Yugoslav Daily Survey, 98-08-21

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From: Yugoslavia <http://www.yugoslavia.com>

Yugoslav Daily Survey

CONTENTS

[01] DSK: URGES ETHNIC ALBANIANS NOT TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMES

[02] MILLO: ALBANIA OFFERED REFUGE TO TERRORISTS

[03] BONINO: PRIORITY TO SAFE CONDITIONS FOR HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES

[04] MILOSAVLJEVIC: DISPLACED PERSONS IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA ARE URGED TO RETURN HOME

[01] DSK: URGES ETHNIC ALBANIANS NOT TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMES

Tanjug, 1998-08-19

After the collapse of their drive to seize part of Kosovo and Metohija's territory by terrorism and draw the attention of the world public and th e sympathies of the western media, ethnic Albanian terrorists and politi cal leaders are now playing on another card * on the card of alleged huma nitarian disaster in this province of the Yugoslav republic of Serbia.

Retreating before the Serbian police and abandoning their strongholds, t he terrorists have taken with them civilians as a human shield, whom they are now holding in their forest hideouts, preventing them to respond to the government's assurances of safety and call to return to their homes.

Ethnic Albanian political parties, too, are taking a similar course in t heir effort to justify their non-appearance for the resumption of talks w ith the government. The most influential of them, the Democratic League o f Kosovo (DSK, 1998) of Ibrahim Rugova, on Wednesday appealed to Kosovo a nd Metohija's displaced ethnic Albanians through the Albanian-language "B ujku" newspaper not to return to their homes.

Repeating much-worn phrases about "a humanitarian disaster", "deception" and "trickery" and seeking to convince the displaced persons that they w ould be "victimised" if they returned, the DSK is trying to hoodwink the world public and improve its political rating on the suffering on the peo ple.

In case ethnic Albanian civilians did return to their homes, for which t he Serbian Government has created most of the necessary conditions, inclu ding providing building materials to repair their damaged houses, Rugova and others like him would lose the excuse of the problem of displaced eth nic Albanians for the non-resumption of talks with the government.

Also, the scattered terrorist gangs could no longer use civilians as hum an shields, and would lose logistic support, too, in the form of relief a gencies' aid which they have been taking away from the people for their o wn use.

The ethnic Albanian terrorists and political parties fighting for some p hantom independence of Kosovo and Metohija are losing ground, which is be st seen from the mass return of civilians to localities abandoned because of terrorist operations.

Most of the ethnic Albanian population has returned to Orahovac, Klina a nd the surrounding villages, Ada near Obilic, Suva Reka, Stimlje and othe r localities, and the process looks set to continue and strengthen.

[02] MILLO: ALBANIA OFFERED REFUGE TO TERRORISTS

Tanjug, 1998-08-20

Albanian Foreign Minister Pascal Millo admitted that his country has bec ome a refuge to terrorists. He blamed such a situation on the government of the former Albanian President Sali Berisha, who introduced the so-call ed transparent borders with the outside world, allowing for uncontrolled entry of foreigners into the country, reports today the "Voice of Russia" from Tirana, citing the statement of the Albanian Foreign Ministry to th e local press.

Media in Tirana have given most attention to a strong explosion yesterda y of a device planted in the Orthodox church in Shkoder.

There were no casualties, but, as was reported in the "Gazeta Sciptare", the Albanian Interior Ministry informed that this was an act purely "dir ected against the Orthodox faith and its people". On the other hand, as t he paper says, this provoked accusations and counter-accusations in the p olitical circles.

At the time when Albania is known as a country which has the greatest po tential for the activities of Islamic terrorist groups, a bomb was plante d in the local Orthodox church, writes the paper "Albania".

It seems that Shkoder, which is the most vulnerable town in terms of rel igious relations, has been elected at the right time to deal a blow to th e Albanian nation, notes the paper and warns that, unless this dangerous practice is stopped, "all the Albanians will be dragged into a religious conflict".

The dailies in Tirana have devoted much space also to a letter from Pres ident Clinton to US Congress, in which he explains the reasons for the cl osure of the American Embassy in Tirana and the measures that will be tak en to build a new Embassy with improved security facilities. The paper "S ekuli", which was also quoted by "Deutsche Welle", revealed that the Amer ican Embassy was closed down because of the threats issued against it by terrorists.

Meantime, US Marines and commanders of nearby ships have been indefinite ly put up in a section of the American Embassy there to enhance its secur ity.

The paper "Koha Ditore" claims that Albania is attacked from several sid es, but that it is unprepared to fight back.

"It does not even manage to escape the fate of being used as a battlegro und of Islamic fundamentalists against the United States", warns the pape r.

[03] BONINO: PRIORITY TO SAFE CONDITIONS FOR HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES

Tanjug, 1998-08-20

European Union Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Emma Bonino said at a p ress conference on Thursday that priority must be given to ensuring secur ity in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija to enable human itarian organizations to prevent a possible humanitarian catastrophe that might occur when autumn comes.

Bonino headed a European Commission delegation on a two-day visit to Kos ovo and Metohija and Montenegro to gather information on humanitarian nee ds of the displaced population. She expressed concern with the situation of the displaced persons, especially women, children and the elderly who are the most numerous.

She appealed to the Serbian authorities to ensure the conditions for the safe return of the displaced to their homes.

Asked whether her delegation was able on Wednesday to reach all areas i t planned to visit and whether it was in any way hindered by the Serbian authorities, Bonino said that the motorcade of the delegation of the EU C ommission was stopped only by a commander of the self-styled Kosovo Liber ation Army in the Malisevo area. "During yesterdays visit to the Malisevo area one commander of the armed Albanian group did not permit the motorc ade to continue, while on the same day another commander at a different c heck-point allowed us to continue and deliver humanitarian aid", said Bon ino.

She defined this as a "strange procedure", considering that the delivery of humanitarian aid by UNHCR, ECHO or ICRC to the needy hiding in the fo rests, depends upon a whim of a commander of the self-styled Kosovo Liber ation Army.

Such cases of direct prevention of the delivery of humanitarian aid con stitutes a violation of the Geneva Convention which stipulates that all e ndangered persons have the right to aid, Bonino said.

Bonino could not provide precise figures on the number of displaced per sons in Kosovo and Metohija, as the figures provided by international hu manitarian organizations and Serbian Commissioner for Refugees were diffe rent, and said that joint teams should be set up to asses the true number of the displaced.

Austrian Ambassador to Yugoslavia Wolfgang Petritsch said he was distre ssed by the scope of destruction he had observed in Orahovac and by the p light of the displaced in Kosovo and Metohija and Montenegro. Reconciliat ion measures must be taken as the European Commission for Humanitarian Ai d has drawn up a pilot project for aid to displaced persons in Kosovo and Metohija, he said.

[04] MILOSAVLJEVIC: DISPLACED PERSONS IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA ARE URGED TO RETURN HOME

Tanjug, 1998-08-20

Coordinator of the activities of state institutions in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija Andreja Milosavljevic said on Thursday t hat the return of displaced persons, especially ethnic Albanians, to thei r homes was one of the priority tasks in consolidating the situation in t he province.

Nothing hinders the return of the citizens to their homes as all condit ions for normal life and work have been ensured, Milosavljevic said.

The greatest obstacle to accelerated return is the propaganda of the ter rorist self-styled Liberation Army of Kosovo, Albanian sources and even t he Democratic Alliance of Kosovo party which two days ago urged ethnic Al banians not to return home, Milosavljevic said.

The threats by ethnic Albanian terrorist gangs that no one must return h ome are even more brutal, Milosavljevic said and added that reprisals wer e a reality. For instance, he said, when a large group of displaced citiz ens attempted to return to Suva Reka, the terrorists killed two civilians , forcing the rest of the group away from their homes.

Despite such threats, the displaced continue returning, Milosavljevic sa id and noted that the situation in the towns and villages under state con trol was secure, peaceful and incident and threat free.

Endeavours of the state institutions have produced results, as 10,000 ci tizens have returned to Orahovac, 7,000 to Suva Reka, 10,000 to Glogovac, and others are returning to Ade, Belacevac, Srbica and some villages in the Djakovica municipality, Milosavljevic said.

These initial results are, however, still insufficient, as it is essenti al that ethnic Albanians should return home, Milosavljevic said.

Humanitarian organizations and representatives of the international comm unity, which have free access to Kosovo and Metohija, can witness the sit uation and exert pressure on political leaders of the ethnic Albanian min ority and other factors to forgo their dirty business and to work in the interest of the citizens, Milosavljevic said.

The figures on the number of displaced persons provided by various sourc es are uncertain, arbitrary and short-lived, as the situation changes dai ly, Milosavljevic said.

The majority of the displaced persons are staying in towns and zones und er the control of state institutions, with relatives and friends, and som e are hiding in the woods, but their numbers are decreasing daily as they , too, are finding shelter in towns, Milosavljevic said. "Those who have not returned to their homes are prevented to do so by terrorist bands, bu t it is certain that they all yearn to return to their homes and I do hop e that this will happen very soon".

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