An open letter to the UN SG, Chairman of the European Parliament, Council of Europe, presidents of NATO countries and international opinion

Belgrade Says Obligations of International Norms Are An Obstacle for Releasing Albanian Hostages?!

Dear gentlemen! Do not give time to Belgrade, but demand from it to give back Kosovo's citizens to Kosovo and not to lean on hopes in laws and procedures which are not needed and Belgrade is not in charge because Kosovo is not under Belgrade's but international administration

By Flora Brovina

January 21, 2001

While the Serb forces were withdrawing from Kosovo, myself and thousands of other Albanians were taken as hostages. Two years have passed since the war ended and Belgrade authorities continue to keep these unfortunate people with different charges. As a former hostage, released owing to the international opinion, I want to express in this letter my concern, indignation and irritation about the fate of my friends who are unfairly being held by Belgrade.

We were not prisoners but hostages, taken in streets, shops our homes or long lines of refugees during the time when Milosevic was carrying out ethnic cleansing of Kosovo. And this was a conclusion, not just mine, but of many human rights organizations which monitored Serb trials against Albanians.

And they are hostages because these people are and cannot be subject to justice, but they are being used for political objectives. Unfortunately, the relevant international community has been involved here too.

I do not want to hurt anyone because I believe Your conscience and the conscience of anyone who could help these unfortunate and did not do what he/she could and was their task to do so, is hurt by itself.

Dear gentlemen! While Milosevic was in power I could perhaps understand Your incompetence to undertake anything, but I cannot understand Your game at the moment when Belgrade was ready to appear before the windows of Your institutions for re-integration or restoration of diplomatic relations.

I know you had Your priorities. I'm confused and I do not know if it was Belgrade that needed reintegration or it was rather You that needed Belgrade?

I know the needs were mutual, but it was not Belgrade who could put conditions but You, and You did not do so.

When I was asking why pressure was not exerted on Belgrade, why this or that thing was not conditioned, the most frequent answers were: we have to wait and see the course of December elections in Serbia. We are afraid Kostunica may lose. We are afraid the electors may get irritated. We were promised that this issue will end after the elections.

Your conviction, dear gentlemen that democracy won in Belgrade, something about which I was not convinced, but You did not believe because you did not want to believe. You were talking on the basis of promises you had taken from different officials in Belgrade without testing them a single time.

Unfortunately, my doubts are showing to be true. I want to see Serbia democratized, I'll be happy to see its democratization, in deeds and not only words.

Elections ended and the favoured forces won, Serbia "was democratized".

You, I believe, are aware of how Belgrade's "democrats" approached the issue of hostages. As "democrats" as they are, as co-operative people with the international community and the obligations they have towards international norms, they, (read: for Yours sake) cannot release the Albanian "terrorists". O tempora o mores! Therefore, if you understand correctly, it is You who are keeping these people hostages and not Belgrade, because if it was up to Belgrade, they would be released immediately. Boomerang! You could not get a better answer from those you blindly accepted. If you enter a game with the devil, you will become devilish yourself.

Therefore, dear gentlemen do not give time to Belgrade, but demand from it to give back Kosovo's citizens to Kosovo and not to lean on hopes in laws and procedures which are not needed and Belgrade is not in charge because Kosovo is not under Belgrade's but international administration.

If Belgrade, since it knows the obligations towards the international community, cannot release "Albanian terrorists", demand from it first to respect UN Resolution 1244 and to hand over these people to those who are competent to try-courts in Kosovo.