to discuss the full range of the FRY's relations with the EU, including the democratization of the FRY. The European Council also supported the early return of the long-term OSCE missions. The European Council warmly welcomed the outcome of the Parliamentary elections in Montenegro as an endorsement of the reform process pursued by Djukanovic and agreed to continue EU support.

(End text)

[14] Serbian Forces Started Shelling Two Villages in Shtimje Municipality

The Serbs are shelling from their position at Kryqi i Belincit (the Belinc Intersection) above the small town of Shtimje.

Local LDK sources reported a convoy of Serb armoured vehicles left Shtimje for Carraleva in the evening.

In the past couple of days, Serbian forces have provoked several armed incidents along the Shtimje - Carralev& - Duh&l - Prizren roadway, resulting in several killed and wounded people.

A large number of Albanians living in the villages along this important highway have deserted their homes in fear of further Serb attacks.

The area has been the easternmost region in Kosova where armed operations by Serb military and police against local Albanians have occurred so far.

The Prishtina-Prizren highway, which passes through the Carraleva Gorge, is the only remaining communications link with the Dukagjin Plateau after the closure for more than a month of the east-west highway from Prishtina to Peja ('Pec').

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