New Kosova Report

Serbia Albanians accuse Belgrade of silent "ethnic cleansing"

Tuesday, 08 July 2008

Albanian Refugees leaving Presheva Valley

Riza Halimi, the only Presheva Valley Albanian representative in the Parliament of Serbia, during the Serbia government voting session yesterday said that he will not vote for the future government of Serbia, even though he supports Serbia's proposals and possible reforms to enter EU.

During his speech, Halimi emphasized that "most of the government appointed ministers have no serious willingness or interest to resolve the sensitive issue of the Albanians in the Presheva Valley. Serbia government has neglected to fulfill its obligations and respect the international requirements to develop equal conditions and respect human rights for all citizens that live in this region," added Halimi.

Presheva Valley is an Albanian-majority region in southern Serbia, across from Kosovo's eastern border.

Halimi has further criticized Serbia's government for intentionally neglecting the economic and social problems of Albanians in the Presheva Valley stating that " the unemployment among Albanians in the municipality of Presheva is over 70%."

"This provides no economic prospective for this underdeveloped area, which certainly accelerates the institutional ethnic cleansing of Albanians in this region," concluded Halimi. Up to 50% of Albanians in the Presheva Valley remain refugees in Kosovo as the region’s leaders accuse the Serb government of creating an environment of fear in the region with special police unit checkpoints and strong military presence.

Serbia’s new government is made up of a coalition which includes SPS, the party of the former president Slobodan Milosheviq who was being prosecuted by an international court in The Hague for crimes including ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and genocide in Bosnia.

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Alan said:

	In response to Bluenose; Yes, I agree that the Serrbs in Kosovo should have the same rights as the Albanians in the Presheva and from that it follows the the Serbs should be able to vote in the Serbian Elections, have members in that Parliament representing them, and be protected from the the actions of the Albanian mafia.
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August 24, 2008
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bluerose799 said:

https://blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/oconnell/entry/a_troubled_day_in_northern
A troubled day in Northern Kosovo.
On Friday 14 March, a mob, armed with metal bars, overran and destroyed the police points outside the court in North Mitrovica, and occupied the building. UNMIK made clear, early on, that such behaviour would not be tolerated, and the SRSG directed the police to restore law and order in Northern Mitrovica.
UNMIK attempted throughout the weekend to talk with those occupying the court to resolve the issue. By Monday, it was clear that these efforts would not bear fruit. UNMIK also had intelligence that K-Serb extremists were planning to attack another building in Mitrovica (either police or prison). So, in the early hours of 17 March, UNMIK Police, supported by KFOR forces, entered the court building and detained those still occupying the compound. They did not use force - they didn't need to (but they did, naturally, handcuff those they detained ). They made preparations to remove them for questioning elsewhere in Kosovo .
In response, an angry mob of Serbs formed by the courthouse. When UNMIK tried to move the second group of prisoners, they attacked the convoy, using vehciles to block its path, and set the prisoners free. They then turned their attention to KFOR and UNMIK at the courthouse, whom they attacked with rocks, firearms and grenades. Over 50 police and soldiers were injured, some seriously. 1 Ukrainian police officer, tragically, died of his injuries. KFOR and UNMIK were forced to defend themselves from the mob; Serbian media have reported 60 injured amongst the inhabitants of Mitrovica.
These are the facts of the matter as I understand them (see the UNMIK/KFOR press briefing [PDF] for more details, or the BBC report )
Serbia's 'Minister for Kosovo and Metohija'*, Slobodan Samardzic called the arrests 'unjustified', and accused UNMIK of violence.
But in a situation where a Serb mob overran and occupied the Court (which is run by UNMIK under UN Security Council Resolution 1244 - see unmikonline) and UNMIK exhausted every effort to persuade them to surrender with no success, the police would be justifed in taking action to resume control of the court - without harm to those inside.
And in a situation where the police came under sustained fire from an angry mob while carrying out its duties, the police, supported by KFOR, would be justified in responding with the minimum force necessary to retain control of the court building and protect their own personnel.
For two weeks, the court has been the focus of protests, and attempts at capture, by a group of former employees of the Serbian court system. This has prevented the court from carrying out its work for some time (the court covers all of Mitrovica region - not only for the Serb community). The protestors claim that they were expelled from their jobs in 1999, and only want them back. This is misleading. In 1999, the Serbian Court system (run by Serbs, for Serbs) was, along with other Yugoslav state structures, removed from Kosovo. In its place, UNMIK established a multiethnic judicial system, run for all Kosovo's communities. The protestors are not simply asking for their jobs back; they are asking us to turn the clock back to 1999, to an unacceptable situation where Kosovo Albanians were denied access to justice .
What we saw yesterday was an attack on law enforcement officers trying to carry ot their duty in ensuring justice for all in Kosovo, as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1244. To call this unjustified and to accuse UNMIK of violence seems to me like a return to the worst thinking of the past and echoes the kind of behaviour, and tactics, we saw in the Balkans in the 1990s.
*More name issues. During Kosovo's period of autonomy in Yugoslavia, it was known simply as Kosovo; when Milosevic came to power, he renamed the province to an earlier Serbian name - 'Kosovo and Metohija', Metohija being the Western part of Kosovo (known as Dukagjin by Albanians) home to many of the most historical Churches - from metokhe, Greek word meaning religious community. UNMIK, and the British government, simply use Kosovo.

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July 18, 2008
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Wim Roffel said:

	Bluerose799 said: Serbian of Kosova must have the same rights as Presheva Valley Albanian At the moment they have less right and don't even have freedom of movement...
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July 15, 2008
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Sebaneau said:

	That's "Millosheviq" :-)
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July 08, 2008
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Illyrian Warrior said:

	"The wolf has changed its coat, certainly not its behavior." Disgusting. Serbia thinks it can fool the world. There is no EU for Serbia until Recognizes Kosovo and regulates its law regarding minorities. Threating Hungarians, Romanians, Albanians, Croats, and Bosnians is not going to be take Serbia anywhere. Don't fool yourselves.
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