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December 12, 2003
ERP KiM Newsletter
12-11-03
"Standards for Kosovo" intended to con Serbs
This
is a document representing a collection of abstract concepts without any
clearly defined mechanisms for measuring implementation of standards.
The Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are defined as a national minority in
the para-state that has been built on the territory of Serbia-Montenegro
for the past four years, contrary to UN Security Council Resolution
1244.
No, this is not Berlin from the 70ties but Pristina in
December 2003
The wall is not protecting the dwindling and oppressed Serb community
in the Province but the UNMIK HQ building from possible Islamist
terrorist attacks
in a Muslim dominated UN administered Province
| After the
recent terrorist threats in Kosovo UNMIK HQ building was
encircled by a massive concrete wall. Yesterday the
Commander of the central Kosovo KFOR brigade confirmed to
Radio Kosovo that: "Local as
well as international extremist groups operate in Kosovo".
Just a week ago, two British journalists posing as Real IRA
terrorists bought from Kosovo Albanian extremists which they
described as close to Al Qaeda 15 kg of Semetex explosive,
enough to blow up the Oxford Street or the Houses of
Parliament in London. After the story was published at least
one Kosovo Albanian terrorist was arrested. Finally the UN
chief in Kosovo dared publicly mention that without
standards "nightmare of an intolerant and chauvinistic
province" becomes closer. For Kosovo Serbs this
nightmare which some internationals start to feel these
days, when their own lives are in danger, is a reality which
lasts more than four years of the internationally granted
"peace". |
CONTENTS:
 Serbian Orthodox Church - Holekeri tries to con
the Serbs
This
is a document representing a collection of abstract concepts without any
clearly defined mechanisms for measuring implementation of standards.
The Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are defined as a national minority in
the para-state that has been built on the territory of Serbia-Montenegro
for the past four years contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
Serb
refugees from Klina still waiting - "We still want to return to our
homes"
The returnees
are still in shock following yesterday's incident and stoning but they
remain firmly determined not to give up in their battle for their basic
human rights. "This our joint decision and we have no intention of
giving up our desire to return to our homes and live in peace with our
Albanian neighbors," said Petko Pesic.
Covic informed the Patriarch about deficiencies of
the "Kosovo Standards" plan
Mr.
Covic informed the Holy Synod of Bishops regarding the latest course of
events with regard to the presentation of the final version of a UNMIK
document called the Standards for Kosovo, which fails to take
into account any key objection or suggestion of the Serbian Government
and does not create a framework for "substantial autonomy" as foreseen
by United Nations 1244.
Hari Holkeri's speech at inauguration of the
"Standards for Kosovo"
Our task,
together, is to prepare Kosovo for final status. There is now a date for
a decision, but there is nothing inevitable about that decision. That
decision depends on what is said and done here in Kosovo, because there
s only one route to final status. And that is through progress on
standards.
B92: Kosovo law repeal legally "not sustainable
Unless
Holkeri returns to the standards for Kosovo as defined by UN Security
Council Resolution 1244, said Covic, Belgrade would have no argument for
demanding any kind of constructive behavior from the province's Serb
population. “There are laws which should have been repealed by our
parliament by now; these are simply anachronistic and outdated laws. But
this is not about the legislation, it is about an attitude to the
sovereignty of Serbia-Montenegro which, according to 1244, still applies
on this territory," said Kostunica.
Local and international extremist groups operate
in Kosovo (says KFOR general)
Local as
well as international extremist groups operate in Kosovo. I am sorry I
cannot offer you more detailed information, but extremist group that
want destabilization of Kosovo will not reach their objective, I can
guarantee you," added MNB-C Commander.
BBC:
Albania soldiers in rape scandal
Human trafficking and the forced prostitution of women continue to
plague post-communist Albania. Attempts by the authorities to address
the problems, in an effort to join eventually join Nato and the European
Union, have so far been in vain. Criminal gangs take advantage of police
corruption, a weak judicial system and lax border controls to exploit
young women.
Agim Ceku wants to resurrect former KLA as a new
Kosovo Army
"We're
not questioning UNMIK's authority, which defines the KPC as a civil
organisation, but the KPC will become an army", Agim Ceku told BBC
Radio. "We're capable of it, we have a right to do it, and no one should
fear this".
INET News from Kosovo and Metohija, December 11,
2003
SERBIAN
GOVERNMENT
New reality
of Kosovo-Metohija based on violation of human rights
Belgrade, Dec 11, 2003 - On the occasion of the Day of Human
Rights, the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija warned
that human rights of the non-Albanian population must be
protected in the province, where as a result of ethnic
cleansing, violation of human rights and general
criminalisation of society a new state of everyday reality
is being created.
The Coordinating Centre urged the international community
and the United Nations to show that the principles of the
Declaration on Human Rights are not just theory and
abstraction. The Centre said in a statement that the respect
for human rights may not be compromised and that basic human
rights codes must be applied without fail to all states,
communities and groups, to every individual entity.
Prior to any discussion on Kosovo-Metohija's status, the
international community must secure basic human rights for
Kosovo Serbs, read the statement. The Coordinating Centre
urged that the international Day of Human Rights must serve
as a reminder of the urgent need to protect the human rights
of the non-Albanian population in the province, as it is
only if these rights are exercised, that the citizens of
Kosovo-Metohija could live in a human community worthy of
that description.
|
More News Available on our:
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list (KDN)
KDN
Archive
This newsletter is available on our ERP
KIM Web-site:
http://www.kosovo.net/erpkiminfo.html
Holkeri tries to con the
Serbs
This
is a document representing a collection of abstract concepts without any
clearly defined mechanisms for measuring implementation of standards.
The Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are defined as a national minority in
the para-state that has been built on the territory of Serbia-Montenegro
for the past four years contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
TOP
Communiqué
of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija
on the document
on Standards in Kosovo and Metohija
Diocese of
Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija: This is a revision of UNSC Res. 1244
in which the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija are defined as a
national minority in a para-state without any institutional ties with
the state union of Serbia and Montenegro
ERP
KIM Info Service
Gracanica, December 11, 2003
The document
on "Standards for Kosovo" presented to the public in Pristina yesterday
by UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri largely represents a reduced version of a
draft document from the end of November in which not a single
substantive proposal by the Serbian Government and Serbian
representatives in Kosovo has been taken into account.
This is a document
representing a collection of abstract concepts without any clearly
defined mechanisms for measuring implementation of standards. The Serbs
in Kosovo and Metohija are defined as a national minority in the
para-state that has been built on the
territory of Serbia-Montenegro for the past four years contrary to
UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
The document fails to
mention a single institutional tie between Kosovo and Metohija and
Montenegro, although UNSC Res. 1244 foresees the basic task of UNMIK as
establishment of "the substantial autonomy of Kosovo within the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)". Moreover, the text of
standards has no special provisions regarding the return
of "Serbian personnel" to the borders and near Serbian patrimonial
monuments, leaving no possibility for appropriate Serbian institutions
to concern themselves with the protection of the Serbian cultural
heritage in Serbia's southern Province.
Especially
inadequate is the definition of standards with regard to the return of
displaced persons and the effective investigations of ethnic crimes
committed against the Serbian and other non-Albanian population during
the time of the UNMIK administration.
Having
all this in mind, what we have before us is a document that represents
yet another step toward the establishment of a second independent
Albanian state - Kosovo - where, if we take into account the actions of
Albanian leaders and their supporters to date, the long-term survival of
the Serbian people will not be realistically possible, especially
following the inevitable withdrawal of the UN mission and KFOR.
The
Serbian Government and Serbian representatives in Kosovo and Metohija
should under no circumstances participate in the legalization of such a
document, which de facto revises Resolution 1244 and leads to
the ultimate discontinuation of Serbia and Montenegro's sovereignty over
this territory. It is necessary to undertake urgent diplomatic action of
the broadest scope in order to prevent the further Albanization of the
southern Serbian province and insist that the UN mission and KFOR remain
within the scope of their mandate in Kosovo and Metohija, as defined by
UNSC Resolution 1244.
The
Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija does not need abstractly
defined standards for minorities that are not fully implemented even in
the most developed European countries; it needs, first and foremost, a
clearly defined institutional framework, within Serbian borders, that
will enable the long-term sustenance of the Serbian people in this area
and the effective protection of its rich patrimonial legacy.
TOP
Serb refugees from Klina still waiting - "We still want to return to our
homes"
The returnees
are still in shock following yesterday's incident and stoning but they
remain firmly determined not to give up in their battle for their basic
human rights. "This our joint decision and we have no intention of
giving up our desire to return to our homes and live in peace with our
Albanian neighbors," said Petko Pesic.
TOP
ERP
KIM Info Service
Gracanica, December 11, 2003
Last night
Bishop Artemije of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija conveyed by phone
his support to Serb refugees from Klina who narrowly escaped being
lynched during an unsuccessful attempt yesterday to return to their
homes in Klina. This morning representatives of the ERP KIM Info Service
again contacted the returnees, who said there is still no positive move
in the resolution of their request to return to Klina. This morning they
were visited by the local police commander. UNMIK representatives failed
to appear although the idea of Serb returns to Klina was based on an
agreement with local UNMIK representatives. The returnees expressed
their overwhelming gratitude to the Italian KFOR troops who, by
jeopardizing their own personal safety, successfully evacuated them and
saved them from being public lynched.
The returnees
are still in shock following yesterday's incident and stoning but they
remain firmly determined not to give up in their battle for their basic
human rights. "This our joint decision and we have no intention of
giving up our desire to return to our homes and live in peace with our
Albanian neighbors," said Petko Pesic.
The Diocese of
Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija, which has already provided the
refugees with some assistance, once again appeals to all relevant
Serbian institutions and public figures to ask the embassies of the
major Western countries that political pressure be put on Klina's ethnic
Albanian mayor Ramo Manaj, who was apparently the chief organizer of
yesterday's protest and stoning, as well as on the leader of the
political party to which he belongs, Ibrahim Rugova, to stop obstructing
returns and promoting ethnic hatred.
This sort of
behavior on the part of an official representatives of the Democratic
League of Kosovo (LDK), a purportedly moderate political party, is
scandalous. Mayor Manaj, who experienced a family tragedy during the war
is projecting his personal frustrations on the entire local
administration; despite sympathy for the personal tragedy of any man,
Albanian or Serb, it is politically irresponsible and unacceptable for a
public official who should serve as an example to others.
Also absolutely
incomprehensible is the passivity of UNMIK, Albanian political leaders
and diplomatic representatives in Pristina with respect to yesterday's
events in Klina. Instead of lending credence to their verbal support for
standards by personally visiting the scene, as of now there is no
information that any of the political leaders from Pristina visited
Klina.
While the Serbs
of Klina barely managed to escape the Albanian throng yesterday in one
piece, in Pristina there was a football match going on between a team
consisting of members of KFOR, UNMIK, the Kosovo Police Force and the
Kosovo Protection Corps against the monoethnic Albanian Football Club of
Pristina, which was attended by all the leading officials.
All in all, one
gains the distinct impression that everyone would be happiest if the
Serbian returnees gave up on their project and returned to the
collective centers of central Serbia and Montenegro, finally making in
possible for UNMIK officials to go back to their homes and celebrate the
upcoming Christmas and New Year's holidays.
TOP
Serbian Orthodox Church
Concerned with the new Kosovo Plan on Standards
Serbian Deputy Premier Dr. Nebojsa
Covic informs the Patriarch Pavle
about deficiencies of "Kosovo Standards" Plan inaugurated by UNMIK's
chief
Covic informed the Patriarch about
deficiencies of the "Kosovo Standards" document
Mr. Covic informed the Holy Synod of Bishops regarding the latest course
of events with regard to the presentation of the final version of a
UNMIK document called the Standards for Kosovo, which fails to
take into account any key objection or suggestion of the Serbian
Government and does not create a framework for "substantial autonomy" as
foreseen by United Nations 1244.
TOP
The
Information Service of
the
Serbian Orthodox Church
Patriarchal Palace - Belgrade
December 11, 2003
MEETING OF HOLY SYNOD OF BISHOPS WITH NEBOJSA COVIC,
HEAD OF THE COORDINATING CENTER FOR KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Pavle, together with members of
the Holy Synod of Bishops comprising the Metropolitan of Montenegro and
the Littoral, Amfilohije, and the Episcopes of Sabac and Valjevo
Lavrentije and Zamulje and Herzegovina, Lavrentije and Grigorije,
respectively, today received Mr. Nebojsa Covic, deputy prime minister of
the Serbian Government and head of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo
and Metohija.
Mr. Covic informed the Holy Synod of Bishops regarding the latest
course of events with regard to the presentation of the final version of
a UNMIK document called the Standards for Kosovo, which fails
to take into account any key objection or suggestion of the Serbian
Government and does not create a framework for "substantial autonomy" as
foreseen by United Nations 1244.
Upon hearing the report of Mr. Covic, the Holy Synod of Bishops
expressed support for the position of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo
and Metohija, assessing it to be the only position possible. The Holy
Synod of Bishops concluded that UNMIK and other formal and informal
organs of the international community need to pass resolutions in
agreement with all interested parties, as well as that all resolutions
that are achieved must be for the good of the Serbs, as well as the
Albanians and all others who live in the southern Serbian province.
TOP
Hari Holkeri's speech at inauguration of
"Standards for Kosovo"
Our task, together, is
to prepare Kosovo for final status. There is now a date for a decision,
but there is nothing inevitable about that decision. That decision
depends on what is said and done here in Kosovo, because there s only
one route to final status. And that is through progress on standards.
TOP
Mr. President, Prime
Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today is International
Human Rights day. I am glad of that because today is also an important
day for Kosovo, the day when the Prime Minister and I are launching
"Standards for Kosovo".
The announcement of a
review date for a decision on final status has opened a new chapter. Now
it is time for us to write that chapter.
Our task, together, is to
prepare Kosovo for final status. There is now a date for a decision, but
there is nothing inevitable about that decision. That decision depends
on what is said and done here in Kosovo, because there s only one route
to final status. And that is through progress on standards.
For the first time, the
document “Standards for Kosovo" sets out point-by-point what the
standards mean. Here, in ten pages, is described in detail a society
where people of all communities are respected, whatever their ethnic
background, where they are free to travel, work and use their own
languages, where the institutions of government serve all the people, in
all of Kosovo, without discrimination, and where there is fair justice
and security for everybody. Ask me what this means in reality, and it is
described here.
It means that all
communities are recruited into the police and the Kosovo Protection
Corps. It means that official signs and documents must appear in all
official languages. It means economic progress for everyone in Kosovo,
without discrimination. It means that all those who want to return to
Kosovo are able and encouraged to do so.
What we are launching
just now is a document without an introduction. We have not yet been
able to agree on the introductory text. We shall continue our efforts to
fight an acceptable wording.
I want to say a word now
about representatives of the Kosovo Serb community. I am sorry that they
could not join us here today. I am sure though that they will continue
their work with UNMIK and as part of the government to improve the
living conditions for their community. Their work with us is an
essential part of what the standards process is all about.
It is easy to say what
the standards mean. It is harder to reach them.
Kosovo has made enormous
progress over the last four years. It is a more peaceful place; there is
less violence. The government, led by Bajram Rexhepi, comprises all
communities and is tackling the problems that Kosovo faces
But the standards are not
yet achieved. To achieve them means change
Change will only come
about if we work together. UNMIK and the government need to work more
closely in partnership. The Prime Minister and I have agreed to start up
a joint process to make policy to achieve these standards. Later this
morning, he and I will chair the first joint meeting of the government
and UNMIK. And we will get to work. Our first task will be to produce a
joint plan to implement these standards
But change is not just
about the government and UNMIK, documents and implementation plans. If
standards are seen as just another exercise by the bureaucrats and
diplomats in Pristina, we will have failed. Because the creation of a
just and tolerant society is a task for all the people of Kosovo
In a sense, this document
represents a choice. Work for the standards, and the goal is within
reach of a democratic, prosperous and lawful Kosovo, a peaceful place
for all its communities, in a stable relationship with its neighbours.
Reject the standards, and the nightmare of an intolerant and
chauvinistic province, dominated by the criminal and the corrupt, comes
closer. Achieve the standards, and the international community will in
due course make the necessary decisions to consider Kosovo's final
status. Fail them, and Kosovo will remain stuck, backward, left behind
perhaps for decades to come.
I cannot change the
attitudes of people in the towns and villages of Kosovo. This is not my
place and it is not my custom to dictate. It is for the leaders and
people of Kosovo to make this choice. I have not been here long, but I
know already that good people here, whatever their ethnic background,
reject hatred and intolerance, criminality and extremism. This document
is for them. I am confident that they will make the right choice.
TOP
Kosovo Law Repeal "Legally not sustainable"
Unless
Holkeri returns to the standards for Kosovo as defined by UN Security
Council Resolution 1244, said Covic, Belgrade would have no argument for
demanding any kind of constructive behavior from the province's Serb
population. “There are laws which should have been repealed by our
parliament by now; these are simply anachronistic and outdated laws. But
this is not about the legislation, it is about an attitude to the
sovereignty of Serbia-Montenegro which, according to 1244, still applies
on this territory," said Kostunica.
TOP
B92,
Belgrade
December 11, 2003
Pristina, 11 Dec (B92) - The United Nations mission in Kosovo has
described as “legally unsustainable" this morning's decision by the
Kosovo Assembly to repeal all legislation passed by the Serbian
Parliament since March, 1989.
An UNMIK representative told B92 that only the UN mission had the right
to decide what laws would be implemented in the province.
Tabling the motion in the Assembly today, the Kosovo Government said
that the Serbian legislation was hindering privatization in Kosovo.
“All laws adopted by Serbia in Kosovo were against the will of the
majority Kosovo population and their representatives, and as such they
are unacceptable and an obstacle to Kosovo's future prospects", said
Arsim Bajrami, the head of the parliament's Judicial and Legislative
Board.
Serb members of the Assembly voted against this morning's motion, with
one Kosovo MP, Gojko Savic, telling B92 that the move was unreasonable.
“Their justification is that the laws discriminate against the people of
Kosovo. In that case we could seek the abolition of laws that
discriminate against the Serb community, he added.
The head of Belgrade's Kosovo Coordination Centre, Nebojsa Covic, has
called on Kosovo governor Harri Holkeri to overturn the Assembly's
decision.
If he fails to do so, said Covic, the Coordination Centre would propose
that the government proclaim invalid all decrees adopted in Kosovo since
June 12, 1999.
“We are a state while UNMIK and Kosovo are not states," said Covic.
Asked what would be achieved by such a reaction from Belgrade, Covic
replied that Serbia must define its own state.
“If one side is violating the agreement then the other is not obliged to
respect it. Belgrade simply cannot allow what is happening now or be an
accessory to it. At least we won't be accessories," he said.
Unless Holkeri returns to the standards for Kosovo as defined by UN
Security Council Resolution 1244, said Covic, Belgrade would have no
argument for demanding any kind of constructive behavior from the
province's Serb population.
Former Yugoslav president Vojislav Kostunica described the repeal of the
legislation as a political measure which, he said is not provided for
under Resolution 1244.
“There are laws which should have been repealed by our parliament by
now; these are simply anachronistic and outdated laws. But this is not
about the legislation, it is about an attitude to the sovereignty of
Serbia-Montenegro which, according to 1244, still applies on this
territory," said Kostunica.
TOP
Local and International
Extremist Groups Operate in Kosovo (says KFOR General)
Local as well as international extremist groups operate in Kosovo. I am
sorry I cannot offer you more detailed information, but extremist group
that want destabilization of Kosovo will not reach their objective, I
can guarantee you," added MNB-C Commander (Paavo Kiljunen, Fin Army).
TOP
Radio Kosovo
11 November, 2003
The (KFOR) Multinational Brigade "Center" Commander held his first press
conference at the brigade's General Headquarters in Pristina.
“The duty of the brigade is that together with the police provide a
peaceful and secure environment for the population of the zone this
brigade is responsible," stated the MNB-Commander. “During our mission
here we will closely cooperate with the UNMIK's first pillar, police and
justice in order to establish a peaceful and democratic society in
Kosovo. We have a need to provide an equal treatment for all the
communities here. Now, with the standards for Kosovo the map of the
obvious path exists. We will offer our sincere assistance in order to
achieve this joint objective. We will continue our full support so law
and order will prevail in Kosovo and that the small groups wanting
destabilization of Kosovo will have no place to hide.
Local as well as international extremist groups operate in Kosovo. I am
sorry I cannot offer you more detailed information, but extremist group
that want destabilization of Kosovo will not reach their objective, I
can guarantee you," added MNB-C Commander.
TOP
BBC: Albania soldiers in rape
scandal
Human trafficking and the forced prostitution of women continue to
plague post-communist Albania. Attempts by the authorities to address
the problems, in an effort to join eventually join Nato and the European
Union, have so far been in vain. Criminal gangs take advantage of police
corruption, a weak judicial system and lax border controls to exploit
young women.
TOP
BBC,
Published: 2003/12/12 03:51:30 GMT
Albania soldiers in rape scandal
Albanian police say several servicemen have been arrested on suspicion
of sexually abusing a 16-year old girl.
The men are accused of raping the girl before selling her to a gang in
Kosovo which forced her into prostitution.
UN staff eventually rescued the girl and helped her to return to
Albania.
Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Pellumb Qazimi, who issued a
public apology to the girl, has suspended the commander of the base in
north-western Albania where the men were stationed.
Some reports say four civilians have also been arrested in connection
with the case.
The 16-year-old was first abducted at the Bisht Palle naval base in June
and sexually abused by soldiers for two months, according to a police
spokesman.
She was then "sold" to Albanian hotel owners, before ending up in the
southern Kosovo town of Prizren.
UN officials found her in Kosovo with irregular documents and took her
to a rehabilitation centre for trafficked women in Durres.
The teenager has decided to bring charges against her abusers, police
say.
Crackdown
Human trafficking and the forced prostitution of women continue to
plague post-communist Albania.
Attempts by the authorities to address the problems, in an effort to
join eventually join Nato and the European Union, have so far been in
vain.
Criminal gangs take advantage of police corruption, a weak judicial
system and lax border controls to exploit young women.
A new report, co-written by the UN and the 55-nation Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has estimated that 120,000
women and children are trafficked into the EU each year, most of them
through the Balkans.
TOP
Agim Ceku wants to resurrect former KLA as a
new Kosovo army
SRNA News Agency
December 12, 2003
TOP
 PRISTINA
-- Friday - The commander of the Kosovo Protection Corps has confirmed
he intends to transform the UN-created body into an army.
"We're not questioning UNMIK's authority, which defines the KPC as a
civil organisation, but the KPC will become an army", Agim Ceku told BBC
Radio. "We're capable of it, we have a right to do it, and no one should
fear this".
The KPC was set up by the United Nations administration four years ago
from the ranks of the disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army. It is defined as
a "civilian emergency organisation" designed to secure public safety in
times of emergency and humanitarian assistance.
The UN governor in the province last week suspended 12 members of the
Corps for suspected links with an outlawed terrorist organisation going
by the name of the Albanian National Army. Ceku said the move was
"unacceptable" since the investigation was still underway.
Under the UN's plan to implement standards in the province ahead of
final-status talks, the KPC is expected to recruit more members from
ethnic minority communities, and to cut its overall size to just 3,052
active members and 2,000 reservists.
Ceku told the BBC he was confident of meeting the standards, and pledged
to "invest maximum effort to convince members of the Serb community that
the KPC is their institution as well".
TOP
INET: News from Kosovo and
Metohija, 11 December 2003
TOP
www.inet.co.yu
I*Net News, Belgrade
Thursday 11 December 2003
22:20 The Serbian Orthodox Church expressed support today for the
position of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija on the final
version of the "Standards for Kosovo" of UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri,
assessing it to be "the only position possible".
20:40 UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri overturned the decision of the Kosovo
parliament today to rescind all laws passed by the Serbian Parliament
since 1989 with the explanation that such decisions are not under its
jurisdiction.
20:20 Kosovo parliament presidency member Oliver Ivanovic assessed that
the Kosovo parliament's decision to rescind Serbian laws is nonsense and
announced that Serbian deputies would ask UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri to
overturn it.
20:00 Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) president Vojislav Kostunica
assessed that the Kosovo parliament's decision to rescind all laws
passed by the Republic of Serbia in connection with Kosovo from March
19, 1989 to 2001 is contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
19:40 Today the Kosovo parliament rescinded all constitutional and legal
measures of the Republic of Serbia ratified after March 22, 1989 by a
majority vote, as well as legal consequences of the implementation of
those measures.
18:40 The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren warned today
that Serbs from Klina who wish to return to their homes are in need of
humanitarian aid and that it should be provided as soon as possible
through the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija section for
humanitarian affairs or through local parishes of the Serbian Orthodox
Church [worldwide].
17:20 The return of displaced persons will be the deciding indicator
whether Kosovo has achieved the standards asked of it by the
international community, said UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri today in Vienna.
15:40 The Serbian Government should seek the nullification of the plan
for implementation of standards in Kosovo and Metohija, and the
dismissal of UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri, who is responsible for the
document, said Serbian Unity Party president Borislav Pelevic, one of
the leaders of the Coalition for National Unity. Pelevic said at a press
conference that this Serbian administration has no intention of
confronting Holkeri, emphasizing that by failing to do so it was helping
the cause of the destruction of the Serbian state and the creation of an
independent Kosovo.
13:00 Daniel Serwer, a U.S. expert with the U.S. Institute for Peace in
Washington, stated that the adoption of the plan for implementation of
standards in Kosovo and Metohija is a big step forward and expressed
surprise that the plan was rejected by Belgrade. "In my opinion UNMIK
and Kosovo provisional institutions have achieved a relatively clearly
agreement on what needs to be accomplished before talks on the final
status of the province can begin. I think that the preconditions
specified in the plan are relatively rigorous. I don't believe that any
of the sovereign countries in the Balkans today meet all the
requirements," Serwer said in a statement for the BBC.
12:40 UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri presented a plan called "Standards for
Kosovo" in Pristina yesterday, which the province must implement prior
to talks on its final status. The ten-page document defines a total of
eight standards in the areas of establishment of democracy and a state
of law, respect for human rights, refugee returns and the economy, all
of which must be met by mid-2005.
11:20 Serbian deputy prime minister and Coordinating Center for Kosovo
and Metohija head Nebojsa Covic said that the standards proposed by the
UN are "a roadmap to an independent Kosovo and Metohija".
10:40 Commenting on the unilateral decision of Harri Holkeri to define
standards for Kosovo, Union of Serbian Municipalities of Kosovo and
Metohija president Marko Jaksic stated that it is time for the Serbian
state to take offensive measures. "It is time for Serbia to take the
initiative. That means offensive steps toward the integration of Kosovo
and Metohija into the Serbian state," assessed Jaksic.
10:20 The beginning of dialogue [sic] between Belgrade and Pristina has
influenced the security and political situation in southern Serbia. That
influence can most clearly be seen in the maximal demands of extremists
on both sides - Serbs seeking the division of Kosovo and Albanians
seeking compensation in the Presevo Valley. Meanwhile, local political
leaders are becoming increasingly nationalistic in their orientation,
reducing the space for activity by moderates, concluded the
International Crisis Group in its latest report concerned with the
political and security situation in southern Serbia.
TOP
ERP KIM Info-Service is
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Artemije.
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