(AP photo: US soldiers patrollingin Kosovo in full military combat uniform. Kosovo Serbs request stronger KFOR presence and wider rules of engagement in order to prevent another pogrom and attacks of Kosovo Albanian paramilitary groups. Kosovo Serb political representatives unanimously say that political process is possible but only after the organizers and culprits of the last week's pogrom are publicly named and brought to justice. Covic and Bishop Artemije requested a kind of temporary military rule until the order is established and Albanian terrorists disarmed)

Serbia and Montenegro (SaM) Defense Minster Boris Tadic and KFOR commander General Holger Kammerhoff, agreed yesterday in Merdare on a series of operational measures and exchange of intelligence data with the aim of preserving the security of Serbs in Kosovo, reported Vecernje Novosti. Tadic commented that they had "analyzed a series of practical problems, agreed on measures to be taken in the forthcoming period for the safety of our compatriots, in Kosovo, and in the land security zone as well," and reported that KFOR troops have been increased by 3,500 soldiers belonging to special units, specifically trained for fighting extremist groups "of those who destroy monuments, murder people and perform ethnic cleansing." Kammerhoff qualified the latest violence in Kosovo and attacks on Serbs by Albanians as unacceptable, and declared that KFOR "intends to assist, as soon as possible, in re-building the destroyed edifices in Kosovo. KFOR will do its utmost to ensure safety for all people in Kosovo, and assist in implementing the standards," Beta reported. Serbia & Montenegro Army (VSCG) Chief of Staff General Branko Krga, Military Security agency director, Colonel Momir Stojanovic and VSCG Pristina Corps commander General Mladen Cirkovic participated to the talks, reported VIP.

Grossman Refocuses Kosovo on the Implementation of Standards

US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman announced yesterday in Pristina that SRSG Holkeri would proclaim the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan next week, and stated, "once the Plan is proclaimed and we see how it is, we shall have clear and transparent standards that will be reviewed by 2005." He further commented that he personally thought that this work was now much more difficult than it was two weeks ago," and underlined that the mid March violence could not be justified with the frustration of the Albanian population over the unresolved status, because the standards that have to be fulfilled are known, as well as the date for their review. Grossman said that the violence was "unacceptable," and that the violence against Serbs and their property "must not be repeated," while calling for all those responsible for deaths, injuries and destruction of property to be brought to justice immediately, B92 reported. Kosovo Assembly Presidency member Oliver Ivanovic stated upon the meeting held between Grossman and representatives of the Serb Coalition Povratak (Return/KP), that Grossmans message was that the international community remains dedicated to the concept of a multiethnic Kosovo and the implementation of the standards before status police, while stressing that those standards would be redefined, VIP reported. Commenting on Grossmans visit to Pristina, Kosovo PM Bajram Rexhepi said that he returned realistic hopes for a better future for Kosovo and its citizens, and underlined that the US involvement was very necessary, because without this role, things in Kosovo move more slowly and more difficultly, Zëri reported. Grossman will visit Belgrade today.

Solana Appoints EU Special Envoy for Kosovo

EU High Representative for Security and Foreign Policy Javier Solana appointed yesterday Fernando Gientilini, a diplomat who served in Kosovo and the head of the Italian Foreign Ministry's Balkan's department, as its special envoy for Kosovo, and explained that "bearing in mind his experience and personal qualities," the Italian diplomat will give a major contribution to the EU presence in Kosovo in close cooperation with both local and international officials," reported Glas Javnosti. Gientilini will work closely with UNMIK and KFOR, and will be authorized to directly intervene on behalf of Solana in the event of violence. He will also make an effort to coordinate the activities of various agencies and EU representatives in Kosovo. He is expected to fly to the province this week, reported Beta.

Kostunica Addressed Kosovo with German and Italian Envoys

Serbian PM Vojislav Kostunica and the political directors in the Foreign Ministries of Germany and Italy Michael Schaefer and Gianpiero Massalo declared that it was necessary to consider the issue of decentralization in Kosovo in view of granting institutional guarantees to Serbs and securing their rights according to European standards, stated the Serbian Government yesterday. It has been also assessed that decentralization would improve the process of the return of IDPs to Kosovo, Politika reported. Both diplomats are to end their two-day visit to Belgrade today.

FM Svilanovic and Foreign Diplomats on Kosovo

SaM Foreign Minister Svilanovic and Political Directors of the German and Italian Foreign Affairs Ministries Scheffer and Massalo assessed yesterday in Belgrade that a multiethnic concept of Kosovo should be preserved, and that it was necessary to find an adequate model of decentralization of the province, stated the SaM Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the state news agency Tanjug reports. The German, British, French and Italian Ambassadors in Belgrade also attended the talks. The interlocutors stressed the need for achieving all necessary standards before raising the issue of Kosovos final status, said the SaM Ministry. Svilanovic also informed the foreign diplomats of SaMs approach to resolving the Kosovo problem, invoking the most important parts of the Serbian Governments resolution on KiM.

Full Articles from the Serbian language press (March 27-29)

Beta News Agency, Belgrade
March 28, 2004

NOVI SAD - Kosovo parliament deputy speaker Oliver Ivanovic said that talks on the status of Kosovo and Metohija at this moment are drawing attention away from the essence of the problem, assessing that this will make it possible for the perpetators of ethnic cleansing to remain in the background.

"Cantonization, decentralization and entities are not a topic at this moment, and it is a complete mistake to launch this as the moment and draw attention away from the actual problem - ethnic cleansing occurred in Kosovo and Metohija just like in 1999. Those responsible for 1999 and for March 17, and implementation of measures for establishing their responsibiilty, will remain completely in the background, which is not good for us," Ivanovic said for the Novi Sad daily "Dnevnik".

Emphasizing that Serbia has officials and institutions competent to establish responsibility for what has occurred, Ivanovic announced that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija would insist on both individual and collective responsibility of insitutions and individuals who "must have know what was being planned for March 17 and taken energetic measures to prevent it".

"Those who failed to do should simply be required to resign for moral reasons; if this is not sufficient reason for them, those they report to should pull them from here," said Ivanovic, who is a member of the presidency of the Serbian Return Coaliton (Povratak).

He also announced the continuation of pressure on representatives of the international community in Kosovo and Metohija which, according to Ivanovic, must admit that it made a mistake.

"Since 1999 the international community has had a concept that is completely wrong which is based on two fundamental mistakes - that the Albanians will not accept anything except an independent Kosovo, at any price, and that Serbia might, under certain conditons and pressures, be brought to accept the independence of its southern province," said Ivanovic.

In Ivanovic's opinion, these two fundamental mistakes are the starting point for many erroneous conclusions that ensued and led to an entire package of inappropriate measures in Kosovo and Metohija.

Removal Of UMNIK And KFOR Persons In Charge

Belgrade, 27 Mar (RTS)  The Kosovo Serbs and their political representatives have evaluated that the Resolution will help in protecting of the integrity of the province and the survival of the Serbs.
"During the talks with the representatives of the international community the removal of the ones in UMNIK and KFOR responsible for the latest developments in Kosovo" was demanded, stated for RTS by Gojko Savic, member of the Presidency of Kosovo Assembly.

Gojko Savic announced that if the Kosovo Government does not undertake the repairing of the destroyed Serbian houses, in that case the Serbian envoys would withdraw not only from the Assembly but also from the other Kosovo institutions.

"The really important thing at this moment is that after the resolution a program has to be prepared, which program practically immediately would go into effect and it must not be neglected. All talks that have been conducted in order to prevent Kosovo and Metohija should not be conducted with the Albanians in some working groups, but in the centers of power, Brussels and Washington, because they can very easy forget everything that happened and to return everything in the previous situation. They would also continue where they stopped, the standards before they got to some certain status", state Gojko Savic.

No Future For Serbs Without Special-Status Guarantees, Nowicki

Belgrade, 29 Mar (Tanjug) - Ombudsman for human rights in Kosovo-Metohija Marek Nowicki has said that, according to his opinion, there is no future for Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija without certain legal special-status guarantees for the places they live in, no matter what those places are. My first reaction was that an attempt of ethnic cleansing was made on March 17, Nowicki told the Monday issue of the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti. I believe that one has to say that, and I have already mentioned this in my previous statements, the problem of Kosovo Serbs appeared a lot earlier, he said.

He said there was no doubt that that from the very beginning, the attacks against Serbs had been coordinated and orchestrated, and that representatives of the international community had also been caught off-guard. However, now that we are evaluating the situation, and not only on the basis of our reports and contacts with the people, it is important to emphasize that two main factors are to be blamed for the events we are speaking of - the international community and ethnic Albanians as a majority, Nowicki said.
The only way to change something is not only to find and punish those who committed the crimes, but also the ones who stand behind them, Nowicki said and added that if that was not to be possible, then we could not speak of any kind of future whatsoever.

Grossman Hears Serb Complaints In Kosovo

Pristina, 29 Mar (B92) - The US State Departments under secretary for political affairs, Marc Grossman, met representatives of the Serb Return Coalition in Pristina today.

Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic told B92 that Grossman was told that the March 17 attacks on Serbs had been organized by people who hadnt been punished for crimes they committed in 1999.

"We cant pretend that nothing has happened. For us, March 17 is the same thing as September 11 for the Americans, and this was part of the message we gave Mr. Grossman.

"Our request is that the culprits and organizers be found, and for the incompetent behavior of the interim institutions to be acknowledged.

"I would say that Grossman understood this message. His promise that the culprits and organizers would be punished, together with all those who tried to make political mileage out of this gives us some hope.
"We shall wait and see," said Ivanovic.

Grossman told media in Pristina that the international community remains dedicated to the concept of a multiethnic Kosovo and the implementation of the standards before status police.

However, he said, those standards would now be redefined to include decentralization together with guarantees of physical and legal safety for the Serb community and all living in Kosovo.

A functional local administration would also be included, he said.

"Decentralization will soon find its way and then well get at least some kind of self-government in which Serbs can find a place for themselves and some kind of protections," said Grossman.

Serbs Members Of KPS Protect Only Serbs

Belgrade, 27 Mar (BK-TV)  Since 17 March, Serb members of KPS are protecting only the Serbs, learned BK.
The agency state that there conditions have not been fulfilled for the Serb members of KPS to protect the citizens that live outside the enclaves.

Beside the murder of one international policeman and one KPS policeman, there has been seven days without any incidents in Kosovo, but the members of the international forces, both the soldiers and the policemen, still do not trust the Albanians who a week ago showed their real face and also proved how much they intercede for multiethnic and democratic Kosovo.

"The members of KPS confirmed for BK that from the regional commanders (International members of police) they have received strict orders not to patrol in places where the Albanians are the majority. In the north part of the province this means that the Serbian members of KPS at this moment are only in the north part of Mitrovica, Leposavic and Zubin Potok. The Serbs members of KPS emphasized that if the incidents happen again their priority will be to protect the minority Serbian community. They also told us that they (Serbs) no longer get fuel in the south part of Kosovska Mitrovica, but only in the north enclaves. It is not only about the KPS members, the representatives of the civilian mission also afraid to perform their duty in the north part of the province", stated Bojan Bozovic, BK journalist.

They Destroyed Everything They Could

Belgrade, 29 Mar (Politika)  Slobodan Mileusnic, the director of the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church stated that according to all accessible information of the Eparchy Raska-Prizrenska, in Kosovo and Metohija, the organizers of the destruction, which happened on the 17th, and the 18th of March destroyed everything they could. Mileusnic emphasized that episcopes Artemije and Atanasije have visited most of the 35 damaged religious sites, but added that the final word is expected from the specialists from the institute for protection of cultural monuments and the conservation society, who are currently in Kosmet. "Renovation is possible but it is impossible to return what once existed," stated Mileusnic, and added that a special example of this is Prizren where all hat belonged to the Serbian Orthodox Church was destroyed (10 churches, the priest school of Saint Kiril and Metodija, and the Vladaricin castle.

Addressing the possibility for the removal of the completely destroyed monasteries of Saint Archangel near Prizren and the Devic monastery, Mileusnic pointed out that in certain situations that Albanians are digging out the foundations of the churches and are throwing out the material in the near by rivers. Reason for this is the act that they want to erase all evidence of the existing of orthodox religious sites.

Showing the picture of an young Albanian standing beneath the entrance to a monastery on which someone had written "Death to Serbs", Mileusnic did not exclude the possibility for "brutal attempts for changing the roads of Christian history". "Under orders of the international forces, people and priests were forced to leave their homes and monasteries. Then came the Albanians who torched and blow up everything", stated Mileusnik, who pointed to the absurdness of the situations by stating that after all of this the international forces would return to protect the ashes.

KOSOVO AND METOHIJA NEWS, March 29, 2004

INET News

Monday 29 March 2004

23:40 Kosovo-Metohija premier Bajram Rexhepi has said that the conditions for determining status of the province and getting its independence should be made as soon as possible.

23:20 After his visit to Pristina, US under-secretary for political issues Mark Grossman is to arrive tomorrow to Belgrade, where he will confer with Serbian and state union's top officials about the situation in Kosovo-Metohija after the latest wave of violence, in which 28 people died, 600 were wounded and 4.000 Serbs have been displaced.

21:20 Serbia and Montenegro assistant foreign minister Aleksandra Joksimovic spoke with UNESCO director general Koichiro Matsuuro in Paris today about the recent events in Kosovo and Metohija and their effects on the cultural and religious monuments in the southern Serbian province.

21:00 UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri will proclaim next week a plan for implementation of standards in Kosovo-Metohija, United States under-secretary for political affairs Mark Grossman announced today in Pristina.

20:40 The dream of a multi-ethnic Kosovo and Metohija died on March 17th, but the international community can hardly be expected to admit its mistakes, since there are no signs of any multi-ethnic institutions in Kosovo and Metohija, but simply a struggle for life itself by the Serb and other non-Albanian communities, participants in a panel entitled 'Our European Riddle' concluded today.

20:20 Security for the Serbian, but also all other communities in Kosovo and Metohija, and decentralization are the priorities that must be secured through the document for the implementation of Standards, United States under-secretary for political affairs Mark Grossman said in today talks with the Serb Return coalition representatives.

20:00 European Union foreign policy and security chief Javier Solana appointed today Fernando Gentilini his personal representative in Pristina. A statement from Solana's office said Gentilini, who will take office this week, is the head of the Balkan Office with the Italian Foreign Ministry.

19:40 Ombudsman for human rights in Kosovo-Metohija Marek Nowicki has said that, according to his opinion, there is no future for Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija without certain legal special-status guarantees for the places they live in, no matter what those places are.

19:20 The Association of families of Serbs and other non-Albanians, who were kidnapped and disappeared during 1998 and 1999 in Kosovo-Metohija, sent a letter today to Serbian Parliament and Government asking them to do everything for clearing up the destiny of missed persons and for arresting Albanians who committed criminal acts.

19:00 Serbia-Montenegro defense minister Boris Tadic and KFOR commander general-colonel Holger Kammerhoff have agreed today series of operative measures and exchange of intelligence data for preserving the security of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija.

18:30 United States under-secretary for political affairs Mark Grossman met today with representatives of the coalition Return and underscored that mid-2005 is too short a deadline and that the democratic standards in the province will not be met by that time, BBC reported.

18:00 Serbia and Montenegro president Svetozar Marovic said today that the state union has scored a diplomatic victory after the latest developments in Kosovo and Metohija province, but that it faces an even more difficult and serious task - to help toward the establishment of at least minimal confidence among the ethnic communities in the province.

16:00 Commander of the Pristina Corps Major General Mladen Cirkovic said that the recent events in Kosovo-Metohija were not a surprise for the SMAF, nor an escalation of terrorism, but 'bringing to an end the Albanian idea of ethnically cleansed southern Serbian province'. In an interview to 'Vojska' weekly, General Cirkovic said that it was 'the responsibility of those who obliged to guarantee normal living conditions to the entire population on this territory, just like we are doing at the administrative line, in keeping with our rights and liabilities.'

14:40 Heavily-armed NATO patrols have stepped security at all entrances to the Kosovo town of Prizren. Members of the NATO-led peacekeeping force, KFOR, are searching everyone entering the town. Sources say the measures have been taken after reports that former members of the ethnic Albanian so-called Kosovo Liberation Army intend organizing a protest in the town this afternoon. Similar demonstrations have been announced in other towns in the UN-governed province.

14:20 NATO's Southeast Europe commander Gregory Johnson arrive to Pristina as well. He said that his third arrival in Kosovo this month is connected with intensive work on fixing the state after the riots on March 17th and 18th, in which 28 people got killed.

14:00 US undersecretary for political affairs Marc Grossman, who is visiting Pristina today, has told representatives of Serbs' coalition 'Povratak' (Return) that International community engaging in Kosovo, as it has been so far, cannot be carried on, estimating that 'a crime'

occurred in Kosovo on March 17th and 18th. Milorad Todorovic, co-minister of Kosovo Government for return, has stated after the meeting with Grossman, that the US diplomat announced the goal of his visit, which was to clearly condemn the crime that occurred and to see if there were any chances for a progress regarding the current situation.

13:40 Top foreign affairs officials from France, Germany and Italy are due in Belgrade today to discuss the situation in Kosovo. The European representatives will spend two days in the Serbian capital for talks with senior political leaders. The three countries make up one half of the international community's Contact Group for the former Yugoslavia, whose agreement will be essential for any resolution of the situation in Kosovo.

13:20 Kosovo's prime minister Bajram Rexhepi has insisted on independence as soon as possible for the UN-governed province, in comments published today in Montenegro. 'Belgrade is appealing for a return to war. The return of the army and police is an unrealistic demand which cannot even be considered,' Bajram Rexhepi told Podgorica daily Dan. 'Kostunica knows full well what is cantonization and what's decentralization, but he's manipulating terminology. The division of Kosovo is the aim of the majority in Belgrade, but that proposal is unacceptable for us.'

11:40 Ombudsman for human rights in Kosovo-Metohija Marek Nowicki has said that, according to his opinion, there is no future for Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija without certain legal special-status guarantees for the places they live in, no matter what those places are. My first reaction was that an attempt of ethnic cleansing was made on March 17, Nowicki told the Monday issue of the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti.

11:20 UNMIK has confirmed that a boy's body was found on the banks of the river in Lipljan on Sunday, around 5 pm, and said that violent death was not in question. We do not think that violent death is in question, UNMIK said in.

11:00 A Kosovo Parliament Presidency member Oliver Ivanovic has stated that the talks on the final Kosovo status, at this point, are drawing attention from the heart of a problem. He said that such a behavior would allow perpetrators of ethnic cleansing to be put a side.