PROLOM BANJA, Feb. 4, 2005 (BETA) - Serbia-Montenegro army Chief of Staff Gen. Dragan Paskas and KFOR commander French Gen. Yves de Kermabon agreed that the situation in Kosovo and the land security zone "is stable, yet unpredictable."

The meeting between the two generals is Paskas' first since his appointment as chief of staff and the topic of their discussion on Feb. 3 was the security situation in the province and land security zone bordering the administrative line between Serbia and Kosovo.

The French general said that some 17,000 KFOR soldiers would not allow a repeat of the March 2004 violence in Kosovo an added that international forces would ensure peace for all of the province's citizens. The next meeting between Gen. Paskas and the KFOR commander is scheduled for the beginning of March.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Feb. 4, 2005 (BETA) - Oliver Ivanovic, representing the Serb Ticket for Kosovo and Metohija, has said that the international Contact Group Plus rudely informed politicians in Kosovo that the Serbian government's decentralization plan "is not in the game," adding that the process was in the jurisdiction of UNMIK and the provisional administration.

"Despite this, we believe and insist that official Belgrade must have an active role not only in the matter of decentralization but in other important issues as well," Ivanovic told a Feb. 3 news conference in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Ivanovic added he doubted that Serbia-Montenegro or Serbia would have the political strength to affect an assessment of standards in Kosovo this year, after which talks on Kosovo's final status are scheduled to begin.

Lipljan, 03 Feb (B92) - The members of the Serbian families from Lipljan are seriously think about moving out. Serbs think about moving in some of the Serbs enclaves in central Kosovo or in the centers for dispersed in Serbia and the reasons are that they cannot survive without power. These people have not had power supply for more then 40 days.

Crisis headquarters from Lipljan sent an appeal to the Serbian Government and to the military of Serbia and Montenegro for immediate transportation of the 128 generators because just 35 families have them. "Problems started while separating the fuel that was brought as aid. Some people got more than others. Generators and fuel were taken even by some Albanian families", said Lipljan Red Cross secretary Novica Zivkovic.

The situation is complicated in the village of Batuse near Kosovo Polje, transmitted SRNA.

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (ONASA/B92) US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said today that the US is still opposed to any kind of changes of borders in the Balkans. We believe that all states in the regions must have good relations for peace in the Balkans, which, as far as Kosovo is concerned, demands a continuation of the line drawn by the United Nations.

Were not interested in, nor do we support but continue to oppose any change of borders. Our position on Kosovo has not changed. Nothing has changed, said Boucher. The State Department spokesman last week said that the US and the international community had an identical position on Kosovo and believed that it was still to early to discuss the final status of the province.

2 February, Pristina (dpa) - The six-member Contact Group warned Kosovo institutions Wednesday that implementation of human-rights standards remains the main task ahead of final status talks for the internationally administered province.

Western powers and Kosovo politicians held a series of talks in the provincial capital Pristina to review the progress and setting the goals for the period prior to the final evaluation of internationally defined human rights standards'' for minorities.

In addition, the representatives from the United States, Great Britain, France, Russia, Germany and Italy urged Belgrade authorities to encourage Kosovo Serbs to take part in the province's institution-building process.

The Contact Group, formed by the six countries widely seen as the most influential in the Balkan process over the last decade, was established in 1999 to help solve the Kosovo crisis and reactivated when the international community announced the start of talks on Kosovo's final status.

The final status of Kosovo will be decided under the umbrella of Contact Group.

The meeting largely concentrated on the newly drafted decentralization plan, widely seen as a crucial factor in the process of defusing lingering tensions between the local ethnic Albanian majority and some 120,000 Serbs left in the province after the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces in 1999.

The United Nations administration, strongly supported by the European Union and NATO, created a set of standards on human rights, freedom of movement, return of refugees and other minority-related rights, which Kosovo has to meet by mid-2005 in order to open the way for negotiations on final status.

Kosovo has been run by a U.N. administration (UNMIK) since 1999, following a NATO war aimed at stopping the Serb forces' crackdown on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians.

But the status of the province remains unresolved, with Albanians wanting nothing less than full independence, while Serbs hope to preserve at least ceremonial control over the region.

During the last five and a half years, the two communities have failed to establish any kind of communication that could serve as a basis for future talks.

Belgrade Media Update, Feb 3-4, 2005

UNMIK Media Monitoring Report

Members of Kosovo Fund Managerial and Supervising Boards Appointed (RTS)

The Serbian Government has appointed members of the Kosovo Fund Managerial and Supervising Board. Serbian PM Vojislav Kostunica will chair the Managerial Board and its members will be the Serbian Academician Matija Beckovic, the Bishop of Raska-Prizren Eparchy Artemije Radosavljevic, the movie director Emir Kusturica, the basketball player Dejan Bodiroga, the Director of 'Metalac Company' from Gornji Milanovac Dragoljub Vukadinovic and the Director of 'Sintelon' Backa Planaka Nikola Pavicic. The Kosovo Fund Supervising Board will be chaired by the President of the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences Nikola Hajdin and members of the board will be the President of 'Matica Srpska' Bozidar Kovacek, the Chancellor of the University of Belgrade Dejan Popovic and the Bishop of Montenegrin-Littoral Eparchy Amfilohije Radovic.

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Paskas: Security Situation Stabile, but Unpredictable (B92)

The SCG Army Chief-Of-Staff, Dragan Paskas, and COMKFOR Yves de Kermabon discussed the security situation in the region. Following the meeting Paskas said that the two sides have exchanged intelligence on the security situation and came to the conclusion that it is currently stabile, but still very complicated and unpredictable. Paskas added that professional military personnel have mostly replaced ordinary soldiers in the Ground Safety Zone "in order to make sure that this delicate situation is taken care of by the professionals" Paskas said. The French General reiterated that 17.000 KFOR troops would not allow the repetition of the March violence and would ensure peace for all citizens of Kosovo.

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"How Much is Kosovo?" (Politika)

"Serbia has been openly offered to simply exchange its territorial sovereignty for a faster accession to the EU, an eventual write-off of its foreign debts, as well as for some other benefits to be provided by the international community. All in all, Serbia has been openly offered to sell its sovereignty over Kosovo," writes Political Advisor to the Serbian PM Misa Djurkovic in Politika. In his op-ed about the latest ICG report, Djurkovic wonders "Are the coordinated pressures by some important factors in the international community less motivated by the problem that Serbia has with The Hague Tribunal, and much more by an intention to weaken Serbia and in every possible way force it into accepting a solution like the one offered by the ICG." Djurkovic writes that main problem with this scenario, as the Co-Chairman of the ICG Chris Patten has noticed, could be Serbia's refusal to accept it: "We have to ask ourselves, are such strong external and internal pressures on the Serbian Government motivated by its "unconstructive stand" on this issue, as well as with a desire to ensure that Serbia get some 'more constructive' government that will be ready for the swap? In every case, it seems that it is very much needed that all our parties openly and publicly say what they think about this 'indecent proposal.' I still honestly believe that, at least on this issue, they will all have the same stand."

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Nowicki Calls for Implementation of PACE Recommendations in Kosovo (Danas)

"Human rights recommendations that have been adopted during the Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council Europe in Strasbourg are not just a mere framework for a discussion among legal experts or something that will simply vanish as just another newspapers' headline. Here in Kosovo, I am in a constant contact with people who are asking me, for instance, how can they submit their property claims to the European Human Rights Court in Strasbourg. When they hear that it is impossible to do it here, unlike in the rest of Serbia and Montenegro, they ask a logical question: Why? Answer is simple, because Kosovo is only a surrogate state run by the UN," writes the Kosovo Ombudsman Marek Antoni Nowicki in his op-ed simultaneously published in Danas and Koha Ditore.

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Serbs Seriously Considering Moving out from Lipljan (B92)

Serbs from Lipljan are seriously considering moving out to either some of the Serb enclaves in the central part of Kosovo or to a collective centre in Serbia, as after more than 40 days of outages they cannot live on without electricity, any longer. The Crisis Committee in Lipljan have addressed an appeal to the Serbian Government and the SCG Army to provide them 128 generators, as currently only 35 households have those. "The distribution of oil organized by the Kosovo Ministry for Returns and Communities has only created divisions among the local people, as some of them received more oil than the others." said the Secretary of the Red Cross Office in Lipljan Novica Zivic.

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Belgrade Can Only Have Advisory Role in Decentralization Talks (Tanjug/B92)

The Contact Group Plus have called upon the Kosovo authorities to respect the rights of minorities and once again urged the Kosovo Serbs to join the PISG. It also urged the Kosovo Government to reform the local self-government, "by taking into account the rights of minorities and their security, as well as to ensure better living conditions for all citizens of Kosovo." The statement reads that all ethnic communities, especially the Kosovo Serbs, should take part in these efforts. The Contact Group Plus has clearly let the Kosovo Serb representatives know that the official Belgrade could not participate in the process of decentralization of power in Kosovo, one of the participants in the meeting Goran Bogdanovic told Tanjug: "The representatives of the Contact Group Plus were clear and explicit in letting us know that the official Belgrade can only assume an advisory role, and that there is no way for it to be directly involved in the process of decentralization of power in Kosovo."

Bogdanovic said that the representatives of the Contact Group Plus have assessed the electricity outages as an economic problem shared by members of all the other ethnic communities in Kosovo. Bogdanovic said that the representatives of the Contact Group Plus were clearly told that the Kosovo Serbs would not participate in the PISG work until further notice, as no progress has been reached in any sphere of life. Oliver Ivanovic told B92 that the Contact Group Plus officials said that Belgrade has isolated itself from the talks by not wishing to be a part of the working group that deals with decentralization. "They expect Kosovo Serb representatives to actively participate, but I believe that the process has reached a phase where we will not be able to have much influence. The bad news is, that a lot of our demands will not be included in the plan." Ivanovic said. He said that the good news is that the Contact Group has agreed to one suggestion of the Kosovo Serbs regarding pilot projects in Gracanica and Partes, whose goals should be achieved within the next 18 months.

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US Remains Opposed to Any Alternation of Borders in the Balkans (RTS)

The State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher stated that the US is still against any altering of territorial integrity in the Balkans: "We have stood for the territorial integrity of Macedonia and every other state where it's been challenged and we'll continue to do so. Our belief is that a peaceful Balkans requires good relations between all of the states of the region, it requires proceeding with Kosovo on the path outlined by the United Nations. And we are not interested, supportive and we remain opposed to any alternation of borders," said Boucher.

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NATO Top Brass Oppose to Kosovo's Independence, but.(RTS)

The SCG Defence Minister Prvoslav Davinic said that the top military officials in NATO would have never allowed the creation of an independent Kosovo, "as they are fully aware of the situation on the ground, but, unfortunately, it is up to politicians to decide about that." Speaking at the promotion of the Serb edition of Samuel P. Huntington's book "Soldier and State - Theory and Politics of Civil-Military Relations", Davinic opined that the US military was not behind the Kosovo war, but the former US Administration led by President Clinton.

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Naumov: UNMIK to Accept Belgrade's Offer (Tanjug)

The Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Radomir Naumov told Tanjug that he was optimistic about prospects to solve the problem of electricity supplies for the Serb people in Kosovo. Naumov assessed that UNMIK "seems to be showing certain signs of becoming interested in our proposals." He thinks that UNMIK will agree to receive high-voltage electricity from Serbia, as it would not only cover the consumption of the Kosovo Serbs, but also the needs of the international military forces in Kosovo.

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Kosovo Serb Entrepreneurs Write to Serbian Parliament (RTS)

Kosovo Serb entrepreneurs and members of the Serb National Council of Northern Kosovo, who have been blocking the administrative boundary crossings for the past three days, have sent a letter to the Serbian Parliament explaining why they have decided to take such a step. The letter that has been sent to all caucuses and the Serbian Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo, reads that the blockade is the result of introducing classical customs procedures between Kosovo and Serbia proper, which, according to them, are no different than the ones at the border with Bulgaria or Romania.

"We have had three weeks of fruitless talks with representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Finance, and the Minister Dinkic is actually trying to banish kosovo.netpanies from the economic system of Serbia. The decree that has introduced a border between the Republic and its province is a stab in the back of the Serbian Government plan for the political resolution of the current situation in Kosovo and is also prejudging the final status of the province. We hope and expect from you to remove customs offices from administrative boundary crossings, and if you fail to do so, we expect your support and understanding for steps that we are planning to take."

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Customs to Stay, Says Dinkic (B92)

The Serbian Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic says that the customs control between Kosovo and Serbia proper will stay. "Kosovo Serb entrepreneurs are protesting in vain, as the customs control at the administrative boundary with Kosovo is necessary and nothing will be changed in this respect." Dinkic explained that it must be determined whether the goods coming to Serbia proper were manufactured in the Serb enclaves, or just transiting from other countries. "All legal manufacturers in the Serb parts of Kosovo need not to worry about the customs. At the same time goods that are coming from Serbia proper to Kosovo will be exempted from the VAT," said Dinkic.

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Serb Liberation Antiterrorist Movement to Go Public Soon (Nedeljni Telegraf)

"In a situation when the international community does not want to protect us, but rather wants to starve us with month long [electricity] outages to demoralize and force us to leave Kosovo and Serbia is also unable to protect us, because the international community does not respect its own Resolution 1244 and refuses to allow the return of a certain number of our soldiers and security forces, we are forced to take our destiny in our own hands," a Kosovo Serb leader told Nedeljni Telegraf. "By the end of February we shall review troops of the Serb Liberation Antiterrorist Movement in one of the Serb villages. We shall do it publicly and inform both the representatives of the international community and the Belgrade authorities, but also the media about it.

We have nothing to hide. Until now, we have been working on forming units in all villages where it was possible and soon we shall present 300 members of our movement." According to the NT source, members of the Serb Liberation Antiterrorist Movement will show up in black uniforms and black berets, with clearly indicated military ranks that will make a clear distinction between soldiers and officers, and will be unarmed: "We are not preparing to attack anyone, but only to defend ourselves and our people if the Albanian terrorists come after us again. We are here to help the international forces to eradicate terrorism in Kosovo and create conditions for a peaceful and secure living of all people in Kosovo. We currently do not have any arms, but may God forbid, if things get tough, we shall be forced to manage somehow." When asked, why it is that few remaining Serbs have decided to self-organize at this particular moment, our source and also one of the supreme officers of the movement answered: "We are forced to do this.

Every single day we see armed groups of Albanians, wearing different insignias: UCK, ANA, 'The Black Eagles', 'The Avengers,' around our villages. They are freely taking different sorts of military training, shooting practice, marching and threatening our people whenever and wherever they meet them. Not even KFOR and UNMIK are preventing them from doing that. They are openly talking about that they are preparing for 'a decisive battle for Kosovo' and their first target will be the remaining Serbs. So, in order to avoid to be once again turned into their sacrificial lambs, we have decided to organize ourselves this way."