Note: Place names rendered primarily in Serbian spelling
"The situation on the ground is a lot safer than it's been before...We have
not had any incidents of observers being shot at or endangered."
US Envoy Christopher Hill
Quoted by Reuters - Pristina, 10/10/98
"You want to see the Serbian police? Just go to the nearest village and
look in any car. The only people who don't see them are the international
observers."
Kosovo Albanian villager
Quoted by Toronto Star - Pristina, 10/10/98
I. DISPLACED PERSONS/ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS/HUMAN RIGHTS
Today's press briefing at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees
(UNHCR) Geneva headquarters, as reported on the Commission's web page,
said: "Yugoslav troops are reported having entered [Monday] the village of
Ljubizda outside Prizren in search of weapons, detained 2,400 villagers for
more than 24 hours and threatened to burn the area unless guns were
surrendered. Residents and village leaders told UNHCR 200 soldiers in six
armored trucks with mounted machine guns arrived at 11:30 a.m. Monday at
Ljubizda. They gathered 400 men at a store and took 2,000 women and
children to an adjacent school. They were held there until 3 p.m. on
Tuesday. Older boys and girls were questioned through the night until 7
a.m. All were denied food, although women were allowed water and use of a
toilet. Sixteen men were taken to Prizren for questioning. Beatings were
reported. Then these men were lined up against the wall and 10 soldiers
were told to cock their automatic weapons and stand behind their backs,
which they did for two hours. They were later freed at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
One gun was found during a search of 220 houses at Ljubizda, but its owner
was not there. Two other guns were handed over. The army commander told the
villagers the troops will return next Tuesday and will burn the place
unless arms are surrendered."
The Daily Telegraph (London) reported today that "in Ljubizda, a small
village near the Albanian border, villagers said they hoped [international
monitors] would soon find out where Sheh Sali Mujaj, their religious
leader, had been taken by the Serbian police. They said OSCE verifiers had
been kept out of the town when the Serbian police arrested their religious
leader on Tuesday. An OSCE official in the capital...confirmed the
incident. Ljubizda was surrounded by the Yugoslav army on Monday and
Tuesday. Tahir Gigela, a young resident, said: 'The police came in and
asked us if we had weapons, then they arrested Sheh Mujaj and took him
away. The police want him because he has so much influence in our
community.' "
The UNHCR account also noted "the villagers told a visiting UNHCR team on
Wednesday they may have to flee unless international monitors are able to
prevent a repetition of the incident. Three nearby villagers - Hoca
Zagdraske, Posliste and Bilusa - have reportedly been warned by the army to
surrender weapons or searches will be conducted there too. International
observers in Prizren confirmed that they have received similar reports of
the army threats against the other villages, located near the Albanian
border and suspected entry points for smuggled arms."
Associated Press reported today that in central Kosovo "armed Serb
civilians swapped hostages with ethnic Albanian guerrillas today after
international monitors intervened to defuse the crisis. Two Serb civilians
held since Wednesday by the separatist guerrillas were released in exchange
for seven ethnic Albanians remaining in Serb hands.... Beginning Wednesday,
armed Serbs seized as many as 100 Kosovo Albanians by stopping vehicles on
a road from neighboring Montenegro...they were seeking the release of two
[Serbian civilians] missing in the central Drenica region."
Associated Press today noted that "a witness said Serb police [in Mlecan
Thursday] opened fire on a group of ethnic Albanian men and children
Thursday, killing one of the men and injuring another." Independent news
service ARTA (Pristina) yesterday reported one Albanian killed and several
wounded in the village of Mlecan (Malisevo district) "when a Serb police
and military convoy entered [the village] and began shooting at the
civilian population, who had just began returning to their burnt-down homes."
ARTA reported today that "a large number of the dislocated residents spent
the night in the nearby forest under terrible conditions. Shooting was
heard several times last night, coming from the Serb positions at a place
called Pishat e Lozices, where the residents claim to have seen numerous
replacements settling."
Reuters quoted UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata in a Tuesday
speech to the UN Security Council: " 'In Kosovo, those who fled should be
given amnesty if they go back (and) not arrested because they fled.' UNHCR
officials said the agency advocated amnesty for draft-age men unless they
were war criminals. Serbian forces, they said, assumed most men who fled
were guerrilla fighters with the Kosovo Liberation Army and could be
arrested if they returned to their homes. Ogata told the council that...
'time is of the essence, considering the winter will make logistics very
difficult.' Consequently, it was essential that any Serbian forces that
could be an obstacle to refugees return 'be withdrawn as a matter of
priority,' she said."
Agence France Presse Tuesday quoted US Envoy Chris Hill saying " 'we have
a situation where people can go back to their homes, although alas, many of
them are destroyed.' But in a speech to the European Parliament in
Brussels, a Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader, Bardhyl Mahmuti, [said]...
'26,000 homes were burned in Kosovo, which, counting 10 people per home,
makes 260,000 refugees. These people have nothing left and the
international community must stop this hypocrisy of telling the refugees to
return home.' "
A Kosovo Diplomatic Observation Mission (KDOM) report Wednesday said:
"KDOM met with KLA personnel in Negrovce (south of Komorane) today being
were informed that Serb police had killed a 27-year-old civilian there on
November 10. The alleged incident happened when a police vehicle flying a
white flag (and looking like a humanitarian aid convoy) approached a KLA
position. The vehicle turned out to be loaded with armed police who shot
the young man. KDOM went to the alleged site and saw bullet holes and pools
of blood."
The Toronto Star Tuesday reported: "Moving around unpredictably, the Serbs
don't need large numbers to maintain an atmosphere of fear... 'Some days
we're very hungry,' says Luan, a weary-looking young man who'd just
returned to his devastated highland village. 'But we can't risk going out
to get food. There are too many police around, and people have been beaten
or taken away'....villagers returning from hiding in the woods report that
they have been harassed and beaten by police, who they claim snatch people
up from the streets and intimidate the wounded in hospitals."
ARTA today cited independent daily Koha Ditore (Pristina) sources
reporting that in Fushe Kosovo, "the population has remained trapped in
their houses, while the police are constantly shooting at their cattle.
Nevertheless, there are a considerable number of people that have decided
to stay in their villages, despite the fact that it could cost them their
lives."
ARTA reported today that "different caliber shooting was
heard...throughout the district of Klina throughout the night...as a result
of such provocations, many families that had returned to the villages of
Leskoc and Kosh once again began to flee their villages."ARTA Wednesday
reported "Serb forces installed in the bauxite mine in Volljake continue to
impede the return of the residents of these villages." ARTA also noted
Wednesday that Serbian police killed ethnic Albanian Ejup Bujupi, from the
village of Orlate and "arrested seven LDK activists in the village of
Doberdjan [9 miles northeast of Gjiljan]."
ARTA Tuesday said that "field sources inform that Serb forces have again
seized their previous positions, after their foregoing withdrawal from Suka
e Baballo it. Their presence prevented the return of a few local residents
who were planning to spend this winter in the makeshift plastic tents on
the ruins of their houses. The same sources claim that Police is
maltreating the locals of villages Ratish and Pobergj who are not allow to
return into their homes. Two days ago a police convoy prevented the IDPs to
return into their village with the pretext that the Police is going to do a
control on the village. Meanwhile the villagers of Shaptej were told by
Police forces that they have to leave soon, claim the Albanian information
sources."
Associated Press noted Wednesday that the Council for the Defense of Human
Rights and Freedoms (Pristina) "says about 1,800 Kosovo Albanians are in
pre-trial detention, facing long periods in prison without trial and with
little access to lawyers....under the agreement to end bloodshed in Kosovo,
the Red Cross is supposed to have access to detained people. But that isn't
happening...The Red Cross says it has been allowed to visit those sentenced
by Yugoslav courts but not those in pretrial custody. The Serbs claim that
those detained are suspected terrorists. But ethnic Albanians, particularly
young or middle-aged men, say any encounter with Serb police, such as a
routine stop at a checkpoint, can bring detention... Ismet Berdynaj,
project coordinator of the Pristina-based Council, says most detainees are
tortured into making false confessions. And Pristina lawyer Destan Rukiqi
described Serb prisons as 'concentration camps'... Amanda Williamson of the
Red Cross said the organization was visiting about 160 people already
sentenced by Yugoslav authorities and was demanding complete figures on
detainees and full access to them."
Independent Radio 21 (Pristina) reported Wednesday that two ethnic
Albanians in Pec were sentenced to six years in prison and two ethnic
Albanians in Skenderaj arrested.
Associated Press noted Tuesday a report by official news agency Tanjug
(Belgrade) that "two ethnic Albanians were sentenced Tuesday to three years
in prison each for joining the rebels fighting Serb forces...the two let
the rebels use their cars, dug trenches and took part in setting up KLA
checkpoints...said Tanjug."
The Daily Telegraph (London) reported yesterday that "Western human rights
officials are concerned that police abductions and torture have been
continuing in Kosovo since Western observers arrived this summer."
Associated Press also reported Wednesday that "the Red Cross is
investigating dozens of cases of Serbs reportedly held by separatists.
There are fewer Serbs detained by Albanians - the number is estimated at a
little over 100. But their fate is perhaps even more chilling."
KDOM reported Wednesday receiving "a report from the World Food Program
[WFP] that the Mother Teresa Society has asked for a WPF escort on
deliveries of food to Glogovac. MTS representatives told WFP that police
had been harassing its people in that area recently."
KDOM reported Wednesday that "the Mother Teresa Society has confirmed
that two young Serbian men were kidnapped recently near Josanica in Drenica."
ARTA reported Tuesday that "the person for whom the Serb police claimed
that he would testify today in Pristina (in front of the cameras) about the
killing of two Serb policemen in Malisevo has denied such a statement and
currently is under the protection of the KDOM. A. Mazreku [the witness]
claimed that the Serb police threatened they will take hostage his family
if he would not accept to get in front of the cameras and state that he was
present when the Serb policemen were killed allegedly by the KLA. Being
under threat, he told them (the police) he is ready to do so, but he met
some KDOM members by accident and informed them about the whole thing.
Mazreku claims that afterwards he went into the police station under the
escort of KDOM and told there that he was forced to state things he has not
seen. According to him, a conflict burst out between the KDOM and police.
Serb policemen called that...the first dispute with KDOM in the region. So
far, there is no information where Mazreku is currently sheltered."
KDOM reported Tuesday that it "escorted an alleged witness to the shooting
of two Serbian policemen to police headquarters in Pristina. After the
police questioning, KDOM escorted the young ethnic Albanian home again."
KDOM reported Wednesday that "Albanian authorities claim there are 100
damaged or destroyed schools in the province."
Reuters reported Tuesday UN High Commissioner Ogata "said UNHCR was not
encouraging 65,000 refugees in Macedonia, Albania or Montenegro to return
to Kosovo before the spring."
II. FIGHTING/FORCE WITHDRAWALS/DEPLOYMENTS
Associated Press reported today that "a Yugoslav soldier was killed on the
road connecting Pristina and Prizren and two others were wounded, said a
diplomatic observer who spoke on condition of anonymity. Though details
were unclear, the crew from Associated Press Television News said they
heard bursts of gunfire coming from the region between Suva Reka and
Stimlje villages, about 30 miles southwest of Pristina. The APTN crew saw
two tanks and several trucks full of soldiers in the vicinity."
The official Serbian Media Center (Pristina) said Wednesday that "three
policemen were badly wounded yesterday evening in an attack made by
Albanian extremists...The Albanian extremists attacked the police station
and its other facilities in Glogovac using mortars, bazookas and automatic
weapons. The police facilities underwent significant damages. The police
fired back and after an hour of fighting, they repulsed the attack."
ARTA reported today that following an attack by Serbian forces in Mlecan,
"the tragedy of the Albanian civilians...was prevented by the quick
intervention of KLA forces. The KLA, through a fierce counter attack,
forced the police officers back in five minutes. They then crawled to the
vehicle of one of their colleagues, who was believed to have been killed."
Reuters Thursday reported OSCE Chairman Bronislaw Geremek saying " 'the
ceasefire is being breached on a daily basis, intimidation continues,
roadblocks are being erected and still people are killed.' Asked where he
thought responsibility for continued violence lay, Geremek...said 'I have
to say that on both sides I see the responsibility. We see with some
concern that the KLA is trying to be present on a larger scale on the
ground, sometimes replacing the Yugoslav police and army forces. Still, I
think that we should see the responsibility of the Yugoslav government
first of all.' " Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir Rakhmanin
said Tuesday that "the main threat to the process of political settlement
stems from the Albanian extremists who are trying to take advantage of the
situation to further their own ends and who have not declared their
renunciation of terrorism and separatism and their readiness to resume the
negotiations."
The Financial Times (London) reported yesterday that "Serbian police in
full combat gear moved back into the rebel heartland of Kosovo
yesterday...an unofficial ceasefire that has been in place for over a month
appears to be unraveling, despite the presence of about 200 members of the
KDOM that was set up five months ago."
The Toronto Star reported Tuesday that "police are disguising themselves
in plain clothes and imitation KLA outfits, and using unmarked cars to
flout the ceasefire agreement."
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the KLA was proving to be "more
resilient and better organized than expected, Western officials said, much
to their surprise...'leaner and meaner is how a NATO diplomat summed up the
KLA. 'They are far from defeated, there appears to be more structure, there
seems to be some definitive organization...[some KLA forces] are manning
checkpoints and at night clearly aiming to unsettle the Serbian
forces....two weeks ago a former Western military officer and member of the
diplomatic observer mission was shown a new range of weaponry. The officer
in the observer mission was taken aback when a powerful US-made Barret
sniper rifle was taken out for display. He was told the guerrillas had more
of them and additional ones would be coming in."
Reuters reported yesterday that "a NATO official said [NATO] members were
seriously concerned at the deterioration of the shaky truce." The Guardian
(London) today quoted a Western diplomat saying "there is a possibility
that the ceasefire could fall apart. It does not look good."
However, US State Department spokesman James Rubin responded yesterday to
a reporter's question that "there seems to be an increased amount of
violence in Kosovo. Is that agreement beginning to unravel" by saying:
"I think that would be overstating the case. Kosovo yesterday was tense but
calm. Monitors accompanied some Serb police patrols along the
Orahovac-Malisevo route without incident. KDOM did have reports yesterday
that the police may have fortified some positions along the road. They are
checking those reports out. There was a serious exchange of fire between
KLA and MUP [Serbian Ministry of Interior] forces in the vicinity of --
Glogovac -- as well as on a road outside Malisevo....We have been working
with considerable success with both sides to defuse as many confrontations
as possible. And we continue to press both the authorities in Belgrade, and
leaders of the KLA, to exercise restraint and comply with the terms of the
U.N. Security Council resolution. While there have been some incidents
generally in the Malisevo and Drenica area, most of Kosovo remains quiet.
And we are doing all we can to prevent the resumption of hostilities,
improve the humanitarian situation and foster the talks."
Rubin also said: "So in short, there are problems in implementation. We
expected problems in implementation. That's why we have the monitors there.
The verifiers are going to soon be up and running. And we will try to
defuse these situations as best we can and raise them to higher levels, as
we think is appropriate."
Reuters quoted a Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman saying today that "[KLA
spokesman Bardhyl Mahmuti] said the KLA would continue to respect the
cease-fire and guaranteed not to harm a hair on the heads of the OSCE
verifiers." Reuters quoted Mahmuti saying Tuesday: "We cannot sit down to
negotiate until the occupiers withdraw...[the pullout must be] absolute,
down to zero."
ARTA reported today "the arrival of Serb policemen [near the village of
Opterushe], who came in two buses with Pirot registration plates, four
trucks, and one 'Zastava' type vehicle...Serb forces are cruising around
town with armored vehicles and are maltreating the passersby."
ARTA yesterday reported "Serb police patrols are being used to substitute
the police checkpoints along the Pec-Decan road...it has been reported that
such patrols are being applied since Wednesday." ARTA also noted yesterday
an LDK report that "10 buses, loaded with Serb policemen, drove from Serbia
to Kosovo...while another convoy comprised of 5 buses, 4 trucks, 3 Land
Rovers and 2 carriers entered Kosova."
ARTA reported Wednesday that a Serbian police convoy, "containing six APCs
full of policemen and a civilian car...was moving in the direction of
Srbica [from Mitrovica]." ARTA said Wednesday that "last night in Klin
municipality automatic gun fire and fire from weapons of different calibers
was heard in the region of Sverk , Gllarev , Dollov , Jashanic , Grapc,
Bin and in Dush of Gjurgjevik. During the day shooting coming from the
Serb snipers stationed in Gllarev , P r ev , Sverk and Grabanic was
heard, accompanied by Serb militarypolice machinery movements, mainly in
the region of Sverk . On Tuesday...three buses full of Serb policemen, 8
APCs, two Land Rovers and two police cars, from Klin went to reinforce the
Serb forces stationed in the village of Mrasor."
Radio 21 reported Wednesday that "a convoy of Serb police consisting of 30
trucks, busses and armored vehicles with policemen passed through the town
of Suva Reka and went in the direction of the town of Prizren."
ARTA also noted Tuesday: "Serb police forces are still installed in more
than ten bases in the region of Fush -Kosova and Obiliq. So far, the field
reports inform only about the increasing number of the Serb troops in the
region while there is no information about any withdrawal... Only the
checkpoint in Bardhi i Madh has so far been removed. 'The checkpoint is
removed in order to avoid the observers, while other positions are still
being kept under control. They are situated in that way as to hide in the
premises of 'ElektroKosova' when the observers appear,' claims a youngster
from Graboc i Ep rm, who is returned (with his family) disappointed from
his village for the third time. Accordingly the villages of Graboc i Ul t
and i Ep rm, Sibovc, Lajthishte, Zhilivod and Hade are still besieged,
while some 'Yugoslav" Military vehicles has not withdrawn into the
barracks. Most of the dislocated people from this area are still
out-of-doors, while the observers continue to report about withdrawals of
the Serb police forces."
Associated Press Tuesday reported the KLA political representative Adem
Demaci "said the violence was due to provocations by the Serbian side 'to
make international monitors believe it was the KLA violating the
cease-fire.' The guerrillas 'are compelled to defend themselves whenever
Serb forces try and reenter Albanian villages,' he added."
KDOM noted Wednesday "reports of police continuing to reinforce their
positions along the Malisevo-Lapusnik road. Teams also saw well-armed
police field fortifications near Orlate where a team observed approximately
120 police in combat gear and well armed departing a convoy."
KDOM reported Tuesday that Russian KDOM teams "report 'powerful' mobile
police patrols at Lapusnik."
The Financial Times reported Thursday that "police said they were
deploying in response to a string of raids by separatist Albanian rebels of
the KLA on now isolated police stations and supply convoys...'We are ready
for attacks against us. There are groups of people out of everyone's
control,' said the commander of the police station in Malisevo."
III. OSCE VERIFICATION MISSION/NATO RAPID REACTION FORCE
Agence France Presse reported today that "NATO on Friday approved an
operational plan for the deployment of a 1,700 strong rapid reaction force
to guarantee the safety of international monitors in...Kosovo. The
operation...will come under the orders of [NATO's supreme commander, US
General Wesley Clark]. The commander on the ground will be French General
Marcel Valentin, diplomats said.... A formal decision to deploy the force
is not expected before the end of next week after the conclusion of an
agreement with Macedonia, where a new government is currently being formed.
The operational plan approved on Friday covers three possible scenarios in
which the force, designed to be able to respond to a crisis within a matter
of hours would swing into action, according to diplomats. These are:
1. an action requiring all or some of the 1,700-strong force;
2. an operation led by commandos from one of the participating countries;
3. an operation to evacuate all 2,000 monitors, in which case several
thousand extra troops would be deployed in Macedonia as a back-up."
Agence France Presse also noted "the decision on whether to trigger
military action will lie with William Walker, the American head of the OSCE
mission." Associated Press reported today the extraction force will be
called "Joint Guarantor."
Reuters reported Thursday that "French military officers have been
exploring Macedonia for a base from which NATO troops might dash to the
rescue of the unarmed observers... [Colonel Henri Pelissier said at a news
briefing that] 'About 10 to 15 officers were in Macedonia this weekend to
prepare for the possible arrival of the force. They looked at sites in the
Skopje and Tetovo regions...We just want to be sure that if and when NATO
gives a green light [for the extraction force], we will not lose time
choosing sites for camps and airports and checking communications.' Another
military force indicated that the Greek port of Salonika was being looked
at as a possible site to bring in heavy equipment."
Reuters reported Tuesday "French officials said the extraction force
should be in Macedonia this month. France has also begun redeploying its
aircraft in the region to be able to respond to any crisis, the defense
ministry said in a statement."
Agence France Presse reported Wednesday that "the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) approved Wednesday the budget for
its verification mission in Kosovo, estimated at 200 million dollars over
one year... 'We are not yet starting the verification. Until the OSCE gets
the infrastructure up and running, we are not going to verify. That's a
question of a couple of weeks,' said spokeswoman Melissa Fleming.... The
budget vote was originally scheduled to be held Thursday, but was brought
forward one day because 'they decided they want to act quickly,' Fleming
added."
Agence France Presse also noted that "diplomats said that a few problems
remained over the definition of the verifiers' role, notably because
Belgrade opposes any specific monitoring of human rights. [A senior
diplomat said] 'they don't want to do it officially now because the
Yugoslavs are telling the OSCE that it is not in its mandate to deal with
human rights monitoring, and the OSCE thinks it is... There is a little bit
of a problem but the idea is to name one (of the deputies) on humanitarian
issues, another for democratization and elections and then one for
verification...But they want to be vague right now.' "
Reuters reported that head of the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission William
Walker arrived in Kosovo Wednesday, saying that "this, in my opinion and
that of the international community, might be the last, best chance to
avert an irrational spiral of more violence and more human suffering... I'm
going to try and get my eyes and ears in as close to any of those [recent
violent] incidents as I possibly can. We've been guaranteed unhindered
access to all areas of Kosovo both by the government and others. We will
hold them to their word."
Reuters Thursday quoted OSCE Chairman-in-office Geremek: "We hope that
before the end of the year we will have in Kosovo 1,000 verifiers - that
means we will send some 250 people a week, beginning December 2. It means
at the beginning of the new year the mission composed of 2,000 verifiers
will be already in the region." Reuters noted Tuesday that "in an
optimistic review of Kosovo developments, [US envoy Hill] said the 2,000
member verification team would be in place very shortly."
Deutsche Presse-Agentur Wednesday quoted a NATO officer saying plans for a
NATO force to extract the monitors were still under study: "It has to be
established what the soldiers are permitted to do during a possible
deployment."
The KDOM reported Tuesday agreeing to "escorts for [Serbian] police along
the Orahovac-Malisevo road and in the Podujevo area. These measures are
expected to begin tomorrow. KDOM also agreed to escort personnel who will
be working on repairs to railroads and power stations beginning November 13."
IV. POLITICAL STATUS NEGOTIATIONS
Reuters quoted US envoy Hill saying today " 'we have made a lot of
progress on the agreement but we still have a long way to go.' Hill's
latest movements clearly show he wanted to find as broad an accord as
possible.... Hill's spokesman, Phillip Reeker, said Hill might meet later
in the day representatives of Kosovo Serbs and Bishop Artimje, spiritual
leader of Serbs in the province. Asked if this meant widening the
mediation, Reeker answered 'We try to talk to as many people as possible.'
Hill said he expected to visit Belgrade on Friday 'as part of the process.'
He did not say whom he intended to meet." Independent radio B-92 (Belgrade)
said today that "the leader of the Serbian Resistance Movement, Momcilo
Trajkovic, and Serbian Orthodox Bishop Artemije of Kosovo today met US
envoy Christopher Hill. After the meeting, Trajkovic and Bishop Artemije
told media that Hill had given them a copy of the proposed Serb-Albanian
agreement which, they said, meant that Kosovo Serbs were now included in
negotiations."
Reuters reported "US mediator Chris Hill [today] handed to Serbian
President Milan Milutinovic the latest draft of a peace deal aimed at
securing a political settlement for...Kosovo.... A carefully worded
statement by Milutinovic's office, published by [independent news service
BETA -- Belgrade], said Hill had handed him 'a document with elements for
reaching a solution on Kosovo, pointing out that the document was based on
the essence of the Milutinovic-Holbrooke agreement... Emphasizing that all
ideas which could help in a political solution being reached were welcome,
Milutinovic pointed out that in order to make headway it was necessary for
participants to sit down at the negotiating table and begin direct tallks.'
The statement said [Milutinovic] would next week personally travel to
Pristina to open the talks."
Radio B-92 reported Tuesday that "the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry yesterday
announced that neither the Yugoslav nor the Serbian government had been
given details of a new draft plan for Kosovo proposed by US envoy
Christopher Hill. The ministry statement said that the only items discussed
so far had been within the framework of the Milosevic-Holbrooke agreement
and the eleven items defined by the Serbian Government." Last week the
Washington Post had reported that "when Hill presented [the newest version
of the draft agreement] to Serbian President Milan Milutinovic last week,
Milutinovic immediately described it as problematic. But Hill said he would
not receive detailed government comments until he returns to Belgrade this
week."
Associated Press reported that a statement issued today by Serbia's Deputy
Premier Zoran Lilic "rejected the possibility of the KLA taking part in the
peace process, saying 'there is no place for extremists, terrorism,
abductions, killing, armed attacks.' " Reuters noted that Milutinovic's
statement today also said "it was agreed at the meeting that a determined
effort must be made to suppress the increasing attacks by Albanian
separatist terrorist gangs on innocent civilians, police and army. Such
actions, whose consequences are serious, represent a serious obstacle to
dialogue and obstruct efforts to stabilize the situation in the province."
On November 9, Radio B-92 had reported: "Bardul Mahmutti, the spokesman of
the Kosovo Liberation Army in Switzerland, said today that he was
considering the US's proposal for Kosovo which had been presented to UCK
representatives during secret talks in Geneva. He said that Lawrence Rosin,
a high-ranking State Department official, and three other US diplomats met
with him on Thursday in Switzerland. On Friday, US Ambassador Christopher
Hill presented the same Kosovo solution to Kosovo Albanians in Kosovo.
Mahmutti went on to say that his organisation's contacts with the US were
broadening."
BETA reported Wednesday that "Serbian Radical Party leader and Serbian
Vice Premier, Vojislav Seselj, said on Nov. 12 that the proposals for
resolving the status of Kosovo and Metohija, announced by some media, were
'mere speculation,' because Serbian and Yugoslav state bodies had not been
informed about them. At a press conference Seselj accused the international
community of 'continuing the propaganda and psychological war against
Yugoslavia by announcing those documents.' He said that, in Kosovo and
Metohija, there were enough police forces 'to prevent the March events from
happening again.' Seselj assessed that the 'routed terrorist groups were
now capable only of provoking individual incidents - assassinations and
kidnapping.'
V. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: BELGRADE
Radio B-92 reported Tuesday that "the Belgrade University Council today
dismissed the editor-in-chief of Radio Indeks, Nenad Cekic. Radio B92
learned that the move was initiated by Deputy Serbian Prime Minister
Vojislav Seselj. Radio Indeks was last month first evicted from its
premises and then banned by the Serbian Government. Cekic this afternoon
told Radio B92 that he found the appointment of a new editor-in-chief for
the radio puzzling because, since the banning, the station did not exist."
Radio B-92 reported Wednesday that Curuvija "said that he had not printed
today's edition of the newspaper because the financial inspectors who had
confiscated all copies of yesterday's edition were again standing by at the
printers. Curuvija said that he did not want to give them another
opportunity for confiscation. He added that he would give the Serbian
government another two days to respond to his proposal that he be permitted
to distribute the paper in exchange for paying his fine under the Public
Information Act within a reasonable deadline. If no deal were struck by
then, said Curuvija, Dnevni Telegraf would be printed outside the country."
BETA reported Tuesday that "the editor-in-chief of the Belgrade daily
Dnevni Telegraf, Slavko Curuvija, on Nov. 10 stated the financial police of
the Stari Grad municipality in Belgrade has once again confiscated all the
printed copies of the daily's Nov. 10 issue, pointing that he will continue
to print the paper in spite of this."
Radio B-92 noted Wednesday that "six members of the teaching staff of
Belgrade University's Faculty of Philology were sacked yesterday by
government-appointed Dean Radmilo Marojevic. Those dismissed included a
renowned lecturer from the abolished Department of World Literature,
Vladeta Jankovic. Jankovic this morning confirmed the sackings for Radio
B92. He added that he believed that another eleven staff from the faculty
were to be sacked, probably today or tomorrow."
Radio B-92 also noted Wednesday that "Serbian schools have been banned
from taking students on excursions abroad. The Serbian Minister for
Education, Jovo Todorovic announced today that all organised excursions
with international destinations would be cancelled. Todorovic emphasised
that this was not a general ban on excursions and that schools had been
directed to change travel to destinations within Yugoslavia. The minister
said that the decision would give students an opportunity to discover their
own country and would also cut down on the high costs of travel abroad."
VI. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: PRISTINA
Reuters reported Tuesday that KLA and LDK (Democratic League of Kosova,
Kosovo's largest ethnic Albanian pro-independence party) officials visited
Brussels and The Hague "in their first joint effort to put the case for
ethnic Albanian independence to European politicians. But the two
delegations maintained their distance, holding separate news conferences
and inevitably producing a dissonant, blurred message about their aims and
conditions... [Independent editor Veton Surroi] noted that the West would
have dealt with a far more united position had it listened to Kosovo's
warnings earlier and prevented the Serbian military crackdown which
persuaded some ethnic Albanians that only guns could win them independence."
Reuters also said "the main political representative of the KLA, Adem
Demaci, chose not to take part in the mission to Europe. In Kosovo on
Tuesday, he said direct talks between its guerrillas and international
envoys offered the only possibility of peace. Demaci said he and LDK leader
Rugova...could always talk. 'We are not at war...but there is no chance of
us reaching any political agreement.' "
Agence France Presse Tuesday quoted Demaci saying that 'any parliament or
government which lacks the support of the KLA cannot be accepted and will
have no chance of getting any result.'
Radio 21 yesterday reported that discussions over the formation of a new
Kosovo Albanian government had "failed."
VII. INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY
Reuters today reported Bild newspaper (Bonn), "citing a confidential
report prepared for parliament's defense committee...said it was believed
that Russia was ready to back up Yugoslav troops with personnel and
equipment 'within a few hours' of any NATO military action. The government
report suggested that Russia would offer anti- aircraft weapons and fully
manned fighter jets" to Belgrade.
Agence France Presse reported Tuesday that "financial constraints have
forced NATO to thin down military might deployed for threatened air strikes
against Serbia over the Kosovo crisis, alliance forces said yesterday.
'There has been a substantial thinning down of the air strike forces,'
confirmed an official...diplomats said it was 'costing a lot' to keep the
military line-up on standby for strikes...[As reported in Kosovo Briefing
#32 last week] seven US Air Force B-52 bombers were to return to their base
in Louisiana from Britain, the Pentagon said. Denmark [has] repatriated
around 40 troops, including six pilots from the NATO Grazzanise base near
Naples, in Italy, while Belgium brought back five F-16 bombers out of a
total 10 deployed in Italy."
Deutsche Presse Agentur reported Wednesday that "military sources at NATO
headquarters said...that the alert status for about 430 planes to be used
for possible air strikes in Kosovo has been downgraded slightly. However,
the threat connected with the 'activation warning' was being maintained,
the sources said."
Agence France Presse today quoted a NATO official saying NATO's air threat
remains "serious and credible...sixty percent of the contingent remains in
place."
Agence France Presse reported Wednesday that NATO "has again called on
Serbs and separatist Albanians to respect the ceasefire in Kosovo after an
upsurge of violence in the past week, an alliance official said Wednesday.
All the member nations of NATO 'strongly condemn' the [recent] outbursts of
violence [in Kosovo], said the official who was speaking on condition of
anonymity."
Reuters reported today that KLA spokesman Mahmuti "told a news conference
after meeting Dutch Foreign Minister Jozais van Aartsen that he wanted
swift intervention comparable to that taken by the international community
after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990... He said the international community's
failure to act was a tacit encouragement to Yugoslavia to step up its
strong-arm tactics in the region. KLA representatives and members of the
moderate LDK [Democratic League of Kosovo] were visiting The Hague to press
Europeans to back their bid for full independence... [Dutch Foreign
Minister Jozias] van Aartsen told the Kosovo delegation...that independence
for the province was not an option and some form of autonomy had to be found."
A statement Tuesday by Britain's Foreign Office said "we condemn the
murder of two Serbian policemen near Malisevo...we call on all sides to
show restraint and support the efforts of the US negotiator, supported by
the Contact Group to bring about a political settlement. Violence is not
the answer."
Reuters reported that NATO's supreme commander Clark in a speech today to
NATO's parliamentary assembly "gave a sober assessment of the
situation...saying NATO had only succeeded in 'dampening and containing
this crisis thus far.... We also have to recognize that at this very time,
both the KLA and the Serbs are rearming and preparing for confrontation
again. If even more destructive fighting is not to occur, we must turn off
the engines driving this conflict...We must use this two-to-four month
respite to achieve a just and durable political settlement.' That meant the
going to the source of the problem, not just the symptoms. 'That source is
in Serbia and not the troubled province of Kosovo.' "
