Kosova Crisis Center

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LETTERS OF SUPPORT

SERBIAN MASSACRES

• Starvation in Kosovo in 10 Days!!
• Clinton Says that Serbia is Losing its Claim To Kosovo
• Letter From Prishtina, Day 7 (March 30, 1999)
• NATO to strike downtown Belgrade
• There are no civilians in the Prishtina stadium, but heavy armament is placed there
• Citizens of Vushtrri, are mobilized, self organized and determined to stay in their hearths
• An albanian mother together with her child, has incurred
• The quarters of Arllati, are burning
• Lladroci and Tėrpeza has underwent new bombing, today
• New reinforcements of serbian military forces in the region of Llapi
• Serbian terrorist forces executed, kidnapped many albanians and the set to fire many villages of Llapushė
• U.S. Takes Over Yugoslav Diplomatic Facilities

Clinton Says that Serbia is Losing its Claim To Kosovo (CNN)

And with the Serb offensive now described by the White House as "potential genocide," U.S. President Bill Clinton warned Milosevic risked losing his claim to Kosovo.

"For a sustained period, he (Milosevic) will see that his military will be seriously diminished; key military infrastructure destroyed; the prospect of international support for Serbia's claim to Kosovo increasingly jeopardized," Clinton said Tuesday.

Letter From Prishtina, Day 7 (March 30, 1999)

THE POLICE just came in and cleared everything out. While there were no reports of anyone being killed in the incident, some residents were harassed. Armed men wearing black masks and blue police helmets came and said, “You have to leave.” The same thing happened in the Taslixhe section of the city. I watched the people flee their homes through my window. They left all their possessions behind — they weren’t even allowed to take their identification cards. All they had was the sadness in their eyes. Their well-known pride seemed to have been destroyed. Four families came into the building where my family lives. At first, they were afraid; they didn’t know if they would find Serbs or Albanians in the building. But as they met one Albanian and then another and another, they realized they had found people who would help them. My mother gave them some water to help calm them down, and then some tea and coffee. They were embarrassed to ask if they could sleep at our house.

The first night, they stood at the window, looking back at their homes, expecting to see flames. But their homes weren’t set on fire. In fact, it was a rather quiet night: just one early-morning NATO air attack and a few explosions. Of course, there was the regular sound of gunfire in the streets. No one pays attention to that anymore. In the morning, the families tried to return to their homes but were prevented by the police. There are now four families living in our small apartment.

GUILT AND INNOCENCE I also learned Tuesday that my friend and colleague Baton Haxhiu, the editor of Koha Ditore, has been killed. He was an excellent journalist, which is probably why he was killed. What hurts the most is that I had told his family he was in a safe place and that they shouldn’t worry. Now I feel such guilt. Thank God his parents’ telephone isn’t working so l cannot reach them. I hope it was a quick death — a single bullet to the head. I hope he wasn’t beaten; that horrifies me. No one expected it would be this bad. Even though we knew there would be retaliations once the war began, we thought it would mostly happen in the remote villages. No one dreamed Pristina would be like this. The television shows pictures of the refugees that have left. At least they have survived and might return some day. But what about us, the ones that remain? Pristina has become a concentration camp.

Some 300 vehicles filled with people left Pristina Tuesday morning. They organized themselves and decided to escape, heading south for Macedonia. Who knows if they will make it there safely. But they were desperate to leave and get as far away as possible from the situation here. Those of us who remain feel there is a price to be paid for Kosovo. The only question is who will make it through to the end. Those who stay don’t want to help “them” fulfill their desire to empty Kosovo of Albanians. The situation was bad yesterday. Today it is even worse. What will it be tomorrow?

*The name of this journalist, a correspondent for the Institute for War & Peace Reporting’s Balkan Crisis Reports, is withheld to protect against reprisals.

NATO to strike downtown Belgrade
Government buildings on hit list, sources tell NBC News MSNBC

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia, March 31 — NATO members have agreed to extend the airstrikes against Yugoslavia, and will now go after targets in downtown Belgrade, NBC’s Donatella Lorch reported from NATO headquarters Wednesday. The decision came as more refugees were forced out of Kosovo — including some who were packed into a locked train — and NATO reported that Belgrade hackers had attacked its Internet servers.

There are no civilians in the Prishtina stadium, but heavy armament is placed there.

Prishtinė, March 31 (Kosovapress) Our sources inform that, in the Prishtina stadium, ther is no population being captured, but there is big serbian armament hidden there by serbian military forces, in order to avoid from Nato air strikes. There are informations also, that in the localities and in the yard of Prishtina Hospital, a big contingent of heavy armament is placed there. Armament is hidden also in many albanian private house, the owners of whose. were forced to leave.

Citizens of Vushtrri, are mobilized, self organized and determined to stay in their hearths

Vushtrri, March 31 (Kosovapress) Citizens of Vushtrri, have started to get mobilized and self organized, ready to defend their city. Units of KLA are helping them to make this mobilization more effective.

An albanian mother together with her child, has incurred

Deqan, March 31 (Kosovapress) Today, about 11.30 o`clock, two serbian bombers air crafts have attacked the villages of Zhebel and Jabllanic, commune of Gjakovės. As result of this attack, an albanian mother together with her child has incurred.

The quarters of Arllati, are burning

Malishevė, March 31 (Kosovapress) Today, numerous serbian terrorist assassinatory conveys have gone through the Llapashniku gorge. A part of this forces went in the direction Kieva and Pejės, while a considerable number of tanks and armoured military vehicles are stopped and positioned in Arllat.After that, they set on fire again all quarters of this locality. There are no confirmations about the victims, but one thing that is sure is that the damages are numerous . There are indications also, that during the confrontations between units of KLA and serbian ēetniko-military-police bands, the enemy has defeated big losses, there are soldiers being wounded and killed.

Lladroci and Tėrpeza has underwent new bombing, today

Malishevė, March 31 (kosovapress) Three serbian occupiers conveys, with many military vehicles,has come from Prishtina to Llapushnik, and actually, all these forces are placed in this gorge, and they are bombing the villages around from these positions. Today, Lladroci and Tėrpeza have been granaded.

New reinforcements of serbian military forces in the region of Llapi

Llap, March 31 (kosovapress) There are new serbian military reinforcements in the region of Llapi, coming from serbia.Reinforcements are inicated in way Prishtinė-Podjevė and Podjevė-Kėrpimeh. occupiers forces are placed in the Llapashtica school, Gllamnik, Penuhė, Lupē and Vranadoll, and they have placed their missile systems in a part of Katunishtė and Bradashi.While Bradashi is bombarded from Dumnica. The condition of the civil population is very grave in all its`aspects.

Serbian terrorist forces executed, kidnapped many albanians and the set to fire many villages of Llapushė

Malishevė March 30th (Kosovapress) During the whole day, serbian terrorist forces have attacked some villages of Llapushė, and after the have steal them, they pun on fire all of them. These are the villages that are burnt during today, Drenoci, Vermica, Bugoveci, Llozica, Balinca, Caralluka, Arllati and a part of Malisheva. There informations that , only in the village of Arllat, serbian terrorist forces have captured more than 200 hundred Albanians, while some of them were executed immediately. There are confirmations that in this village, two old age people are bitten, and these are parents of Bajram Bujupi. The condition of the fleeted population, which is placed in the mountains, is very grave.They are surrounded and they do not know where to go and to avoid this barbaric serbian destruction.

U.S. Takes Over Yugoslav Diplomatic Facilities

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States took possession early Wednesday of Yugoslav diplomatic facilities in the United States because Belgrade cut diplomatic ties with Washington, U.S. officials said.

``They cut diplomatic relations with us. There's a lot of protocol to that ... That means they have to leave,'' one U.S. official told Reuters.

The Yugoslav Embassy and ambassador's residence in downtown Washington were vacated early Wednesday after U.S. officials informed embassy staff they had to leave.

U.S. officials said they acted after Belgrade announced on March 25 that it was severing diplomatic ties with the United States and other NATO countries when the alliance launched air strikes against Yugoslavia over the Kosovo crisis.

State Department spokesman Lee McClenny told Reuters Washington immediately informed the Yugoslavs that under the Vienna Convention they would have to vacate their embassy and send home all staff except those who would represent Yugoslavia under the protection of another country's embassy.

McClenny said the deadline for the Yugoslavs to leave expired at midnight Tuesday and so U.S. officials went to the embassy and told staff they needed to vacate the premises. ``We did not kick them out. They had foreknowledge, everyone knew in advance,'' that they would have to leave, McClenny said.