Kosova Daily Report #1377, 98-03-20

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From: Kosova Information Center <http://www.kosova.com/>

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1377
Prishtina, 20 March 1998

First Edition: 15:30 hrs
Second Edition: 19:30 hrs

CONTENTS

[01] Summary from President Rugova's Press Conference Friday

[02] Kosovar Albanian Delegation Meets Kinkel and Védrine

[03] Armed Serb Civilians Torment Prishtina Residents in Night Hours

[04] No Relaxation of Serb Forces' Grip on Drenica

[05] U.S. Congressional Mission to Kosova Obstructed by Serb Regime

[06] Serb Protestors Smash Albanian-owned Private Shops in Klina

[07] Six Albanians Received Fire-arms Wounds in Peja Wednesday

[08] Young Albanians Albanian Students Targeted By Serb Police and Civilians in Prishtina

[09] Albanian Protestor Sentenced to 40 Days in Prison

[10] A Dozen Villages of Mitrovica Without Electricity Since March 15

[01] Summary from President Rugova's Press Conference Friday

Dr. Ibrahim Rugova called on all citizens of Kosova with a right to vote to go to the polls Sunday to elect the new Parliament and President of the Republic.

Rugova went on to speak about the most recent developments in Kosova and the extremely grave situation in the Drenica region.

"Several villages in Drenica continued to be under Serb forces siege", President Ibrahim Rugova said, calling or an immediate withdrawal of Serb forces from Drenica.

He denounced in the strongest terms the brutal Serb intervention against the Albanian peaceful protesters in Peja ('Pec') Wednesday, in which Qerim Muriqi was shot dead and several others Albanians wounded.

The President urged the citizens exercise maximum restraint during peaceful manifestations against Serbian violence in Kosova.

Dr. Ibrahim Rugova welcomed the efforts of the international community to bring about an end to Serbian violence and massacres in Kosova. He said he was thankful for the efforts of the United States and the European Union on Kosova. The President praised U.S. President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and their Special Representative Ambassador Robert S. Gelbard for the role they have been playing in this engagement. He further hailed a resolution on Kosova passed earlier this week by the U.S. Congress.

President Ibrahim Rugova of Kosova said he was appreciative of the efforts on Kosova of the UK Foreign Minister Robin Cook, and German and French foreign ministers, Dr. Klaus Kinkel and Mr. Hubert Védrine.

Asked by reporters to say whether he thought there was progress towards dialogue in Kosova during yesterday's meeting in Belgrade of the German and French foreign ministers, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova said: "Let's hope and believe progress is possible". Stronger pressure [on Belgrade] is needed aimed at establishing dialogue, he stressed.

Commenting on the participation of the Albanian side in talks with Belgrade, President Ibrahim Rugova said the Kosova leadership will participate in talks, which should be well-prepared, with teams "that will ne selected from top levels, and international mediation".

He stressed third party mediation in Prishtina-Belgrade "is not a precondition, but a prerequisite," a necessary human and political device so the two confronted parties settle their differences, reconcile or separate. "International mediation is necessary", Dr. Rugova emphasized.

It is a democratic right [for political parties] to make their decision on participation or nonparticipation in the elections, President Ibrahim Rugova said, referring to the nonparticipation in the Sunday elections of the Parliamentary Party of Kosova (PPK) and some tiny political groupings or party factions.

President Ibrahim Rugova said he will announce early next week the names of the advisory council for participation in talks with Slobodan Milosevic's selected team.

[02] Kosovar Albanian Delegation Meets Kinkel and Védrine

The current situation in Kosova and prospects for facilitating and international mediation in resolving the crisis in Kosova were discusses in the meeting.

The French and German foreign minister said they had met the FRY (Serbia and Montenegro) President Milosevic earlier during the day and that a significant steps forward were made in the attempts of having the Serb and Kosovar Albanian sides enter a process of talks on Kosova.

The Kosovar representatives said the people of Kosova has been for years pursuing non-violent resistance in their bid to independence and freedom. The peaceful approach itself involves dialogue and negotiations, yet some basic prerequisites are essential so as to have successful dialogue and results, they said. The Belgrade regime should first lift the siege from Drenica, and secondly, no serious talks process will be productive without the presence and mediation of a third internationally authorized party which could help a solution and guarantee its possible outcome.

Klaus Kinkel and Hubert Védrine said the world applauds the people of Kosova and its leadership for their non-violent struggle noting that violence is not acceptable in pursuing settlements.

[03] Armed Serb Civilians Torment Prishtina Residents in Night Hours

An eye-witness, resident of Dardania neighborhood, told KIC that armed Serbs kicked the doors of Albanians' flats, broke windows of main entrance, and fired from revolvers until morning hours today.

Sources have identified one of the Serbs as Boban Marusic, himself resident of the same block of apartments in Dardania.

The Serbs knocked on the doors of Albanians, provoking and threatening them witness said.

They called on Albanian parents to expose their sons so they could kill them.

Running up and down the stairways and outside the building, shooting in the air and shouting anti-Albanians slogans during the whole time, the Serbs caused panic and terror. They smashed several windows of the building, including the car of an Albanian Gani Shala.

Witnesses have told KIC that fire arm shootings were heard Thursday evening in other parts of Prishtina.

Between 8 and 10 p.m., armed Serbs paraded in dozen of cars in the streets of Prishtina. Holding Serb banners, they provoked and offended Albanians.

[04] No Relaxation of Serb Forces' Grip on Drenica

Serb forces maintain a harsh grip on a wider area in Drenica, while in many villages people dare not move for fear of Serb sniper fire.

The situation is extremely grave at Llausha and Prekaz i Ul&t villages of Skenderaj ('Srbica').

These villages have been under siege or sealed off by Serb forces since 5 March, when Serb police and (para)military forces launched an attack and killed scores of Albanians in their homes and yards in Prekaz. Entire family compounds were shelled by heavy Serb guns.

During the course of today (Friday) there were reports of Serb forces moving from Mitrovica to Skenderaj.

Meanwhile, the situation in Prishtina, capital of Kosova, was extremely dangerous Thursday evening. Tens of Serb civilians roamed the Prishtina streets. In some blocks of flats, Serbs opened fire and intimidated Albanian residents.

[05] U.S. Congressional Mission to Kosova Obstructed by Serb Regime

The change in itinerary occurred after Belgrade authorities expressed concern about the delegation's presence in Kosova during the presidential and parliamentary elections in the Republic of Kosova this Sunday.

The U.S. delegation is today (Friday) in Shkup, and will try to enter Kosova from FYROM mid-day tomorrow (Saturday).

The delegation, sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), includes in addition to the Members of Congress, senior congressional staff, representatives of the National Endowment for Democracy and the U.S. Institute of Peace, and retired U.S. Ambassador to Albania William Ryerson.

Both houses of the United States Congress - the House of Representatives and the Senate - adopted resolutions on Kosova this past week, condemning the Serb massacre in the Drenica region and calling on U.S. administration to impose new sanctions on Serbia if it does not bring an end its assaults on Albanians.

[06] Serb Protestors Smash Albanian-owned Private Shops in Klina

The protest began at 11 a.m. Some one thousand participants, including primary and secondary school students, gathered in front of the Serbian police station in town singing nationalist "Chetnik" songs and offending the Albanian people. Later, the crowd roamed Klina, smashing Albanian-owned shops. They threw stones and used clubs to smash windows of Albanian-owned shops in town, LDK sources said.

[07] Six Albanians Received Fire-arms Wounds in Peja Wednesday

Meanwhile, the LDK sources said the Serbian police beat severely Halil Rexhaj (61) and Shaban Daci from Peja, and Uk& Shala from Loxha. All three were beaten up for having participated in the funeral of Qerim Muriqi, the Albanians shot dead by Serbian police during a peaceful popular protest in Peja Wednesday.

Sources in Peja said there is a huge presence of Serbian police in Peja today (Friday). Passers-bye are reported routinely harassed and intimidated.

Today, Serbian police got Sali Krasniqi, a high school student, out of a bus and beat him severely at ^ollapek police station with no reason whatsoever, sources in Peja said.

[08] Young Albanians Albanian Students Targeted By Serb Police and Civilians in Prishtina

Mr. Ahmet Hasani is a final year student of the Faculty of Economics at the Prishtina University.

The Student Union failed to provide further details about the abduction, or indeed whether the Albanian student was releases or his whereabouts knows.

Meanwhile, LDK sources in Prishtina said two Serb policemen and two Serb civilians hit the Albanian youth Benjamin Zymberi on the head in downtown Prishtina Thursday, got him into a car and took him to The Lakrishte neighborhood of Prishtina.

He was reported beaten unconscious and left there laying until some Prishtina residents found him and took him to a medical center.

Benjamin Zymber was reported taken home, where he is receiving medical assistance.

[09] Albanian Protestor Sentenced to 40 Days in Prison

He was immediately taken to the Serb-run Court and was sentenced summarily to 40 days in prison, Xhevat Shala, a relative to Blerim Shala told KIC today.

He said that the Serbian police ill-treated also Miss Luljeta Shala, secondary school student, and Avni Shala. The latter was held in police custody for several hours and beaten up severely.

Meanwhile, yesterday, in the vicinity of Sami Frash&ri high school in Prishtina, after the crowd of protesters was dispersing, Serb police ill- treated Xheladin Dauti and his two friends from Ferizaj ('Urosevac').

Mr. Dauti said he and his two friends were halted in the street, taken to the school cellar and beaten about all parts of the body.

"One of the Serb policemen brandished a knife, cut my hair, and asked me to decide whether I wanted my head cut off or my eyes pulled out", Xheladin Dauti said. Another policemen brandished a pistol, pointed to the head of Mr. Dauti, and ordered him make the three-finger (Serb) sign.

Mr. Dauti was beaten up unconscious by the Serb policemen, the LDK sources in Prishtina said.

[10] A Dozen Villages of Mitrovica Without Electricity Since March 15

The Serb-installed authorities said the villages had been plugged off because the residents had not paid their electricity bills.

LDK sources refuted Serb allegations.

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