Kosova Daily Report #1559, 98-09-21

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From: Kosova Information Center <http://www.kosova.com/>

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1559
Prishtina, 21 September 1998

First Edition: 11:30 CET
Second Edition: 17:30 CET

CONTENTS

[01] Serb Army Officer Threatens to Raze Two Albanian Villages Near Podujeva

[02] Serbian Forces Attack Likoc, Mak&rmal and Polluzh& Villages

[03] U^K Detains 13 Members of Delegation of Kosovar Political Parties Sunday

[04] Bob Dole on Milosevic's Notorious Mendacity

[05] Two of the Six Burned Albanians Identified

[06] At Least 23 Albanians Killed in Serb Offensive against Shal& e Bajgor&s Region

[07] Foreign Observers and Journalists Tour Dobratin Area

[08] "A Pattern of Serb Crematoriums", Kosovar Official Says

[09] Serb Forces Open Fire on Tractor with Refugees, Two Wounded Girls

[10] LDK Activist, Shot and Wounded By Serb Forces, Dies

[11] New Serb Ultimatum to Albanian Residents of Two Podujeva Villages

[12] Serbs Hold Five Villages under Siege

[13] Serbs Burn Homes of Albanians in Ferizaj

[14] Five-Member Family Missing Since End of May

[15] Serbs Step Up Arson and Vandalistic Campaigns in Hasi Region, Gjakova

[16] Serbs Soldiers Demolish School They Used as a Base

[01] Serb Army Officer Threatens to Raze Two Albanian Villages Near Podujeva

In the morning today, the sound of gunfire and explosion of a number of shells was heard in the town of Podujeva coming from the direction of Llapashtic& village, 4 km west of the town.

Fearful of Serb reprisals and massacres, part of the population of Llapashtic& and the outlying villages as far as Lluzhan (15 km southward) have fled their homes amidst pouring rain.

The Prishtina-Podujeva roadway has been open for traffic today.

At least 18 Albanians were killed and some 45 houses burned and destroyed in two villages by Serb troops in the Podujeva area last week.

[02] Serbian Forces Attack Likoc, Mak&rmal and Polluzh& Villages

The local chapter in Skenderaj of the Prishtina-based Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF), said fighting between Serb forces and local Albanian resistance forces is going on in the center of Likoc, then in Mak&rmal, Polluzh& and other outlying villages.

There has been no immediate word on casualties.

[03] U^K Detains 13 Members of Delegation of Kosovar Political Parties Sunday

These members of the delegation were arrested by the U^K: Gjergj Dedaj, vice-president of the Parliament of the Republic of Kosova, Agim Krasniqi, member of the presidency of the LDK (Democratic League of Kosova), Professor Jusuf Telaku, an MP from the LDK, Mehdi Bardhi, member of the LDK General Council, Veli Byty^i, vice- chairman of the PSHDK (Christian Democrats), and Kurtesh Devaja and Simon Augustini, members of the PSHDK presidency, Sokol Blakaj, Halim Mujku, and Hasim D&rmaku, members of the presidency of the PLK (Liberal Party), Milaim Kadriu, chairman, and Musa Binakaj, vice-chairman of the PPSH (Albanian Popular Party), and Qaush Bajrushi, chairman of a Trade Unions branch.

Part of the delegation were also Mrs Nekibe Kelmendi, Secretary- General of the LDK, and Mrs Sanije Aliu, member of the LDK presidency, but they, along with the journalists escorting the delegation, were let go.

There has been no reaction from Kosovar parties or institutions, nor indeed reports on whether efforts have been going on to secure the release of Kosovar Albanian politicians detained by the U^K.

There has been no word from the U^K either.

The office of Adem Dema^i, the political representative of the U^K, said Sunday evening doctors had recommended that Dema^i disengage himself from his duties and take a long rest. Doctors had established a condition with his nerves as well as a deterioration of his diabetes disease, the U^K political representative's office said, adding that Dema^i had canceled all his meetings with "friends from abroad and the country, as well as contacts with the press".

[04] Bob Dole on Milosevic's Notorious Mendacity

'FRY' President Slobodan Milosevic is "a bad, evil person", Bob Dole said.

The former Senator visited Kosova earlier this month. He and Assistant Secretary John Shattuck had 'a very tense meeting' with Milosevic later in Belgrade. This is how Dole described the meeting, and Milosevic's mendacity: "Here's a man who looked us right in the eye and said nothing is going to happen [in Kosova], and the next day there were 40,000 more people [Albanians] driven from their homes."

As a rule, Western envoys who have worked with Milosevic throughout the nineties in the midst of the crisis in former Yugoslavia have described Milosevic as the man who threw charm over his interlocutor, who 'looked you in the eye while blatantly lying'.

The West has treated Milosevic as a partner, and intermittently peace-maker, in the past several years.

Meanwhile, former U.S. Congressman Joseph Dioguardi, chairman of the Albanian-American Civic League, speaking on CNN on Saturday, slammed the current U.S. administration, alleging that it had "two puppets" in the Balkans, Communist-turned-Socialist leaders in Tirana and Belgrade, Fatos Nano and Slobodan Milosevic, respectively.

[05] Two of the Six Burned Albanians Identified

They were found in the area where heavy Serb forces had been deployed early on Tuesday.

The Albanians were presumably burned at the end of the three-day- long Serb forces' action, on Thursday afternoon.

In the guest hall (in Albanian 'od&') of Fehmi Rekaliu only part of the remains, the bones, of three people have been found. The roof, the door and the window of the guest hall were burned.

Fehmi told the KIC the Serb forces had entered the courtyard of his family houses at 6:30 in the morning on Tuesday. He and the 22 members of the extended family were holed up there till 18:30 hrs that day, he said.

The family head said a Serb officer, around 45 years of age, of middle height, wearing a wooden cross tied to a black ribbon, had told him he himself would occupy the guest hall until the Serb action is over. It is in this hall that the bones of three victims were found on Sunday.

In the two-room house of Rizah Rekaliu the bones of at lasts one victim were found. The house was burned to the ground.

The charred bodies of two victims were found in the burned house of Hazir Rekaliu. Family members have identified the corpses of Rrahim Kadri Lepaja (30), married with a child, and Beqir Xhafer Lepaja (28), boht of them residents of the Lepaja hamlet.

Members of the Lepaja family told the KIC the two Albanians had been arrested by Serb forces at midday on Thursday while on their way back to their homes. They had deserted their village on Tuesday, along with other people, and had returned on Thursday to take away the mother of one of them, who had remained behind alone in the house.

In the body of Rrahim the hole of a bullet was evident. The two were probably shot dead and mutilated before being actually burned in the houses.

The other remains could not be identified. They could well be the bodies of people who had been registered as missing. At least eight Albanians had gone missing.

Two burned cars are some 100 metres away from the house of Fehmi Rekaliu, where the remains of three people were found. The cars belonged to the persons missing.

The casualty-toll of the Serb attacks in Dobratin, Ka^anoll and Baj^in& last week reached 18 killed Albanians, including five U^K members.

Six local Albanians are still missing.

26 farmhouses have been burned and destroyed in Dobratin. The two buildings of the local school and the medical center were burned, too by Serb forces last week.

[06] At Least 23 Albanians Killed in Serb Offensive against Shal& e Bajgor&s Region

PRISHTINA, Sept 21 (KIC) - The LDK chapter in Mitrovica confirmed today the identity of 5 Albanians killed last week in Shala e Bajgor&s region, north- west of Prishtina.

The mountainous Shala e Bajgor&s region, straddling between the municipalities of Podujeva, Mitrovica and Vushtrri, was targeted by heavy Serb troops for three days last week. According to estimates by a local Albanian organization, some 260 vehicles, tanks, trucks and APC's and around 12.000 Serb troops, were involved in the operations against Albanian villages in the area.

At least 18 Albanians were killed in two villages, Dobratin and Ka^anoll in Podujeva municipality, which are part of the mountainous region from the Llapi area.

The LDK chapter in Mitrovica provided today the names of the five killed and three wounded Albanians in Shala region during the last week's Serb offensive. It noted that may are still missing who may as well have been slain by Serb troops, as was the case with others in the area the same week.

The remains of six burned Albanians were found on Sunday in gutted houses between the villages of Dobratin and Baj^in&. The six Albanians were reported missing for a couple of days before their carbonated bodies were found by activists in the region.

Sources in Podujeva added that the water in a well nearby the location where the six victims were found was red and stank. They suspected corpses of killed people may have been dumped into the well.

[07] Foreign Observers and Journalists Tour Dobratin Area

A delegation of U.S. observers in Kosova, representatives of the UNHCR, and foreign reporters, visited the village of Dobratin, north of Podujeva.

Reports said the killed person who was buried earlier in Dobratin, identified initially as Fetah Behrami, was Haki Rekaliu, who had gone missing.

[08] "A Pattern of Serb Crematoriums", Kosovar Official Says

What we saw there was a repeat of Serb massacres against the Albanian civilian population, Mr. Sejdiu told the KIC.

The burning of people there represented a "pattern of Serb crematoriums", the senior Kosovar official said.

[09] Serb Forces Open Fire on Tractor with Refugees, Two Wounded Girls

Xhemail Dragidella is resident of Gremnik village. His family was on its way back from Kosuriq village, where they had sought refuge earlier.

The two girls were sent to hospital, LDK sources said.

Meanwhile, the house and small business of Haki Gashi, situated near the "Nora" motel in the entrance to Klina, was burned by Serb forces, sources said.

[10] LDK Activist, Shot and Wounded By Serb Forces, Dies

On the day Mr. Ferizi was fatally wounded, another Albanian, Halil Mustafa, was killed in the courtyard of his family house in the nearby village of Smrekovnic&, municipality of Vushtrri.

[11] New Serb Ultimatum to Albanian Residents of Two Podujeva Villages

The Serb commander told the representatives of these two villages the residents would have to hand in weapons in their possession by midday on Tuesday.

The Serb commander had threatened to raze the two villages to the ground if their representatives did not show up in his tent by 14:00 hrs today.

New reinforcements have come to Serb forces stationed between the villages of Obran^& and Llapashtic& near Podujeva today. A convoy of four lorryloads and three APCs full of Serb forces arrived from Serbia today, local LDK sources said.

[12] Serbs Hold Five Villages under Siege

PRISHTINA, Sept 21 (KIC) - The villages of Dedaj, Lugisht&, Kushnin, Kabash and Romaj&, located near the Kosova-Albania border in western Kosova, have been under a virtual siege by Serb troops since last Saturday, the LDK chapter in Prizren said.

Heavy Serb troops initially encircled the Dedaj village on Saturday morning extending the siege to the neighboring villages only a couple of hours later.

Serb officers have ordered the residents of the five villages to "surrender every single piece of weapon you possess or else face a complete destruction", witnesses told the LDK chapter in Prizren.

Another witness said that the whole population of Romaja has been taken by Serb troops to the local school building.

Serbs have separated menfolks from women and children. At Kabash village, all the menfolks have been rounded up and confined in one of the houses in the village.

Access to the five villages encircled by Serb troops is impossible, and it is not known what is actually happening there, the LDK Information Commission in Prizren said this afternoon.

[13] Serbs Burn Homes of Albanians in Ferizaj

The LDK chapter in Ferizaj said the Serbs set afire Saturday evening the farmhouse of Shefki Neziri, located between the villages of Nerodime e Poshtme and Nerodime e Ep&rme. Only a few days earlier, the Serbs burned half a dozen farmhouses in Nerodime e Ep&rme, it said.

[14] Five-Member Family Missing Since End of May

Beqir Mataj (67), Sejdi Mataj (60), Isa Mataj (75), Ms Mone Mataj (70) and Ms Fane Mataj (70) were seen last on 29 May, their relatives said, noting that they have known nothing about their whereabouts ever since.

According to estimates of the major Kosovar human rights group, the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF), over 900 persons are considered missing in Kosova. Many of them have been missing since early spring.

[15] Serbs Step Up Arson and Vandalistic Campaigns in Hasi Region, Gjakova

Serbs have been burning farmhouses that survived bombardments earlier this year, as well as community centers, including schools and small local clinics.

The houses of LDK activists have been particularly targeted, witnesses said.

Only two days ago, Serbs set afire the houses of Mustaf& Berisha, head of the LDK organization in Lipovec village, and Met& Berisha, principal with the local school.

Over the past few days, Serb forces have burned scores of farmhouses in the G&r^in&, Pnish, Ramaj&, Demjan and other hamlets in the Hasi region, the LDK chapter in Gjakova said.

[16] Serbs Soldiers Demolish School They Used as a Base

Heavy Serb troops were garrisoned for almost three months in the "Fan S. Noli" schoolhouse in a suburb of Gjakova, from where they launched repeated attacks against Albanian communities in the area, KIC sources in the Gjakova reported.

Before leaving the school building, Serbs smashed everything in there, including benches and chairs, doors and windows. In addition, Serbs broke into several shops and depots owned by Albanians, pillaging and destroying goods worth several thousand German marks, witnesses said.

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