June 22, 2004

ERP KiM Newsletter 22-06-04

Belgrade Media Update, 21-22 June

There will be no redrawing of SCG-Albanian border, says Draskovic (Vecernje Novosti)

The SCG Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic said in an interview with Vecernje Novosti that he has been presenting the Serbian Government Plan for Kosovo in the words that the international community could understand and could not dispute: Yes to the Standards Before Status policy, but these standards must be based on removing consequences of the ethnic cleansing of Serbs that has been going on since 10 June 1999, when the military, police and civil administration of the United Nations was introduced. I have been calling for the decentralization of power in the province, i.e. the highest level of self-government for the Serb towns, parts of towns, villages and enclaves that should be followed by the international guarantees for their security, as well as for their property, civil and national rights. The SCG borders cannot be changed either by force or unilaterally, because that is one of the basic principles of the UN. This means that the border with Albania will stay as it is now, as we are in favour that this particular border, as well as all the other borders with our neighbours, becomes transparent, to have the European quality. On this basis, we are ready for the Serb-Albanian dialogue - any time, any place! I keep saying that Serbs will never accept the creation of a sovereign country on their own territory and that such a redrawing of our borders, and of our borders only, can neither be accepted by the UN SC. Moscow, Washington and Brussels are unanimous in their stand that the Albanian extremist must know that no one in the civilized world will ever stand behind their crimes against Serbs and other non-Albanians. The position of minorities in a society is also a mirror for everyone to see the face of the majority. The ethnically motivated murders, the destruction of churches and ethnic cleansing will get them nowhere, only to the international condemnation and isolation.

There will be no isolated solutions for Kosovo, says Scheffer (B92/Beta)

The NATO S-G Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that there would be no isolated solutions for Kosovo. He said in Brussels that the engagement of Kosovo Albanians, Serbs, Belgrade, NATO, EU and the international community was needed for finding the right solution for the Kosovo issue. Scheffer warned that the situation in Kosovo was still very delicate and requesting an additional political encouragement, NATO and KFOR are guarantors that safety in Kosovo would be maintained. But we all could have seen in March how delicate this situation really was. When a Kosovo Serb boy was murdered a week or two ago we all could have witnessed how fragile this situation still is, said Scheffer. The NATO S-G pointed out that both K-Serbs and K-Albanians must give their contribution, must do their share of work. Serbs have to participate in all this, and the K-Albanian leader must understand that they have to put extreme factions in their community under control, so that the ethnically motivated violence could never break out again.

RTS)

The COMKFOR Holger Kammerhoff said in Pristina that Kosovo needs a political solution that would define its final status, but before addressing this issue, the minority rights and freedom of movement must be guaranteed. In order to achieve this, both the people and the PISG should invest much greater efforts, while KFOR will continue to guarantee safety in Kosovo, said Kammerhoff. He warned that KFOR would answer to any new upsurge of violence in line with its mandate. If Kosovans want to accept the Western values they must realize that KFOR and the international community will never accept violence and ethnic discrimination, said Kammerhoff.

Ethnic Albanian parties still undecided (Tanjug)

Political parties gathering the ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia still have not taken a clear and final stand on whether they would call on their compatriots to go to the polls in the second round of the Serbian presidential elections and support one of the candidates. The member of the Party for Democratic Action (PDD) Presidency Behlul Nasufi opined that Albanians should vote and give their contribution to the democratisation of Serbia.

KP and SNC of Central Kosovo support Tadic (Tanjug)

KP and the SNC of Central Kosovo have decided to support the DS presidential candidate Boris Tadic, whereas the SNC of Northern Kosovo has stayed firm in its stand not to support any of the two candidates. The KP Caucus Whip Dragisa Krstovic confirmed to Tanjug that this coalition would support Tadic in the second round of the Serbian presidential elections.

Serbian Patriarch Pavle inaugurated new Bishop of Lipljan Teodosije (RTS)

At the holy liturgy held in the Visoki Decani Monastery, the Serbian Patriach Pavle has inaugurated the new Bishop of Lipljan and the Vicar of the Raska-Prizren Eparchy Teodosije. Following the ceremony, the Bishop Teodosije said that both the Serb people and its centuries old religious heritage were suffering in Kosovo and called on Kosovo Serbs not to leave the land of their fathers lightly.

Canada lifts order to deport Serb woman in Halifax church to Kosovo (Radio Belgrade 1)

The Canadian Government has temporarily lifted the deportation order for a woman who has sought refuge in a Halifax church for more than a year, her lawyer said on Monday. He added the Immigration Office has suspended the order for Sanja Pecelj's arrest and deportation to Kosovo for the next 60 days. Sanja Peceljs lawyer Lee Cohen said it is largely because Canadian PM Paul Martin asked for a review of the case after visiting Halifax. He also said the Serb woman is "fragile" and suffering psychologically after almost 440 days of living in a tiny basement apartment at St. Mark's Anglican Church. Cohen said at first he and his client were cynical about the order, believing it was just a way to take the heat off the government before an election. But the lawyer said he now believes it's a genuine sign Ottawa is reconsidering after a wave of public criticism over the deportation order issued 20 days ago.

Eide to Continue Consultations on Kosovo With OSCE, EU and NATO

Norwegian Ambassador to NATO Kai Eide, appointed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to head a team set up to investigate last March's violence in Kosovo, refused yesterday in Pristina to reveal any details of the report and said that Annan would decide whether to make it public or not. He added that he would forward his report to Annan upon the forthcoming talks with the OSCE, EU and NATO representatives. Eide pointed out that multi-ethnicity remains the only possible concept for Kosovo and hoped that the reconstruction of the burned houses and religious sites would be completed as planned in order to enable all those who wish to return to do so, Danas reported. He confirmed to Serbian Premier Vojislav Kostunica, which whom he met in Belgrade on June 18, that the international community would take a different approach in Kosovo, which should be more efficient then the one that has allowed the March violence to happen, Politika reported.

Draskovic Denounces Kosovo as Hell for Human Rights and European Principles

The Serbia & Montenegro (SCG) Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic warned the Permanent Council of OSCE in Vienna last Friday that Kosovo was "a hell for human rights, Europe and European principles." Addressing the representatives of the 55 OSCE member countries, Draskovic said that more than 200.000 non-Albanians have been expelled from Kosovo, and recalled the numerous ethnically motivated murders committed over the past five years, while underlying that about 40.000 Serb homes and some 150 churches and monasteries were burned. He called on the international community to remove the consequences of the ethnic cleansing of Serbs after 1999, just as it did following the ethnic cleansing of Albanians carried out by Slobodan Milosevic, and insisted this includes the reconstruction of destroyed Serbian houses, churches and monasteries, as well as the preparations for the return of displaced people. Draskovic stated that the Standards Before Status principle must be upheld, and, upon presenting the SCGs national strategy for Kosovo, he welcomed the proposal of his Austrian counterpart Benita Ferrero-Waldner of granting Kosovo Serbs a combination of territorial, personal and cultural autonomy. He pointed out that the European status of the province, rather than Kosovos final status, should be the main goal, Danas reported.

Rexhepi Calls on Displaced Persons to Return to Kosovo

On the occasion of the World Refugee Day on June 20, Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi called on all those who left Kosovo to return and take over their property in the province. In his message Rexhepi said that he wished a new Kosovo to be a place where all Kosovans Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Bosniaks, Romas, Ashkalies and others would like to return and live their lives, Blic reported. He promised to do all in his power to "return all who had escaped Kosovo to their place of birth - villages and towns, close to their relatives and friends, where they used to live before," Beta reported.

Bosniak Judge Murdered in Pec

Halil Muhovic (44), judge in the municipal court of Pec, was murdered in the village of Vitomirica in the night between June 16 and 17, thus becoming the thirtieth Bosniak to be assassinated in this town over the past five years. Commenting on Muhovics death, the head of the Pec branch of the Bosniak Party Husnija Beskovic stated we have been convinced that brutal murders of Bosniaks would stop, but it turned out that we were wrong. The one who murdered our respected compatriot knew very well that Halils murder would be a stab right in the hearts of all Bosniaks. He was a hardworking, honest and respected man, Vecernje Novosti reported.

(Pec is a city in which only Albanians and Bosniaks live because all Serb inhabitants of this city have been expelled since 1999, ERP KIM Info-service)

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