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November 03,
2003
ERP KiM Newsletter
03-11-03
CONTENTS:
 Bishop
Artemije Meets With New Head of U,S. Office in Pristina
"Although the armed conflict ended four years ago,"
continued Bishop Artemije, "peace in Kosovo and Metohija has come only for
the Albanians, while for the Serbs the time of suffering continues.
Obilic, Gnjilane, Prizren and Gorazdevac are all witnesses to this fact,
as well as 120 destroyed churches and monasteries", said Bishop Artemije
Bishop
Artemije Celebrates Name Day on Feast Day of St. Great Martyr Artemius
Book
Review - Diary of Un Uncivil War: The Violent Aftermath of the Kosovo
Conflict
INET
- News from Kosovo and Metohija, 01-02 November 2003
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Bishop
Artemije Meets With New Head of U.S. Office in Pristina
"Although the armed conflict ended four years ago,"
continued Bishop Artemije, "peace in Kosovo and Metohija has come only for
the Albanians, while for the Serbs the time of suffering continues.
Obilic, Gnjilane, Prizren and Gorazdevac are all witnesses to this fact,
as well as 120 destroyed churches and monasteries", said Bishop Artemije
TOP
Head of U.S. mission in Pristina
Ms. Marcie Ries meets with Bishop Artemije
in Gracanica Monastery, 02
Nov 2003
TOP
ERP KIM INFO SERVICE
Gracanica, 03 November 2003
Bishop Artemije of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija
met yesterday in Gracanica Monastery with the new head of the U.S. Office
in Pristina, Mrs. Marcie Ries, and her associates. Mrs. Reis informed Bishop
Artemije that this was her first visit to Kosovo and Metohija, and that
she was personally impressed by Serbian spirituality and culture,
especially following her recent visits to Visoki Decani Monastery and the
Pec Patriarchate.
Bishop Artemije explained to Mrs. Reis that Visoki
Decani, the Pec Patriarchate, Gracanica and Bogorodica Ljeviska /the
Mother of God of Ljevis/ are not only cultural monuments that are a part
of the world cultural heritage but also living spiritual centers.
"Monasteries are living cells of the living organism of the /Serbian
Orthodox/ Church. They are witnesses of our existence, suffering and
celebration of the Name of God," emphasized Bishop Artemije.
"Although the armed conflict ended four years ago,"
continued Bishop Artemije, "peace in Kosovo and Metohija has come only for
the Albanians, while for the Serbs the time of suffering continues.
Obilic, Gnjilane, Prizren and Gorazdevac are all witnesses to this
fact, as well as 120 destroyed churches and monasteries. Never in recorded
history have as many churches been destroyed in a single location,
and the paradox is all the greater because this was done since the
deployment of the UN mission and NATO forces in Kosovo and
Metohija. Serbs find it hard to believe that it is possible to live
better and more safely, with elementary human rights, when the
perpetrators of even the most serious crimes, the murderers of the Stolic
family and the children in Gorazdevac, the destroyers of churches and
monasteries, and desecrators of cemeteries, continue to walk freely
through Kosovo and Metohija. Therefore, it is essential," said the Bishop,
"for the international community to apply the same principles for all
crimes, so that Kosovo and Metohija can be multiethnic, so that everyone
can have the same chances for progress, so that Serb returns and the
restoration of numerous destroyed Serbian houses can begin. How much time
will we need to complete Serb returns, asked Bishop Artemije, when in the
past five years only about 1,000 Serbs have returned? Accordingly, it is
necessary to achieve certain standards prior to resolving the final status
of Kosovo and Metohija, first and foremost, to ensure that the cities of
Kosovo and Metohija do not remain monoethnic but become multiethnic once
more. For example, formerly there were 10,000 Serbs in Prizren and now
there are 60. Pristina was inhabited by some 40,000 Serbs, 200 of whom
remain," explained Bishop Artemije.
Mrs. Reis emphasized that the murder of the children
in Gorazdevac had occurred immediately after her arrival in Kosovo and
Metohija. For her, as a mother, the murder of children and the very
thought that children could be murdered was inconceivable. She wished to
attend the funeral services but did not do so out of respect for the
wishes of the parents of the slain children. In order to avoid such
tragedies in the future, Ms. Reis informed Bishop Artemije that during the
course of the coming week a senior U.S. delegation will be coming to
Kosovo to assist the UN Mission as part of the program for OPERATIONALIZATION OF STANDARDS to be based, according to Ms. Reis, on the
building of a society with standardized institutions and enabling the
return of displaced Serbs. The U.S. government has earmarked approximately
15 million dollars to assist such programs. Mrs. Reis emphasized that
Bishop Artemije, the Serbian Orthodox bishop in Kosovo and Metohija, has a
very significant and important role for the U.S. government, and that he
is expected to provide his valuable contribution and encouragement for the
return of the Serbian people during the course of the process of operationalization of standards in Kosovo.
Bishop Artemije stressed that he would like to
encourage his people to return to their centuries-old homes but that it is
necessary for support and encouragement to also come, first and foremost,
from the international community. This implies the creation of necessary
security conditions as well as elementary prerequisites for safe returns.
We must not allow people to be attacked for no reason on city streets,
like yesterday when a Serb was attacked from the back in Gnjilane and had
to be transferred to the hospital in Vranje because of the severity of his
injuries. "In the future before us, international representatives must be
objective and unbiased toward all sides. This is the very reason why more
frequent exchanges of opinion, such as this meeting, and discussion of all
burning issues concerning the problems of the Serbs in Kosovo and
Metohija, are so necessary," concluded Bishop Artemije.
After the meeting, Ms. Reis and her associates
toured the church of Gracanica and learned more about the history of this
centuries-old spiritual center of the Serbian people. Bidding farewell to
her hosts, the head of the U.S. Office in Pristina stated that she was
impressed by the beauty of Gracanica Monastery.
Biography of Marcie Ries
http://www.usofficepristina.usia.co.at/mr/bio.htm
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Bishop
Artemije Celebrates Name Day on Feast of Holy Great Martyr Artemije
TOP
Cutting of Slava
cake after Holy Liturgy
ERP KIM Info
Service
Gracanica, 03 November
2003
Yesterday Bishop Artemije of
Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija celebrated his name day, the feast of
the Holy Great Martyr Artemije, in Gracanica Monastery. With
the prayerful assistance of his numerous spiritual children, the
abbots, hieromonks, monks and nuns of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren,
Bishop Artemije served Holy Liturgy and then presented gifts to the
children in attendance. Father Teodosije Sibalic, Abbott of Decani
Monastery, cut the Slava cake for his spiritual father and pastoral leader
prior to delivering a homily to the congregation, emphasizing that Bishop
Artemije, like his patron saint and protector before him, is travelling
down the path of martyrdom and thorns, and that the path of suffering
and endurance is the only path that guides us to true service of Christ
the Lord.
Numerous guests and
representatives of international diplomatic missions, including the head
of the U.S. Office, Ms. Marcie Reis, attended a formal luncheon prepared
in honor of Bishop Artemije by Mother Efrosinija, the Abbess of Gracanica
Monastery, and her sisterhood. Father Simeon Vilovski, the Abbott of the
newly restored Banjska Monastery, delivered a welcoming homily, stressing
the spiritual role of Bishop Artemije and his selfless efforts for the
restoration of spiritual life despite difficult war time and post-war
times in Kosovo and Metohija.
TOP
Diary of Uncivil War: The Violent Aftermath of the Kosovo Conflict
The best
example, perhaps, is Taylor's visit to the mountain village of Sipkovica,
where he speaks with Albanian commanders who gladly point to the material
assistance of the US. (This was in direct contrast to American policy, and
confirmed angry Macedonian charges of hypocrisy and deception).
TOP
http://www.balkanalysis.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=178
BALKANALYSIS
Book Review
Diary of an Uncivil War: the Violent Aftermath of the Kosovo Conflict
Posted on Monday, November 03 @ 02:00:00 EST by CDeliso
By Scott Taylor (Esprit de Corps Books, 2002)
208 pp.
Reviewed by Christopher Deliso
 Although
Macedonia's 2001 mini-war attracted great attention from the international
media, real independent reporting was rare. Most the Western journalists
were informed by other Western officials, spent a disproportionate amount
of time at Skopje's luxurious Alexandar Palace Hotel, or mysteriously
turned up in various rebel-held villages. Before the war even began, in
fact, British reporters were filing stories from border villages where
uniformed Albanians were gathering- at a time when they allegedly had no
uniforms or clear leadership.
And then there was Scott Taylor. Ever dropping in unannounced, deadpanning
his way through security checkpoints, hotel lobbies, armed
insurrectionists and officials who don't speak English, Taylor draws on
his military background and fearlessness to get a good view of some of the
most interesting places of the war- most of them otherwise unreported.
Diary of an Uncivil War is thus not only a good read- brisk,
straight-up and comic in places- but also a real contribution to the
primary source material on the Macedonian War, and as such it will become
only more valuable with the passage of time for historians interested in
researching the events of 2001. For those interested in the subject of
Islamic terrorism in the Balkans, Taylor also provides an extremely
detailed epilogue of sorts, chronicling terrorist presences in Macedonia,
Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania.
The book has a few flaws, of course. Primarily, the reader is occasionally
frustrated to not hear more details when it seems that the author could
provide them. Also, there are certain factual errors- for example, when
Taylor says there are no internet cafés in Kumanovo (there are at least
5). These seem to be due to the whirlwind nature of Taylor's trips,
stopping only briefly wherever he goes in the search for war mayhem. One
also gets the impression that his initial briefing and contacts supplied
from Canada were insufficient for getting a truly comprehensive view of
the situation (however, this same criticism goes for most journalists).
This sort of color is undoubtedly good for piquing the interest of general
readers, but it's somewhat superfluous for serious investigators. The
author clearly did not have the time to see all that was to be seen or
talk with everyone of importance, and these drawbacks were not helped by
the inclusion of many terse journalistic reports of his adventures.
However, merely by virtue of his unorthodox method, Taylor stumbles across
some very revealing tidbits. The Canadian is at his best when describing,
in a very cut-and-dried way, extraordinary events that in themselves are
highly indicative of another "truth" than the one presented by the mass
media, which generally toed the line of the Albanian lobby (that they were
the poor victims of a repressive "Slav" state).
The best example, perhaps, is Taylor's visit to the mountain village of
Sipkovica, where he speaks with Albanian commanders who gladly point to
the material assistance of the US. (This was in direct contrast to
American policy, and confirmed angry Macedonian charges of hypocrisy and
deception).
Then we have the now famous story where Taylor evades the police during a
highly dangerous operation, scrambles through woods that were probably
heavily mined, and rushes by bicycle to an Albanian village where he is
lavished with praise and assistance- just for being Canadian. Not only is
he then given a mobile phone to make the (very) long distance call to his
editor back home, Taylor also gets to dine on a "tough old bird," a
rooster from the garden supplied by his hosts. Then, he is treated to a
ceremonial washing of the feet and presented with the pitiful sight of
simulated tears from the assembled womenfolk of the house- who claim the
Macedonian government bombing campaign has forced them to hide in the
cellar.
The comic moments paint an unforgettable picture of the characters
involved. Take this report from Tetovo, about tough-talking US monitor
Carl Underwood (p. 144):
".Around 2:00 p.m., Carl Underwood and his team of OSCE monitors arrived
at the Electra for a midday meal. They were the only patrons in the
restaurant and I gladly accepted their offer to join them. With classical
music playing on the sound system and the heavy thud of artillery fire
nearby, lunch seemed surreal.
Underwood boasted that, as an ex-U.S. Special Forces soldier, he had no
intention of evacuating Tetovo. He had heard that the UCK was about to
launch a big push to capture the city before the peace deal was signed. "I
have no doubt in my mind who's going to win this fight," said Underwood.
"That's why I rented an apartment in the Albanian sector of town."
His bravado was short-lived. When a heavy machinegun opened fire erupted
just a few blocks away he rose from the table and said to his colleagues,
"That's it boys. Let's get the hell out of here. From here on in, we can
report from the German camp." As their white jeep pulled out of the
parking lot, I suddenly realized I was the last foreigner left in Tetovo."
In conclusion, while it has certain minor flaws and is not a comprehensive
history, Diary of an Uncivil War is sufficiently entertaining and
provocative to be an exciting read, as well as an important supplement to
the complete body of literature on the Macedonian conflict of 2001.
Buy this book now!
TOP
INET
- News From Kosovo and Metohija, 01-02 Nov.
TOP
www.inet.co.yu
I*Net News, Belgrade
KOSOVO AND METOHIJA NEWS
Sunday 02 November 2003
23:40 Serbian deputy prime minister and Coordinating Center for Kosovo and
Metohija head Nebojsa Covic said that the fate of Kosovo and Metohija
impacts the entire region because the proclamation of independence of the
province would result in a change of borders and this would have a "domino
effect".
23:00 Serbia and Montenegro parliament speaker and head of the Serbia and
Montenegro delegation to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly
Dragoljub Micunovic has called a consultative meeting for tomorrow with
representatives of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, Return Coalition (Povratak)
MPs, municipal coordinators and other Serbian community activists in the
southern province. The purpose of the meeting is the establishment of more
direct cooperation between the Serbia and Montenegro parliament with Serb
representatives in Kosovo and Metohija, especially in light of the
activities of the Serbia and Montenegro delegation in the Council of
Europe's Parliamentary Assembly.
18:00 Macedonian defense minister Vlado Buckovski assessed that the risk
of new incidents by Albanian terrorist formations in this part of the
Balkans, are possible, especially as a result of efforts to block the
process of negotiations on the status of the southern Serbian province of
Kosovo and Metohija.
Saturday 01 November 2003
20:20 The UNMIK chief's repatriation advisor Nenad Radosavljevic stated
that almost none of the programs for the return of displaced persons to
Kosovo has been realized and accused ethnic Albanian leaders and Kosovo
institution officials of being responsible.
20:00 After meeting today with Kosovo premier Bajram Rexhepi, former OSCE
ambassador to Kosovo and Metohija William Walker stated that it is time to
open the question of the final status of Kosovo.
19:40 Serbian deputy prime minister and Coordinating Center for Kosovo and
Metohija head Nebojsa Covic rejected an appeal by UNMIK chief Harri
Holkeri to dismiss interim institutions in Kosovo, emphasizing that
Belgrade will not cave in to pressures and accept compromises.
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ERP KIM
Info-Service is the official Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox
Diocese of Raska and Prizren and works with the blessing of His Grace
Bishop Artemije.
Our Information Service is distributing news on Kosovo related issues. The
main focus of the Info-Service is the life of the Serbian Orthodox Church
and the Serbian community in the Province of Kosovo and Metohija. ERP KIM
Info Service works in cooperation with
www.serbian-translation.com as well as the
Kosovo
Daily News (KDN) News List
Disclaimer:
The views expressed by the authors of newspaper articles or other texts
which are not official communiqués or news reports by the Diocese are
their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Serbian
Orthodox Church
Additional
information on our Diocese and the life of the Kosovo Serb Community may
be found at:
Copyright 2003, ERP KIM Info-Service
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