Kosova Daily Report #1385, 98-03-27

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

Kosova Information Center

KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1385

Prishtina, 27 March 1998

CONTENTS

[01] President Rugova's Press Conference

[02] President Rugova Receives Canadian Ambassador

[03] Joint Gelbard and Greenstock Press Conference in Prishtina

[04] Albanians Killed by Serb Forces at Gllogjan Buried Today

[05] Serb Policemen Molest Female Student in Mitrovica

[06] Serb Civilians Beat and Rob Albanian in Front Serb Policeman

[07] Serb Students Rally in Prishtina to Oppose Access of Albanians in Classrooms

[08] Classes in Kijeva Hampered, Teachers and Students Under Constant Serb Threat

[01] President Rugova's Press Conference

Speaking during a regular press conference today (Friday), President Ibrahim Rugova thanked ambassadors Robert S. Gelbard and Jeremy Greenstock who were on a trip to Kosova yesterday, and had talks with him and his aides in Prishtina.

The Kosova leadership hopes to see more action from the Contact Group and implementation of the measures and sanctions called for in the London meeting earlier this month.

President Ibrahim Rugova took the opportunity to thank President Jacques Chirac of France with whom he had a "significant (telephone) conversation" two days ago, focussing on the Kosova issue.

Touching on the current situation in Kosova, President Ibrahim Rugova described it as "very grave". Earlier this week the De^an villages witnessed a fresh Serb massive attack, similar to the one in the Drenica region earlier this month, he said. "Serb police and military operations against the civilian population should be brought to an immediate end".

The will of the people of Kosova is a free, independent, and democratic country, the President recalled.

Regarding the prospects for dialogue in search of a settlement for Kosova. Dr. Ibrahim Rugova said the (Kosova) Albanian side accepts the position of the international community - the United States of America, the European Union, and the Contact Group countries - for a the start of an unconditional dialogue and international mediation. "To this end, a greater international engagement is needed, more pressure (on Belgrade".

Asked by a reporter to say whether Serb police units should be withdrawn from Drenica before a dialogue can start, President Ibrahim Rugova said the Contact Group has called for the Serb forces to pull out. Dialogue should be initiated, and in it the parties will come to the table with their own negotiating positions, he pointed out.

President Ibrahim Rugova said he welcomed the request of a number of U.S. legislators who have pressed for a no-fly zone over Kosova.

(Serb helicopter gunships were involved in operations in Drenica in which more than 80 local Albanian civilians were killed.) "The Contact Group document (March 9) has demanded the imposition of an arms embargo against Serbia. Then come economic sanctions", President Rugova of Kosova said, concluding that a no fly zone for military aircraft over Kosova would be a "very positive" step.

[02] President Rugova Receives Canadian Ambassador

During a frank and lengthy discussion, President Rugova and the Canadian Ambassador exchanged views on the current situation in Kosova, and prospects for a peaceful resolution to the Kosova problem.

The recent Serbian crackdown on Albanian villages in the De^an region following the massive assault in Drenica earlier this month has further increased tensions, Dr. Rugova said. He urged international intervention to halt Serb police and military actions in Kosova.

President Rugova said the people of Kosova are strongly committed to a peaceful and political settlement to the Kosova issue. He reaffirmed that Kosova, as an independent and neutral country, open both to Serbia and Albania, is an optimal solution to the Kosova issue, noting that a genuine talks process between Prishtina and Belgrade, under authoritative international mediation, led by the United States in cooperation with EU, is the only way to ensure a peaceful resolution to the Kosova crisis.

Ambassador Girard said the Canadian government was concerned over the situation in Kosova. He condemned the violence and massacres in Drenica.

Mr. Girard stressed that his country supported a peaceful resolution to the Kosova problem, through dialogue. Acts of violence in Kosova may be detrimental to efforts for a political resolution of the Kosova issue, Ambassador Girard said.

President Rugova thanked the Canadian government for its concern over the situation in Kosova and support for a political and negotiated settlement in Kosova.

[03] Joint Gelbard and Greenstock Press Conference in Prishtina

He and Mr. Jeremy Greenstock, Political Director in the U.K. Foreign Commonwealth Office, held a joint conference after talks in Prishtina with President Ibrahim Rugova and his Advisory Group and other Albanian representatives.

"We are determined to show that the international community will play a part in establishing [the Prishtina-Belgrade, KIC] dialogue, and ensuring that a political process starts with the international community insisting on proper standards for that dialogue", Mr. Greenstock said.

"If there is not a dialogue established, with international involvement in the next four weeks, then further measures [against Belgrade] will be enacted".

Ambassador Gelbard praised Dr. Rugova for having appointed the Advisory Group, and said that "he (Rugova) now intends to establish a negotiating team".

The Contact Group is not offering itself as a mediator, but "if we are asked by both sides to do such meditation, we would do it", the U.K. diplomat Greenstock said.

A lot more should be done before talking starts, he said, adding "but you have to establish a process and it has to be some kind of international insistence that the process is one that is going to produce results. It is not for the international community to decide on the status of Kosovo. That is to be done by negotiations between the parties involved.", Mr. Jeremy Greenstock said.

Replying to repeated questions about the international involvement in the Prishtina-Belgrade dialogue, namely what they meant by 'international involvement', Greenstock said: "That is what we are now talking about. We will actually now get a process going to ensure, or, if you like it is a refereeing process, to make sure, first of all, that each side produces a proper negotiating team and second that the mechanics of the negotiation are established".

Ambassador Robert S. Gelbard, the Special Representative, spoke of the withdrawal of Serb special police forces as "an absolute prerequisite to creating a situation on the ground and a situation psychologically on lessening tensions and building confidence. If these are not, if this does not happen, I think there is no question that this will produce a hardening certainly of the United States position."

Ambassador Gelbard went on to say that it is the view of the United States "that based on first-hand evidence from Embassy personnel that the special police and other units are digging in and making their presence permanent or at least semi-permanent. They are certainly in positions they were not in before and the United States feels very, very strongly that this is an abnormal situation which is absolutely terrorizing the population throughout Kosovo.

Therefore, there is no doubt in our mind in the slightest that this is a presence which must be removed."

[04] Albanians Killed by Serb Forces at Gllogjan Buried Today

Around 30.000 people from De^an and all Kosova took part in the funerals.

Among those taking part was Nimon Alimusaj, member of the Presidency of the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK), President Ibrahim Rugova's party.

Those speaking in the funeral condemned in the strongest terms the killing of the two young Albanians and the Serbian state terror against the people of Kosova.

[05] Serb Policemen Molest Female Student in Mitrovica

The LDK Information Center in Mitrovica has quoted Miss Brikena Ceraja as saying that on Thursday morning, while on her way to school, two Serb policemen chased her and molested her in the street. The policemen on board of an official vehicle first chased the girl then teased her legs and provoked her. Brikena managed to run away when a civilian car drove, the Commission said, adding that she fainted one she entered her home.

Sources in Mitrovica said that two Serb policemen harassed several pupils of the Migjeni elementary school in Mitrovica on Thursday, too.

[06] Serb Civilians Beat and Rob Albanian in Front Serb Policeman

Sources in Gjilan said that three armed Serb civilians assaulted Meneders Zeqiri while on his way to his village. The three Serbs beat him and robbed him of 50 German marks he had in his pockets.

While the three Serbs were beating the Albanian, a Serb policeman was standing not far away watching but doing nothing.

Meanwhile, sources in Gjilan said the Serbian police beat up an Albanian student Ridvan Rexhepi (20) from Bujanocvc today morning.

The police beat him near the bus station in Gjilan under the pretext he had taken part in students protests in Prishtina.

[07] Serb Students Rally in Prishtina to Oppose Access of Albanians in Classrooms

During a 45-minute rally, Serbs students jeered Albanians and the international community, wowing they would oppose any access of Albanians in university facilities.

A deal for implementation of the Education Agreement signed in September 1996 by the then President of Serbia Slobodan Milosevic and President of Kosova, Ibrahim Kosova, was signed by Belgrade and Prishtina sides on Monday.

On Wednesday afternoon, a team of Serbian government was trapped for five hours inside the Rectorate of the Prishtina University, which has been for seven years occupied by Serb only. The people from Belgrade had reportedly come to Prishtina to persuade the Serb rector Papovic to accept the deal signed by Kosovar and Serb 3+3 Commissions on Monday. Hundreds of Serb students jeered and threw firecrackers at Serbian government officials.

[08] Classes in Kijeva Hampered, Teachers and Students Under Constant Serb Threat

Pupils and students are fearful to go to school, particularly in the wake of a couple of yet unexplained incidents in the area. The latest, as shown in some of the European TV channels, took place in the schoolyard of the local primary school, during he afternoon shift, at a time only Albanian pupils were in school.

The local primary school in Kijeva houses both Albanian and Serb pupils - Serbs in the morning shift while Albanians in the afternoon.

The Serbian police check-point is adjacent to the school, and the Serb police violence against the teachers and pupils of this school has resulted panic and insecurity.

The police have been beating people routinely if they avoided the police check-point in cases they want to go out of the village.

Dozens of families living in a new quarter near the police check- point have been threatened, asking shelter with their relatives and friends elsewhere. The Serbian police and paramilitaries have been using houses for emplacements.

The small minority of the Serbian residents in Kijeva have also been intimidating their Albanian neighbors. They have been armed heavily and some 30 of them have been recruited in the Serb police forces.

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