Kosova Daily Report #1629, 98-12-05

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

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1629
Prishtina, 5 December 1998

CONTENTS

[01] U^K Does Not Settle for Anything Less than Full Independence, U^K General Staff Says

[02] Dushkaj& Villages Targeted by Serb Fire Saturday Afternoon

[03] Further Details Surrounding Shoot-out Incident in Peja Hospital

[04] Arms Shooting, Tensions Reported in Rahovec

[05] Serb Hooligans Provoke Albanian Passers-bye in Downtown Prishtina

[06] LDK Activists Held in Custody, Questioned for 2 Hours, in Obiliq

[01] U^K Does Not Settle for Anything Less than Full Independence, U^K General Staff Says

The U^K will not accept any political solution which "harms the ideals of our people for independence, or else would sanction, be it even temporarily, an imposed co-existence in an anti-Albanian and anti-democratic edifice, such as Yugoslavia - Greater Serbia would be".

The statement contravened remarks Mr. Adem Dema^i, the U^K Political Representative, made last Tuesday in a press conference in Prishtina. He stated the U^K would be willing to accept republic status for Kosova - on a par with Serbia and Montenegro within 'Yugoslavia' - on a temporary basis, with guarantees that in three years' time the people of Kosova would determine their future in a referendum.

The General Staff of the U^K called on the international community, first and foremost the United States of America, to support Kosovar independence, "which would mean also the triumph of democratic principles in this part of the volatile Balkans, and would result in a lasting peace in the future".

The Serbian aggressor's forces have been attacking the civilian Albanian population in certain parts of Kosova, and the U^K has been responding to such attacks in defense of the population, the General Staff of the U^K said. "We are making efforts to preserve the cease-fire that we have ourselves declared", the U^K said.

"Although unjustly excluded from the agreement on the deployment of international observers in Kosova, and therefore not obligatory to us", the U^K welcomes their arrival and will undertake all measures within its power to cooperate with them as well as to ensure their security, the statement said.

[02] Dushkaj& Villages Targeted by Serb Fire Saturday Afternoon

The sound of the Serbian fire could be heard in the villages of Malisheva - Ponorc, Rub, Llap^ev& and Sferk& e Gashit - Fetah Rudi, a local LDK activist, said. He could not specify what kind of arms were being used by the Serb forces, though.

[03] Further Details Surrounding Shoot-out Incident in Peja Hospital

An Albanian couple, Xhevat and Shemsije Qarri from Peja, were amongst those who suffered gunshot wounds, LDK sources said.

Mr. Qarri told the LDK chapter the incident happened at 11:30 hrs.

"At the time I was in the hospital to get my son's wife out of the delivery ward", he said, adding that while getting out of the Admissions Office he realized he was shot twice in his right leg.

His wife, Shemsije, was shot in her left leg, he said.

Xhevat Qarri could not offer other details surrounding the incident.

Meanwhile, an eye-witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity, that a young man, who was together with the killed Myrvete, had an argument with a Serb policeman and grabbed his automatic rifle. The young man shot and wounded the policeman, the hospital guard, and four other Albanian citizens.

The unidentified man and Myrvete were running away in the hospital area when the police shot at them. The wounded Myrvete could not make it, whereas the man did run away to an unknown direction, the eye-witness said.

Shaban Brahimaj and Jeton Mulaj are two other Albanians known to have been wounded in the incident.

The late Myrvete Maksutaj will be buried Sunday in her native village of Orob&rd&, Istog, on Sunday, sources from Peja said.

Meanwhile, the Serb press said today a member of the Serb reserve police, Mitar Stanisic, who is employed as staff member in the security of the hospital building, tried to check the identity of a man and a woman who had entered the hospital hall. The man threw a spray in the policeman's eyes, whereas the woman placed her handgun in his head, the Serb press said, adding that the man then snatched the rifle from the policeman. The woman tossed a hand grenade which did not explode, whereas the man opened fire wounding Stanisic and several patients, Milun Sedlarevic, Xhevat and Shemsie Qarri, Shaban Brahimaj and Jeton Mulaj, the Serb version of the incident runs.

The security members opened fire toward the running man and woman, killing the latter (Myrvete Maksutaj), whereas the man ran away, the Serb press concluded.

[04] Arms Shooting, Tensions Reported in Rahovec

Two covered lorries came to the vicinity of the Park hotel in Rahovec, which continues to be sealed off by Serb forces, the CDHRF said.

Meanwhile, on 2 December, the Serb police arrested Agim Kastrati (37), a schoolteacher from Mal&sia e Vog&l. He was on his way back from the Serbian town of Vranje, where he had gone to pay a visit to his imprisoned brother, when he was arrested at a location between the villages of X&rx& and Gexh&, the CDHRF said.

The Human Rights Council said Sedat Ali Gashi (35), resident of Opterusha village, who is a guest-worker in Austria, was arrested several days ago in the border crossing while on his way back home.

The Gashi family said they knew nothing about Sedat's fate.

The Serbian police in Rahovec has vowed to arrest all Albanians originating from the villages of Opterusha, Zoqisht& and Ret, the CDHRF said.

[05] Serb Hooligans Provoke Albanian Passers-bye in Downtown Prishtina

The whole Serb hooligans' spree was being closely watched by Serb police and security from their building situated just opposite the football stadium.

The Prishtina football stadium (now run by the Serb regime), the Serb security headquarters, and the KIC and Kosova Presidency's offices, make a triangle in the center of Prishtina.

[06] LDK Activists Held in Custody, Questioned for 2 Hours, in Obiliq

The police arrested Rexhep Kelani, chairman of the LDK chapter in Obiliq, as well as four other senior LDK activists, Hajriz Bekteshi, Idriz Konjusha, Hajredin Mjeku, and Hasan S. Mjeku.

The five activists were taken to the Serb police station in Obiliq.

They were released after two hours of questioning, the LDK chapter said.

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