[ALBSA-Info] Serbs capture strategic village from rebels

[Iris Pilika]

Serbs capture strategic village from rebels

There were no clashes as the Serbs entered Lucane
November 29, 2000
Web posted at: 1802 GMT


LUCANE, Yugoslavia -- Serbian police have retaken a strategic village on the 
edge of a contested zone between Serbia and Kosovo from ethnic Albanian 
rebels.

There were no clashes with the rebels on Wednesday when police, backed up by 
two armoured vehicles and armed with automatic weapons, entered Lucane.

Most of Lucane's 1,000 ethnic Albanians had earlier fled the village, 
leaving behind only elderly residents.

The capture of the village -- the first regained by Serbian forces since 
last week's rebel offensive which left five dead -- brought security troops 
and the ethnic Albanian militants into positions some 500 yards from each 
other.

The escalation in violence last week triggered Serb threats of a strong 
counter-attack -- though they backed off under NATO pressure to give 
diplomacy a chance.

Rebel spokesman Tahir Dalipi warned the Serbs "not to start any action that 
would be rebuffed and thus break the fragile peace," adding: "Otherwise we 
cannot predict what will happen."

There was no immediate comment from NATO-led troops based in nearby Kosovo, 
who have been trying to diffuse tensions in talks with Yugoslav officials 
and the rebels.

A high ranking Serbian police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, 
said his forces would set up a "permanent presence" in Lucane, located on a 
main road to Kosovo leading through the buffer zone.

Militants in the zone, which has a large ethnic Albanian population, are 
demanding to join Kosovo and want independence from Serbia, Yugoslavia's 
largest republic.


Smoke from the destruction of a weapons cache found by NATO forces last week
Meanwhile, members of NATO's peacekeeping force KFOR on Wednesday seized a 
truck carrying weapons as well as uniforms of an ethnic Albanian militant 
group.

KFOR spokesman Major Peter Cameron said Norwegian peacekeepers detained 
three Albanians in the operation in the Drenica valley in western Kosovo -- 
a former stronghold of the Kosovo Liberation Army which fought Serb rule in 
1998-99.

The peacekeepers found 20 mortar rounds, 20 anti-personnel mines, 1,000 
rifle rounds, one anti-tank weapon and a number of uniforms of the guerrilla 
group calling itself the Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac.

In an attempt to prevent a serious crisis developing in the area, NATO 
detailed a plan on Wednesday to stamp out violence in the zone, but said 
joint allied and Yugoslav army patrols were not envisaged.

Alliance Secretary General George Robertson praised new Yugoslav president 
Vojislav Kostunica for his co-operation on the Presevo Valley crisis zone 
and denounced illegal acts by "a minority of extremists."

Kostunica expressed his concern on Monday that KFOR was not doing its part 
to bar separatist gunmen from the demilitarised zone, where Serbian security 
forces are forbidden from patrolling with heavy weapons.

Robertson said he had replied to Kostunica that NATO shared his grave 
concern and pointed out that KFOR was already taking steps to tackle the 
problem.

In addition to brokering a ceasefire, arresting 10 would-be infiltrators and 
arranging the return of the bodies of four slain Serbian policemen, 
additional measures were being taken.

These included a public information campaign to highlight the criminal 
aspects and politically damaging effects of extremist activity in the 
Presevo Valley, mobilisation of Kosovo Albanian politicians who may be able 
to moderate guerrilla groups and encouraging contacts between Presevo 
Albanians and Serb authorities.

Robertson said NATO would also encourage closer contacts between KFOR and 
local Serb police, closer monitoring of any violence in the five kilometre ( 
three mile) wide demilitarised zone and deterrence and disruption of illegal 
or terrorist related activity inside Kosovo near the Presevo border.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com