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Kosova Daily Report #1633, 98-12-10
Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1633
Prishtina, 10 December 1998
CONTENTS
[01] President Rugova Meets with U.S. Secretary of State Albright in Paris
[02] Hill's Draft Is Very Close to Serb Demands, Ms Tahiri Says
[03] Serb Police Obstructs the Work of Finnish Pathologists in Drenica
[04] Around 500 Serbs March from Rahovec to Dragobil
[05] Serb Forces Roam Countryside, Ill-treat Albanians
[06] Detonations and Sporadic Shooting in Klina Area
[07] Armed Serb Civilians Detain Local Albanian Activist in Peja
[08] Scores of Serb Police Raid Albanian Family Compound in Stanovc
Village
[01] President Rugova Meets with U.S. Secretary of State Albright in Paris
PRISHTINA, Dec 10 (KIC) - The President of the Republic of Kosova Ibrahim
Rugova met today (Thursday) morning in Paris with the U.S. Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright.
In a frank and amicable meeting, which took place in the Intercontinental
Hotel in Paris, Rugova and Albright discussed about the current situation
in Kosova and the need to intensify efforts towards a solution to the
Kosova issue by political means.
President Ibrahim Rugova said the situation in Kosova continued to be grave,
with signs of further deterioration because of the heavy presence of the
Serbian military and police. He expressed hope that an early deployment of
the OSCE and NATO verification missions would contribute to the de-
escalation of the situation in Kosova, and help alleviate the grave
humanitarian crisis in Kosova in the aftermath of the Serbian
military/police offensives of this year.
The U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright condemned the use of force
in Kosova and pressed for an intensification of the political process so as
to achieve, as soon as possible, an interim solution in Kosova. Madame
Albright pointed out that the United States supports strongly a negotiated
settlement to the Kosova issue, reaffirming the U.S. support for President
Rugova's policies.
The Kosovar side is working closely within the political process in pursuit
of an interim settlement for the Kosova issue, President Rugova said,
appreciative of Ambassador Hill's efforts. The Kosova leadership has been
all along committed to and ready to engage in efforts towards a political
resolution, President Rugova said, emphasizing the need for a well prepared
negotiating process, which would only as such yield results.
President Ibrahim Rugova thanked the U.S. Administration, especially
Secretary Albright and President Clinton, for their continued engagement
and support for Kosova, Rugova's office said.
Meanwhile, the President of the Republic of Kosova took part at noon in a
solemn event in Paris, hosted by the French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin,
on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.
The laureates of the French "Defendants of the Human Rights" Prize were
announced.
President Ibrahim Rugova, one of the laureates, will be delivered the Prize
by the French Ambassador back home, in Prishtina.
President Rugova of Kosova met with French President Jacques Chirac
yesterday (Wednesday) in the Champs d' Elyss‚es, the second meeting of the
two leaders in six months.
[02] Hill's Draft Is Very Close to Serb Demands, Ms Tahiri Says
PRISHTINA, Dec 10 (KIC) - The Kosova negotiating team - Dr. Fehmi Agani,
Edita Tahiri, Ilaz Kurteshi and Tadej Rodiqi - met in Prishtina Wednesday
afternoon with U.S. and European envoys, ambassadors Chris Hill and
Wolfgang Petritsch, and their aides, to discuss the most recent draft on an
interim settlement in Kosova.
Ms Edita Tahiri, member of the Kosova negotiating team, told the KIC the
Kosovar side reaffirmed its position that the draft was unacceptable, and
that it cannot serve as a basis for talks on the resolution to the Kosova
issue.
Substantial changes in both concept and approach have been made to the
earlier draft, she said, adding that the Kosovar group wanted to emphasize
that the draft had not included the Albanian demands, but rather that it
was "quite close to demands of the Serbian side".
An interim solution should mean self-administration for Kosova outside
Serbia and the holding of a referendum on the future of Kosova at the end
of the interim period, the Kosova negotiating group emphasized, Ms Tahiri
said.
[03] Serb Police Obstructs the Work of Finnish Pathologists in Drenica
PRISHTINA, Dec 10 (KIC) -The Finnish pathologists, led by Helena Ranta,
could not proceed with their work to investigate the Serb massacres in the
village of Obri e Ep&rme of Skenderaj ('Drenica'), namely the exhumation of
the graves of Albanians slain late September, sources said.
22 members of the Delia family were massacred by Serb forces in Obri e
Ep&rme on 26 December.
The Finnish investigators were stopped by police near the T&rstenik village
of Gllogovc, on their way to Obria, and they had to return back.
The BBC Albanian Service said the Finnish experts refused the Serb police
request to accompany them in areas controlled by the U^K in Drenica.
The Finnish investigators and the Kosova Verification Mission's head,
William Walker, were in Obri e Ep&rme on Wednesday.
[04] Around 500 Serbs March from Rahovec to Dragobil
PRISHTINA, Dec 10 (KIC) - Some 500 Serbs marched from the town of Rahovec
('Orahovac') to the village of Dragobil, municipality of Malisheva, to
protest the fate of Serbs allegedly kidnapped by Albanians during the
summer fighting in south-central Kosova.
The Serb marchers set off at around 10 a.m. and arrived at 15:00 hrs in
their destination, at Dragobil, a source said.
A highly volatile and tense situation has been reported in the Rahovec area
today, with Serb police patrolling heavily the town.
Albanian students with the Ramiz Sadiku middle school in Rahovec had to
discontinue classes because of this, LDK sources said.
[05] Serb Forces Roam Countryside, Ill-treat Albanians
PRISHTINA, Dec 10 (KIC) - The LDK and CDHRF (Council for Human Rights)
sources said Serb military vehicles, including tanks and heavy guns,
travelled Wednesday the Prizren-Krush& e Madhe-X&rx& roadway on both
directions.
At noon on Wednesday, tow Serb tanks were deployed between the villages of
Bellac&rk& and Celin&. At the time, at a location called "Gradish", between
X&rx& and Gexh& villages, a Serb army tank was stationed by the roadside.
At the X&rx& crossroads, Serb police arrested Ilmi Tahiraga (55), Fehmi
Tahiraga (29), and Ramadan Bullatovci (45), all the three residents of
Rahovec, as well as Muhamet Berisha (45) from Brestovc village, the CDHRF
chapter in Rahovec reported. They were all taken to the Prizen police
station, where they were held till 20:00 hrs.
A police car followed Rahovec CDHRF activists, stopped and checked their
IDs at a location called "B&rnjaka".
Heavy Serb police movements have been reported in Rahovec area in the past
several days.
Two APCs full of Serb police have been roaming the villages of Drenoc AND
Poto^an, behaving in an intimidating fashion, LDK and CDHRF sources said.
[06] Detonations and Sporadic Shooting in Klina Area
PRISHTINA, Dec 10 (KIC) - Heavy Serbian military and police forces were
stationed today morning near the bauxite mines at Volljak&, in the cherry
plantations, as well as up the Gremnik mountains, Asllan Gashi, a local LDK
activist said. Gashi said Serb aircraft flew overhead the area and four
heavy detonations were heard at 11:15 hrs today.
In the past 24 hours, there was sporadic automatic fire from Serb positions,
he added.
Meanwhile, the Serb press said two Serb policemen were shot and wounded by
Albanian armed groups Wednesday afternoon on the Peja- Prishtina highway,
near the village of Dellov&, municipality of Klina.
[07] Armed Serb Civilians Detain Local Albanian Activist in Peja
PRISHTINA, Dec 10 (KIC) - At 9:00 in the morning on Wednesday, two armed
persons in plain clothes with a Zastava 101 car arrested Abdyl Hoxha, local
activist with the Emergency Council humanitarian organization, in his home
at Dardania neighbourhood in Peja, the LDK chapter said.
The Serbs civilians told the family Avdyl would be taken for an information
conversation, namely questioning. He was not released, though.
Several hours later, Hoxha family members went to the Serb police station
to inquire about Avdyl's fate. "The person you are looking for is not
here!", they were told.
[08] Scores of Serb Police Raid Albanian Family Compound in Stanovc
Village
PRISHTINA, Dec 10 (KIC) - Around 40 Serb policemen were involved yesterday
in a raid in the Bllacaj family compound in Stanoc i Ep&rm village of
Vushtrri, the LDK chapter said.
Serb military forces left the Cadets school in Vushtrri for Mitrovica
yesterday, sources said.
Young Albanians have been the target of a stepped up Serb police campaign
in the Vushtrri area.
Kosova Information Center
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