Kosova Daily Report #1551, 98-09-13
Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1551
Prishtina, 13 September 1998
CONTENTS
[01] President Rugova Receives UN Under-Secretary General
[02] LDK and PLK Denounce Assassination of Prominent Albanian Opposition
Figure
[03] At Least 14 Albanians Feared Killed in Mountains Between Kosova and
Montenegro
[04] Two More Albanians Die as Serbs Continue Attacking Drenica Villages
[05] Albanian Killed During Serb Attack in a Klina Village
[06] Serb Police Force 90 Tractors with Albanian Refugees to Leave Isniq
[07] Serb Military Convoy Leaves for Dushkaj& Region
[08] Serb Troops and Civilians Attack Nerodime Village in Ferizaj
[09] Fresh Troops Arrive to Kosova from Serbia
[01] President Rugova Receives UN Under-Secretary General
PRISHTINA, Sept 13 (KIC) - The President of the Republic of Kosova Dr.
Ibrahim Rugova received Saturday afternoon Mr. Olara Otunnu, Under-
Secretary General of the United Nations, and his aides.
The current situation in Kosova and the prospects for a solution through
political means were discussed in the meeting.
Mr.Otunnu said he had come here as a special representative of Secretary-
General Kofi Anan to get first-hand information about the situation in
Kosova. The aim is to identify needs and steps to de- escalate the grave
situation he added, according to President Rugova's Office.
Regarding the situation in Kosova in the midst of the Serb offensive
against the Albanian population, Rugova said many people have been killed
and hundreds of thousands turned into refugees and internally-displaced
persons.
President Rugova called for UN support and intervention to get the people
back to their homes and create a climate conducive to dialogue.
Independence for Kosova is the optimal and viable solution, Rugova said,
adding that such an arrangement would stabilize the entire region. He
recalled, in addition, that he has been pressing for an 2international
protectorate as an interim stage. "It would demilitarize Kosova and create
the conditions for a negotiated settlement to the Kosova issue".
Under-Secretary Otunnu, who had earlier in the day toured some parts of
Kosova affected by the Serb offensive, expressed his deep concern over what
he had seen, especially the plight of displaced women and children. "We are
worried over the human suffering in Kosova", Rugova's Office quoted him as
saying.
Meanwhile, late afternoon on Saturday the UN Under-Secretary General Olara
Otunnu held a press conference in the Media Center, run by the Serb
occupation authorities, in Prishtina, capital of Kosova.
[02] LDK and PLK Denounce Assassination of Prominent Albanian Opposition
Figure
Current Albanian Communist-turned-Socialist authorities blamed for the
assassination of Azem Hajdari PRISHTINA, Sept 13 (KIC) - The killing
Saturday evening of Azem Hajdari, one of the founders of the first
opposition party in Albania, the Democratic Party, and a member to the
Parliament of Albania, has been strongly denounced by the leading Kosovar
party, the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK), and the Liberal Party of
Kosova (PLK).
"In his (Hajdari's) figure, the LDK has always seen one of the pillars of
democracy in Albania which overthrew the 50-year-long Communist
dictatorship in the Albanian state", the LDK said in a statement Sunday.
The LDK is fearful that the killing of the Democrat deputy, Azem Hajdari,
"is but the continuation of the killing of democracy, the people and the
Albanian state, which started with such brutality in the spring of 1997".
The LDK sees the killing of Azem Hajdari as "a political assassination".
Yet, the LDK calls for prudence in these "critical days not only for the
Albanian people within the borders of the Republic of Albania, but also the
entire Albanian nation, including Kosova, which is bleeding from the Serb
military-police machinery".
Meanwhile, the Liberal Party of Kosova (PLK) said in a press release signed
by its leader, Gergj Dedaj, the assassination of Azem Hajdari was a
"criminal act committed against the democracy in Albania with grave
consequences for Albania's future".
In the wake of last year's events, "when a fratricide warfare was
instigated by anti-Albanian neighbors and the remnants of Communist
dictatorship", the latter (Communist remnants) are adamant on returning
Albania and its people to Bolshevik ideology, Dedaj said.
The killing of Azem Hajdari is to be blamed on the current authorities in
Albania, according to the PLK.
Azem Hajdari was always supportive of Kosovars and their struggle,
therefore his killing is a huge loss for the people of Kosova, too, the PLK
said, at a time the "corrupt government of Fatos Nano, who has rendered
himself in the service of Greek and Serb quarters", is trying to "bury the
political will of the people of Kosova for self-determination and
independence".
[03] At Least 14 Albanians Feared Killed in Mountains Between Kosova and
Montenegro
Sources in De^an have named 4 of them PRISHTINA, Sept 13 (KIC) - Serb
troops killed Friday night four Albanians who were on their way to cross
into neighboring Montenegro through Bjeshk&t e Nemuna (Cursed Mountains,
the Albanian Alps) mountains, in western Kosova.
Sources in De^an named the four victims as Orhan Dervishaj (17) from Irzniq,
Ekrem Lulaj (18), Zenel Lulaj (22) and Musa ^ekaj (47), the three of them
from Broliq village. They were killed from a Serb troop ambush in the
mountains of Isniq, eye-witnesses told the LDK chapter in De^an.
Other witnesses claimed they had spotted 10 other dead bodies laying on the
ground at Qafa e Roshkodolit (Roshkodoll mouintain pass), not far from
Isniq. They were presumably killed on Friday night, also while on their way
to the neighboring Montenegro, local sources said.
Thousands of Kosovar Albanians, mainly from De^an area, have tried over the
past three days to cross into Montenegro in flight from Serb troops. At
least 3,000 refugees who were trekking for Plav& region of Montenegro were
halted Friday afternoon by the Serb police and Yugoslav army troops at a
location called Bogiqe. A resident of Rugova region told the KIC by phone
on Saturday afternoon that Serb forces had opened fire from an ambush on
the refugee crowd. He feared that there could be many casualties
at a location called Stanet e Roshkodolit (the Roshkodol alpine summer
huts).
The eye-witnesses who claimed they had seen 10 bodies in the mountains said
they returned to De^an, as they were afraid to proceed any further for
Montenegro.
The LDK chapter in De^an noted that it has heard from other sources about
the event, but no one has dared to go and collect the bodies yet.
[04] Two More Albanians Die as Serbs Continue Attacking Drenica Villages
PRISHTINA, Sept 13 (KIC) - Two Albanians were reported killed in Rezalla
village Skenderaj ('Srbica') municipality, on Saturday afternoon. Local
sources said the village came under renewed Serb attacked on repeated
occasions Saturday.
Abdyl Imeri, a local activist in Qirez village, named the two killed
Albanians in Rezalla yesterday as Ram& Gjinovci (64) and a 7-year-old girl,
Elfije Ahmeti. Hazir Tahiraj (42) and Sk&nder Krasniqi (36) were wounded,
he said.
Rezalla and four other villages in Skenderaj were intermittently attacked
by Serb troops over the past two days.
Three Albanians - Leutrim Ahmeti (9), Xuf& Ahmeti (8) and Ram& Ahmeti (42) -
were killed, and 16 others wounded in Rezalla village on Friday.
Sources in Skenderaj reported that Serb troops advanced today (Sunday) into
the villages of Polac, Morin& and Rrezalla, setting ablaze scores of
farmhouses there.
Gunfire was heard during the whole course of today morning around these
villages, sources said, failing to tell what has exactly happened there.
[05] Albanian Killed During Serb Attack in a Klina Village
PRISHTINA, Sept 13 (KIC) - A 26-year-old Albanian, Arif Berisha from
Volljaka of Klina, was killed last Thursday in the neighboring village of
Sferka.
Sources in Klina said that Arif Berisha was killed during a Serb troops'
attack on Thursday afternoon.
Asllan Gashi, head of the local LDK sub-branch, told the KIC that the
Sverka village was attacked again on Saturday afternoon. Heavy Serb troops
in over a dozen armored vehicles drove along the village, opening
indiscriminate fire on the farmhouses.
The LDK activist said the Albanian population of Sverka and the neighboring
villages of Gremnik, Si^ev& and Volljak& have fled their homes, most of
them hiding in the nearby forests.
[06] Serb Police Force 90 Tractors with Albanian Refugees to Leave Isniq
Having no homes to return to, some of them ran to the mountains elsewhere
PRISHTINA, Sept 13 (KIC) - Thousands of people form Dushkaj& region of
Gjakova who had been camping out in Isniq village of De^an in the wake of
Serb military offensive in the area were forced by police to leave Isniq
Saturday afternoon, the LDK chapter in Gjakova said.
Over 90 tractors full of refugee women, children and elderly were escorted
by police to the village of Piskot&, near Gjakova. Some 30 tractors
remained there, whereas the 60 or so others departed in the direction of
the villages of C&rmjan, Krelan, G&rgoc, etc.
The painful journey of Albanian people driven and perscuted by Serb forces
was not to end there, though. Their homes having been turned to rubble in
Serb offensive, the people had nowhere to return to.
They fled again to the mountains area in the region, where thousands have
already been camping out for quite some time.
The tens of thousands of people sheltering out in Isniq were forced
yesterday to leave the area on tractors, lorries, cars, or horse- drawn-
carts, LDK sources said. Once on the Peja-Gjakova roadway, the Albanian
refugees were travelling on either direction without any safety and
security whatsoever.
In the village of Isniq, police set up a checkpoint in a village shop
today.
[07] Serb Military Convoy Leaves for Dushkaj& Region
PRISHTINA, Sept 13 (KIC) - Early in the morning today (Sunday), a huge Serb
military convoy consisting of 37 tanks and tens of lorries and other
vehicles with soldiers and police on board backed up by heavy artillery
guns left Gjakova for the Dushkaj& region, LDK sources said.
Thousands of Albanians are living rough in the open in the region.
They fear a Serb massacre.
[08] Serb Troops and Civilians Attack Nerodime Village in Ferizaj
PRISHTINA, Sept 13 (KIC) - The village of Nerodime e Poshtme, in Ferizaj
('Urosavac') municipality, came under a fierce Serb attack on Saturday
evening.
Sources in Ferizaj said that both Serb forces and civilians were involved
in the attack which lasted for about one hour. The Serbs in armored
vehicles drove up and down the main square of the village, spraying house
with machine-gun fire.
The LDK chapter in Ferizaj said residents of Nerodime village fled their
homes in panic last night. Some returned today morning, but many have
sought shelter in safer areas or in the town of Ferizaj itself.
[09] Fresh Troops Arrive to Kosova from Serbia
PRISHTINA, Sept 13 (KIC) - Fresh Serb troops backed by armament and other
combat equipment were brought from Serbia to Kosova last night and today
(Sunday).
Sources in Mitrovica said 6 busloads of Serb troops and half a dozen other
transporters reached the town of Mitrovica today morning. The vehicles with
number plates of different towns of Serbia came from the Raska direction.
Reports from Mitrovica said around 45 trucks with police and soldiers on
board drove along the main square of the town yesterday evening. The troops
seemed to have been freshly deployed from Serbia, and were seen heading
towards Skenderaj later.
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