June 9, 2003

ERP KIM Newsletter 09-06-03

WE HAD ENOUGH - SAY OBILIC SERBS GETTING READY TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES

Kosovo Serb realilty
Police and family members take the bodies of the
massacred Serbs from their home in Obilic

CONTENTS:

SERBS FROM CERSKA STREET IN OBILIC DECIDE TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES

ERP KIM, SNC - COMPLICITY IN ETHNIC CLEANSING (Latest update)

BLIC: STOLIC FAMILY WERE TORTURED BECAUSE THEY RESISTED

ANOTHER TERRORIST ACT IN KOSOVO - SEVEN INJURED IN EXPLOSION IN DOWNTOWN PRISTINA

UN SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS OBILIC MURDER

KOSOVO SERBS DOUBT DELEGATION'S MULTIETHNICITY

ALBANIAN CLEANSING MUST BE STOPPED SAYS PREMIER OF SERBIA

SERBIAN DIOCESE OF RASKA-PRIZREN OPENS EXIBITION ON "DESTROYED CHURCHES" IN PARIS (Corrected and updated version)

More News Available on our:
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/erpkiminfo.html

SERBS FROM CERSKA STREET IN OBILIC DECIDE TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES
The remaining Serbs in Obilic told Beta that they had already packed their essentials but that before leaving their representatives would turn in the keys to their houses this evening or tomorrow morning in Belgrade to Serbia and Montenegro president Svetozar Marovic and Serbian premier Zoran Zivkovic with the symbolic message to look after their houses.

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BETA NEWS AGENCY
June 8, 2003

OBILIC, June 8, 2003 (Beta) - The members of 23 Serb families in Cerska Street in Obilic have decided to collectively leave, accusing KFOR and UNMIK of not wanting to provide them with additional protection after the murder of three members of the Stolic family on Tuesday.

The remaining Serbs in Obilic told Beta that they had already packed their essentials but that before leaving their representatives would turn in the keys to their houses this evening or tomorrow morning in Belgrade to Serbia and Montenegro president Svetozar Marovic and Serbian premier Zoran Zivkovic with the symbolic message to look after their houses.

They will also ask them for a location in central Serbia where they can put up tents for temporary shelter.

The only living member of the murdered Stolic family, Jagoda Stepic, left the keys to the house of her parents on the threshold after UNMIK and KFOR refused to secure the part of the street inhabited by the remaining Serbs in Obilic.

There are currently about 400 Serbs in Obilic. Of the 12,000 previously living in the municipality, 3,000 remain.

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C0MPLICITY IN ETHNIC CLEANSING - KFOR AND UNMIK DO NOT PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PROTECTION FOR SERBS IN OBILIC

This attitutude on the part of the international UN mission and KFOR represents open complicity in the process of ethnic cleansing that for four full years since the war in the presence of peacekeeping forces has been carried out without obstruction by Albanian extremists building a Fascist-like and repressive society

ERP KIM Info Service
GRACANICA, 8 JUNE 2003

JOINT STATEMENT OF THE DIOCESE OF RASKA-PRIZREN AND THE SERB NATIONAL COUNCIL OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

The Diocese of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija and the Serb National Council of Kosovo and Metohija wish to express their sharpest protest due to the unwillingness of KFOR and UNMIK to provide protection in order to secure the lives and safety of some twenty remaining Serb families in Obilic, who due to the lack of protection have collectively decided to leave their homes.

This attitutude on the part of the international UN mission and KFOR represents open complicity in the process of ethnic cleansing that for four full years since the war in the presence of peacekeeping forces has been carried out without obstruction by Albanian extremists building a Fascist-like and repressive society.

Despite the obviously difficult situation in this part of Kosovo and Metohija, it is obvious that the UN mission and KFOR forces have neither the will nor the intention of stopping ethnic terror against Serbs, and so the departure of the remaining Serbs is accepted as the easiest and cheapest solution.

We wish to address yet another appeal to UNMIK and KFOR to reexamine their role in Kosovo and Metohija, and to stop the process of building a monoethnic Albanian state. We also appeal to international representatives in Pristina and Belgrade to affect through their respective governments a change in the ultimately retrograde and pro-Albanian policies of the UN mission and its chief, Michael Steiner.

We also appeal to Serb representatives in provisional Kosovo institutions to stop giving political legitimacy to a regime leading to the complete destruction of the Serb people and their culture in this region.

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STOLIC FAMILY WAS TORTURED BECAUSE THEY RESISTED

"We have no life. Mice living in mine holes live better and are more protected that the Serbs here in Obilic. We stayed scattered all over, a house or two in a few streets. We have become animals suitable for testing various types of weapons such as knives and guns. Since the arrival of KFOR in Obilic 28 Serbs have been murdered. To this day not one of the murders has been solved and the guilty party arrested," said Aleksandar Stolic, the cousin of murdered Slobodan Stolic, through tears.

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Blic News, Belgrade
June 7, 2003


After today there will be no more Serbs in Milosa Obilica Street in the town of Obilic. The only heir of Slobodan (80) and Radmila (78), their daughter Jagoda Stepic, will turn over the keys of her parents' house, as she said yesterday, to U.S. investigators of UNMIK police, so they can "continue to protect Serbs in Obilic."

"I have no father; I have no mother; I have no brother or sister. They are gone forever," said Jagoda Stepic, who on that fateful night also lost her brother Ljubinko (53).

Jagoda Stepic, crushed by pain and dazed by sedatives, waited for the results of the autopsies of her parents and brother. The report says that everything indicates that the Stolic family resisted their attackers, who subsequently tortured them.

"It has been established that all three were killed by blows to the head with blunt objects. Slobodan was killed by multiple blows to the head with blunt objects. We found cracks in the skull, injuries caused by blunt objects to the chest and abdomen, and established that the perpetrators of the murder engaged in drawn out torture of the victims," said Dr. Slavisa Dobricanin, who conducted the autopsies with two of UNMIK's forensics experts two nights ago.

According to Dobricanin, Radmila Stolic was also killed with blunt objects because there were six wounds to her skull and signs of blows on her body.

"We can state with certainty that the perpetrators of the crime beat her up heavily before killing her," said Dobricanin.

Dobricanin said that the results of the autopsy also show that Ljubinko Stolic had multiple injuries of the skull, several broken ribs and bruises all over his body.

"His right upper arm and left lower arm were both broken and he was killed by blows to the head with blunt objects," confirmed Dobricanin.

The forensics experts determined that the Stolic family was killed immediately after the evening meal, that is, much earlier than UN police claimed in their statements two days ago.

Until the arrival of KFOR on June 12, 1999 more than 7,500 Serbs lived in Obilic. Today, after four years of international protectorate, less than one hundred remain. And some of them are planning to leave soon to live under tents in "a normal environment" somewhere in central Serbia.

"We have no life. Mice living in mine holes live better and are more protected that the Serbs here in Obilic. We stayed scattered all over, a house or two in a few streets. We have become animals suitable for testing various types of weapons such as knives and guns. Since the arrival of KFOR in Obilic 28 Serbs have been murdered. To this day not one of the murders has been solved and the guilty party arrested," said Aleksandar Stolic, the cousin of murdered Slobodan Stolic, through tears.

Aleksandar Stolic said that his relatives Slobodan, Radmila and Ljubinko had been attacked four times with firearms and that twice UN police had had to destroy unexploded dynamite planted in the entrance to their house. Last year Slobodan was beaten up with iron bars but this was not reason enough for the police to do something to protect them. They claimed it was safe.

"They paid no attention to the numerous threats against Slobodan's family, and his Albanian neighbors from Leskovcic constantly tried to blackmail him into selling two houses and 36 ares [approximately 1/3 of a hectare or 1 acre] of land for 50,000 marks, even though the real value is more than 300,000 euros. The police thought it was just a threat. However, after their murder the U.S. police together with the German police started investigating those threats. The only safe place for Serbs is some place surrounded by wire, like a reservation," said Miodrag Stolic, another relative of the murdered Stolices.

Grandmother Mladena, who asked that we not publish her family name, said that Serbs are pacing in their houses "like mummies."

"We are psychiatric cases, mental patients. Even physicians don't know we are here, let alone anyone else. Our people (Serb representatives in the local assembly) are worse than the Albanians. They came here to convince us to stay and live with the Albanians, so that we can serve as targets," said Mladena.

Translated by serbian-translation.com (June 7, 2003)

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SEVEN INJURED IN EXPLOSION IN DOWNTOWN PRISTINA
The explosion took place in the heart of the city’s political district, moments from the Kosovo Assembly building and the city council building.

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Beta News Agency, Belgrade
June 7, 2003

PRISTINA -- Saturday – Downtown Pristina was rocked by an explosion this morning, which left seven people injured.

According to unconfirmed reports, two of the injured were workers of a travel agency where the explosion took place. They have been rushed to hospital suffering from serious injuries.

The explosion took place in the heart of the city’s political district, moments from the Kosovo Assembly building and the city council building.

An UNMIK official is currently visiting the injured in hospital and an official announcement of the UN Mission is expected soon.

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UN SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS OBILIC MURDER
The United Nations Security Council condemned in the harshest terms the murder of the three-member Stolic family in the Kosovo town of Obilic, and stated that such acts "frustrate joint efforts of the international community aimed at establishing an interethnic reconciliation" in Kosovo.

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SERBIAN GOVERNMENT

UN Security Council condemns Obilic murder
June 07, 2003

New York, June 7, 2003 - The United Nations Security Council condemned in the harshest terms the murder of the three-member Stolic family in the Kosovo town of Obilic, and stated that such acts "frustrate joint efforts of the international community aimed at establishing an interethnic reconciliation" in Kosovo.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Sergei Lavrov, who is the chairman of the Security Council in June, told the press late Friday at the UN headquarters that the Security Council member countries fully support the initiative by UNMIK chief Michael Steiner to carry out immediate investigation and bring the murderers before justice, the Beta news agency reported.

Lavrov said that these acts thwart the efficiency of the council's resolutions whose aim is to "establish a multiethnic and tolerant society in Kosovo, where everyone will be equally safe, and create necessary conditions for a safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons."

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KOSOVO SERBS DOUBT DELEGATION'S MULTI-ETHNICITY
"In conversation with Mr. Solana [EU foreign policy and security chief] we insisted that the two-day work agenda for negotiations should address problems which are of high importance to the Serbian community, these are the return of displaced Kosovo-Serbs, the security problems and the problem of decentralisation, issues we hear virtually nothing about", said Milorad Todorovic

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B92 RADIO BELGRADE
June 7, 2003


PRISTINA -- Saturday -- UNMIK governor Michael Steiner has announced that the Kosovo delegation to attend the EU summit in Thessalonica later this month will be multi-ethnic and promoting a platform of unity.

However, Milorad Todorovic, ministerial coordinator for minorities and returnees in the Kosovo Assembly, has told Radio B92 that Steiner has yet to invite him to be a part of the delegation.

Todorovic continued by insisting that, should such an invitation be forthcoming, the Kosovo-Serb Return Coalition will respond according to the standpoint of Belgrade.

Todorovic said: "It is not my wish to be part of that delegation and I am not in the mood to do so. However, I would go in the case that the Democratic Party of Serbia, Return Coalition and the Serbian Government assess [Steiner’s proposal] positively". 

He continued by expressing doubt that UNMIK, Serbs and Albanians could agree a united platform prior to the Thessalonica summit.

He explained: "In conversation with Mr. Solana [EU foreign policy and security chief] we insisted that the two-day work agenda for negotiations should address problems which are of high importance to the Serbian community, these are the return of displaced Kosovo-Serbs, the security problems and the problem of decentralisation, issues we hear virtually nothing about".

Todorovic insisted: "These three issues must be on the agenda if they want a truly multi-ethnic delegation that would contain a member of the Return Coalition".

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SERBIAN PREMIER: ALBANIAN CLEANSING MUST BE STOPPED
I don't want to accuse all Albanian of this, but they have to accuse Albanians who have the desire to cleanse Kosovo ethnically. On October 5, 2000 we washed our hands of Serbs who wanted to cleanse Kosovo ethnically. Now we are expecting the Kosovo Albanians to do the same, said Premier Zivkovic.

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B92 Radio
Belgrade June 6, 2003

Following his trip to Kosovo, EU Foreign Policy and Security chief Javier Solana is in Belgrade today for a series of meetings with Serbia’s highest officials.

Solana began the day by discussing the potential for EU accession with state union president Svetozar Marovic.

Solana then met with Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic, after which he again emphasised that Belgrade and Podgorica must remain together if they wish to achieve speedy entry to the EU.

Solana told press that separation is not a path to Europe and that the union would be the fastest route to integration.

Solana confessed he had heard rumours that some felt independence for the two republics would hasten EU integration, but he insisted this was wrong, clearly stating that the only stance of EU leaders’ is that the guarantee of EU membership is the Serbia-Montenegro union remaining a solid partnership.

Zivkovic and Solana also discussed the troubling issue of Kosovo, agreeing that Belgrade and Pristina should launch talks as soon as possible in the presence of the international community.

The Serbian PM insisted that Belgrade has always remained open to talks, saying: "Belgrade has always advocated a dialogue. Back in December 2000 I offered a dialogue to [Ibrahim] Rugova, on behalf of the then federal President, Vojislav Kostunica. It is necessary that Brussels, Washington and the UN representatives also be in favour of these talks".

Zivkovic mentioned this week's triple murder of a Serb family in the province, saying that such atrocities were "burdening" Belgrade – Pristina relations.

The Democratic Party vice-president said: "I don't want to accuse all Albanian of this, but they have to accuse Albanians who have the desire to cleanse Kosovo ethnically. On October 5, 2000 we washed our hands of Serbs who wanted to cleanse Kosovo ethnically. Now we are expecting the Kosovo Albanians to do the same".

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EXIBITION IN PARIS IN ORGANISATION OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX DIOCESE OF RASKA-PRIZREN, KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

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E X H I B I T I O N

Desecrated icon of Christ, Gatnja, Kosovo and Metohija	Icon in Devic Monastery, Kosovo and Metohija

1999 - 2003
CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES IN
 KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
EUROPEAN CULTURAL HERITAGE IN DANGER

invite you to the opening of the exhibition
Thursday, June 19 at 18.30
"Cie des Bateaux - Mouches"
Pont de l` ALMA - Rive Droite
75008 PARIS
(Metro: Alma - Marceau)

The Exhibition will be open until July 15, 2003
During the exhibition there will be organized open-table discussions, forums and
projections of documentary films

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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

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