KOSOVA COMMUNICATION #219

CONTENTS

  • [01] Austrian President In Albanian Parliament.

  • [02] Call for return of OSCE Missions

  • [03] British Foreign Under Secretary visits Albania

  • [04] Pledge to support free and independent Kosova

  • [05] Kosovars deserve to be free

  • [06] Quiet ethnic cleansing in Kosova

  • [07] More trials in Kosova

  • [08] Mitrovica economy in tatters

  • [09] Another Albanian killed

  • [10] LDK vice-chairman remarks on Lord Owen

  • [11] Detained Albanians subjected to torture

  • [12] Serbs concerned on Albanian birth rate

  • [13] Albanian place names continue to be changed

  • [14] Passport seized

  • [15] Albanian emigration from Montenegro

  • [16] Tetova University Rector Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison

  • [17] News in Brief

    •

    KOSOVA COMMUNICATION

    Bulletin of the Ministry of Informationof the Republic of Kosova

    4th Year; No219, 08 May 1995

    [01] Austrian President In Albanian Parliament.

    The Albanian News Agency ATA reports on 2 April that the Austrian Federal Presid ent Thomas Klestil, visiting Albania, addressed the Albanian Parliament. In his address to the Parliament Mr Klestil stated that the horrible war that ha d been going in on former Yugoslavia was the greatest challenge to Security in E urope and that Austria shared Albania's concern over the dangerous developments in the region near it. Austria, Mr Klestil continued, since the beginning had fa voured a just and long standing solution in the conflict and that the solution s hould be based on known principles i.e. the respect of human rights, ethnic mino rities and nations, the rejection of forced border changes and ethnic cleansing. This was why Austria had always denounced the continuos repression of Albanians in Kosova which could lead to the uncontrolled spread of conflict said Mr Klesti l. Mr Klestil stated that Austria thought that the solution to the Kosova issue sho uld be an essential element to every solution for peace in the former Yugoslavia . The Albanian population in Kosova, according to the principles of the Organis ation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), should regain the rights sa id Mr Klestil. Mr Klestil believed that only quick negotiations could prevent the explosion of the powder keg, that is Kosova. He added that the stability of the Former Yugosl av Republic of Macedonia was of special importance to peaceful development in th e region. Albania could influence the political leaders of the Albanian population of Koso va by giving an important contribution in reconciliation efforts between the maj ority of Slav Macedonians and Albanian nationality, said the President of Austri a.

    [02] Call for return of OSCE Missions

    In a recent meeting held in Budapest, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Laslo Kova cs called upon the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Yugoslavia (Serbia, Montenegr o) Vladislav Jovanovic, to allow the return of the OSCE Monitoring Missions to K osova, Sandjak and Vojvodina, reports the Serbian News Agency Tanjung.

    [03] British Foreign Under Secretary visits Albania

    Mr. John Coles, British Foreign Under Secretary recently visited Albania. On 27 April he was received by the Albanian President, Sali Berisha. Mr. Berisha stated that Albania was determined to integrate into European struct ures and would appreciate very much the support of Great Britain in these attempts. Mr Coles said that the British Government valued highly the course and the resul ts of reforms in Albania and would prefer an increase of co-operation with her. Great Britain was closely monitoring developments in the Balkans and supported a ttempts to establish dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade. The Kosova problem had not been forgotten and was already on the agenda for talks within the EU, Mr Coles stated during his meeting with the Albanian Foreign Minister, Alfred Se rreqi.

    [04] Pledge to support free and independent Kosova

    After returning Sunday from a five-day visit to Serbia, Kosova and Macedonia and Albania, American Congressman, Republican Jim Moran said that he supported a fr ee and independent Kosova in which the Albanians and all Kosovars could live in peace. Mr Moran, a member of the House Internal Relations Committee, and other c ongressional staff members, participated in the congressional delegation which m et with Kosova government and political leaders. "The situation is untenable in Kosova, with the oppression of a police state," the congressman told journalists in Prishtina. Mr Moran said he found the Serbs he met in Belgrade "deliberately ignorant" of t he massive human rights abuses in Kosova. Mr Moran praised President Rugova as " courageous in searching for a non-violent solution." He said that after seeing t he terrible situation in Kosova, he fully supported Dr. Rugova.

    [05] Kosovars deserve to be free

    Repbulican Congresswoman Susan Molinari, in reaction to the Serb attack on Belgr ade said, "The U.S. and the internaitonal community have, for four years now , f ailed to take the necessary steps to solve the conflict in Croatia, Bosnia and K osova; in fact wehave made the situation worse." She said the Balkan crisis is m ore likely to explode than disappear. "Basically our approach has been piecemeal and inneffective," the congresswoman said. "The Albanians in Kosova deserve to be free of Serbian oppression. It's that simple."

    [06] Quiet ethnic cleansing in Kosova

    In an interview given to the Serbian paper Nasa Borba , Mr. Aron Rounds, Executi ve director of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, stated th at Serbia and Montenegro were continuing their policy of "quiet" ethnic cleansin g and that the situation in Kosova would deteriorate if the present policies rem ained. Almost daily we receive information of various forms of discrimination, ill-trea tment, arrests, tortures and beatings of Kosova citizens, he concluded.

    [07] More trials in Kosova

    The Magistrates Court in Prizren and Gjilan commenced on 3 May , separate procee dings against 72 former Kosova policemen and other political activists, includin g Sezair Shaip, Chairmen of the Turkish Peoples Party. They are accused of having allegedly been involved in establishing the so-called Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Kosova', punished under articles 116 a nd 136 of Serbian Penal Law.

    [08] Mitrovica economy in tatters

    The economy of Mitrovica, run by Serb authorities, is in a catastrophic situatio n. Companies are facing big loses year after year. Trepga alone concluded the la st business year with a loss of 41 million DM. Trading company Luxs , consitstan tly profitable, concluded 1994 with a loss of 2 million DM, the Kosovosirovina c ompany lost 270,000 DM and so on, Belgrade based Politika writes.

    [09] Another Albanian killed

    On 3 May at 15:30, near the village Lutogllavk (Suha Reka), about 100 policemen surrounded and then shot dead Besim Ndrecaj, from the above village, employee of the Suhareka Agricultural Company . Besim, father of six, on that day following a fight with several Serbian policem en killed Dragan Soskic, commander of the police station at the village of Lubiz hde. Medical reports say that Besim was hit by six bullets. According to the Council for Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms in Prishtina, the Serbian Police officer Soskic was in charge of the police operations in this region, particularly in the village of Grejkoc.

    [10] LDK vice-chairman remarks on Lord Owen

    In the regular LDK press conference on 5 May, asked by the Serbian Tanjug news a gency reporter to comment on an alleged statement of the EU mediator, Lord Owen who reportedly had said the Albanians of Kosova should give up secession', the L DK vice-chairman, Hydajet Hyseni, said he did not believe that Lord Owen, as a m ediator, could speak on behalf of other states regarding the Kosova issue. We do not believe that he can declare himself against the democratically expressed wi ll of the Kosova people and its commitment to see that this will is fulfilled th rough the peaceful means , being not detrimental to the interests of other peopl e. Lord Owen could not offer for Kosova a framework which goes in opposition to the practise being built in Britain concerning Ireland, a framework which has me t with approval world-wide.

    [11] Detained Albanians subjected to torture

    On 28 April, Mr. Patric Budue, chairman of the Paris based International Federat ion for Human Rights, wrote to Serbian Minister of Justice, Arandjel Markicevic, regarding the trial of 44 former Kosova policemen in Prizren. Among other, he w arns on detention procedural errors'. According to the information the IFHR poss esses there have been serious violations of the right to legal defence. Since th e end of 1994, when they were arrested, most of the accused have been subjected to systematic torture.

    [12] Serbs concerned on Albanian birth rate

    Although the Albanians boycotted the 1991 census, the Institute for Social Scien ces in Belgrade, reports that the population of Kosova has increased by 370,000 from 1981 to 1991. At the same time the Serbian population has risen by 130,000 and Vojvodina's population has decreased by 22,000. The Institute predicts that in the year 2065 the population of Kosova will numbe r 4.8 inhabitants. Dr. Milosh Banicevic, Director of the Institute, reportedly told Borba that Alba nians with their high birth rate endanger the rights of nations with low birth r ates'.

    [13] Albanian place names continue to be changed

    Serbian installed authorities in Prishtina are continuing with the Serbian polic y of Serbianising street and place names. Their latest decision is the renaming of the one of the main thoroughfares in Pr ishtina, Ramiz Sadiku, so named after an Albanian national hero, to that of Tsar Dushan, the medieval Serbian King.

    [14] Passport seized

    On 3 may, at the Hani I Elezit border crossing point , police seized the passpor t of Prof. Dr. Abdullah Karjagdiu, member of the Committee of the Albanian Demo- Christian Party, who was officially travelling to Shkup. The Committee of the Albanian Demo-Christian Party considers this as a continuat ion of pressure against Albanian political activists.

    [15] Albanian emigration from Montenegro

    Voice of America radio has recently reported that the transference of Albanians from Montenegro has assumed alarming proportions. Massive transference of Albani ans from Montenegro began in 1968-1973 and 1980-1994, continuing at the same rat e today. Census data, provided by the Albanian migrant association from Monteneg ro, discloses that more than 50 dwelling places are involved. The village of Gen ica in the commune of Plava now has two families from an original of 70, whereas in the village of Pepaj now, also in this commune, only two families remain fro m an original 30. The village Amulli I Poshtem, Ulqin, has been totally deserted, with almost 100% migration. The last resident died in 1990.

    [16] Tetova University Rector Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison

    On the 3rd May, the Magistrates Court in the FYROM town of Tetova sentenced Dr. Fadil Sylejmani, rector of the Albanian-medium University of Tetova to two and a half years in prison. The same court sentenced Mr. Milaim Fejziu, chairman of the Gostivar-based (FYROM) Human Rights Forum to 6 months in prison. The Albanian political bodies in FYROM and Kosova strongly condemned these sente nces. Protests against these imprisonment's were held in front of the offices of the U nited Nations in Geneva.

    [17] News in Brief

    On April 25, in the village of Xerxe, Rahovec, two Serbian police raided the hom e of Nezir Thaci, treasurer of the local finance committee, and seized over 2,50 0 DM. The money was being used to finance the local primary school, Ganimet Terb eshi.

    On April 24, in Mitrovica, three Serbian civilians forced entry into the flat be longing to an ethnic Albanian, Hamit Sahiti, and billeted an ethnic Serb, Blazo Avramovic. Mr Sahiti had lived in the apartment for 23 years.

    On April 25, in the village of Dragobil, Malisheva, Serbian police arrested in h is home Nebih M. Pacazari (25) who had deserted the former Yugoslav Army three y ears previously. Following a period of detention at Suhareka police station, he was removed to th e military barracks in Prizren.

    On 1 May, Ismail Nazif Balaj (1927), from Balaj near Ferizaj died as a consequen ce of torture at the police station on 7 April.

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