Kosova Daily Report #1470, 98-06-24

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

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1470
Prishtina, 24 June 1998

CONTENTS

[01] President Rugova Meets with NATO Secretary General Solana

[02] Rugova Meets Ambassador Gelbard

[03] Additional Personnel for Observer Mission in Kosova, Holbrooke Says

[04] Rugova Has Never Accepted Autonomy, Serbian Government Is An Illegal Authority in Kosova

[05] Reporter's wrong premises, wrong conclusions about Ibrahim Rugova the Kosovar independence drive

[06] Serb Forces Shell Shtime Villages Today

[07] Bus Commuters Testify of Serb Shelling of Carralev& Mountain Pass

[08] Serbian Attacks on Border Villages Continue

[09] Ten Wounded Albanians in Three Days in Klina

[10] Serbs Set Ablaze Houses of Albanians in Frash&r Village of Mitrovica

[11] Serb Regime Accuses 143 Albanians of Terrorism-related Activities

[01] President Rugova Meets with NATO Secretary General Solana

The current developments in Kosova as well as NATO's role in protecting the people of Kosova were discussed in the meeting.

President Rugova said the situation in Kosova continues to be extremely grave amidst the unfolding Serbian military and police brutal attacks against the Albanian population. Only an urgent intervention by the North Atlantic Alliance will force Belgrade pull out its military and police forces and halt a further escalation of the conflict in Kosova, he stressed.

Rugova reaffirmed that the Kosova leadership is committed to a negotiated resolution to the Kosova issue and presses for an early resumption of dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade. This requires, however, a strong and urgent pressure to bear on the Serb regime, to make it comply first with all the Contact Group demands, he added.

President Ibrahim Rugova emphasized that an independent and neutral Kosova, with all guarantees for the local Serb community, is the solution that would stabilize the entire region. He added the Kosova leadership has been pressing for an international protectorate, as an interim stage, pending a lasting solution for Kosova.

The NATO Secretary General, Javier Solana, expressed the Alliance's deep concern over the developments in Kosova.

NATO stands for a negotiated settlement to the Kosova crisis, Mr. Solana said, adding that it will not allow the situation to degenerate into war, nor will it allow an ethnic cleansing of Kosova.

[02] Rugova Meets Ambassador Gelbard

A range of issues concerning the current difficult situation in Kosova as well as ways to prevent a further escalation were discussed in the meeting.

The resumption of dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade is necessary, but this can be done after Belgrade has complied with all the demands of the Contact Group and a climate conducive to dialogue has been created, President Ibrahim Rugova stressed.

Meanwhile, Rugova will discuss Kosova in Brussels today afternoon in separate meetings with Belgian Foreign Minister, Erick Dereycke, and the EU's External Relations Commissioner, Hans Van Der Broek.

[03] Additional Personnel for Observer Mission in Kosova, Holbrooke Says

Earlier in the day, Holbrooke met in Shkup/FYROM with President Ibrahim Rugova of Kosova.

The observer mission will work closely among the embassies to constitute an international observer presence through the embassy personnel accredited in Belgrade, Holbrooke said in the Hyatt Regency Belgrade. "That wasn't a breakthrough tonight - that was achieved over the last month, during the talks we had here a month ago and reaffirmed in the Milosevic-Yeltsin communiqu‚."

The U.S. troubleshooter said he and Ambassador Hill will visit Kosova today (Wednesday), "to see what is happening there", and then return to Belgrade on Thursday.

[04] Rugova Has Never Accepted Autonomy, Serbian Government Is An Illegal Authority in Kosova

[05] Reporter's wrong premises, wrong conclusions about Ibrahim Rugova the Kosovar independence drive

In an interview with the last issue of the German Der Spiegel weekly magazine, President Rugova reaffirmed this position strongly. "I will not accept anything short of independence, and I refuse third republic status, with Serbia and Montenegro, within Yugoslavia. As an interim solution, we would accept an international protectorate", Rugova said in reply to a direct question.

Therefore, the proposition of a foreign reporter writing from Prishtina that "Moreover, the KLA's [Kosova Liberation Army's] bottom line is independence, not the autonomy that Rugova once was ready to accept" is wrong. When was this - 'once'? Never!

Wrong is also the other premise, advanced by the same reporter, who is not mentioned by name, the KIC's goal being here to refute the proposition on a more universal basis.

"Bands of men with Kalashnikov [referring to the KLA] assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers battling a legally constituted, if oppressive, European government for independence and possibly winning is not what the 1990's were supposed to be about."

If Serbia, or indeed the Serbian-led 'Federal Republic of Yugoslavia' is referred to as the 'legally constituted, if oppressive, European government', and, moreover, this government is credited as legally constituted to run the affairs of Kosova, this is as erroneous as it can be.

Serbia has constituted itself, and is behaving itself, as an occupier in Kosova.

The 90 percent (Albanian) population of Kosova has not voted this alleged legally constituted government. If the vote of a half dozen percent of the population suffices to do that, then let it be!

Last but not least, it should be stressed that those in the international community who maintain they support a 'moderate Rugova' while pegging him with 'autonomy' do exactly the opposite.

They intentionally or not undermine President Ibrahim Rugova and his peaceful and institutional drive for independence, leaving his supporters with the choice of giving up independence or else taking up arms in pursuit of the goal.

The latter being much more likely, whether they end up joining the ranks of the KLA, or become part of local Albanian resistance networks, is immaterial.

Against this background, what is badly needed now is international support for a peaceful and institutional struggle for independence in Kosova, indeed the democratic wishes of over 90 percent of the people of Kosova.

[06] Serb Forces Shell Shtime Villages Today

From their position in the suburbs of Shtime, Serbian military troops and police forces have been attacking the villages with tanks and heavy cannons.

[07] Bus Commuters Testify of Serb Shelling of Carralev& Mountain Pass

One of the passengers said the bus had to follow for a long time a convoy of Serb forces consisting of four lorries and an armoured vehicle.

At 9:05 a.m., the convoy stopped suddenly and the armoured vehicle launched seven shells in the direction of the villages on the right side of the roadway, the passenger said.

Two other buses with passengers on board returned back, whereas one proceeded, he said.

In Shtime itself, Serb forces stopped the bus and forced all passengers out, among whom many women and children, subjecting them to a half-hour search.

The Serb convoy was stationed at the location called 'Kryqi i Belincit', joining other Serb forces deployed there for days now.

[08] Serbian Attacks on Border Villages Continue

Local Albanian resistance forces have been successfully defending their positions, despite a high material damage, especially in the village of Nec, sources said.

There were no immediate reports on casualties in the fighting which is still going on.

LDK Information Commission in Gjakova quoted villagers along the border area as saying Serb soldiers were deserting the army.

After a long time, a certain amount of humanitarian relief supplies reached Gjakova today, the Commission said, adding that international organizations delivered them.

Meanwhile, LDK sources reported Tuesday of continued fighting between Serbian forces and local Albanian resistance fighters in the villages of De^an.

The village of Baballoq was hit with 62 shells on Monday, sources said, adding that the villages of Prejlep, Strellc i Ep&rm and Strellc i Ul&t, and Shaptej were attacked by Serb forces in the early hours of Tuesday.

[09] Ten Wounded Albanians in Three Days in Klina

Ten Albanians in the municipality, four of whom from Jashanic& village, have been wounded, they added.

Among those wounded are also Mark Mirdita from Kosh village, Imer Musa and a 13-year-old boy from Stapanica, as well as a youth from Si^ev&.

Two more young Albanians were wounded in Stapanic& on Tuesday, LDK sources said.

Many Albanian houses in the Klina villages have been destroyed or burned during the Serbian shelling.

Meanwhile, the Prishtina-based Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) said the villages of Grabanic&, Dollov&, Bokshiq and Qeskov&, have been sealed off by Serbian forces after having been targeted by them for weeks.

The center of the town of Klina has been turned into a stage for the Serbian war machinery, CDHRF said.

[10] Serbs Set Ablaze Houses of Albanians in Frash&r Village of Mitrovica

The village has 130 households, of which only 30 are Albanian.

A Serb police officer is said to have told Serb residents Monday to drive out Albanians from the village.

Local Serb villagers have sealed off the village, ill-treated Albanians, and made them abandon their homes.

Meanwhile, reports said local Serbs of the B&rrnic& e Poshtme village of Prishtina set ablaze the farmhouse of an Albanian, Shaban Tmava, around 23:00 hrs on Monday.

Nobody was in the house at the time.

Only two Albanian households live in the village of B&rrnic&, which is inhabited predominantly by Serbs and Montenegrins.

[11] Serb Regime Accuses 143 Albanians of Terrorism-related Activities

Eleven are known to have already been indicted, whereas the others are under investigation, the daily said.

The Serb Prosecutor in Peja, Miladin Popovic, was quoted as saying 76 Albanians are suspected of having been involved in "terrorist activities", adding that most of them are at large.

The Serb Prosecutor in Prizren, Dobrivoje Peric, said 61 Albanians have been under investigations, of whom 9 have already been charged for "terrorist activities".

Meanwhile, the Serb Prosecutor in Prishtina, Slavko Stefanovic, said investigation proceedings have been initiated against 6 Albanians, 5 of whom have already been charged. They are alleged to have assisted the U^K (the Kosova Liberation Army), the Nasa Borba reported.

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