Note: Place names rendered primarily in Serbian spelling"We are seeing increasingly aggressive Serb military and police activities
[these activities are] not in conformation with the promises made by the
Yugoslav government...[Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and top
military commanders in Belgrade] must comply with their promises made to
NATO. There has been an escalation of violence in Kosovo. The international
community is very concerned. We are watching the situation very closely."
General Wesley Clark, NATO Supreme Commander
Quoted by Reuters -- Skopje, December 23, 1998
"[Serbia will] energetically respond to every attack, every provocation,
and I believe the international community will accept this."
Veljko Odalovic, Serbia's Governor of Kosovo
Quoted by Reuters - Pristina, December 31, 1998
"Think of the Mideast. Think of Northern Ireland. Forget Bosnia [as a
model]. Forget the Dayton accords."
Senior U.S. official, quoted by Washington Post -- December 30, 1998
"I had to take an alternate route to come into Pristina because actually
the main road was blocked and this is [a further] indication...to get a
political process going that can gain momentum and lead us into a peaceful
spring."
US envoy Christopher Hill
Quoted by Reuters - Pristina, January 7, 1998
I. DISPLACED PERSONS/ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS/REPRESSION
Reuters reported that "armed Serb civilians blocked all major roads in
Kosovo on Thursday, virtually sealing off the provincial capital Pristina,
eyewitnesses and international observers said. The Serb action comes in
protest against the killing of a Serb security guard [see section II] on
the eve of the Orthodox Christmas. Serb sources confirmed the cutting of
most of the roads and an OSCE spokesman also confirmed that at least two
had been blocked. 'People are manning road blocks armed with automatic and
semi-automatic rifles. They are not letting anyone through,' said [an]
eyewitness... The first to be blocked, early in the morning, was the
international route to the south leading to the Macedonian capital Skopje.
Then the road to Pec in the west of the province was sealed off, said the
eyewitness... Sandy Blyth, OSCE[-KVM] spokesman confirmed the blockade of
the road to Kosovska Mitrovica to the northwest of the capital. The
eyewitness also said that the last main road from Pristina, to the north,
was blocked near Podujevo, scene of clashes last month between the Serbian
security forces and the separatist ethnic Albanian guerrillas. There was no
independent confirmation on [the] sealing of this road, but Serbian sources
confirmed that a secondary road, leading to Gniljane in the southeast, was
also cut off." Independent news service ARTA (Pristina) said today that the
Pristina-Mitrovica road "was later on reported open."
Associated Press reported earlier today that "by midday, the protest was
spreading to other Serb villages in the area. Police set up a 200-yard
buffer zone around the area to prevent ethnic Albanians and reporters from
entering the village." ARTA reported today that Serbian civilians at one
entrance to Pristina "were reported armed and holding banners which stated:
'Going to liberate Pristina.' " Independent Radio 21 (Pristina) reported
that "at the Lipjan-Ferizaj crossroad, Serb civilians took five Albanian
youths, who were in the bus which was going in the direction
Prizren-Pristina. Three of them were released later."
As noted in Kosovo Briefing #39, Reuters reported December 6 that
"diplomats say Serb police are arming fellow Serbs living both in isolated
villages and towns." The Kosovo Information Center December 29 noted
"reports [that] four Serbian police officers with a Toyota-made
car...distributed Sunday [December 26] afternoon weapons to Serb civilians
in two neighborhoods around Podujevo." The daily newspaper Bujku (Pristina)
reported October 10 that "throughout yesterday and...since the early hours
of the morning Serbian military forces assisted by armed Serb civilians
have been positioning a part of their military arsenal in private homes.
This weaponry has been positioned in the homes of Serbs in the village of
Velika Slatina mainly in houses alongside the highway, in the health
centers, in the empty barracks of the village."
Associated Press noted January 5 that "the Kosovo Information Centre said
two ethnic Albanians who worked at a petrol station in Vitina, 25 miles
southeast of Pristina, were gunned down. The Serb Media Centre also
reported the deaths, but had no further details. Bodies of more than a
dozen ethnic Albanians and Serbs have recently been found in Kosovo in
what appeared to be a series of gangland-style killings."
Independent Radio B-92 (Belgrade) reported January 4: "Enver Gashi, a
39-year-old Albanian man from the village of Stimlje, was killed in front
of his Kosovo home on Saturday night. The [official Serbian] Pristina Media
Centre reported that eyewitnesses said that a group of unidentified
assailants shot Gashi and then fled the scene in a Volkswagen Golf...
Meanwhile, four more corpses were discovered in the province over the
weekend...the bodies of two Kosovo Serbs [were] found in the town of Tamnik
in the Mitrovica municipality. Both Albanian and Serb sources confirmed
that the two men had died after being shot in the head. Albanian sources
reported that an Albanian man, Veton Kelmendi, from the Pavljane village
was found dead. There is no information as to when or how he was slain. The
Kosovo Information Centre also reported that Ibrahim Shabani, an Albanian
man from the village of Vojinovac, was killed near Stimlje last Tuesday by
unidentified assailants travelling in a black car."
Reuters reported January 3 that "an ethnic Albanian was reported killed by
an unknown gunman." Reuters reported January 2 that "three people were
reported killed on Saturday in Kosovo... [OSCE-KVM spokesman Sandy Blyth
said that] in Mitrovica...two [Albanians] had been found dead near a soccer
stadium." Associated Press December 29 said "international and Serb
sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said five [Albanians] were
found Tuesday in widely scattered areas of Kosovo, including two in
Kosovska Mitrovica."
The Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM) reported January 1 that
"Albanian villagers in Petrovo (south of Stimlje) told KDOM that a
37-year-old male resident of Vojnoc (north of Urosevac) was shot and killed
by police as he returned to his village with food on December 30. The ICRC
has examined the body." The Center for the Protection of Women and Children
(Pristina) reported this week that an ethnic Albanian father of five was
shot dead "carrying flour supplies for the people."
The Center also reported that a 6-year old girl was killed by a sniper in
Podujevo on December 25. The Center stated: "Serb officials and media gave
a statement that the shot was random. OSCE verifiers played the same
string, stating that it was an accident."
Radio B-92 reported December 25: "Three Romanies were killed in a
terrorist attack in Kosovska Mitrovica yesterday, according to the Pristina
Media Center. The report claims that the three were shot by UCK members."
Radio 21 reported December 22 that "one Albanian was killed in Zahaq
village of Peja...police arrested five members of his family...[and] after
searching the house they [Serb forces] took the deceased and executed him
in from of his family...Serb police ordered them not to bury the deceased
without their permission."
Radio B-92 reported December 21 that "a Serbian policeman and a Serbian
woman were caught in an ambush this morning that left the officer dead. The
Pristina Media Centre reports that they a group of armed assailants
attacked the pair as they were heading to work at around seven o'clock this
morning in Podujevo. The officer, Milic Jovic, died while being transported
to hospital. The woman, Milijana Pantic, was shot in the leg."
Associated Press reported yesterday that Tuesday night "a man hurled a
hand grenade at the window of a Serb-run cafe packed with young Serbs. The
explosive bounced off a window pane and exploded in a courtyard, shattering
glass that injured three youths. Outraged, a large group of Serbs
retaliated by shooting and smashing the windows of nearby Albanian-run
cafes. Four young ethnic Albanians were treated for injuries they suffered
in the violence."
Reuters reported December 29 that "thousands of refugees who fled violence
in Kosovo last week are still too scared to return home... Houses in the
villages of Velika Reka and Obranca, near the town of Podujevo...looked
deserted. 'We estimate that up to 5,500 people from villages near Podujevo
left their homes last week,' an official with the UNHCR [United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees] said in Belgrade." Independent news service
BETA (Belgrade) reported January 3 that "villages in the district of
Podujevo - Velika Reka, Lapastica and Obrandza - are completely deserted,
BETA was told at the Belgrade UNHCR office, whose team had visited the region.
The Belgrade UNHCR office associate for information Vesna Petkovic said
there had been between 5,000 and 15,000 local inhabitants and displaced
persons [IDPs] from other places in Kosovo in these villages before the
clashes. According to the Albanian Mother Theresa humanitarian
organization, 15,000 people have fled from these villages."
Associated Press reported December 28 that UN officials "tried to get food
and supplies to civilians who fled four days of fighting between Serbs and
ethnic Albanians in northern Kosovo... a spokeswoman for [UNHCR]...said
humanitarian workers were trying to locate [the displaced] to provide food,
blankets and other supplies... 'We're sending our convoys into other areas
that we could reach... We're not being too optimistic, but we do hope the
situation will stabilize.' "
The Washington Post December 25 quoted an elderly woman from Glavnik
saying "Serbian attackers 'opened grenade fire at us even before our
children were awake. We are in the mountains without bread. I don't know
what we are going to do.' "
Agence France Presse reported January 5 that "a team from the OSCE's
Kosovo Verification Mission began picking at frozen, snow-covered earth at
a site that separatist rebels said contained 11 bodies, including that of a
six-month old baby." Reuters reported January 3: "International monitors in
Kosovo said on Sunday they were investigating allegations that a mass grave
had been discovered [in Kosovo. OSCE-KVM spokesman Sandy Blyth said] "As
yet this is unconfirmed. The human rights department of the OSCE will
investigate the matter...information was received over a possible mass
grave by US KDOM who then passed it on."
The Independent (London) reported yesterday: "Serbia's deputy Prime
Minister, Vojislav Seselj, denounced the monitors working for the OSCE for
investigating 'non- existent Albanian mass graves around Urosevac.' Mr
Seselj said: 'Western powers, Nato and Albanian terrorist bands are
conducting a joint action in Kosovo.' "
Agence France Presse reported January 1 an announcement by the OSCE-KVM
that "three Albanians in the hands of the KLA have been released following
a KLA decision. The OSCE was unable to say why or where the three Albanians
had been held."
The Washington Post reported yesterday: "About 65,000 Kosovo
children...missed school for an extended period last year because of the
war, and thousands of them witnessed military action. [While] UNICEF and
other aid organizations have not compiled figures on the extent and depth
of the mental anguish Kosovo's children have endured...in one group of 100
children, ages 6 to 9, who found refuge in Pristina, about 200 had severe
post traumatic stress disorders and are receiving psychiatric help... Among
the others, many had bedwetting problems, suffered from nightmares or were
jumpy at sudden noises, like a dropped dish or a slammed door."
The Boston-based NGO Physicians for Human Rights announced December 23 the
preliminary results of a study (conducted in late summer through fall
1998), citing "a pattern of Serbian intimidation of Albanian Kosovar
doctors, jeopardizing the already fragile health care system in a time when
Kosovars returning to their villages are in greatest medical need. The
intimidation is marked by instances of murder, torture, detention,
imprisonment, and forced disappearances of ethnic Albanian Kosovar
physicians. The... study...also cites cases of Albanian Kosovar patients
who have been abused by Serbian police and Serbian health professionals,
including instances where patients have been beaten, chained to beds or
radiators, and placed under constant armed police guard. The health and
human rights group...also cited interrogation and harassment of Albanian
Kosovar physicians, including threats of death, by Serbian police.
Medical facilities operated by ethnic Albanian Kosovar physicians have
been searched, property confiscated, and many clinics and health centers in
contested areas have been burned to the ground."
Radio 21 reported: "During [Monday] evening hours [in Racak village] there
was shooting and four Albanian houses were hit." After this shooting the
same neighborhood was surrounded by a large Serbian police force.
KDOM reported January 4 that "residents of the village of Racak claim that
there are police forces stationed in the mental hospital in Stimlje. The
residents expressed their fear that the police would kill the institution's
inmates and claim the KLA had done so. Villagers offered the OSCE/KVM a
nearby house gratis in which to place a verification team."
Following a December 22 meeting with Yugoslavia's President Slobodan
Milosevic, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata was quoted by
Reuters saying "further confidence-building measures are required... There
is some continued fear both on the part of the Serbs and...Albanians as to
treatment by the police and various armed groups... There are still many
fears related to detentions and restrictions of movements which are rather
recent... And there are some worrying incidents... I urged [Milosevic] to
implement an amnesty for ethnic Albanians... I have expressed to the
president that I hope very much that the amnesty be put into practice as
soon as possible.' "
Reuters noted December 22 that Dennis McNamara, director of the UNHCR
Division for International Protection...[said] arrests were a major
concern. 'People are arrested on the way to their villages or once they
return home...and this does not contribute to rebuilding confidence in the
province.' "
In a December 23 UN site report, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights estimated that "between 1,500 and 2,000 Kosovo Albanians have
been detained since the Holbrooke/Milosevic agreement of October 13...the
ICRC has no access during the period up to the trial of detainees."
Independent news service BETA (Belgrade) reported: "On Dec. 25, the
Pristina district court pronounced sentences to 15 Kosovo Albanians,
ranging from three to ten years in prison. The Kosovo Albanians were
convicted of terrorism and association for hostile activity. Their
sentences total one hundred years in prison...The Trial Chamber, presided
by judge Dragoljub Zdravkovic, pronounced sentences to seven defendants in
the courtroom, while eight of them were tried and convicted in absentia.
Eight of the defendants are former political prisoners from Kosovo. Among
them is the president of the Kosovo Association of Albanian Political
Prisoners, Berat Luzam, who was convicted to ten years in jail, which is
the harshest sentence pronounced at the trial."
ARTA reported today that the "Serb police arrested on Wednesday" four
ethnic Albanians from the village of Jablanica, later releasing one. Radio
21 January 4 noted that "about ten Serb soldiers and policemen brutally
beat and arrested [four] brothers in Zhur village." Radio 21 reported
December 31 that "Serb police arrested two Albanians in Gjakova. The reason
for this arrest is still unknown. In Ferezaj, Serb police forces arrested
four IDPs from Jezerac."
KDOM reported January 1 claims that "on December 29 in Urosevac, an ethnic
Albanian from the village of Jezerce was taken from a taxi and arrested by
police. Residents of Jezerce claim that police have targeted residents of
their village for harassment and arbitrary arrest on charges of being KLA
members."
Radio 21 reported December 28 that "Serb County Court [Prizren] sentenced
two Albanians for two years... [in Djakovica] Serb [police] are searching
and arresting Albanians. It is reported that one person was arrested and
'still being kept in Serb police station in Gjakova.' " Radio 21 noted
December 27 that "in Mitrovica, about 20 Serb policemen with the pretext of
looking for weapons, searched the house of Dibran Shala and arrested his son."
Radio 21 reported December 26 that Serbian police "arrested two LDK
[Democratic League of Kosova political party] leaders in Peja, while
searching their houses." Radio 21 also said December 22 that "Serb forces
arrested four Albanians in Peja. A correspondent from Prizren reported for
Radio 21 that Serb County Court of this town sentenced to three years in
prison two Albanians who were sent to prison in Vranje."
Radio 21 reported December 26: "Serb police...blocked the center of Peja
and Mitrovica [and] searched and ill-treated many Albanian residents."
Radio 21 reported December 28 that "Serb forces are blocking Mitrovica
every day from different sides and are legitimizing and ill-treating
Albanian residents." The same source correspondent reported that "Serb
military forces withdrew from Pnish village, where they were placed from
June 22...[and] are currently settled in Damjan village."
Radio 21 reported January 4 that "Serb police searched many Albanian
houses in Mitrovica." Radio 21 reported January 3 that "Serb police in Dush
village of Klina...shot with automatic weapons in the direction of three
Albanians. Same source informed that in the quarter Shipol of Mitrovica,
several Serb policemen stopped the bus...[and] ill-treated Besim Geci from
Llaushe village...for more than two hours...[and] after they have released
him, they made him run and they shot in his direction."
Radio 21 noted December 31: "Serb police forces in Mitrovica looted a
considerable amount of goods in several Albanian stores...[and] searched
two Albanian families with the pretext of looking for weapons....in
Ferezaj, Serb police searched the house of Albanian Rasim Salihu."
The Center for the Protection of Women and Children reported December 26
that "the Serb police closed off the commercial center of [Pec] at about
noon; many people were physically mistreated and robbed of their commercial
goods."
KDOM reported December 30 that "villagers in Sipitula (southwest of
Obilic) claimed that police were regularly firing on their village whenever
the fog lifted, and that they were afraid to work in their fields for fear
of being shot. They also said most local residents had fled the area out of
fear of renewed fighting. The KDOM patrol observed an unauthorized police
checkpoint south of the village...U.S. KDOM responded to complaints from an
Albanian Stimlje resident that her husband had been arrested and taken away
this morning, but was unable to confirm the report or quickly resolve the
situation at the local police station. Villagers in Racak claimed that the
police don't allow them to enter Stimlje."
A December 23 UN site report noted that "recent reports from the Institute
of Public Health in Pristina and medical and water sanitation agencies
indicate a significant increase in the incidence of Hepatitis A in Kosovo.
Analysis conducted by WHO [World Health Organization] suggests that the
most probable vehicle for transmission is water from contaminated wells,
which is often used untreated by the displaced. The influx of displaced
into urban areas is placing enormous pressure on water systems which were
already in poor repair due to lack of maintenance. This has resulted in a
shortage of water, a poor level of hygiene and an increased incidence of
scabies and lice, all of which are having a negative impact on the health
of the inhabitants." (Kosovo Briefings #38 and #40 cited reports by the
Washington Post and international organizations including the United
Nations noting apparently deliberate actions by Serbian forces to poison
and contaminate wells in mainly Albanian villages throughout Kosovo.)
II. FIGHTING/FORCE DEPLOYMENTS
The International Herald Tribune yesterday quoted NATO Supreme Commander
General Wesley Clark:
" 'The Serbs are violating their commitment to NATO'... He accused Belgrade
of deploying extra companies of regular troops, leaving heavy police
weapons in the hands of Serbian police officers who were supposed to revert
to normal peacetime procedures and breaking other pledges given in October
to avert allied air strikes."
Associated Press reported December 24 that "Yugoslav tanks and troops
struck against an ethnic Albanian rebel stronghold... The police and
military action struck six villages near Podujevo," citing NATO Secretary
General Javier Solana's description of the action as a "clear violation" of
a cease-fire agreement signed by Milosevic in October.
The Financial Times reported December 28 that "Federal Yugoslav troops and
Serbian police backed by up to 100 armored vehicles first tried to
dislodge rebels of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) from the village of
Lapastica on December 24. Belgrade had earlier told the OSCE the army was
on a training exercise." The New York Times noted December 25 that "the
Government said the assault today was part of the investigation into the
assassination of a state security official in Podujevo on Monday, a claim
abruptly dismissed by diplomats: 'You don't need...armored vehicles,
including tanks, for a murder case.' "
Agence France Presse said December 29 that "at least 25 dead have been
reported in the latest wave of fighting"; the Washington Post noted January
1 that "for days after [the initial Christmas Eve battle] the guerrillas
and Serbian forces exchanged fire. Reuters December 28 quoted OSCE Kosovo
Verification Mission (KVM) spokesman Jorgen Grunnet "said [the attacks]
were local skirmishes. 'There was no all-out war,' he said." The Financial
Times reported December 29 that "most of about 100 armored vehicles of
the Yugoslav army involved in the operation have since withdrawn to a
nearby airfield." KDOM reported December 23 prior to the attack that "VJ
troops continue to build earthen barriers around fighting equipment at the
[Dumos airport]...it appears the battle group is digging in for the long
haul."
The Washington Post reported December 25 that "a NATO official said the
soldiers involved in the attack were part of a Yugoslav army unit deployed
in Kosovo last week over NATO objections. The official said the Yugoslav
government 'is in open noncompliance' with a pledge made in an agreement
reached in October not to deploy the unit in Kosovo or use it to attack
villages... The official, speaking in a telephone interview on condition
he not be named, said the government is stepping up its military activity
in Kosovo because it resents the increasing popularity and strength of the
Kosovo Liberation Army and wants to 'resolve the problem again by force.'
The official noted that in the past two weeks, the government has blamed
ethnic Albanians for conducting 'wanton acts,' including the machinegunning
of Serbian teenagers in a bar in the western city of Pec and the murder of
a deputy mayor in a village near Pristina. But these 'provide no
justification for the intensification of Serb military and police
operations in violation of their commitments to NATO,' the official said.
He added that government troops have undertaken a series of provocative
actions that show they 'are trolling for a fight that's the pattern that's
emerged in the last week. They want to use every opportunity to engage the
[guerrillas] . . . and blame it on them.' "
Radio 21 reported today that "yesterday, from Serbia, in Kosovo arrived
three buses, three military trucks, two landrovers and one APCs... There
were large movements of Serb police in Podujevo, whereas five tanks
fromDumosh airport were placed in the [surrounding villages of the town].
Barrels of tanks were pointed in different directions."
Reuters reported December 31 that a KLA guard "said the Yugoslav Army had
deployed five tanks near Tabe."
The official Serbian Media Center (Pristina) reported yesterday that
"Denic Nebojsa...was fatally wounded in a terrorist attack at the security
guards of the... [power-plant] near Grabovac place, Kosovo Polje
municipality, today at 4 PM. He later succumbed his wounds on the way to
Pristina hospital. The terrorists fired from automatic weapons at the
security service of the Electroeconomy of Kosovo and Metohija. The police
have been searching for terrorists."
Associated Press December 30 cited Fehim Rexhepi, an ethnic Albanian
journalist who reports on the KLA: "the guerrillas have already reorganized
and increased their presence in the Podujevo area. He estimates that the
KLA has deployed between 2,000 and 3,000 guerrillas around the town. He
said the KLA's total strength has grown to about 6,000 across the province
since the cease-fire... Many of the villages in the Podujevo area are
deserted, except for uniformed KLA fighters. The KLA is particularly strong
in the nearby village of Lapastica, where hundreds of ethnic Albanians fled
after the latest fighting."
The New York Times noted December 25 that "international monitors said the
rebels used anti-tank weapons to inflict a surprising amount of damage on
the Government's armored vehicles [during the fighting in Podujevo]. While
the rebels had anti-tank weapons during combat over the summer, they had
not used them effectively. The rebels usually fled from Government
attacks... In today's fighting, monitors said, rebel forces often stood
their ground and forced Government troops to retreat... Some of the
[Serbian] armored vehicles showed heavy battle damage."
The Washington Post said December 31 that the KLA "which began as a
ragtag, peasant resistance movement, has after eight months of fighting
become a high-tech, mobile guerrilla force and, come spring, it expects
renewed heavy conflict."
Associated Press reported December 31 that "although the area has been
quiet for the past two days, ethnic Albanian rebels show no sign of backing
down. If the rebels capture Podujevo, they would control the main highway
between...Pristina and the heartland of Serbia... KLA trenches lie only a
few hundred yards away from the 20-mile road linking Podujevo with Pristina."
KDOM reported January 4: "KLA fighters remain entrenched in the village of
Obrandza west of Podujevo and in bunkers at the key intersection east of
Gornja Lapastica. Meanwhile the VJ battle group remains deployed at Dumos.
There is a heavy police presence in Podujevo itself... The area between
Stimlje and Suva Reka is experiencing increased tensions and it is possible
the Serbian police will take action to keep open the strategic
Stimlje-Pristina and Suva Reka-Pristina routes... KDOM/KVM spotted three
unauthorized police checkpoints in the Obilic area. Police on the scene
acknowledged the positions as unauthorized but claimed they had orders to
deploy. This corresponded with the concern expressed by the Kosovo official
as to KLA pressures to isolate Serbs in cities."
KDOM reported December 30 that "U.S. KDOM observed a VJ unit -- consisting
of several armored personnel carriers with engineering equipment --
deployed throughout the Stimlje pass. The police appeared to be setting up
new emplacements at the top of the pass. U.S. KDOM also observed activity
at a police checkpoint (northeast of Komorane) which consisted of six
police and an armored troop carrier. They waved through several buses and
civilian vehicles when KDOM appeared."
KDOM reported December 29 that security guards placed at a coal mine in
Obilic district "carry the same weapons as regular police and occasionally
stop traffic and search cars and buses."
Radio 21 reported January 1 that Serb forces were shooting on the villages
of Klina and "they were also shooting from the places Pishat e Volljakut,
Guri i Zi, Dollova, the bauxite mine and from Cuka e Gllareves...with flair
rockets."
Radio 21 reported January 4 that large Serbian forces were deployed "in
several crossroads of Mitrovica." Radio 21 reported December 31 the
"deployment of large Serb forces in Vucitrn, and a large presence of Serb
military forces were noticed in Klina."
The Center for Protection of Women and Children reported December 24 that
"Serb military and police movements are reported moving in Ferizaj, in
Obiliq and in Suhareke. [The] VJ is consequently deployed in Vermice
village of the Prizren area."
Agence France Presse reported KLA political representative Adem Demaci
said December 29 that "ethnic Albanian rebels will respect a fragile
US-brokered truce but will again 'respond if attacked' by Serb forces."
III. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
BETA reported today that "on Jan. 4, Kosovo Health Secretary Vukasin
Andric accused the international humanitarian organization Medicins Sans
Frontieres of abusing FRY's hospitality, because some of its activists
'have been caught hiding and smuggling weapons for Albanian terrorists.'
Recalling that the world public had been informed that a team of that
organization had been caught using radio frequencies used only by the
Serbian interior ministry, Andric said in his press release that by
conducting such 'generally anti-humane actions, Medicins Sans Frontieres
are erasing themselves from the list of those welcome in Kosovo, and they
are not contributing to improving the humanitarian situation in Kosovo.' "
Associated Press reported today a spokeswoman for MSF "said Monday that
Serb accusations that the group is helping [the KLA] are unfounded and came
'out of the blue'... [MSF's] continued work in Kosovo could be in
jeopardy...based on Andric's comments."
A December 23 UN site report noted that on December 11 "a landslide near
Kolasin in the north of Montenegro caused severe damage to the main road ,
rendering it unusable. The Automobile Club of Yugoslavia told UNHCR that it
could take several months to make the necessary repairs. If initial reports
are correct, the implications are serious as this route is used to
transport food and other relief items from Bar, the main point of entry in
Montenegro, to Kosovo... The one alternative route is not a serious option
as it is a narrow mountain road which is frequently blocked by snow.
Humanitarian agencies are currently investigating other options such as the
use of the railway or local purchase."
IV. MEDIA IN KOSOVO
Reuters reported yesterday the KLA "said on Monday it had set up its own
news agency and radio station to press its case against officials in
[Kosovo]. A statement from KLA's General Headquarters said the agency,
Kosovo Press, had begun operating on Monday and Radio Free Kosovo had
started final tests before going on air in the province... The statement...
said the aim was to provide 'just, multi-faceted and objective information."
Radio 21 reported Tuesday the broadcast of KLA radio "Free Kosova," on FM
frequencies 101 and 104, and noted that "listeners can hear this program
every day from 4 PM."
BETA noted January 6 that Assistant Serbian Information Minister Miljkan
Karlicic has said that his ministry has no confirmation about the existence
of the media of the illegal Kosovo Liberation Army. 'It is possible that
this is a propagandist terroristic ploy. However, if these media operate
indeed operate then we will undertake measures available to us against
them,' Karlicic told tomorrow's issue of the Belgrade daily 'Blic.' "
Reuters noted January 5 that "Yugoslavia's official news agency Tanjug
denounced the move... 'Ethnic Albanian terrorists are now evidently intent
on expanding their terrorist activities from the field to the media... They
have already given bombastic names to their agency and radio station, which
clearly demonstrates their intention to spread the fallacy about the
existence of some Albanian state in this southern Serbian province."
Independent Radio B-92 (Belgrade) said January 5 that "Koha Ditore, today
reports that the radio's transmission area included Pristina, Kosovska
Mitrovica, Vucitrn, Drenica, Malisevo, Pec and parts of central Kosovo."
BETA reported January 6: "The OSCE's Kosovo Verification Mission on Jan. 5
expressed concern over the future of the Pristina Albanian language daily
'Bujku,' which has not been coming out for more than ten days. In the
statement issued by the OSCE's office in Pristina, it was said that the
deputy chief of the KVM, Gabriel Keller, and the editor-in-chief of the
Bujku' paper, Binak Kelmendi, on Jan. 4 had talks and expressed their
concern over the fact that 'Bujku' had appeared on the streets only once
since Dec. 16. According to the statement, Keller estimated that "the
behavior of the 'Panorama' company,' which refuses to print 'Bujku' because
of unsettled debts, 'could have negative effects on the Kosovo situation.'
The statement said "media analysts of the OSCE's mission estimated that
'Bujku's' editorial policy was within the framework of European standards",
adding that Keller suggested that the KVM mediate in the dispute between
'Panorama' and the 'Bujku' daily."
BETA reported January 6 that "Belgrade Assistant Serbian Information
Miljkan Karlicic "announced that [Serbian] Information Minister Aleksandar
Vucic and the representatives of his ministry would visit Kosovo in the
coming week to implement measures for the enforcement of the Law on
Information in the province." Belgrade media January 6 reported that
Karlicic went on to say the state would enforce a number of other financial
control and legal prosecution measures against persons in charge of the
Kosovo Albanian media, which, Karlicic claimed, operated illegally and
outside the Serbian laws. Quoting regulations of the Serbian Information
Act, Karlicic said that operation of Kosovo media outlets in Albanian which
promote separatism and disrespect the state so much that they had not even
applied for registration -- which he said would have sufficed for their
legalisation -- would no longer be tolerated. He specifically referred to
Koha Ditore, Bujku and Kosova Sot newspapers, saying that apart from
lacking registrations, these newspapers had offended by relaying statements
by the KLA. Karlicic said that the closure action would include the newly
launched KLA outlets, although he did not specify in what manner this would
be undertaken.
BETA reported that "Serbian Minister of Information Aleksandar Vucic said
on Dec. 26 that Serbia's state bodies would 'very soon' lawfully 'prevent
the Albanian press reports publicly calling for separatism and terrorism.
The state of Serbia will not tolerate the Albanian press reports openly
calling for terrorism. The Law on Public Information binds us not to, and
on the basis of this law, we will effect legal measures and fulfill the
state's obligations very soon,' Vucic was quoted as saying by Radio
Belgrade, reporting from the Serbian Radical Party's round table discussion
in New Belgrade."
Agence France Presse reported December 23 that "journalists of
Albanian-language newspapers published in Kosovo said Wednesday they would
not change their editorial policy despite being threatened [December 17]
with a Belgrade crackdown... But the editors of four Albanian language
dailies [including Koha Ditore and Kosova Sot] responded by saying they
would not 'change a dot' in their papers."
V. OSCE KOSOVO VERIFICATION MISSION/NATO EXTRACTION FORCE
Reuters reported December 25 that "Serb forces threatened unarmed
international monitors Thursday during a clash with separatist rebels which
killed a child and violated Kosovo's fragile peace deal... [OSCE-KVM
mission chief William] Walker said an OSCE group had been threatened by the
security forces when it tried to reach the area - an incident he described
as 'extremely serious. Their vehicle was stopped at gunpoint and they were
told, "either you go or we will shoot," 'Walker said." The New York Times
reported December 25 the observer "was told by police that soldiers would
shoot him if he stayed longer than two more minutes."
Associated Press reported January 6 that "Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut
Vollebaek, who became OSCE Chairman on January 1, now predicts that...the
final total [of monitors in the KVM] may be only 1,500." Agence France
Presse had reported January 3 that "observers are now expected to arrive in
Kosovo at the rate of 100 a week to add to the 750 already in place, until
the force reaches its planned level of 2,000."
Associated Press also noted January 6 that Vollebaek said "around
Christmas, the KVM showed they have a big role to play... They used their
presence to move in and separate the parties and be go-betweens... Even
though the KVM has a relatively limited mandate... We have to make full use
of that mandate and maybe put weight on more than just inspecting."
Reuters December 28 cited a statement delivered by the then-OSCE
Chairman-in-office, Poland's Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek: " 'If the
bloodshed and violence escalate the OSCE will have to reconsider the forms
of its activity in Kosovo.' Geremek reminded the warring parties that the
OSCE undertook its mission on the understanding that Serbian authorities
would refrain from repression and ethnic Albanians would not resort to
violence."
The New York Times reported December 25 that "with Kosovo seemingly racing
toward all-out war, a British major general, John Drewienkiewicz, who is
deputy head of the monitoring mission, wondered aloud...if Europe and
America would continue to contribute observers. 'Why should we put the
lives of our young men in danger to help people who have not kept their
solemn agreements?... The states contributing forces will not see them
caught in a meat grinder. They will pull them out instead."
The New York Times December 26 reported that senior American diplomats
"said Washington was insisting that the observers would stay even if the
danger increased substantially. 'Our position is that no one in Kosovo is
going to make us leave just by intimidating us,' an American diplomat said.
'There is just too much at stake here for that.' " The Independent (London)
December 26 quoted OSCE-KVM chief William Walker calling the mission "the
last, best hope for peace in Kosovo." The Times (London) noted December 29
that "Walker is determined that the mandate of his 'verification mission'
should not be trimmed.' "
Agence France Presse reported December 28 that then-EU envoy to Kosovo
Wolfgang Petrisch, "speaking on German radio, said 'the situation will
deteriorate quickly,' if the OSCE verification mission is halted. 'I am
convinced that the OSCE has done remarkable work up to now, and that it
will continue to do so,' he said."
Reuters reported January 2 France's Defense Minister Alain Richard "said
in a worst-case scenario NATO's newly-created 'Extraction Force' based in
Macedonia would have to rescue from Kosovo all foreigners including peace
monitors deployed there by the OSCE. He said the five-nation,
French-commanded Extraction Force would have to grow up from 1,850 to 5,000
men for the mission."
Reuters yesterday reported that a NATO source "said...the Frenchled 'first
tier' of the extraction force, with troops from Britain, Germany, the
Netherlands, Italy and Canada, will be backed up by a second tier of
Britishled special forces on readiness in home bases. This will include
commandos prepared to tackle hostagetaking situations, as occurred in
Bosnia. NATO is also mounting a thirdtier of 3,000 additional troops, again
based outside Macedonia, in case a flareup of fighting in Kosovo makes it
necessary to evacuate the entire verification mission at once."
Reuters reported January 4 that despite continued threats by Milosevic to
attack foreign troops entering Yugoslavia, "some observers believe
[Milosevic] would tolerate [a NATO extraction force] because then they
would be responsible for reining in the KLA. 'That's not true,' said [a
Belgrade] government source. 'We can do it. We have the military force.' "
The International Herald Tribune reported yesterday that the threat had
caused "some concern in Paris that NATO's involvement might draw French
troops into battle against the Serbs, long allies of Paris. General Clark
visited Paris on Monday to reassure Defense Minister Richard that the
extraction force was meant to handle major rescues, not a major assault -
for which NATO would launch its own countermeasures."
Reuters also noted January 4 "international...diplomats said Macedonia was
increasingly uneasy about mounting pressure from Belgrade, angry that
Skopje had allowed the NATO force to set up in the country...French
officers at the force's Kumanovo headquarters said it would be fully
operational around January 15. Hundreds of men, including Canadian army
engineers, are working in sub-zero temperatures to set up the base but the
only operational forces to have arrived are 200 French Marine Infantry
paratroopers."
Associated Press noted that on December 29 "the local chief Serb official
in Kosovo, Zoran Andjelkovic, told local Serbs that the OSCE verifiers have
no business telling the government "what to do and how to deal with the
terrorists. It is their job only to verify the facts on the ground and
inform their superiors of their findings...and the facts clearly show that
the criminal gangs are terrorizing the civilian population."
BETA reported "on Dec. 27, the Serbian Radical Party accused 'most' of the
Kosovo Verification Mission of 'taking part in activities whose basic goal
is undermining the constitutional and legal order and territorial integrity
of Serbia and Yugoslavia.' The international verifiers 'continue to do
nothing to shed light on the fates of dozens of abducted and missing Serb
civilians,' but 'are in regular contact with the leaders of terrorist
gangs, which shows that there is nothing humane and democratic about their
mission,' the party said in a press release."
When asked January 5 about the safety of international monitors in Kosovo,
US State Department spokesman James Rubin said "obviously the safety of
international personnel in Kosovo is naturally a priority of the first
order for the United States. If the situation in Kosovo were to
deteriorate to a point where it was no longer possible to provide adequate
security guarantees, the NATO extraction force based in Macedonia stands
ready to assist in the extraction and evacuation of the monitors. We do
believe that this mission, however, is carrying out an important task; and
the current security environment, although a concern, it does not warrant
reevaluating that mission."
VI. POLITICAL STATUS NEGOTIATIONS
Associated Press reported today that "a French envoy on Saturday urged
ethnic Albanians to use the coming weeks to lay the groundwork for possible
talks with Serbia's government on the province's future... Jacques
Huntzinger, a representative of the six-nation Contact Group and France's
ambassador to neighboring Macedonia...urged the ethnic Albanians...to set
aside their internal squabbles, which have delayed progress on a peaceful
solution to the crisis here. 'The Contact Group has decided to take a new
initiative and make new steps in this process.' "
Agence France Presse reported January 6 that "Washington's special envoy
for Kosovo, Christopher Hill, on Tuesday resumed his efforts to sell a pact
that would grant Kosovo a high degree of autonomy." Associated Press quoted
Hill saying " 'we need to make sure that cease-fire holds. The cease-fire
is critical to getting that political settlement.' Reuters noted Tuesday
that Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said "we regret very much
that Ambassador Hill's efforts [during the last year] were not crowned with
success. It's no secret to say the situation in Kosovo fills us with great
concern."
State Department spokesman James Rubin said January 4 that "we are
obviously focusing our efforts, during this hiatus, on the importance of a
negotiated solution. We think both sides need to understand that there is
not that much time left for a negotiated solution which can give the
legitimate rights to the people of Kosovo and protect the national
interests of the Serbs before we face the prospect of renewed and very
dangerous conflict this spring."
Associated Press cited a KLA statement from Pristina Monday to independent
daily Koha Ditore (Pristina): "Kosovo should have a position of an
undisputed territorial entity...fully independent from the jurisdiction of
Serbia and Yugoslavia."
Reuters reported January 1 that lead ethnic Albanian negotiator Fehmi
Agani told Koha Ditore "if there is no political solution, then war is
inevitable in 1999."
The Washington Post cited Agani December 30 discussing the most recent
American-drafted interim status proposal: " 'Hill and the others have a
problem in not understanding' the status conferred on Kosovo by wording in
the latest draft, said Agani, a member of the moderate wing of the ethnic
Albanian leadership. He said the latest U.S. draft offered less than '50
percent of the autonomy that we had before' 1989... Agani was particularly
critical of provisions in the draft that say a newly created political
assembly in Kosovo can enact 'decisions' instead of the 'laws' described in
an earlier draft; that allow the Serbian government to maintain authority
for education, health and social welfare in Kosovo; and that prescribe a
joint presidency composed of representatives of multiple ethnic groups
instead of a more powerful president elected by the assembly. Noting that
Serbian courts would still have considerable jurisdiction over crimes
committed in Kosovo, Agani said, 'we would not only be within Serbia but
within Serbia's little system.' "
The December 30 Washington Post report also noted that "the reaction of
the Kosovo Liberation Army, which has spearheaded the conflict for ethnic
Albanians, was even stronger. Several guerrilla officials said they would
not hesitate to order renewed fighting if necessary to obtain more
favorable terms."
VII. INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY
The International Herald Tribune reported January 6 that NATO Supreme
Commander General Clark in a visit to Paris Monday "used his trip to take
issue with remarks last week in which [France's Defense Minister Alain]
Richard blamed the Kosovo Liberation Army for destabilizing the province.
France has been more reluctant than the United States or Britain to
confront Mr. Milosevic over Kosovo. A new tone emerged in the Paris talks,
a French official said, in which the Milosevic regime was characterized as
'the instability machine in Belgrade.' "
Reuters quoted January 3 France's Defense Minister Richard: " 'The main
destabilizing factor today is the KLA, not the Serb...and if the clashes
continue and grow, the accords will no longer be valid and we will have to
go back to the threats of military pressure which existed before.' He said
cutting off the KLA's financing abroad and resorting to threats of air
attacks was an alternative to a deployment of NATO troops in Kosovo which
he said was opposed by other Alliance members."
Following the initial Serbian assault on villages in the Podujevo region,
Agence France Presse noted NATO Secretary General Solana December 24
"warned that the activation order for a possible NATO military intervention
in Kosovo was still in place. The Alliance could intervene if the situation
were to deteriorate further, he said."
Reuters reported December 21 that "in brief talks with the heads of
Yugoslavia's Serbled army in Belgrade on Monday, NATO's top commander in
Europe, Gen. Wesley Clark, repeated warnings that the alliance might
intervene if fighting between Serb security forces and ethnic Albanian
rebels continues, sources close to the talks said on condition of anonymity."
Agence France Presse noted then-OSCE chairman-in-office Bronislaw Geremek
on December 28 "expressed his 'deep concern with the renewed fighting and
the breach of the fragile ceasefire in Kosovo in recent days... Contrary to
the October agreement and commitments, Serbian forces have re-entered
Kosovo and undertaken repressive actions. At the same time terrorist acts
have again been committed by Kosovo Albanian military factions."
US State Department acting spokesman Lee McClenny said December 24: "The
United States condemns the military action undertaken Wednesday by combined
forces of the Yugoslav Army and internal security police near Podujevo,
Kosovo. We condemn all breaches of the cease-fire and other violations of
applicable UN Security Council resolutions in Kosovo, including provocative
attacks committed by elements of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
Belgrade's disproportionate and indiscriminate reaction, however, cannot be
justified. The increased level of violence in Kosovo causes great concern.
All parties need to act with restraint and avoid escalating the conflict.
This includes respect for international boundaries and the territorial
integrity of all states in the region. Renewed fighting benefits neither
Serbs nor Kosovo Albanians and particularly endangers civilians of all
ethnic communities."
Agence France Presse reported December 24 that "the French foreign
ministry said it condemned violence in Kosovo 'with the greatest emphasis,'
regardless of whether it was started by the KLA or by Serbian forces. 'The
operation by Serbian security forces currently underway in the Podujevo
region is disproportionate and contrary to the international undertakings
made by Belgrade,' ministry spokeswoman Anne Gezeau-Secret said."
Associated Press reported December 28 that Russia's Foreign Minister Igor
Ivanov "said the ethnic Albanians provoked the violence to derail
negotiations on the province's future. 'The blame lies with those who
provoked these conflicts - first of all the Kosovo Albanians, or, to be
more exact, extremists and separatists,' Ivanov said during a news briefing."
Associated Press reported that Kosovo "President" Ibrahim Rugova in a New
Year's message "insisted that 'only the deployment of NATO troops in Kosovo
can bring about greater security for all the people - a precondition for a
political settlement of the Kosovo problem... We are convinced that the
international verification mission and permanent NATO attention can calm
down tensions.' "
Reuters December 30 said "Idriz Ajeti, the speaker of Kosovo's
self-proclaimed ethnic Albanian parliament, was also expecting
international support. 'We came up with a document urging NATO to
immediately intervene in Kosovo to stop the bloodshed and the spreading of
the conflict into the whole region.' [He also called for] the immediate
demilitarization of Kosovo and the placing of its people under
international protection."
Associated Press quoted Vojislav Seselj, Serbia's vice-Premier and the
leader of the Serbian Radical Party, saying December 31 that "warnings of
Javier Solana remind me of one-time threats by Adolf Hitler...NATO is an
aggressive military force threatening the entire world."
Reuters reported January 5 a "Yugoslav government source said on Monday
that the West seemed intent on putting ground troops into Kosovo... the
source added 'the idea is not to allow regular Yugoslav security forces to
manage, and to make some pretext for military intervention in the region.' "
Agence France Presse reported December 29 that "in a letter to UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan, Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadan Jovanovic
said that only a 'clear condemnation of terrorism and putting the KLA on
the list of terrorist organizations' could lead to a political solution to
the crisis."
Agence France Presse reported December 22 that "a US State Department
official, Laurence Rossin, met Tuesday with leading members of the KLA in
central Kosovo... KLA political representative Adem Demaci told reporters
that the meeting...was aimed at examining way to avoid a degradation of the
situation in the province."
VIII. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
Agence France Presse reported January 5 that KLA political representative
Demaci "was given a red-carpet reception Tuesday in neighboring Albania,
where the government promised to 'coordinate' its political actions with
those of the rebels. Demaci is the first KLA leader to be officially
received in Albania... [Albania's Foreign Minister Paskal Milo said] 'We
are going to have direct contacts to keep each other informed and
coordinate our joint actions... These contacts will become more concrete
and frequent.' "
Agence France Presse reported December 24 that Albania's Prime Minister
Pandeli Majko "called on NATO Thursday to intervene in neighboring Kosovo
to prevent what he claimed would be the genocide of the province's ethnic
Albanian population at the hands of the Serbs. 'Only NATO has adequate
mechanisms to ensure a quick solution to Kosovo and prevent an escalation
of the conflict in the region,' Majko said."
Agence France Presse reported December 21 that "Albania on Monday accused
the Yugoslav army of shooting at officials and soldiers in three separate
incidents last week... The Albanian interior ministry said shots were fired
on Saturday at two observers working for the OSCE near Tropoja. No one was
injured... Tirana also said that the Yugoslav forces opened fire on 'an
Albanian military unit near Tropoja on Saturday. And on Friday, six
Yugoslav army soldiers entered Albanian territory, while 14 others fired at
the Albanian village Zherke for about 45 minutes."
Reuters January 4 quoted US Ambassador to Macedonia and US special envoy
to Kosovo Christopher Hill: "I think there was broad recognition here that
if you can't get into NATO the second best option is to get NATO into you,
and that's what they did... To the extent Macedonia can nestle into broader
security and economic structures, its future will be much brighter."
Independent daily Dnevnik (Skopje) reported December 25 that "we have
learned from semiofficial sources that [the Macedonian government] does not
intend to ask for a continuation of the UN peace mission [UNPREDEP]."
Radio B-92 reported December 23 "the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Filip
Vujanovic yesterday told Radio B92 that Montenegro would redefine its
status in Yugoslavia if Kosovo were to become a third republic. Vujanovic
said that such a status for the province would be just a step away from
secession and independence which would cause problems for Macedonia."
IX. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN KOSOVO
Reuters reported January 4 that KLA political representative Adem Demaci
"has agreed to meet Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders to seek a strategy for
peace" in Kosovo. Following a Monday meeting between Demaci and Albania's
prime minister Majko, the Albanian government announced that the upcoming
meeting will be held in Tirana. Reuters also quoted a statement by the
Albanian government: "[Kosovo's political leadership] should speak in
unison for the solution of the Kosovo crisis."
Radio B-92 reported today that "Kosovo Serbs are to establish a new
political body in Kosovo. Serbian Resistance Movement leader Momcilo
Trajkovic today told Beta agency that the new National Council of Kosovo
would be set up first on a regional basis. It would be dormant, said
Trajkovic, unless the state caved in to the Albanian separatist movement or
the international community imposed a solution which jeopardised Serbian
national interests. He added that the council had no pretensions to
becoming a parallel state government and would not function as long as the
Serbian state functioned in Kosovo. The formal establishment of the council
is scheduled for January 16, in the town of Leposavic."
X. BELGRADE ON KOSOVO
BETA reported Serbian Renewal Movement president Vuk Draskovic "said on
Jan. 2, that in 1999, the government and people must channel all their
energy into achieving 'one goal -- the defense of Kosovo and Metohijathe
foundation and source of what makes us Serbs and Christians.' In a
statement broadcast on state TV, Draskovic said: 'Terrorists cannot be
beaten by any agreement on democratic rights and European standards,
because agreements do not apply to terrorists but to ordinary people.' He
added that the international community 'is beginning to alter its stand
towards the events in Kosovo insofar as it has already begun to openly
denounce the terrorists.' "
Associated Press also noted January 5 that "the state-run Politika daily
said today that the KLA should be outlawed. The daily demanded that the
group be declared a terrorist organization."
Associated Press reported December 30 that Yugoslavia President Slobodan
Milosevic said in a year-end speech Wednesday that a political solution for
the Kosovo conflict would come next year... Milosevic...again ruled out
independence for Kosovo."
In his speech, Milosevic said: "Pressures that culminated this autumn have
been applied with the goal of emancipating Kosovo to such an extent that
its separation from Serbia, that is Yugoslavia, would be easy and logical.
All Yugoslav residents stood up against this goal, and any pressure for
Kosovo's secession clashed and will clash with their will... Life in
multiethnic Kosovo should be based on the principle of equality of all
peoples. Moreover, nobody should be favored, neither the Serbs nor the
Albanians."
Agence France Presse reported December 25 that Milosevic on Saturday
announced a reshuffle of some 20 key military posts including the top army
command in...Kosovo... The latest...military reshuffle [includes] the
commanding officer and chief of staff of the Third Yugoslav Army, covering
the Kosovo area, [and] two army corps commanders including those in Kosovo."
