News 20

ABBOT TEODOSIJE OF DECANI: PROTECTION OF MONASTERY IS OUR PRIORITY TASK
Decani brotherhood wholeheartedly welcomes UNESCO initiative to include the monastery on world cultural heritage list

(photo by Decani Mon.: Fr. Teodosije Sibalic - Decani Monastery Abbot)

DECANI - "The Decani brotherhood wholeheartedly welcomes the UNESCO intent to include the monastery on the world cultural heritage list," said the Abbot of Visoki Decani Monastery, Father Teodosije Sibalic (39), who has headed this young brotherhood ever since 1992, "because this will provide additional protection for the monastery from the pressures to which it has been exposed in the last four years.

"Visoki Decani Monastery today lives in complete isolation and the task of its monks is to do everything within our power to protect this holy shrine in these troubled times. This is perhaps one of the most difficult moments in the history of the monastery and we feel a special responsibility before God and our Church, together with our spiritual father Bishop Artemije who has invested tremendous efforts to preserve the holy shrines and congregation here. Despite everything, we place our hope in God and his chosen one, the Holy King Stefan of Decani, who have gathered over 30 young monks and novices in this monastery, all firmly determined to stay and survive in this holy location and to bear witness in faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ," said the Abbot of Decani.

"For the past four years the monastery has survived as secluded island surrounded by a sea of misunderstanding. Even though we continue to travel outside the monastery exclusively with the escort of Italian KFOR troops, our vehicles are frequently stoned. The monastery therefore still needs the strong presence of KFOR whose troops are lodged in the base immediately above the monastery complex and which allow the normal life of the brotherhood and safe cultivation of the land.

"We are especially pleased by the initiative of eminent Italian senators and humanists who in recent weeks have sought that their government continue to protect the monastery and that the announced withdrawal of KFOR does not occur.

"The decision of UNESCO to include our monastery on the world cultural heritage list will be very significant because it will draw the attention of the global community to this holy shrine and, in general, to the fate of our churches and monasteries, especially in Metohija. We also hope that the UNESCO decision will define a protected zone around the monastery prohibiting industrial production, pollution of the environment and tourism, all of which pose a threat to the life of the monastery. It is our hope to be able to preserve the tranquility and beauty of the valley where the monastery is located," said Abbot Teodosije.

"We are especially grateful to Professor Branislav Krstic and his associates from the Coordinating Center, as well as to the experts from the Serbian Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Belgrade who were extremely professional in preparing thorough documentation not only on our monastery but on all endangered Serbian Orthodox holy shrines in Kosovo and Metohija, and sharing it with UNESCO."

HIEROMONK GERMAN: 120 ORTHODOX CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA DAMAGED OR DESTROYED
Abbot of Holy Archangels Monastery on UNESCO visit

(Photo by Visoki Decani Monastery: Abbot German, Holy Archangels Monastery near Prizren)

PRIZREN, March 18, 2003 (Beta) - During its seven day-long mission to Kosovo, the delegation of the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also visited the Prizren region where it visited the religious edifices of all three local faiths. The members of the delegation visited the Mother of God Ljeviska Monastery, the seat of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren and Holy Archangels Monastery, the Sinan Pasha mosque and hammam, as well as the Catholic church where they met with Bishop Marko Sopi.

The Abbot of Holy Archangels Monastery near Prizren, Hieromonk German, stated that this was the second UNESCO delegation to visit them. He expressed dissatisfaction with the report of the first delegation, headed by professor Karl Blasi, which visited Kosovo in May 2001, because it failed to mention the damaged and destroyed churches and monasteries of Kosovo.

"Not one of the 120 destroyed and damaged churches and monasteries in Kosovo was mentioned. It was very strange and there was much speculation regarding the composition of the mission and its intentions," said the Abbot. Hieromonk German expressed the hope that the new mission, which completed its visit to Kosovo today, would prepare a more objective report and contribute to the protection of the Serb cultural heritage in Kosovo. "In these three and a half years (since the end of the war and the arrival of the international administration), Kosovo has become the graveyard of cultural heritage, especially of churches and monasteries," said the Abbot of Holy Archangels.

"That which has been destroyed awaits restoration; what has not been destroyed awaits someone to protect it. We are not in a position to professionally guard all our holy shrines, which are priceless. They need an expert hand but it is still missing," he said.

(Photo by Holy Archangels: Prizren church of St. Savior, 14th century, surrounded by barbed wire, 2002)

In Prizren, according to the Abbot, there are 37 Serb cultural and historical monuments classified in the first [most important], second and third categories. "In the Prizren region we have 37 Serb historical cultural monuments. Of these, five belong to the first category and 13 to the second category. St. Nicholas Church, better known as Rajko's Church, a monument of the second category, was burned down in 1999. Since then nothing has been done to restore it," said the hieromonk.

"Other sites, such as our Mother of God Ljeviska Monastery, the Church of St. Spas, Holy Peter Koriski Monastery, Kalaja Fortress - all monuments of the first category - have lacked technical expertise this entire time. This is a great loss not only to the Serbs but to others, too, because this is also a part of the European cultural heritage," he said.

Abbot German claims that in the German zone of responsibility there are 30 destroyed, desecrated, burned down and looted churches and monasteries. "This clearly bears witness not only to the presence of the Serbs in this region throughout history but also to the attitude of the Kosovo Albanians and the international community in the past three and a half years. All of this happened after the war, that is, in peace," he said.

ERP KIM Info-Service
March 17, 2003

(Photo: UNESCO experts at ruins of 14th century St. George Church in Recani near Suva Reka. In the foreground, destroyed Serb graves. The church was levelled to the ground by Albanian extremists in summer 1999. Click on photo for larger format.)

On Sunday, March 16, the UNESCO expert delegation headed by Mr. Horst Goedicke visited religious, cultural and historical monuments in Pec and Klina municipalities. Accompanied by monks from Visoki Decani Monastery, the UNESCO high delegation first visited the ruins of the Most Holy Mother of God Monastery in Dolac near Klina, dating back to the 14th century, blown up by Albanian extremists two months after the arrival of KFOR and the UN mission, in August 1999. Lost among the ruins of Dolac Monastery are valuable frescoes dating back to the 16th century which managed to survive for over 400 years. Near the monastery itself are also the ruins of the Serb village of Dolac which was burned down and destroyed at the same time as the monastery, despite strong presence of international peacekeepers in the area.

After visiting the estate (metoh) of the Pec Patriarchate in Budisavci, where the valuable medieval Church of Divine Transfiguration dating back to the 14th century has been preserved thanks to KFOR, the UNESCO delegation continued on to Djurakovac and the ruins of the Orthodox St. Nicholas Church, dating back to 1592. This church formerly contained valuable frescoes from the 16th century now completely destroyed together with the surrounding Serb cemetery, where the oldest grave marker dates back to 1362.

The UNESCO delegation then visited the Monastery of the Pec Patriarchate (13-14th century) - the jewel of Serb medieval architecture and fresco painting in this region. In the center of the city the UNESCO experts visited three mosques from the Ottoman period which suffered damage during the war of 1999: the Red, Barjakli and Kursumli mosques. The tour of the Pec area concluded with a visit to the oldest Serb log church, that of St. Jeremiah built in 1737 in the nearby village of Gorazdevac, the only Serb village in Pec municipality still inhabited by Serbs who live under constant KFOR military protection.

(photo: UNESCO Delegation in Decani Monastery library. In the name of Abbot Teodosije the expets were received by Fr. Sava Janjic, his deputy)

The day before, on March 15 (Sunday), the UNESCO delegation visited Visoki Decani Monastery and talked to Fr. Sava, deputy abbot, who in the name of Abbot Fr. Teodosije briefed the mission about the campaign of destruction and terror against Serbian Christian sites under the UN rule in Kosovo. 'The monastery is greeting the intention of UNESCO to proclaim Decani Monastery a World heritage site', Fr. Sava explained adding that 'this would make clear to enemies of culture and civilization that peace cannot be built on ruins of medieval Christian sites'. Fr. Sava expressed his satisfaction that UNESCO experts finally may see themselves what was happening in Kosovo and Metohija after the UN peacekeeping mission began in June 1999. 'Regrettably, Kosovo Albanian leaders not only deny destruction of medieval Christian holy sites, but spread propaganda that only, what they call 'political churches' were destroyed, justifying crime and encouraging further acts of barbarism'. 'Leaders who shamesly turn blind eye towards destruction of Christian and European cultural heritage in the territory in which they live demonstrate a frighthening lack of basic political responsibility and culture', said Fr. Sava to UNESCO experts. 'It is impossible to understand that despite 40.000 NATO led troops and thousands of policemen not a single perpertrator of these barbarous acts has been brought to justice so far', Fr. Sava concluded.

After touring the damaged mosques in Decani and Djakovica, as well as the old city complex in Djakovica, all of which sustained damage in the war of 1999, the UNESCO experts visited the ruins of the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of St. Cosmas and Damian in the village of Zociste near Orahovac which was destroyed by KLA extremists in summer 1999. Sunday program for the UNESCO mission concluded with a village to the Serb town of Velika Hoca with its famous 11 medieval Orthodox churches. Last year, Bishop Artemije's initiative to reconstruct Zociste Monastery was refused by KFOR due to opposition of the local Moslem Albanian population.

Today the expert delegation of UNESCO visited several cultural and religious sites in Vucitrn and Mitrovica area, including the old ruins of the famous 14th century Serbian Orthodox Monastery of st. Stephen at Banjska where the mission members met again with Bishop Artemije who briefed them about the plans of the Serbian Government to commence reconstruction of this famous historical and cultural Serbian site. The visit of the UNESCO expert mission to Kosovo and Metohija is expected to finish tomorrow (March 18). The next day members of the Delegation will go to Belgrade to have the final meetings with the representatives of the Coordination Center of the Serbian Government (CCK).

Photos: (Click on each small photo to view it in resolution of 1000x750 pixels)

LOCATIONS VISITED BY UNESCO EXPERTS TEAM (photographs by ERP KIM Info-Service)

1. At the ruins of St. George Church in the village of Recane near Suva Reka, 14th century (1370)
2. Ruins of the Mother of God - Hodegitria- Church in the village of Musutiste near Suva Reka, 14th century (1315)
3. Ruins of the St. Nicholas Church in Djurakovac, 16th century (1592)
4. Ruins of the Most Holy Mother of God Monastery in Dolac, 14th century
5. UNESCO team of experts in front of Visoki Decani Monastery with Fr. Sava
6. Desecrated grave at Orthodox cemetery in Djurakovac, near the old church (n. 3)

ALBANIAN EXTREMISTS DID NOT SPARE EVEN THE GRAVES OF CHILDREN
In destroyed and desolate Serbian Orthodox cemetery in Djurakovac Albanians did not spare even the grave of two year-old Stefan Kozic

ERP KIM Info Service
March 16, 2003

(Photo: Grave of two year-old Stefan Kozic of Djurakovac. Photo by Visoki Decani Monastery. Click on photo to view it in resolution of 1000x750 pixels)

Surrounding the medieval Djurakovac St. Nicholas Church, which Kosovo Albanian extremists blew up in the summer of 1999, there is an old Serbian Orthodox cemetery, and around it are newer graves of Djurakovac Serbs. Since the summer of 1999 the local Albanians have turned this cemetery into a wasteland where not one grave remains intact. All crosses have been broken or scratched out on the grave markers.

What is more, the destroyers did not spare even the graves of children. During the visit of the UNESCO delegation to this location and inspection of the ruins of St. Nicholas, the photographer recorded the image of the destroyed grave of little Stefan Kozic, a two year-old child whose smiling image is still preserved on the toppled black marble plate of his destroyed grave.

Today's vandals cannot harm the deceased. They can only hurt their families and, most of all, harm themselves and their people, among whom no one in the past four years has raised his voice against the barbaric destruction of churches and cemeteries. This civilizational abyss and horrifying moral degradation among the Kosovo Albanian people in Kosovo and Metohija will without doubt remain the greatest stain of the post-war period in the Province before which numerous international visitors remain speechless and shocked.

(photo: Bishop Artemije with Horst Goedicke, head of the UNESCO Experts Mission to Kosovo)

Bishop Artemije today received in Gracanica Monasery members of the UNESCO expert delegation presently visiting Kosovo and Metohija in order to gain first-hand information about the cultural and historical heritage of the Province, especially regarding cultural monuments destroyed or damaged during and after the conflict.

The delegation is headed by Horst GOEDICKE, the chairman of the UNESCO Inter-Sectoral Working Group on South-East Europe (Germany). Other members of the delegation are Saleh LAMEI, director general of the Centre for Conservation and Preservation of Islamic Architectural Heritage in Cairo (Egypt); Prof. Slobodan CURCIC, professor of Byzantine art and archeology at Princeton University (U.S.); Chistof MACHAT, chairman of the International Committee on Vernacular Architecture of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (Germany); Emir RIZA, representative of the Albanian Institute for the Protection of Monuments (Albania); and Benght O.H. JOHANSONN, honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Art (Sweden).

Bishop Artemije informed the members of the UNESCO expert delegation of the fate of more than 110 destroyed or damaged Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija. He emphasized that Kosovo Albanian extremists destroyed these valuable monuments and places of worship after the war despite the presence of UN mission and KFOR. The Bishop expressed his wish that the visit of the UNESCO delegation would contribute to the protection and preservation of the remaining religious and cultural monuments in Kosovo and Metohija. "It is discouraging that so far not one perpetrator of these barbarous attacks has been arrested and brought to justice. Such failure of the part of the police encourages further attacks," said Bishop Artemije.

Unfortunately, Kosovo Albanian leaders have not only failed to take any measures to restrain Albanian population from such uncivilized acts but even try to justify attacks on churches, propagating a false and dangerous theory that only new, so-called "political churches" were destroyed. Bishop Artemije has many times criticized this outrageous theory and accused Kosovo Albanian leaders of encouraging the destruction of Christian shrines. According to documentation gathered by the Church, the majority of destroyed and damaged churches are at least one hundred years old, and many of them date back to the Middle Ages.

Mr. Goedicke explained that the purpose of the delegation's visit was to prepare the ground for decisions to be made by UNESCO in order toprotect the cultural heritage in Kosovo. He informed Bishop Artemije that a Serbian delegation headed by Prof. Krstic had visited UNESCO two days before their arrival and submitted a detailed study on the present condition of the cultural heritage in the Province. Another study was prepared and submitted to UNESCO by Mnemosyne, a Belgrade NGO for protection and preservation of cultural heritage. Mr. Goedicke indicated that several countries have already expressed interest in investing in UNESCO projects in Kosovo. Among other countries, he noted these are Italy, Greece, Austria and Russia.

After a visit to the Gracanica Monastery church, the head of the UNESCO delegation gave a statement to local Radio Gracanica. When asked whether there are any concrete projects prepared by UNESCO for this year, Mr. Goedecke answered that Visoki Decani Monastery is scheduled to be placed under the special protection of UNESCO as early as this year. This would contriubte to better protection of the monastery, explained Mr. Goedecke. Other projects will be prepared after the visit of the UNESCO expert delegation.

In addition to Gracanica Monastery, the UNESCO team visited several locations in the Pristina area today, including several mosques from the Ottoman period in the city of Pristina, the Jewish cemetery, the old Hammam, the Ethnological Park, the Ulpiana Iustiniana Secunda archeological site and the town of Novo Brdo.

In the next few days the UNESCO expert delegation will visit dozens of other cultural and religious sites throughout the Province. On Monday, March 18, the delegation will travel to Belgrade to meet with represenatives of the Coordinating Center and to hold a final press conference.

Unique world art treasury surrounded by intolerance and vandalism of Kosovo Albanians
(left: Decani Monastery, right: Patriarchate of Pec Monastery, 13-14 c)

MASSIMO CACCIARI: THEY ARE ABOUT TO DESTROY JEWELS

Renowned Italian philosopher, art-historian and the ex-mayor of Venice, MASSIMO CACCIARI stood in defence of the Serb Orthodox churches in Kosovo and Metohija.

His interview was published by La Nuova di Venezia and La Tribuna di Treviso on March 4, 2003 and can be found in Italian original on the following Web addresses:

http://www.nuovavenezia.quotidianiespresso.it/nuovavenezia/arch_04/venezia/idee/vt101.htm
http://www.tribunatreviso.quotidianiespresso.it/tribunatreviso/arch_04/treviso/idee/vt101.htm

(extracts in English)

Italian contingent is about to be relocated. Moslems can blow up the works of art of uncomparable value. Appeal by Cacciari.

THEY ARE ABOUT TO DESTROY JEWELS
Our soldiers must defend beautiful churches of Kosovo.
Warning of a philosopher: "They are like San Marco. They enshrine the highest values of the Byzantine art. If we let them suffer their fate, we have to be shot.

by Renzo Mazzaro

(foto: Massimo Cacciari, ex-mayor of Venice and the EU parlamentarian)

After ethnic cleansing comes a thorough cleansing of memory, destruction of relicts, persecution of symbols, first of all those which are the strongest: churches, moansteries, monuments of the Eastern Christianity. There comes desolation in order to prevent any return of Serbs. That is how Moslem Albanian extremists think, who dream of Greater ethnic albania, just as Milosevic used to dream about Greater Serbia.

The war was finished in 1999. but Kosovo, an autonomous region within Serb-Montenegrin federation, remains a powder keg, expecting to become an independent state one day. A moderate party of President Ibrahim Rugova is pressed by terrorist assassinations itself - among 28 people killed in the last months, 20 were his associates. Also, 122 Orthodox churches were blown before eyes of KFOR, international peacekeepers. Artistic heritage of world renown is before destruction because of "indiference of Kosovo's liberators", reveals Massimo Cacciari, former mayor of Venice.....

(...)

"I want to say that if within operations Italy has to perform we do not protect the heritage of this kind which is uncomparable in the world, we'll become accomplices in its destruction. We'll have to be shot. I cannot find other words - we have to be shot. Are we not the liberators who came to bring peace, who prefer civilization to barbarism?

(...)

"Until we are completely sure that no one can endanger these churches, we must not remove the military protection. This cultural heritage is unique and there are no similar examples. I repeat, it is like San Marco (in Venice). There are no similar churches in Europe, not beause San Marco is the most beautiful but because such artistic expression does not exist anywhere else. Regrettably, no one seems to be speaking about this now..." (the integral text is available in Italian)

TASK FORCE SAURO REMAINS NEAR DECANI MONASTERY

Soldiers of the Italian KFOR - Task Force SAURO near Decani Monastery
General Mini, KFOR Commander, decided not to relocate the peacekeepers
which provide security for Decani Monastery

GENERAL FABIO MINI CONFIRMS THAT ITALIAN FORCES NEAR DECANI WILL REMAIN STATIONED IN BASE ABOVE THE MONASTERY
Gen. Mini confirmed that Task Force SAURO protecting Decani Monastery will not be dislocated

ERPKIM Info-service
Gracanica, March 3 2003.

The commander of KFOR , Italian general Fabio Mini, during a visit to Visoki Decani Monastery yesterday confirmed to the monastery brethren that the Task Force SAURO protecting Decani Monastery will not be dislocated, as originally planned during the mandate of his predecessor, French general Marcel Valentin. "The Task Force SAURO will not leave during my mandate," said General Mini.

The firm determination to continue actively protecting Decani Monastery and other patrimonial sites in the region was also expressed by the commander of Multinational Brigade South-East based in Prizren, German general Markus Bentler, who visited Decani Monastery on Saturday together with the German Army Chief of Staff.

Protection of cultural and historic monuments remains our priority, emphasized the senior KFOR representatives.

ITALIAN SENATOR APPEALS TO DEFENSE MINISTRY FOR ITALIAN KFOR TROOPS TO REMAIN STATIONED NEAR DECANI MONASTERY
Senator Spena: At stake is the future of this region, whose suffering is partially our responsibility; at stake are the values of multiethnicity and religious tolerance

ERP KIM Info-Service
March 3, 2003

The Italian daily "Il Manifesto" on page four of today's edition publishes in full the letter of Italian senator Giovanni Russo Spena, deputy from Palermo in Sicily, who publicly addresses the deputy defense secretary , Giovanni Berselli, who is scheduled to arrive in Kosovo and Metohija tomorrow to participate in a KFOR military parade at Pristina Airport.

In his letter Senator Spena writes to Berselli that these days "more and more people are racing to go to Kosovo, maybe due to the veil of silence surrounding the tragedy of the new ethnic cleansing which has taken place during the three-year post-war period". Senator Spena suggests to the deputy defense secretary "that it would be better to peer behind the barbed wire and take a little trip to Decani to see the 'real' Kosovo, not only the official version described at much length".

"The Italian troops do not want to leave the monastery, even though (Berselli) mentioned only one company which will continue to carry out its responsibilities in protecting the monastery," the letter goes on to say. "However, even those of us who know little about military matters, know that a regiment such as the SAURO Combat Group, which has been stationed there for the past three years, is comprised of several companies. What will become of the rest of them? Will they remain in Decani or, as the magazine '30 Giorni' wrote, will they be transferred to the new military base 'Camp Italia', while the hilltop near the monastery be left to numerous evil-doers who have already destroyed a considerable part of the Serb cultural heritage"" asks the renowned senator.

"And will this company for the protection of the monastery remain in Decani or will it, more likely, travel there from Pec in order to protect in shifts a symbolic and completely inadequate checkpoint? And who is going to protect the thousands and thousands of Serb returnees in the Decani region who, sooner or later, must return as the UN has promised? There are too many questions which make the departure of our troops from Decani simply unimaginable, especially after the damage caused by 'humanitarian war'," warns Senator Spena in his letter to the deputy secretary of the Italian defense ministry.

"The defense ministry, which is on the verge of a new war, must offer further explanation, and we hope that Berselli will see this with his own eyes because the last time he was there was a year ago, when some monasteries existed that are no longer there," the letter goes on to say.

"This is not a biased battle. At state is the future of this region, whose suffering is partially our responsibility; at stake are the values of multiethnicity and religious tolerance. We are expecting clear answers because during the past three years more than 100 Orthodox churches and monasteries have been destroyed, there are thousands of victims of new ethnic terror, and all in locations protected by forces of KFOR and the NATO alliance, which are present there in accordance with the peace agreement. After the parade, Berselli will have to think about serious matters," concludes Senator Spena at the end of his letter.

Foreingers' cemetery in the upper part of the Serb Orthodox cemetery in Pec. Graves of Italian, French and Russian White Guard soldiers now lie underneath tons of trash and debris dumped by local Kosovo Albanians. Now the snow covers the sad scene of human madness and utmost lack of respect towards a Christian holy site, photo: ERP KIM Info-Service, Feb 24, 2003

The so called Foreigners' cemetery is located between the Serb Orthodox main cemetery in Pec and the cemetery of the Belo Polje village. Since the end of the war in 1999 the Foreigners' cemetery was covered by tons of trash and debris which local Kosovo Albanian constantly dump on Christian cemeteries in the area. We are presenting a special report by the ERP KIM Info-service reporter D.P. who investigated the fate of at least 50 Italian soldiers who were killed by Albanian extremists Balli Kombetar in 1943-1944 and were burried in the upper part of the Pec cemetery.

Serbian Orthodox Church will request urgent assistance from the Italian, French and Russian Embassies in Belgrade and the local international Kosovo offices to clean and reconstruct the Foreigners' cemetery as well as the main Serb Orthodox cemetery and protect it from further Albanian vandalism.

This tragic fate of the Italian, French and Russian graves in Pec shows again that nothing which bears the sign of cross and Christianity is holy to Kosovo Albanian extremists and their supporters. MORE

photo showing an opened Serb tomb in the Pec cemetery, 24. feb 2003.

APALLING SITUATION IN THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CEMETERY OF PEC
The war against the dead has not brought any good to anyone but only shame and disgrace

Omnia videt Deus et omnia audit
(God sees everything and everything does He hear)

Radio B92
February 24, 2003

Today a delegation of the Orthodox Diocese of Raska-Prizren visited the Serb cemetery in Pec and the part of the cemetery in which were burried foreign soldiers from the First and Second World Wars. With profound regret it was noticed that several more tombs in the Serbian section of the cemetery had recently been opened and that some wooden coffins inside the tombs were desecrated and broken.

Such uncivilized behavior of local Kosovo Albanians who have been desecrating and looting the Serb Orthodox cemetery in Pec in the last three and half years is one of the most tragic pages of the recent history of this region and a dark spot on the future records of UN/KFOR mission in Kosovo and Metohija. It is absolutely impossible to understand that after so many appeals and requests to efficiently prevent such barbarous acts international authorities did not do anything to secure the cemetery and make local Albanians stop with their misdeeds. With their passivity and disappointing lack of determination international representatives failed to stop the local Kosovo Albanians from dumping with trash and debris even the graves of their own soldiers from the Second World War.

It was especially disappointing to learn that destruction of the cemetery in Pec is not unknown to the local Kosovo Albanian administrators in Pec at all. They openly allowed their compatriots to turn the devastated Serb village of Belo Polje and the nearby city cemetery into a public dumping place which also happened in several neighboring abandoned Serb villages. Dozens of marble coverings were dismantled from the tombs and sold on the local market.

Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska-Prizren raises once again its voice against the crime which Kosovo Albanians of Pec have comitted against Christian cemeteries. The war against the dead has not brought any good to anyone but only shame and disgrace. Those who believe that such gruesome acts will remain unpunished should be aware that the worldly justice may be delayed, but no one will ever evade the righteous judgement of God. Sooner or later the history will bring to the light of the day all evils which were done against the remains of the deceased and numerous other Christian sites in Kosovo Province.