Kosova Daily Report #1359, 98-03-02

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From: Kosova Information Center <kic_pr@zana-pr.ztn.apc.org>

Kosova Information Center

KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1359

Prishtina, 2 March 1998

Second Edition

CONTENTS

[01] Serb Driver Deliberately Runs Over Protesters, Four Gravely Injured

[02] Serb Police Beats Albanian Women and Children at Their Homes

[03] Serb Students Offend and Throw Stones at Albanian Protesters

[04] LDK Leaders Meet with American and British Diplomats

[05] KIC Building Under Strict Serb Police Watch

[06] Leading Journalists Beaten Up by Police

[07] Thirty Thousand Albanians Protest in Downtown Podujeva

[01] Serb Driver Deliberately Runs Over Protesters, Four Gravely Injured

The building of the Institute of Albanians Studies has for four years now been occupied by Serbs.

During a peaceful protest manifestation, a Serb driver deliberately drove down the road where several thousand protesters were rallying peacefully and crushed down four of them, the eye-witnesses said.

The car was a Kragujevac-made Zastava 101 of a light green color, with the Prishtina license plate.

Three young men and a young lady were crushed. The car drove down the road and crushes with a cannon water vehicle, which was there to intervene against the protest.

When the mass of people swarmed in the direction of the Serb criminal, the Serb police went to his aid, shot in the air and arrested one Albanian.

[02] Serb Police Beats Albanian Women and Children at Their Homes

The Serb police beat Albanian women and children because of having showed up in balconies and windows to show solidarity with the street protests.

Serbs living in the blocks of flats in the Ramiz Sadiku alley were said to have shown sympathy for the brutal Serb crackdown against their Albanian neighbors.

[03] Serb Students Offend and Throw Stones at Albanian Protesters

Serb students offended Albanians and threw stones and pieces of glass at them from the building of the Faculty of Philosophy and the Students Dormitory, both of them under Serb administration since 1991, when Albanians were forcefully kicked out by Serb regime. Two protesters were reported injured on the occasion.

Scores of Serb students came out of the Students Canteen, initially shouted insults, later started physically assaulting Albanian protesters.

President Rugova Discuses Recent Situation with U.S. and British Diplomats

PRISHTINA, March 2 (KIC) - Sunday evening, the President of the Republic of Kosova Dr. Ibrahim Rugova received for talks Belgrade and Prishtina-based diplomats of the United States of America and Great Britain to discuss the current developments in Kosova.

Mr. Nicholas Hill, First Secretary in the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Mr. Julian Braithwaite, First Secretary in the British Embassy, and Mr. Richard Huckaby, Director of the USIS Office in Prishtina expressed the deep concern of their governments over the escalating violence in the Drenica region during the lasts weekend which resulted in a large number of casualties.

The US and British diplomats said they have been closely watching the developments and have been reporting to their governments. They urged for restraint and all efforts to prevent the situation from further escalating and slipping out of control.

President Ibrahim Rugova reaffirmed the commitment of the people of Kosova to a peaceful and nonviolent resolution of the Kosova crisis. He underlined the need for urgent action on the part of international community, U.S. and EU in the first place, to make the Belgrade regime bring an end to the mounting violence against the people of Kosova, and to encourage an early dialogue between the leadership of Kosova and Serbia.

[04] LDK Leaders Meet with American and British Diplomats

The most recent situation in Kosova was discussed.

Fatmir Sejdiu and Abdyl Ramaj informed the foreign diplomats about the latest developments in the Drenica region in the aftermath of the brutal crackdown of Serb forces in several villages of Drenica, which resulted in a huge loss of life among the local Albanian population.

The LDK officials said the Serbian police prevented Albanian doctors and international and local humanitarian organizations from entering the region in order to provide medical assistance to the wounded.

LDK officials demanded urgent international preventive measures to stop further escalation of the situation.

Mr. Fatmir Sejdiu and Abdyl Ramaj, together with other senior LDK members, visited Skenderaj yesterday morning.

[05] KIC Building Under Strict Serb Police Watch

The Office of the President of the Republic of Kosova and the Kosova Information Center (KIC) operate in this building and an accessory one.

Two policemen standing nearby warned passers-by not to pass along the road in front of the KWA.

You will be responsible yourself for entering there! - a policeman told the wife of a KIC staff member.

At 1:20, the police stopped Mentor Zeqiri and Afrim Gashi, technical staff members with the President' s Office, who were on their way to the Office. The police brandished weapons at them, threatening they would open fire should they did not obey their orders.

[06] Leading Journalists Beaten Up by Police

Meanwhile, among those having suffered injuries today are Albanian students Xhemile Asllani (f) and Flutura Krasniqi (f). They are said to have suffered back and leg injuries near the Xhevdet Doda high school in downtown Prishtina.

[07] Thirty Thousand Albanians Protest in Downtown Podujeva

Students of the three secondary schools in town joined the protest rally.

The Podujevans protested to show solidarity with the Drenica people, who have borne the brunt of Serb police and paramilitary crackdown over the past few days.

The protesters dispersed peacefully. No police intervention reported.

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