Kosova Daily Report #1705, 99-02-27
Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1705
Prishtina, 27 February 1999
First Edition: 11:00 CET
Second Edition: 15:00 CET
CONTENTS
[01] Serbian Military Resumes Shelling of Half a Dozen Villages in Northern
Kosova
[02] Serb Forces Shell Llapashtic& For Half an Hour
[03] Clinton and Solana Warn Belgrade over Kosova
[04] Serbian Forces Kill Two and Wound One Albanian in Randobrav& Village,
Prizren
[05] Serbian Police Shoots and Wounds Albanian in Klina Village
[06] 530 Displaced Kosovars Cross to Macedonia
[07] Armed Serb Civilians Roam the Streets of Mitrovica
[01] Serbian Military Resumes Shelling of Half a Dozen Villages in Northern
Kosova
Serb snipers kill two and wound one Albanian in Vaganic& e Poshtme village,
near Mitrovica
PRISHTINA, Feb (KIC) - Serbian army troops based in Frash&r i Madh
('Svinjare') village today (Saturday) resumed shelling the villages of
Pantin& and Oshlan, municipality of Vushtrri, and the villages of Pir^,
Verrnic&, Vaganic& e Ep&rme and Vaganic& e Poshtme, municipality of
Mitrovica, 30 to 40 km north of capital Prishtina.
The assault on these villages started Friday afternoon, around 16:00 hrs,
and went on throughout the night.
Serbian snipers shot dead two and wounded one Albanian in the village of
Vaganic& e Poshtme, LDK sources in Mitrovica reported.
Their identity has not been made known, while their bodies were taken away
by the Serb police.
The Serbian military shelling has reportedly caused huge material damage in
the area.
LDK sources in Vushtrri have confirmed the resumption of Serbian shelling
today morning. Serbian troops have opened fire also from their positions in
Dolak village.
There has been no immediate word on casualties in Vushtrri area, but
reports said there is fear for the fate of a number of elderly people have
stayed behind in their homes.
[02] Serb Forces Shell Llapashtic& For Half an Hour
Body of a man found near Orllan village
PRISHTINA, Feb 27 (KIC) - Serbian forces shelled today for half an hour the
village of Llapashtic&, municipality of Podujeva, 30 km north of Prishtina.
The Serbian shelling started at 8:30 a.m. Stepped up movements of heavily
armed Serbian forces have been reported in the town of Podujeva.
There is a limited presence of Albanians in the town, although today is a
market-day in the northern Kosovar town of 20,000.
Meanwhile, LDK sources said the body of a man, in his early thirties, was
found in Barain& village, near the road to Orllan, municipality of Podujeva,
northeast of Kosova.
[03] Clinton and Solana Warn Belgrade over Kosova
PRISHTINA, Feb 27 (KIC) - U.S. President Bill Clinton, in an address in San
Francisco, California, laying out a broad outline of his foreign policy,
speaking about Kosova said on Friday: "[FRY] President Milosevic should
understand that this is a time for restraint, not repression. And if he
does not, NATO is prepared to act."
In his speech to three public affairs groups, Mr. Clinton made a case for
continued U.S. involvement in preventing regional conflicts. He underlined
the United States has a clear national interest in ensuring that the crisis
in Kosova, which is where all began at the beginning of the dissolution of
former Yugoslavia, ends now.
Both sides "must return to the negotiations (in France) on March the 15th
with a clear mandate for peace," the US President said.
"Serbia's leaders must now accept that only by allowing people in Kosovo
control over their day-to-day lives ... can they keep their country intact,
" he said.
President Clinton said progress had been made in Rambouillet, during the 17
days of talks, on the understanding that Kosova should enjoy substantial
autonomy, and praized Secretary Albright for her tireless work in the
negotiations.
If the agreement on an interim settlement for Kosova is approved, NATO
should deploy troops, including American ones, to implement it, Clinton
said.
Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Adviser Sandy Berger told reporters NATO
Secretary-General Javier Solana could draw on previously granted authority
to halt Serbian military aggression against ethnic Albanians, Reuters
reported.
"Certainly we think that if during this period (before peace talks resume),
there were significant military action on the part of the Serb government,
that that authority should be used. And I believe that's a view of most of
the allies," Berger said.
Mr. Solana, speaking on Spanish television, said NATO would not permit a
Serbian offensive.
[04] Serbian Forces Kill Two and Wound One Albanian in Randobrav& Village,
Prizren
PRISHTINA, Feb 27 (KIC) - Serbian police forces cracked down on a number of
villages in the municipality of Prizren yesterday (Friday).
Reports said Serbian forces killed at least two Albanians, wounded a third
one, and abducted several others.
Having passed through Piran& and Mamush& villages, Serbian forces advanced
into the village of Randobrav&. They killed Abdyl Binak Pajaziti (21), who
was driving his car when he encountered them.
Then Serbs entered the house of Muhamet Kabashi (65), killing him and
wounding his wife, Mihrijen, who has been taken to the Prizren hospital.
Serbian forces abducted yesterday half a dozen Albanians, whose names have
not been made known yet.
The two killed Albanians are to be buried today (Saturday).
Part of the population of the area fled their homes yesterday.
The Serb forces involved in the raids in Randobrav& headed today towards
Rahovec villages, local sources said.
A heavy presence of Serbian troops and heavy weapons has been reported in
the border villages in the municipality of Prizren.
As soon as dark sets in, Serbian troops start provoking Albanian families
in the village of Gorozhup.
[05] Serbian Police Shoots and Wounds Albanian in Klina Village
PRISHTINA, Feb 27 (KIC) - Serbian police shot and wounded today Osman
Morina (36) and arrested his brother Salih Morina in their native village
of Rigjev&, municipality of Klina, local LDK sources said.
Tensions run high in the villages as well as in the municipality as a whole,
as Serbian military and police forces and armed civilians roam the streets
of the administrative center, Klina.
[06] 530 Displaced Kosovars Cross to Macedonia
PRISHTINA, Feb 27 (KIC) - Over 530 residents, mostly elderly, women and
children from the border village of Goranc& crossed the border yesterday to
Jazhinc& village, on the Macedonian side of the border, Rilindja daily
reported. They had fled the previous day and had spent the night in the
open in the mountains before being spotted by UNPREDEP troops in FYROM.
They were driven in armoured cars to border villages, mostly to Jazhinc&,
Rilindja said.
[07] Armed Serb Civilians Roam the Streets of Mitrovica
PRISHTINA, Feb 27 (KIC) - Many uniformed but also armed Serbs in civilian
clothing have been roaming the streets of Mitrovica since the early morning
hours today (Saturday), local LDK sources said.
Groups of Serb policemen have mounted roving checkpoints, in which
Albanians are routinely harassed.
Four Albanians were arrested by police in Mitrovica. One of them, Arif B.
Beqiri (28), resident of Bajgora village of Shal& region, was taken off a
bus and arrested. An elderly Albanian bus commuter was also arrested.
Two Albanians were arrested at 11:00 CET near the market-place in
Mitrovica. Their names have not been reported.
Today morning, a column of police forces involving two lorries and three
APCs left Mitrovica for Skenderaj today morning, local LDK sources said.
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