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October 30,
2003
ERP KIM Newsletter
30-10-03
Balkan's road towards
Europe leads through regional integrations and not through creation of new
states and borders
steady improvement of the
relations between Berlin and Belgrade
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with President Marovic, Belgrade, Oct 29,
2003
CONTENTS:
 "PARALLEL
INSTITUTIONS" IN FOCUS AGAIN
In the situation of
continuation of ethnic discrimination of the Serb population, recurrent
extremist attack and unhidden ambitions of ethnic Albanian leaders to
create an ethnic Albanian state in Kosovo/Metohija it is impossible to
request from Kosovo Serbs to work on their own self destruction and
renounce its cultural, historical and religious identity.
ANA
WAS PREPARING ASSASSINATIONS OF HIGH RANKING BELGRADE OFFICIALS
Members of the Albanian
National Army /ANA/ were preparing assassination of Serbian Deputy Prime
Minister Nebojsa Covic and Serbia and Montenegro Minister for human and
minority rights Rasim Ljajic before beginning of dialog between Belgrade
and Pristina in Vienna. 'Blic' got this information from a high source in
Serbian Interior Ministry.
DISPLACED
FROM KOSOVO
AND METOHIJA NEED HELP
Opening the
donors' conference for Kosovo-Metohija, which was attended by 30
ambassadors to Serbia-Montenegro, representatives of international
organizations and businessmen from Serbia, Covic said that it is necessary
that the displaced get their property back once they have returned to the
province, as well as guarantees for safety of living and full integration
into social life. Covic added that it is also necessary to define joint
activities so as to ensure that a larger number of displaced persons
return to the province in 2004.
KOSOVO'S
OMBUDSMAN REQUESTS PROTECTION OF SERBS IN OBILIC
Although more
than four months have passed since the attack on the Stolic family the
perpetrators have not been arrested and new attacks in Obilic continue,
said Marek Nowicki (Poland)
NEWS
FROM KOSOVO AND METOHIJA, OCT 27-28, INET
More News Available on
our:
KOSOVO DAILY
NEWS LIST (KDN)
KDN Archive
This newsletter is available on our
ERP KIM Web-site:
/erpkiminfo.html
"PARALLEL
INSTITUTIONS" IN FOCUS AGAIN
In the
situation of continuation of ethnic discrimination of the Serb population,
recurrent extremist attack and unhidden ambitions of ethnic Albanian
leaders to create an ethnic Albanian state in Kosovo/Metohija it is
impossible to request from Kosovo Serbs to work on their own self
destruction and renounce its cultural, historical and religious identity.
TOP
EDITIORIAL
BY FR. SAVA JANJIC
ERPKIM Info-Service
Gracanica, October 30, 2003
The issue of so called Serb "parallel institutions" in Kosovo and Metohija
has been found in the focus of the international attention again. After
the recent report on "parallel institutions" by OSCE, this challenging
issue will also be discussed on the UN Security Council meeting in New
York today. The position of the Serbian Orthodox Church on these
institutions has always been in accordance with the general position
towards building of multiethnic and democratic society in Kosovo -
Integrated institutions are not only possible but necessary as long as
fundamental security, political and other standards have been achieved. In
the situation of continuation of ethnic discrimination of the Serb
population, recurrent extremist attack and unhidden ambitions of ethnic
Albanian leaders to create an ethnic Albanian state in Kosovo/Metohija it
is impossible to request from Kosovo Serbs to work on their own self
destruction and renounce its cultural, historical and religious identity.
The so
called "parallel structures" are only public institutions in
Kosovo/Metohija to which Serbs have free and secure access and in which
they can receive services in their own language, without ethnic
discrimination. It is not that Serbs do not want to accept newly created
UNMIK structures but they simply do not feel safe and free to receive
services from institutions which are dominated by Albanians who in most of
cases use these institutions as tools for ethnic discrimination and
humiliation of non-Albanians.
So called "Parallel structures" are therefore the only available
structures for the Serbian people and not the consequence of their refusal
to integrate into Kosovo society. No one has moral right to request full
integration of the Serbian community in Kosovo as long as Kosovo
institutions remain inaccessible to Serb population and are used for
ethnic discrimination secession from Serbia.
Insisting on dismissal of structures in Serb areas would mean
unprecedented pressure on the Serb people and violation of their basic
security and freedom which they relatively enjoy in their enclaves. It
would also worsen the relations with UNMIK and make many Serbs see UNMIK
as a pro-Albanian organization which intends to cut all links of the Serb
people with the rest of their country - Serbia.
Regrettably, UNMIK has generally failed to create true multiethnic
institutions which would allow equal treatment of all Kosovo citizens and
as long as this abnormal situation exists Serb people must be allowed to
use their own institutions which provide services they need as citizens of
Serbia and Montenegro. Kosovo institutions are not capable of providing
these services also because they do not recognize the UN SC Resolution
1244 which defined Kosovo and Metohija as an autonomous region within
Serbia and Montenegro and thus operate as tools of political secession and
ethnic segregation, which is unacceptable for Kosovo Serbs.
This specially stands for the health and educational institutions which
are almost completely inaccessible for Kosovo Serbs. All regional
hospitals, except in North Mitrovica employ only ethnic Albanian personnel
and Serbs do not feel safe in such surrounding, not only because of
questionable professional abilities of majority of ethnic Albanian doctors
who received their diplomas during 90ties in their home-made
"universities" but also because of hostile and discriminatory behavior of
the personnel. It is no secret that richer Kosovo Albanians themselves
rather choose to have their medical treatment in Belgrade, Zagreb or
Ljubljana than to rely on their own "experts".
Kosovo Albanian run schools and Pristina University are ethnically clean
institutions in which not only the level of education is completely
incompatible with standards in Serbia (and the rest of former Yugoslavia),
where Kosovo Serb children might also seek for job one day, but also
because of history curricula which have been shaped according to the
Albanian nationalist ideas which negate presence of the Serb people in
this area and minimize its cultural and historical contribution to the
milieu of the Kosovo society. That was one of the main reasons for Serbs
to establish their own University in Mitrovica and continue teaching their
children in their village schools in their enclaves curricula which are in
concordance with those of the Serbian Ministry of Education. Such Serbian
schools existed even during the Ottoman occupation and helped Serbs to
preserve their cultural and religious identity in a pervading Moslem
society. It is absolutely incomprehensible for Serb children to learn that
the greatest heroes in the last several years were those who were killing
or are still killing their fellow students, fathers and mothers. Not to
speak about extreme ethnic Albanian views of the medieval history during
which Kosovo, as a part of Serbian kingdom, became cultural, historical
and religious center of the Serbian nation. Kosovo Albanian schools abound
with UCK and nationalist insignia and have become hotbeds of glorification
of UCK terrorism and territorial expansionism. Many cultured Kosovo
Albanians rather chose to send their children abroad or to internationally
run schools rather than let them be indoctrinated with ideas of Drenica
clans, ideas of blood and revenge and other anachronistic ideas.
Because rare mixed schools in Kosovo are not considered safe for Serb
children Kosovo Serb students often travel out of their municipalities in
order to attend secondary schools within Kosovo Serb enclaves. Further,
because of a lack of safe school transport for Serb students on a daily
basis, many of these students must travel to other municipalities at the
beginning of the week, and seek lodging in that municipality. Certain
number of Serb children began this school year in Serbia proper after the
massacre of Serb children in Gorazdevac. Such a situation has divided many
Serb families and most of Kosovo Serb children remain deprived of normal
childhood.
Especially difficult situation is in the area of cadastral offices. Local
Kosovo cadastral offices have been immediately taken by Kosovo Albanians
in most of municipalities. Since 1999 many cases have been recorded of
intentional changing of cadastral data with the intention to legalize
massive usurpation of the Serb property. Existence of parallel cadastral
offices in Serbia proper is therefore of crucial importance for many Serbs
who are struggling to prove their ownership in restitution of their
usurped property in Kosovo.
CONCLUSION:
The existence of so called "parallel structures" in Serb inhabited areas
and enclaves in Kosovo is a direct consequence of the UN Mission's failure
to create safe surrounding for all residents of the province and fully
implement the UNSCR 1244 provision that Kosovo and Metohija is not an
independent state but an autonomous UN administered province of Serbia.
Aggressive imposing of full integration of Serb residents of Kosovo into
an ethnic Albanian dominated society under existing security and political
conditions is not only possible but may lead to increased exodus of the
remaining Serb population. It can very easily be interpreted as an attempt
to force Serb population accept an ethnic Albanian state and renounce
their ethnic, cultural and historical identity.
Therefore, as long as standards of a fair multiethnic and democratic
society are not achieved in Kosovo (even in its basic forms), Serb people
not only have full moral right to have their institutions, which will work
in accordance with the corresponding Ministries in Belgrade, but should
request higher level of self rule in the areas in which they constitute
relative majority. Only this might prevent depopulation of Serb areas and
relatively normal life of Serb inhabitants, at least within their
enclaves. As long as Kosovo Albanian political institutions serve not as a
tool of building a modern European and multiethnic society but as a means
of political secession from Serbia and creation of ethnically clean ethnic
Albanian state Kosovo Serbs would not be able to accept integration
because that would mean nothing but their own annihilation.
TOP
ANA WAS
PREPARING ASSASSINATION OF LJAJIC AND COVIC
Members of the
Albanian National Army /ANA/ were preparing assassination of Serbian
Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic and Serbia and Montenegro Minister for
human and minority rights Rasim Ljajic before beginning of dialog between
Belgrade and Pristina in Vienna. 'Blic' got this information from a high
source in Serbian Interior Ministry.
TOP
BLIC,
Belgrade daily
October 29, 2003
29 Oct (Blic) - Members of the Albanian National Army /ANA/ were preparing
assassination of Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic and Serbia
and Montenegro Minister for human and minority rights Rasim Ljajic before
beginning of dialog between Belgrade and Pristina in Vienna. 'Blic' got
this information from a high source in Serbian Interior Ministry.
Our source claims that ANA was preparing to assassin representatives of
both delegations in Vienna dialog, regardless of the fact that the names
of people in the delegations were not known in advance.|
'The primary goal of ANA was to prevent beginning of dialog. Serbian
Interior Ministry got information about ongoing plan for assassination of
Nebojsa Covic and Rasim Ljajic in Vienna. ANA is considering Covic as
chief negotiator and author of strategy for settlement of Kosovo and south
Serbia issues. As regards Ljajic, he is accused as a Moslem taking part in
Serbian delegation and as someone who claims that ANA is the chief
generator of crisis in the south of Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija', our
source claims.
'Even Albanian leaders who are against participation of ANA
representatives in Albanian delegation for dialog, were planned as targets
of ANA. That was one of the reasons why Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram
Redzepi and DPK leader Hashim Thaci did not travel to Vienna', our source
in Serbian Interior Ministry said on condition of anonymity.
TOP
DISPLACED
FROM KOSOVO-METOHIJA NEED HELP
Opening the
donors' conference for Kosovo-Metohija, which was attended by 30
ambassadors to Serbia-Montenegro, representatives of international
organizations and businessmen from Serbia, Covic said that it is necessary
that the displaced get their property back once they have returned to the
province, as well as guarantees for safety of living and full integration
into social life. Covic added that it is also necessary to define joint
activities so as to ensure that a larger number of displaced persons
return to the province in 2004.
TOP
http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/news/2003-10/29/331668.html
SERBIAN GOVERNMENT
Belgrade, Oct 29, 2003 - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and head of the
Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija Nebojsa Covic said at a donors'
conference for the province held on Wednesday that there are more than
200,000 displaced persons from Kosovo-Metohija in central Serbia, and that
Serbs and other non-Albanians continue to leave the province.
Opening the donors' conference for Kosovo-Metohija, which was attended by
30 ambassadors to Serbia-Montenegro, representatives of international
organizations and businessmen from Serbia, Covic said that it is necessary
that the displaced get their property back once they have returned to the
province, as well as guarantees for safety of living and full integration
into social life. Covic added that it is also necessary to define joint
activities so as to ensure that a larger number of displaced persons
return to the province in 2004.
According to Covic, the displaced persons must have accommodation and be
economically independent. The participants in the conference should set up
a fund for encouraging employment in the small and medium-sized
enterprises, as well as a fund for awarding scholarships to talented
students from Kosovo-Metohija.
Covic urged members of the donors' conference to provide assistance in
finding accommodation for 80 percent of the displaced persons in Serbia
who are currently unprovoked-for, and for health care of more than 23,000
people with serious health problems who are in need of permanent medical
care.
Covic said that the Coordinating Centre requests assistance from the
donors in line with the National strategy for resolving the issue of
refugees and displaced persons,
http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/news/2002-07/01/324956.html
which was drawn up in cooperation with the international community.
Covic urges donors to back Kosovo
repatriation
Beta News
Agency, Belgrade
October 29, 2003
BELGRADE -- Wednesday - The head of Belgrade's Kosovo Coordination Centre,
Nebojsa Covic, today called for international support for projects aimed
at facilitating the repatriation of refugees from Kosovo.
At a briefing for donors in Belgrade today, Deputy Prime Minister Covic
warned that Serbs were still fleeing the province.
Today's conference was organized by the Coordination Centre, together with
the UNHCR mission in Belgrade and the local International Red Cross
office.
Covic asked for support for housing, education, business and health
projects for Serbs and other refugees from Kosovo currently accommodated
in other parts of Serbia and Montenegro.
Mass repatriation in 2004 will only happen if property and other assets
seized from refugees are returned and the conditions for normal living
established in Serbia's southern province, said Covic.
The ambassadors of about thirty foreign countries attended the conference,
together with the head of the OSCE mission in Serbia-Montenegro and local
officials.
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