[ALBSA-Info] {QIKSH «ALBEUROPA»} PRESS: Kostunica turns to diplomacy to stop rebel invaders (Christian Science Monitor, NOVEMBER 29, 2000)

[Wolfgang Plarre]

http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/11/29/p7s1.htm

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2000 

Kostunica turns to diplomacy to stop rebel invaders 

Tensions were high Tuesday in Yugoslavia. Serbian forces vow a
counterattack. 

By Alex Todorovic 
Special to The Christian Science Monitor 

BUJANOVAC, YUGOSLAVIA 

The head of the Yugoslav Army, Gen. Nebojsa Pavkovic, spent Tuesday
reviewing tank and artillery positions in the wind-swept hills
overlooking southern Serbia's Presevo Valley. 
    The turrets are trained on several ethnic-Albanian villages that
were occupied nearly two weeks ago by a well-armed regional rebel force,
the Presevo Medvedja and Bujanovac Liberation Army, known by its
Albanian-language initials, UCPMB. 
    In a major offensive, the rebels drove out lightly armed Serb
police, leaving the sensitive buffer zone between Kosovo and the rest of
Serbia effectively under rebel control. Four policemen were killed in a
clash with the rebels last week. 
    Fearing Serb reprisals, ethnic Albanian villagers fled for the
safety of Kosovo. United Nations refugee officials estimate some 2,000
have arrived so far. 
    The border crisis presented Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica
with the first test of his leadership since taking office less than two
months ago. The differences between Mr. Kostunica, a moderate
nationalist, and ousted Balkan strongman Slobodan Milosevic were evident
as the new leader attempted to defuse an explosive situation and
committed to finding a diplomatic solution. 
    Kostunica also had to allay the fears of Serbs in the ethnically
mixed border district of Bujanovac. They are furious that rebels now
control a piece of Serb territory. "It's not enough that Albanians got
all of Kosovo. Now they want a piece of Serbia as well," says Rade, a
Bujanovac resident. 
    International peacekeepers in Kosovo, especially the Americans, have
made clear that Yugoslavia would face serious consequences if its Army
moved inside the security zone to fight the guerrillas. The agreement
that ended last year's NATO bombing campaign allows only lightly armed
Serb police to patrol the area. 
    Kostunica sharply criticized the NATO-led KFOR force for allowing
the rebels to smuggle heavy weapons into the security zone, but pledged
to stick by the accord. "We have abided by the international agreements,
but Kosovo peacekeepers are not doing their job." 
    Though critical of the West's role in Kosovo, Kostunica is also
careful not to strain his newly established diplomatic ties. 
    The situation remains potentially explosive. Serb forces have
threatened to enter the security zone to remove the rebels if Kosovo
peacekeepers don't act. But a Monday-night deadline passed without
incident. 
    A KFOR spokesman said on Tuesday that the rebels and Serbian
authorities had agreed to suspend fighting in the Kosovo-Serbia boundary
region indefinitely. KFOR encouraged both sides to seek a peaceful
resolution to the crisis, he added. 
    The normally peaceful Bujanovac, just five miles from the security
zone, now looks like a town preparing for war. Tanks and busloads of
special forces rumble through town, while machine-gun-toting police chat
with citizens on street corners. Crowds of Serbs cheered "Serbia" as
heavy artillery rolled along main streets this week. Ethnic-Albanians,
who constitute 65 percent of the population, were nowhere to be seen. 
    A crowd of nearly 1,000 Serbs gathered in the cold to catch a
glimpse of Mr. Kostunica Monday. They wanted action. They demanded guns.
After meeting with the head of the Yugoslav Army and local leaders, the
president addressed the crowd, stressing that Bujanovac would be
defended. 
    But Kostunica later told journalists that diplomacy was the only
weapon that could be used to disarm the guerrillas. "This is a
multiethnic community, and cohabitation must be preserved," he said. 
    Local ethnic-Albanians complain that they are not equal citizens.
"We don't have jobs, there are no Albanian police officers in this
majority Albanian town, and we are subject to harassment and
provocations by Serb police," says Shaip Kamberi, a local Albanian
leader. 
    Such complaints contributed to the formation of the rebel army
nearly a year ago. The movement was formed by locals, but supported by
former members of the disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army. 
    Most Yugoslav analysts are impressed by Kostunica's handling of his
first crisis. "Our policies have been impetuous over the past decade
under Slobodan Milosevic. We must correct the militarized public opinion
and get the nation used to diplomatic solutions," says Dusko Batakovic,
a professor of political science. 
    In further contrast to the previous regime, Serb leaders acknowledge
the neglect of Albanian citizens in southern Serbia. Nebojsa Covic, a
leader in the transition government, met with local Albanian leaders and
stressed the need to rectify the mistakes of the past. "This is an area
that was neglected by the former regime, which greatly contributed to
the current crisis. Serbia now has a democratic government, and we will
find democratic solutions to our problems," Mr. Covic said. 

  Material from the wire services was used for this report.


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