Note: Place names rendered primarily in Serbian spelling"If these people want to go back to war, they will, no matter how many monitors
you have around."
Paddy Ashdown, Leader of London's Liberal Democrat party
Quoted by the Times (London) - Belgrade, December 15, 1998
"We are determined to continue our efforts and call on all the people to
understand they are playing with dynamite if they follow a deteriorating
pattern."
US Envoy Richard Holbrooke
Quoted by the Financial Times (London) - Pristina, December 16, 1998
I. DISPLACED PERSONS/ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS/HUMAN RIGHTS
The official Serbian Media Center (Pristina) reported Tuesday that
"four
young men were killed and five wounded, of whom, four seriously, in a terrorist
attack made tonight at 08:40 PM [Tuesday] in "Panda" caf bar in Pec downtown.
Ivan Obradovic (age 15), Ivan Radevic (age 25), Dragan Trifovic (age 17) and
Vukosav Gvozdenovic (age 18) were killed, all of them Pec residents. Zoran
Stanojevic (age 17), Svetislav Ristic (age 17), Vlado Loncarevic (age 18) and
Mirsad Sabovic (age 35) have been seriously wounded. Nikola Rajovic (age 18)
has been lightly wounded. The wounded young men had received first aid in the
Pec hospital, and three of them, being in critical condition, were later
transported to the Pristina Clinical Hospital Center. According to the
eyewitnesses' claims, a masked attacker had fired from the automatic weapon
from the caf door and, after the massacre, the attacker ran away. The police
initiated an intensive search after the attacker." Subsequent reports indicated
two more victims died, bringing the final total to six dead, three wounded.
Independent news service ARTA (Pristina) noted that both the Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA) General Staff and Adem Demaci, the KLA's political
representative, denied KLA involvement in the killings. A December 17 statement
from Demaci's office said that "such an act is not in the framework and concept
of the KLA... The KLA has never taken such actions and it had no reason to make
such a precedence, which is against the law and regulations of war...as well as
in complete opposition with the KLA policy." A December 17 communique from the
KLA General Staff headquarters said "we are convinced that the killings were
conducted by the Serb secret police."
The Washington Post yesterday noted "concern that Serbian civilians may
seek reprisals in days ahead, which could spark another cycle of violent
conflict. As one senior US official said, 'the Pec incident is different from
anything else that preceded it... It is straight out of the IRA playbook
because the victims were civilians rather than soldiers. The official said that
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other top officials were concerned
that it might spawn similar attacks and wind up blocking a political resolution
of the conflict between ethnic Albanians and Serbs. There was further concern
that it will be used by the Serbs as a justification for another brutal
crackdown in their troubled province."
The Times (London) reported that Belgrade authorities have used the
incident "to turn a day of tragedy...into a nationwide crusade against armed
Albanian separatism... Schools throughout Kosovo were closed [yesterday]. The
main evening television bulletin said 'everything must be done to eradicate
terrorism because children's lives are priceless.' " Official Belgrade news
agency Tanjug yesterday quoted a telegram sent from students and the principal
of the high school attended by the shooting victims: "The bloody feast of
Albanian Nazis over the innocent children, our friends and pupils of our
school, surpasses all the crimes with its treachery, cruelty and
cowardliness... Don't invite Rugova and Demaci to the negotiations but to the
court, because they have admitted publicly that they are operating the
terrorism and their place is on the guillotine or electric chair of that
western democracy, instead of the throne of the fighters for human rights...if
Serbia has the strength, and it has because we are also its strength, than we
should get over with the terrorism once and for all."
Tanjug yesterday quoted Ivica Dacic, the spokesman of Serbia's ruling
Serbian Socialist Party: "Large guilt in instigating the terrorism [is borne
by] ...the extreme part of the international community which through its open
support to Albanian terroristic gangs in Kosovo and Metohij and their political
parties becomes a direct accomplice in the terroristic acts."
Tanjug also reported yesterday that Serbia's Vice Premier and head of
the Serbian Radical Party Vojislav Seselj "accused today USA and 'their allies'
of guilt and responsibility for the crime that took place in Pec. In the press
conferecne, Seselj said the crime wouldn't have happened if NATO hadn't
appeared as the direct protector of the terrorists."
Associated Press reported the state-run daily Borba "in a sharply
worded
commentary, called on the international verifiers and US envoys to leave
Kosovo, calling them 'direct instigators and helpers of the crimes committed by
Albanian terrorists.' " Associated Press reported Wednesday "a crowd of 5,000
assembled in the western city of Pec" for the funeral, and quoted the principal
of the high school the victims attended saying the youths were " 'killed for
the simple reason of being Serbs.' He concluded with a demand that the state
'punish the perpetrators and do away with Albanian terrorism forever.' "
The New York Times today cited a Muslim religious leader in a village
near Pec saying that Serbian police on a search of the area for the Pec cafe
assailants "'rushed into our house and grabbed all the men, eight of us, and
took us to the police station. As soon as we got to the police station, they
began beating us.' One of those detained was [the leader's] son...who after
release had bright bruises across his back, a bruised and immobile left elbow,
a badly bruised and swollen right hand, and a left ear blackened by what he
said was a kick in the head from police."
The Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM) reported Wednesday that
following the funeral, "police were reportedly stopping cars, pulling the
occupants out and beating them. The ethnic Albanian proprietor of the hotel in
Pec used by KDOM was reportedly one of those beaten. KDOM has pressed the
provincial police headquarters for an explanation of this behavior." Associated
Press reported "ethnic Albanians complained of harassment connected to the
killings, saying Serbs had beaten schoolchildren and broken Albanian shop
windows." ARTA reported yesterday that following the funeral Wednesday "a group
of Serb high school students, beat Edon Beqiri, a third year pupil at the
elementary school in Mitrovice... Three students first asked the girl if she
could speak Serbian, and after she shrugged to say no, they beat her until she
passed out and was covered with blood."
ARTA reported Wednesday that at the check point in Tuneli i Pare, Serb
police beat 4 Albanians; a new check point has been set in Bardh i Madh. ARTA
also noted that "thousands of villagers of Graboc, Shipitulle, Lajthishte,
Siboc and Hamidi are still not able to return home because their villages are
besieged....dozens of Serb police officers, concentrated in the village of
Lupc...were controlling and maltreating the passers-by and at the same time
observing the terrain."
The official Serbian Media Center reported today that "the body of
Zvonko Bojanic, deputy president of Kosovo Polje Municipal Assembly, who had
been kidnapped last night at about 10 PM from his house in Slatina village,
some 15 kilometers from Pristina, was found early this morning on the Pristina
- Pec road, near the place called Careva Cesma. Five masked and armed
attackers, wearing the uniforms with the insignia of the separatist 'Kosovo
Liberation Army' kidnapped Bojanic, his family members, who were present in the
house when the kidnapping took place, confirmed Media Center."
KDOM reported December 13: "The situation near Gornje Nerodimlje (west
of Orahovac) where humanitarian workers were detained on December 11, remains
tense. Militant Serbian villagers continue to press for the return of two Serbs
allegedly kidnapped last summer. Delivery of needed humanitarian supplies to
the region has become difficult. Police reported that the head of the Mother
Teresa Society in Urosevac and a UNHCR representative met with families of the
two missing men today to report that aid organizations have pledged to try to
effect the hostages' release."
Associated Press reported December 13 that Yugoslavia's President
Slobodan Milosevic has refused to dismantle a Serbian police headquarters in
the town of Malisevo: "Daily patrols of Serb armored vehicles and truckloads of
gun-toting policemen through area villages send children scurrying. The Serbs
maintain the police contingent is necessary to prevent the KLA from reclaiming
Malisevo... 'Police will remain stationed in Malisevo regardless of the KLA's
request,' said a senior police official, speaking on the condition of
anonymity. 'Nowhere in the world should police withdraw on terrorists'
demands."
KDOM reported December 15 that "a villager in Pljancor (west of Decani)
called KDOM to report police shooting into the village. KDOM visited the school
master in the village who reported seeing a F.R.Y. army unit traveling south
last night and that shots were fired from the convoy at the village school and
church. KDOM observed small arms damage to both buildings. The school official
said a similar incident happened on December 12 and that he may be forced to
close or relocate the school. KDOM will raise this case with the police."
KDOM continued its December 15 report: "Villagers in Drenoc (west of
Klina) told KDOM that the Serb population of the village has turned away and
threatened ethnic Albanian villagers trying to return to their damaged
homes. In
the nearby village of Radullac electricity to the 60 Albanian homes was cut off
for non-payment of some bills, while power still goes to the 2 Serb houses.
KDOM will raise the issues with the local authorities."
KDOM reported December 15: "The police and military presence appears to
KDOM to be increasing on roads and in the cities. Police, however, deny there
has been an increase in numbers. KDOM has also noted a pattern of combined
police/VJ checkpoints." KDOM noted Wednesday "an unauthorized police post east
of Klina with eight police personnel, and a second on the road leading to
Sipitula (SW of Obilic) manned by six policemen."
KDOM reported Wednesday that "one man was killed at an apparent KLA
checkpoint near Rasic (southeast of Pec) when a uniformed policeman in a
civilian car reportedly opened fire."
Independent Radio 21 (Pristina) reported December 14: "About 50 Serbian
policemen, backed up with tanks and other police vehicles, surrounded Racaj
village of Reka e Keqe area of Gjakove." They searched Albanian houses and
several Albanians were arrested."
Independent Radio B-92 (Belgrade) reported yesterday that "about a
hundred Kosovo Serbs began a hunger strike outside the premises of the OSCE
mission in Pristina. The protesters are demanding information about their
relatives who were abducted during the summer offensive in Kosovo. The protest
leaders announced that the hunger strike would last until 1:00 PM tomorrow when
OSCE mission chief William Walker is due to arrive for a meeting. The families
say that if they do not have information about the missing people by then they
will continue the strike until further notice."
ARTA reported December 14 "the District Court in Pristina, on Monday
delayed trial for 15 Albanians [who were] accused of 'association for hostile
activities.' " ARTA also noted two Albanians were arrested in Suhareke
municipality.
The Serbian Media Center reported December 11 that "a policeman named
Dzafer Cori, the Glogovac police department member, and Nazif Muljaj (1956) and
Ibrahim Musliu (1958), both workers of 'ElektroKosmet' company, were shot by
fire arms today at about 3 PM at the outskirts of Glogovac municipal
town... The
policeman Cori was a reported target of the armed Albanian separatist attacks
before."
II. FIGHTING/FORCE DEPLOYMENTS
Associated Press reported Wednesday that in response to an attack on
Monday in which masked gunmen killed six in a Pec bar, "Serbian police launched
a sweep today in Kosovo...arresting 11 people and killing two ethnic Albanian
rebels in an ensuing firefight, police said. Gunfire and mortar fire could be
heard...in Pec...where police were conducting the sweep, said a US diplomatic
official on condition of anonymity... After officers conducting the search for
suspects came under fire, the report said, police killed two people wearing
camouflage uniforms bearing the KLA insignia and armed with assault rifles and
mortars."
Reuters reported yesterday that "the morning fighting in western Kosovo
and visible troop movements on several main highways heightened tension in the
province with police checkpoints leading many people to avoid leaving their
homes, witnesses in several villages said." Associated Press reported yesterday
that "Serb police attacked a suspected rebel-controlled village...on Thursday,
reportedly killing two ethnic Albanian fighters and arresting 34 in one of the
worst battles in months in the separatist province... Police sealed off
Kapesnica, a northwestern suburb of Pec, as part of Thursday's military
operation. An armored personnel carrier and policemen wearing flak jackets
blocked a bridge leading to Kapesnica, and police snipers looked down from
surrounding rooftops." Associated Press also reported yesterday that one
unnamed European monitor said " 'It was war...' police sealed off...the nearby
village of Glodjane."
Reuters noted yesterday that "fighting was reported in several Kosovo
villages Thursday, with at least two guerrillas killed... International
observers reported hearing gun and mortar fire in the [Glodjane] region... [the
Kosovo Information Center in Pristina said that] military planes were flying
overhead."
The Washington Post reported that on Monday "ethnic Albanian
journalists
said three villages in the area were still sealed off tonight by large numbers
of troops and police."
Associated Press reported yesterday: "The Kosovo Verification
Mission...sent several patrols to the Pec area and American and other officials
were holding talks with Serbian police in a bid to calm both sides.
Reuters reported Monday that "in Kusnin, an ethnic Albanian
village...APCs and military trucks were moving in and out, and a helicopter
flew overhead, apparently to monitor the border."
Reuters reported that "Yugoslav troops [Monday] killed 36 ethnic
Albanian guerrillas near the Albanian border as they tried to cross into Kosovo
with guns and supplies." The Serbian Media Center reported December 14 that the
Albanians were killed in "clashes with the Yugoslav Army border guards, while
trying to illegally cross from Albania to Yugoslavia early this morning between
2 to 7 AM, the Prizren municipal authorities confirmed to the Media Center.
The
Yugoslav Army border guards captured large quantities of modern weapons and
military equipment, the armed Albanians tried to smuggle in to Yugoslavia. The
killed and wounded, the same source claimed, wore masked uniforms with the
insignia of the separatist 'Kosovo Liberation Army.' "
Reuters Tuesday cited a member of the Kosovo Verification Mission: "A
total of 140 KLA members were coming over the border into Kosovo carrying
weapons and equipment... They encountered a [Yugoslav army] sentry post and one
was killed instantly, so then they turned back to return to Albania... But
after they turned around, they were ambushed and 25 were shot and killed and
seven were taken prisoner, including one woman... Our initial feelings are that
this was a normal military operation... and not a set-up."
The Washington Post reported yesterday that "Western officials who saw
the bodies, or saw close-up photographs, said yesterday that many of the
victims had been shot in the head or the face. To some officials, that
suggested the victims were killed deliberately and at close range, and not in a
battle; to others it bore the earmarks of a well-organized ambush by
highly-trained Yugoslav Army sharpshooters. The latter view, a senior official
said, is shared by most of the Western military experts who have studied the
event. But the matter is not likely to be verified until the Yugoslav Army
provides the Western experts access to seven group members who were captured
near the site of the killings. 'The prisoners are the key to everything,' the
official said. But Yugoslavia has not indicated it would provide such access."
The Daily Telegraph (London) noted Tuesday that "the ambush is evidence
that the KLA is continuing to build up its strength. It is also proof of the
efficiency of the Serb troops sealing the border."
Reuters reported Wednesday that "a diplomatic source said several
hundred Yugoslav troops were reported to have gathered near the border and
appeared to be searching for surviving guerrillas. International monitors
planned to protest after being refused access to the site."
Despite the lack of access by international observers to the sealed-off
villages, as well as to the ethnic Albanians taken prisoner following the
border clash on Monday, US Envoy Richard Holbrooke told a media roundtable
before his December 15 meeting with Milosevic that "for the first time, we have
an international organization put [in Kosovo] with the full agreement of the
authorities of the 'Federal Republic of Yugoslavia' with the full authority to
look into these incidents in detail... So we have the ability to find out what
happened."
The Serbian Media Center reported December 13 that a "policeman named
Bozo Mijic was wounded in an attack at regular police patrol last night at
about 9 PM, on the road Djakovica - Decane in Dujak village. The policeman's
wounds are not life threatening. The police patrol car was hit by a bazooka;
the police fired back."
Reuters Wednesday cited official Belgrade news agency Tanjug: "one of
the mourners, an off-duty policeman, was attacked by two ethnic Albanian
guerrillas on his way to the funeral [of the Pec bar shooting victims]. The
policeman fired back and killed one of his attackers while the other fled, it
said."
KDOM reported December 13 that "police report a small arms and RPG
(rocket-propelled grenade) attack against a police Land Rover yesterday at
Dujak (between Decani and Djakovica). They also allege that another small arms
attack took place the same day on a police car near Balince (southwest of
Lapusnik)."
ARTA reported December 16 that new Serbian forces are arriving in
Kosova
"8 police buses, out of which five were filled with police officers and three
were empty, and four other vehicles arrived in Kosova from the direction of
Serbia. They were going in direction of Pristina...large police movements were
also noticed from Merdar in direction of Pristina and back." ARTA reported
December 13 that more Serb police and military forces arrived to the barracks
in Mitrovice. According to the source "these forces were composed of 2 buses,
one truck, one jeep and a terrain vehicle filled with Serb police
officers...[and]...two armored trucks, three terrain vehicles, loaded with
heavy machine guns and Serbian policemen departed from the Mitrovice military
barrack and continued towards the direction of Skenderaj."
ARTA reported on December 15 that "large military forces drove towards
the Has region from the Serb army barracks in Prizren...six trucks loaded with
soldiers, and two armored vehicles with ani-aircraft armament, drove in that
direction...meanwhile, seven other trucks loaded with Serb soldiers and
paramilitaries, and two APCs, were spotted driving towards the Has [region] as
well...Lugishte village, placed six kilometers away from the Albanian
border, is
under siege by the Serb military forces, and that situation in Kushnin, Dedaj
and Kabash are also alarming. It is also reported that gun fire was heard from
Serb forces positions in village Kijeve. In Pishat e Lloznices, Serb forces
joined already existing check points."
KDOM reported December 14 that "the KLA commander in Spajevica Mahala
(northwest of Podujevo) told KDOM today that if things "do not change soon the
KLA will have to take action to assure that the Serb government is hearing its
demands."
Reuters reported Tuesday: "It now seems clear that local militia
elements of the KLA and their families bore most of the punishment meted out by
Serbian police and Yugoslav army troops over the summer. The top of the KLA
pyramid - regional commanders and their essentially private armies of
relatively mobile, well-equipped guerrillas - lived to fight another day by
melting away when confronted with superior manpower, arms and armor. Thus the
brain, if not all the brawn, of the KLA survived this summer. So did the
extensive fundraising network that taps ethnic Albanians living abroad for the
German marks and US dollars that pay for the separatist rebellion... Snow has
drastically reduced the number of routes by which arms can be smuggled across
the rugged Albanian border, routes that will grow steadily fewer as the winter
progresses. The fact that KLA soldiers risked a crossing under such
circumstances shows they have not lost the will to fight. Rather than licking
their wounds they are rearming and regrouping."
III. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) reported that on December 14 "one of
their vehicles was stopped twice in the village of Lipjan and searched by local
MUP (Serbia's Ministry of Interior) for weapons and radios. CRS said the
vehicle
driven by two national staff members was searched both in the morning on the
way to Stimlje and in the afternoon on their return trip to Pristina. The MUP
said they were searching for weapons and radios on both occasions. There were
no international staff members in the vehicle because the Pristina to Skopje
road is considered a secure route. CRS reported that the above vehicle searched
in Lipjan, was later forced off the road by a MUP or VJ [Yugoslav Army] armored
personnel carrier (APC) near the town of Lapje Selo, 7 kilometers south of
Pristina. CRS reported the APC veered to force the CRS vehicle off the road and
then continued on. There were no injuries reported and UNHCR has reported the
incident to local authorities."
Catholic relief Services noted Wednesday that "security has become a
growing concern for the international community working in Kosovo. More
vehicles are being delayed at checkpoints, with incidents of verbal harassment
by military police and local communities occurring. There have also been
reports by NGO field teams of aggressive driving by military vehicles on the
main roads."
A December 11 report from the US Disaster Assistance Response Team
(DART) noted that the international NGO IRC's [International Rescue
Committee's] "shelter coordinator reported that many people in the villages
they have visited need cooking/heating stoves to relieve severe overcrowding.
The IRC rep said that in several of the damaged homes they have found upwards
of twenty people living in one room because it is the only one with heat. The
IRC rep said cooking/heating stoves in conjunction with other shelter materials
help to relieve the overcrowding by providing additional warm, dry rooms. IRC
shelter teams and shelter teams from several other NGOs are currently providing
stoves and other material as part of their shelter distributions."
KDOM reported December 13 meeting "with local doctors and Red Cross
personnel at Cerez (north of Glogovac) to discuss humanitarian assistance to
the region. The doctors said villagers are in need of medical supplies,
clothing and food. There are cases of meningitis and influenza in the area.
Villagers at Pecane, Semetiste, Slapuzane, and Nisor (north of Suva Reka) say
no relief has been coming and that they badly need food, plastic sheeting, and
winter clothing."
KDOM reported Wednesday visiting the village of Stara Vucina (northeast
of Suva Reka) "where they were welcomed as the first international observer
visit since the summer hostilities. All but six families of the village's
original population of 270 have returned. The village had suffered serious
damage but has electricity. Villagers need food, clothing, and building
materials."
IV. MEDIA IN KOSOVO
Reuters reported yesterday that "Serbia's Information Ministry on
Thursday warned several Albanian-language newspapers in Kosovo to stop printing
articles promoting 'intolerance' or they would be punished. Serbian Information
Minister Aleksandr Vucic [who was last weekend put on a visa blacklist by the
European Union for his role in promoting Serbia's public information law] said
in a letter sent to at least two Albanian-language dailies, Koha Ditore and
Bujku, and three other newspapers in the separatist province that they should
rethink their editorial policies. 'After analyzing the articles printed in your
newspaper we find you are calling for the constitutional rule and territorial
integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to be destroyed,' said the
letter, obtained by Reuters. It also accused the papers of trying to incite
national race and religious intolerance. 'So we warn you that you are obliged
to immediately change your editorial policies according to the law...otherwise
we will be forced to take appropriate measures.' "
An appeal from Veton Surroi, editor of the independent Pristina daily
Koha Ditore, said that the letter was "sent to the following newspapers and
magazines: KOHA Ditore, KOHA, Zeri i Dites, Fjala e jone (published in the
village of Prugovac), Fjala e jone (published in Prishtina)... The newspapers
have not been informed which of the articles have caused a reaction by the
minister. To make the matters worse, the minister himself is claiming that he
has seen offensive articles that have never appeared. Namely, the daily
newspaper Zeri i Dites has not appeared yet, it is planned to be published
sometime in March of next year. Or, in the case of Fjala jone, the minister
claims that offensive articles have appeared in a newspaper that has not been
printed or distributed for months."
Independent news service BETA (Belgrade) quoted Surroi: "Because they
see things in papers that are not published, it does not matter what we do, so
we will continue working as before."
Reuters reported today that "several newspaper vendors, both Serb and
Albanian, did not display [Koha Ditore] on Friday and only took a copy out from
under their counters when it was specifically requested."
BETA also notes yesterday that "the editor-in-chief of the Pristina
Albanian language daily "Bujku", Binak Kelmendi, stated that this paper would
not appear on the streets on Dec. 18, because of a black-out in the paper's
premises. Kelmendi told BETA there was a power-cut on Thursday in the building
which houses the daily's editorial office, so the Friday issue could not be
completed. Several other media are located in this building. Kelmendi estimated
the Serbian Information Ministry's threat to Albanian language media as
'Belgrade's threat to Albanian newspapers, issued at a time when tension is
increasing in Kosovo and Serb forces are stepping up their attacks against
Albanians.' "
The Financial Times reported today that Kelmendi "said the state
printing house in...Pristina yesterday refused to publish Friday's edition."
The Financial Times also reported today that "diplomats describe the
action as a slap in the face for Richard Holbrooke." Holbrooke had said in a
roundtable with media representatives in Serbia before his December 15 meeting
with Milosevic that "a free and independent press is an essential part of any
society. We can only react with the strongest feelings of concern and outrage
when actions are taken which constrain it."
V. OSCE KOSOVO VERIFICATION MISSION/NATO RAPID REACTION FORCE
Yugoslavia's President Milosevic said in an interview with the
Washington Post published December 13 that if NATO's extraction force comes
"onto our territory, we will consider it as an act of aggression." When asked,
"and you'll fight back?" Milosevic said: "That is the duty of our army, not to
allow any foreign troops to get into our territory."
Reuters Wednesday quoted US General and NATO supreme commander Wesley
Clark saying "you can be sure that NATO has all the required capabilities to
accomplish its extraction mission under whatever conditions may arise...We hold
Milosevic fully responsible for the safety of the verifiers. Should he not be
able to fulfil those responsibilities NATO knows what to do and how to do it."
However, The Times (London) reported today that one diplomat "said
yesterday that the nightmare scenario for the force was for its troops to enter
Kosovo, and become stuck there. 'Who will extract the extractors?' he asked."
Reuters Tuesday cited Captain Stephen Barnett, spokesman for NATO forces in
southern Europe: "We have a very capable force for the extraction of small
groups under a permissive or uncertain environment... If it came to a full
extraction [of all verifiers] or an operation in a hostile environment, then
that would require a lot more forces than we have planned now."
KDOM reported Wednesday attempting "to enter the village of
Movljane (NE
of Suva Reka) but police who appeared to be drunk created trouble and KDOM
departed before it got out of hand."
KDOM also noted Wednesday that its "radio net is being monitored by
police in Klina."
KDOM reported December 13: "In a serious incident which began at
Decani,
three Yugoslav military T-55 tanks turned their automatic weapons on a KDOM
vehicle which had been following their convoy. The weapons remained aimed at
the KDOM vehicle until the convoy reached Junik (south of Decani). There, KDOM
noted, the tanks joined another tank and three armored troop carriers already
at the Junik school."
KDOM reported December 15 meeting with the police chief of Podujevo "to
follow up on the protest meeting held there yesterday. The chief reported that
the Serb and Montenegrin population of the area (about 1,500 total) drafted a
resolution accusing the OSCE -- and more particularly U.S. KDOM -- with
'assisting the KLA.' "
Reuters reported Tuesday that "a Western diplomat initially told
Reuters
[Kosovo Verification Mission - KVM chief] Walker would meet Milosevic on Monday
but the independent Yugoslav radio station B-92 later quoted Walker aide Mike
Phillips as saying they were still waiting for confirmation from Milosevic's
office and that the meeting would probably take place on Tuesday... The
diplomat said Walker's talks with Milosevic would probably be tough. 'I think
it's going to be fairly steely-eyed,' he said, speaking on condition of
anonymity. 'They'll be discussing whether or not the FRY authorities fully
support the mission in terms of logistical and diplomatic support, issuing of
visas and so forth'... The diplomat said one of the problems was that the
authorities had refused to give permission for a medical evacuation helicopter
to provide medical support for the verifiers in case of accidents."
Reuters noted Tuesday that "a US official said the situation in Pec was
tense on Tuesday with children throwing rocks at verifiers and adults spitting
at the bright orange vehicles and demanding they leave town... KDOM spokesman
Richard Huckaby said the KDOM patrols saw people standing in their yards firing
weapons in the air -- normally a sign of celebration in Serbia which has turned
into a threat in Kosovo."
Associated Press reported that "Serbs held a second protest rally
against the killings for a second straight day today, this time in front of the
headquarters of the OSCE, which runs the verifying force. About 300 Serbs
whistled derisively and booed, blaming the verifiers for not doing enough over
the barroom slaying. Mission chief William Walker...agreed to meet the
protesters on Friday."
The Daily Telegraph (London) reported Wednesday that during a
demonstration against the Kosovo Verification Mission, "demonstrators shouted
anti-Western slogans and accused the mission of bias. 'You tell lies about
Serbia and we can't trust you,' yelled a policeman."
Reuters Tuesday quoted US Envoy Richard Holbrooke saying: "If anyone is
threatening the safety of the Kosovo Verification Mission of KDOM they are
acting in direct violation of solemn assurances given by the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia about the safety of the Kosovo Verification Mission. This is
completely unacceptable...because the KVM's presence in Kosovo is a stabilizing
influence that should reduce tensions in Kosovo."
Just before meeting Milosevic, Holbrooke said that threats against the
KVM don't "make any sense at all. If it's an attempt to threaten the lives of
the international verification group, it's completely misguided, it's not going
to intimidate us, and the KVM is in fact there to bring stability to the
region. It's also in contravention of the agreement between the OSCE and the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia."
Agence France Presse quoted KVM head William Walker: "I call on all
members of the Kosovo community and federal authorities to show restraint and
remain calm in this difficult time. The OSCE Kosovo verification mission will
not be deterred in its verification of all aspects of the Holbrooke-Milosevic
agreement and will intensify...our efforts to help create the conditions of
confidence and respect for human life that are essential for a secure future
for all the people of Kosovo."
Agence France Presse December 14 quoted Germany's Foreign Minister
Joschka Fishcer: "If they [the KVM monitors] are only deployed in the towns I
fear that hostilities will resume by next spring at the latest."
VI. POLITICAL STATUS NEGOTIATIONS
Yugoslavia's President Milosevic in an interview with the Washington
Post last week when asked if he would "allow the Albanians in Kosovo to make
the everyday decisions regarding their lives," responded: "They cannot ask for
more rights than others in Kosovo." When asked whether that would satisfy the
Albanians, Milosevic replied "that will not satisfy the Albanians who want
independence. The problem in Kosovo is [a] problem of [a] separatist movement -
the KLA - [which] is manipulated by groups of Albanian politicians who are
Nazis. Their publicly declared aim is an ethnically pure state."
When asked whether he was willing to accept the American plan for
Kosovo, Milosevic responded: "The American plan has to be developed. It favors
the Albanians."
Reuters reported December 14 that US Envoy "Hill was in...Pristina on
Monday for talks with ethnic Albanian leaders. He has said he would take a
message to both sides from the big power Contact Group on ex-Yugoslavia that
serious negotiations were urgently needed, 'I think the problem has been going
back and forth and has not resulted in a kind of rapid pace that we need,' he
told reporters in Pristina after talks with the ethnic Albanian leaders which
he said had helped bridge divisions between them."
ARTA reported diplomatic sources said EU representative Petrisch
reported to an OSCE ad hoc group on Kosovo Wednesday that he "believes that the
'shuttle diplomacy' will end very soon since it did not succeed in getting
Serbs and Albanians closer together. Subsequently, the EU must find a solution,
which it should impose upon the sides in the conflict, before the end of
winter... Diplomatic sources told Albanian daily KOHA Ditore that the Austrian
Ambassador said that Albanians still don't have a joint team, which could
represent them...in possible negotiations with the Serbs."
Agence France Presse the same day reported "[US Envoy Christopher]
Hill,
alluding to differences between Rugova and the more militant KLA also declared
that 'the more united Albanians can be, the quicker will be the settlement.' "
Reuters December 13 quoted Paddy Ashdown, leader of Britain's Liberal
Democratic Party: "This is a moment of crucial importance...it seems to me
absolutely vital that the Albanian Kosovo community is able to speak with a
single voice...[if not] the capacity to be able to negotiate will be very
significantly diminished... The present situation in the next month or so will
probably tell us if we are able to get a solution based on peace rather than
conflict. It's extremely precarious... The international community shows a lot
of sympathy to the case of the Albanian Kosovars, but it isn't a guarantee you
can absolutely count on. Don't count on support being there forever.' "
Reuters Tuesday quoted current EU President, Austrian Foreign Minister
Wolfgang Schuessel, saying "we are strongly committed to encourage the Kosova
Albanians to finally start negotiations... this is the important thing."
The Washington Post yesterday noted a US official said "that if the
Kosovo Liberation Army...is responsible for the [Pec] cafe attack, the rebels
should not be allowed to participate in negotiations on Kosovo's future. "
During a meeting with independent journalists in Belgrade, US Envoy
Richard Holbrooke said December 15 that "we have made progress. Very little,
but progress in this sense. Ambassador Hill is now an interlocutor between
Serbs and Albanians in an attempt to settle the political future." Reuters
yesterday quoted US Envoy Hill: "We think that we've got all the elements in
place for an agreement, but they are still pieces of a jigsaw puzzle on the
table, they have to be assembled properly."
The Daily Telegraph (London) reported Wednesday that "Mr. Holbrooke's
reappearance in the region is an indication of the lack of progress on the
political track. The American peace plan for a heightened degree of autonomy
for the province falling short of independence has antagonized the Serb
authorities without satisfying Albanian nationalist demands."
The Financial Times reported Tuesday: "Diplomats said months of shuttle
diplomacy by Chris Hill, US mediator, had failed to make tangible progress and
that Mr. Holbrooke had to get the peace process back on track to prevent
full-scale hostilities from resuming in the spring. Mr. Holbrooke might propose
direct talks between the Serbian government and pro-independence leaders of the
Kosovo Albanian majority. But diplomats said the fractured Albanian side had
failed to produce a coherent negotiating team, while Belgrade was opposed to
direct US mediation." Reuters quoted Holbrooke saying Tuesday: "It
isn't
necessarily the spring we have to deal with. We have to deal with this on a
day-by-day basis... The political negotiations are by far the most important
part of this process...when it is appropriate for there to be direct talks,
there will be."
VII. INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY
Associated Press reported December 15 that US Envoy Holbrooke said
Tuesday in Pristina before a meeting with Milosevic that "NATO's 'activation
order remains in place' and progress toward a peaceful settlement 'must be made
because we are concerned that the fighting may flare up... Referring to the
violence, Holbrooke said 'yesterday was not a good day' in Kosovo, but added:
'We are determined to continue our effort... We want to tell all the people
involved that they are playing with dynamite.' "
During a meeting with independent media in Belgrade, Holbrooke said: "I
was asked to come here by the Secretary of State and the President because two
months after the trip there has been some progress and there have been some
setbacks, there has been some compliance and there has been some noncompliance,
and we felt that it was time for a review, and so Secretary Albright and Chris
Hill and Ambassador Miles thought it would be useful for me to come out."
The Washington Post reported yesterday: "When US special envoy Richard
Holbrooke met on Tuesday with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to discuss
Western complaints that government forces are not abiding by a cease-fire the
two men worked out in October, Milosevic's first words - even before a greeting
- were: "Six teenagers killed. What do you think of that?" During the rest of
the conversation, an official said, Milosevic "really felt emboldened by what
happened in Pec," and little progress was achieved on the compliance issues."
A statement carried by official news agency Tanjug (Belgrade) following
the meeting said that "President Milosevic noted that by refusing to condemn
terrorists in the UN Security Council, US representatives were losing
credibility regarding their professed good intentions... The relevant state
bodies are determined to protect their citizens and their property, and they
will prevent terrorism regardless of the support it enjoys."
Just before the meeting with Milosevic, Holbrooke said of the attack on
the bar in Pec that "whatever the provocation and whoever committed this event,
it is outrageous and unacceptable."
Following the Holbrooke-Milosevic meeting, Deutsche Presse Agentur
quoted Holbrooke: "All the incidents that threaten stability and lead to
violence are lamentable... but the one that we find appalling beyond words is
what appears to be a wanton attack on a group of primarily teenagers in the
Panda Bar in Pec." BETA reports the December 18 state-owned daily Vecernje
Novosti speculates Holbrooke's change in tone took place " 'probably under the
influence of the widespread grief throughout Yugoslavia, or because of the
weighty, proper words President Milosevic imparted to him,' at the end of his
visit in Belgrade."
Reuters Tuesday quoted NATO Secretary General Javier Solana: "I condemn
the actions that have taken place in the last few days, in the last few hours,
and I call on both sides to show restraint."
Reuters also quoted current EU President Wolfgang Schuessel: "This
indicates the situation is worsening. I think the reasons for that are, on one
hand, there is not enough withdrawal on the Serbian-Yugoslav side. But on the
other hand, you have to admit that there is a vacuum, and the KLA are filling
that vacuum. This is absolutely irresponsible and will damage the prospects of
peace."
BETA December 13 quoted a statement by ruling coalition partner the
Serbian Radical Party, calling the United States "the main sponsor and defender
of Albanian separatism and terrorism."
VIII. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
Reuters yesterday quoted Arben Xhaferi, President of the Democratic
Party of Albanians, a junior coalition member in Macedonia's new government: "
'We are asking for progress on rights, in matters of education, language and
employment, not making a plea for a Greater Albania... If we do not have the
same step-by-step progress we could face the same situation as in Kosovo. I
will begin to lose my credibility and my function in society, just like Rugova
has. The expectations of the ethnic Albanians in Macedonia are so high, so long
denied, that we cannot manipulate them... We accept living in Macedonia and
cultivating our rights within this state, but there must be progress'... The
ethnic Albanian leader said he hoped parliament would soon pass an amnesty law
to release four political prisoners, including two mayors imprisoned for
raising Albanian flags. He wants Albanian to be accepted as an official
language in Macedonia and seeks accreditation for a university in Tetovo, where
Albanian is the language of instruction. Xhaferi says the university issue is
vital, given memories among its 6,000 students of a police intervention on the
campus in 1995 in which one person was killed and many were beaten."
Reuters also quoted one unnamed representative in Macedonia's
parliament: "Xhaferi is very clever with his demands. He denies any interest in
Greater Albania... We are obliged to wonder if this is not a game to begin to
undermine the state. Ask Macedonians if they trust the ethnic Albanians, if
they
think [the Albanians] are loyal to our state, and most will say no."
Agence France Presse reported Wednesday that "the Yugoslav foreign
ministry...summoned Albania's charge d'affairs in Belgrade...for a strong
protest against what it said were 16 border violations in the past two months."
It accused Tirana of lending 'direct support' to the KLA."
