[A-PAL] A-PAL NEWSLETTER, MARCH 20, 2002

[Alice Mead]

A-PAL (ALBANIAN PRISONER ADVOCACY)
March 20, 2002


                         A-PAL STATEMENT

  With only eleven days to the March 31 deadline for cooperation, Serb 
officials continue to ignore demands from EU, UNMIK, and American 
officials to return the Albanian prisoners to Kosova.156 Albanian 
prisoners remain. The one prisoner who was released was "retried," 
having paid a large ransom for his reduced sentence.

    Meanwhile, following the detention of an American diplomat in 
Belgrade,Secretary of State Colin Powell has at last spoken out about 
the lack of cooperation on the prisoner issue, saying-
"The Bush administration has to rule by March 31 whether Belgrade has 
met conditions set by the U.S. Congress, including cooperation with 
the ICTY and releasing Kosovo Albanians from Serbian jails."
"Asked if Belgrade would meet the conditions, he said: "The Albanian
question is still out there and as I approach the end of the month ... I
will examine the total situation."
     "If they are not deserving they (Serb govt.) won't get it. If 
they are, they
will, and they know what they have to do and we'll keep the pressure
on," he added.
     The looming deadline promises to create the same last-minute
political drama in Yugoslavia as that which marked the handover of
Milosevic last year, observers say." (see article below)

According to EU officials, while they have set no deadline for 
resolving this, they have stated that the FRY will NOT be allowed 
into the Council of Europe until the Albanian prisoners go back to 
Kosova.
               ***************************************

Our European Email Action Campaign now has over 1,600 advocates has 
sent well over 38,000 letters to European and American leaders, Serb 
NGO's and media, and Serb government officials.

Have you sent mail today ? http://www.dbein.bndlg.de/APP/


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Betreff: HLC - PRESS - HLC URGES PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE ON COVIC AND SAVIC
Datum: Mon, 18 Mar 2002 16:33:26 +0100
Von: humanitarian law center <office at hlc.org.yu>

HLC URGES PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE ON COVIC AND SAVIC

The Humanitarian Law Center has urged the Serbian Parliament to
institute a debate on Serbian Deputy Premier Nebojsa Covic and head of
Serbian State Security Andrija Savic since the manner in which these two
high officials are performing their duties constitutes a serious threat
to fundamental human rights, national security, and the values of a
democratic society.
     At a meeting of the Povratak (Return) Coalition in Zvecan, Kosovo,
on 17 March, Nebojsa Covic "vetted" Serb deputies to the Kosovo
Parliament by setting out information he obtained from the police on
their movements, meetings with representatives of international
organizations, and the alleged criminal activities of some Coalition
members.  This constitutes an impermissible way of conducting political
and governmental affairs.
     By consenting to serve the new authorities in violation of the law
and regulations, Andrija Savic, the new head of Serbian State Security,
has demonstrated his inability to work in the interests of the state and
community.
____
_________________________________________________
Betreff: Our Ref - DissCo/PRI02E124 : Press release
Datum: Mon, 18 Mar 2002 17:46:51 +0100
Von: "Nada Doumani" <ndoumani.PRI at icrc.org>

ICRC INFORMATION
Pristina, 18.03.2002

Yesterday (17.03.) the International Committee of the Red Cross
accompanied back a detainee to Kosovo. The detainee, coming from Prizren
area, was released from Nis prison.
On the other hand, one person from Shtime/Stimlje Special Institute has
been reunited today with her family in Serbia proper.

__________________________________________________________________

"The Bush administration has to rule by March 31 whether Belgrade has 
met conditions set by the U.S. Congress, including cooperation with 
the ICTY and releasing Kosovo Albanians from Serbian jails."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020318/pl_nm/yugos 
lavia_usa_apology_dc_1

U.S. Accepts Yugoslav Apology, Pushes War Crimes Probe

Mon Mar 18, 3:34 PM ET
By Jonathan Wright

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday accepted a formal
Yugoslav apology for the mistreatment and detention for 17 hours of a
U.S. diplomat last week but slammed Belgrade for obstructing the Hague
(news - web sites) war crimes probe.
     Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) complained that
Yugoslavia continues to obstruct the war crimes tribunal and said the
United States had not yet decided whether Belgrade had met the terms for
more U.S. aid.
     "We have received a formal apology from Foreign Minister Goran
Svilanovic. We've accepted that apology. We view it as a public
acknowledgment of the military's inappropriate and excessive actions,"
said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. "We now consider this
closed as a bilateral issue."
     Military police detained the diplomat, John David Neighbor, on
Thursday night as he was having dinner in a Belgrade restaurant with
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Momcilo Perisic.
     The Yugoslav army defended the operation and said it had evidence
that Perisic had been handing over top secret military documents to the
U.S. diplomat. Belgrade media speculated that they were evidence against
former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic (news - web sites), who is
on trial in The Hague on war crimes charges.
     Boucher denied the diplomat had any documents. "The military
authorities said there was something that he either had in his briefcase
or put in his briefcase. And I'm saying there wasn't," he said.
     U.S. officials have been careful to pin the incident on the military
authorities, absolving the elected civilian politicians of any
responsibility
     Analysts in Belgrade said they saw evidence that the military, still
packed with allies of the old regime and opposed to handing over war
crimes suspects, was bent on thwarting reforms.
     By coincidence Secretary of State Colin Powell had a meeting in
Washington on Monday with Carla del Ponte, the chief prosecutor at the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
     "We noted the lack of progress on the part of the authorities in
Belgrade with respect to the work of the tribunal," Powell told
reporters.
     "I told her we would redouble our efforts to get the kind of
cooperation we need with respect to access to archival material, with
respect to turning over other officials and with respect to putting in
place domestic internal law and all the other issues," he added.
     The Bush administration has to rule by March 31 whether Belgrade has
met conditions set by the U.S. Congress, including cooperation with the
ICTY and releasing Kosovo Albanians from Serbian jails.

AID OF $40 MILLION AT STAKE

A U.S. official said about $40 million was at stake, about half of the
amount the United States is offering Yugoslavia. The United States could
also withhold support for Yugoslavia in the World Bank (news - web
sites) and International Monetary Fund (news - web sites).
     Asked if Belgrade would meet the conditions, he said: "The Albanian
question is still out there and as I approach the end of the month ... I
will examine the total situation."
     "If they are not deserving they won't get it. If they are, they
will, and they know what they have to do and we'll keep the pressure
on," he added.
     The looming deadline promises to create the same last-minute
political drama in Yugoslavia as that which marked the handover of
Milosevic last year, observers say.
     Diplomats said last week they expected Belgrade to turn in several
indictees before March 31, even at the risk of offending nationalists
and Serbs suspicion of the Hague court.
     Del Ponte said she was "very pleased" to discuss with Powell the
ICTY's problems conducting investigations in Yugoslavia and obtaining
the arrest of fugitives there.
     Powell said he and the prosecutor also talked about "the ultimate
exit strategy" for the ICTY -- the U.S. term for its goal of having the
war crimes trials end by 2008.
     But he added: "In due course, of course, she would expect her work
to be finished but I can assure you that until her work is finished, the
United States will be supporting her every step of the way."
     Del Ponte said she preferred the term "completion strategy", rather
than "exit strategy".

Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited
_______________________________________________________________________

"But Congress will also demand proof that Kosovo Albanians are being
released from Serbian jails - another condition of further aid."

Monday, 18 March, 2002, 22:04 GMT
US threatens to cut Yugoslav aid

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1880000/images/_1880137_300powell_carla_ap.jpg
Del Ponte and Powell: United in criticism

Yugoslavia could lose $40m in vital financial aid if it does not start
to co-operate with the international war crimes tribunal, US Secretary
of State Colin Powell has warned.
     A deadline looms at the end of this month for the United States
Congress to on whether Yugoslavia has met the conditions for a new
tranche of cash.
     "If they are not deserving they won't get it. If they are, they
will, and they know what they have to do and we'll keep the pressure
on," said Mr Powell after meeting the tribunal's Chief Prosecutor, Carla
Del Ponte.
     Diplomats have speculated that the 31 March cut-off date could
provoke the last minute arrests of wanted war crimes suspects similar to
that of Slobodan Milosevic this time last year.

Divisions

"We noted the lack of progress on the part of the authorities in
Belgrade with respect to the work of the tribunal," said Mr Powell,
following the talks with Ms Del Ponte.
     Yugoslavia has been criticised for failing to hand over several
indicted war crimes suspects to the tribunal, some of whom remain in
public life, such as Serbian President Milan Milutinovic.
     "I told [Ms Del Ponte] we would redouble our efforts to get the kind
of co-operation we need," said Mr Powell.
     Ms Del Ponte is a long standing critic of what she considers to be
Belgrade's obstruction of the tribunal's work.
     Co-operation with the tribunal is a divisive issue in Yugoslavia. It
is opposed by President Vojislav Kostunica but supported by Serbian
Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.

Arrests expected

The dramatic arrest of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in
April last year coincided with a deadline for international aid, which
was subsequently granted.
     Now there is speculation that Yugoslav authorities will carry out
other high-profile arrests to secure more funds.
     But Congress will also demand proof that Kosovo Albanians are being
released from Serbian jails - another condition of further aid.
     Yugoslavia's economy has been devastated by years of mismanagement
and by Nato's 1999 bombing campaign and is in desperate need of funds.
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