[ALBSA-Info] {QIKSH «ALBEUROPA»} NEWS: SEVERAL sources: Kostunica admits Kosovo guilt (24 October, 2000)

[Wolfgang Plarre]

http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_988000/988602.stm

Tuesday, 24 October, 2000, 14:53 GMT 

Kostunica admits Kosovo guilt

Before they left Kosovo, Serbian soldiers had been active

Yugoslavia's new president, Vojislav Kostunica, has acknowledged for the
first time that the Serbian army and police force carried out
large-scale killings in Kosovo last year. 
     The admission is in contrast to former President Slobodan
Milosevic's insistence that the West was to blame for stirring up ethnic
conflict. 
     It is the first time that any Yugoslav leader has accepted
responsibility and expressed regret for any of the conflicts in the
Balkans over the past decade. 
     "I am ready to... accept the guilt for all those people who have
been killed," Mr Kostunica said. 
     "For what Milosevic had done, and as a Serb, I will take
responsibility for many of these crimes." 
     In the interview, to be screened on the US network CBS News, Mr
Kostunica said that Serbs, as well as ethnic Albanians, had suffered. 
     "I must say also there are a lot of crimes on the other side and
the Serbs have been killed," he said. 

Crackdown 

Former President Milosevic launched a crackdown on ethnic Albanian
nationalists in Kosovo in 1998. Thousands of ethnic Albanian civilians
were killed and tens of thousands of others fled their homes and the
country. 
     Mr Milosevic has been charged by the International Criminal
Tribunal in The Hague for atrocities committed in Kosovo. 
     Since coming to power, President Kostunica has not taken action to
arrest his predecessor, because, he said, there were "too many things to
be done at this moment, too many priorities. 
     "Before anything else we are in need of democracy being
consolidated in this country. By opening the questions of The Hague,
that democracy may be put into question." 
     President Kostunica has in the past questioned the legitimacy of
the court, saying it was a Western political institution. 
     Asked by CBS whether he thought Mr Milosevic would ever stand
trial, President Kostunica replied: "Somewhere, yes."
_______________________________________________________________________
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20001024/aponline111034_000.htm

Kostunica Acknowledges War Killings 

By Katarina Kratovac
Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2000; 11:10 a.m. EDT

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- Yugoslavia's new president has admitted for the
first time in a television interview that Yugoslav army and police
forces committed widespread killings in Kosovo last year. 
     Vojislav Kostunica's remarks marked the first time any Yugoslav
leader accepted responsibility and expressed remorse for any of the
conflicts in the last decade in the Balkans. 
     His remarks were reported as the new president scored a significant
victory Tuesday, persuading the Serbian parliament to approve a
power-sharing administration to run Yugoslavia's main republic until
early elections in December. 
     Those elections will give the democracy forces a chance to remove
the last major bastion of Milosevic support within the Yugoslav
leadership. 
     Milosevic has never admitted wrongdoing in Kosovo, steadfastly
blaming the West for fomenting violence in the region. He was indicted
last year for war crimes by the international court in The Hague for
atrocities committed by his troops in Kosovo. 
     "I am ready to ... accept the guilt for all those people who have
been killed," Kostunica told CBS News' "60 Minutes II," according to a
transcript. "For what Milosevic had done, and as a Serb, I will take
responsibility for many of these, these crimes." 
     Asked whether Yugoslav forces were guilty of genocide in the
southern province of Kosovo, Kostunica admitted that crimes had
occurred, but that both Serbs and ethnic Albanians were killed. The
interview was to be aired Tuesday night. 
     "Those are the crimes and the people that have been killed are
victims," Kostunica said, adding "there are a lot of crimes on the other
side and the Serbs have been killed." 
     Under Milosevic, Yugoslav forces launched a massive crackdown on
ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo in 1998. Thousands of ethnic
Albanian civilians were killed and tens of thousands of others forced to
flee their homes. 
     Milosevic depicted the crackdown as a heroic attempt to save
Serbia's medieval heartland from independence-minded ethnic Albanian
extremists. He and four of his officials were charged by the U.N. war
crimes tribunal last year for atrocities committed in Kosovo. 
     Since taking power after a popular revolt, Kostunica has moved to
bring about democratic changes and has shown willingness to cooperate
with the tribunal. He has not yet moved to arrest Milosevic, saying the
tribunal was a political entity created by the West and that his country
doesn't recognize it. 
     Asked by CBS whether he thought Milosevic would ever stand trial,
Kostunica replied, "somewhere, yes." 
     Milosevic's party still holds a significant amount of power, which
has prevented Kostunica's camp from pushing through much needed
democratic reforms. 
     Prospects for change improved significantly, however, when Serbia's
parliament voted Tuesday replace Serbia's republican government with a
transition administration until early elections are held on Dec. 23.
Milosevic's party holds 110 of the 250 seats in the republican
legislature. 
     Under the formula, the current Serbian government will be replaced
by a temporary one in which pro-democracy forces will share power to
prevent any rigging of the balloting. Previously, the legislature wasn't
due for new elections until the fall of 2001. 
     Parliamentary approval came after Milosevic's former allies in the
Radical Party accused Kostunica's camp of staging a "coup" by forcing
changes in the republican administration. 
     The Radicals, which hold 82 seats in the 250-seat assembly,
filibustered for seven hours, forcing parliament to adjourn its session
without a vote on the reorganization plan. The assembly met again
Tuesday, although the session was delayed after Radicals walked out to
protest a decision by state television not to broadcast the event. 
     Yugoslavia is a federation made up of Serbia and smaller Montenegro
- each with their own elected governments. 
     Kosovo is a province of Serbia, but the United Nations and NATO
took over the province in June 1999 following NATO's 78-day bombing of
Yugoslavia. 
     Kosovo Serbs, the minority in the province, now commonly complain
of being the target of attacks. A rocket-propelled grenade exploded
Monday at a neighborhood where most remaining Serbs in Kosovo's capital
of Pristina live. It blew a hole in one of the buildings. 

© Copyright 2000 The Associated Press
_______________________________________________________________________
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_94337.html?nav_src=newsIndexHeadline

New president admits to Yugoslav crimes in Kosovo

Yugoslavia's new president has admitted that army and police forces
committed widespread killings in Kosovo last year.
     Vojislav Kostunica's remarks mark the first time any Yugoslav has
accepted responsibility and expressed remorse for any of the conflicts
in the last decade in the Balkans.
     Former president Slobodan Milosevic steadfastly blamed the West for
aggravating violence in the region, and never admitted any wrongdoing in
Kosovo.
     "I am ready to ... accept the guilt for all those people who have
been killed," Mr Kostunica said. "For what Milosevic had done, and as a
Serb, I will take responsibility for many of these, these crimes."
     Asked by CBS News "60 Minutes II," whether Yugoslav forces were
guilty of genocide in the southern province of Kosovo, Mr Kostunica
admitted that crimes had occurred, but that both Serbs and ethnic
Albanians were killed..
     "Those are the crimes and the people that have been killed are
victims," Mr Kostunica said, adding "there are a lot of crimes on the
other side and the Serbs have been killed."
     Under Milosevic, Yugoslav forces have launched a massive crackdown
on ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo in 1998. Thousands of ethnic
Albanian civilians were killed and tens of thousands of others were
forced to flee their homes.
     Milosevic depicted the crackdown as a heroic attempt to save
Serbia's medieval heartland from independence-minded ethnic Albanian
extremists. He and four of his officials were charged by the UN war
crimes tribunal last year for atrocities committed in Kosovo.
     Since taking power after a popular revolt, Mr Kostunica has moved
to bring about democratic changes and has shown willingness to cooperate
with the tribunal. He has not yet moved to arrest Milosevic, saying the
tribunal is a political entity created by the West and that his country
doesn't recognize it.
     Asked whether he thought Milosevic would ever stand trial, Mr
Kostunica replied, "somewhere, yes."

Last updated: 10:11 Tuesday 24th October 2000.
Copyright © 2000 Ananova Ltd
_______________________________________________________________________
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8ad5/0b21227573893ca5c12569820058c6ad?OpenDocument

Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Date: 24 Oct 2000

Yugoslav President admits Serbian war crimes in Kosova

Vojislav Kostunica told the U.S. television news program "60 Minutes II"
that he is "ready to...accept the guilt [sic] for all those people who
have been killed. [I acknowledge] what [former President Slobodan]
Milosevic had done, and as a Serb, I will take responsibility for many
of these, these crimes," AP reported on 24 October. He made the
statement in response to a question about whether Serbian forces were
guilty of genocide in Kosova in 1999. Kostunica added: "Those are the
crimes and the people that have been killed are victims. [But] there are
a lot of crimes on the other side [as well]. Serbs have been killed."
Asked whether he thought Milosevic will stand trial for his crimes,
Kostunica replied: "Somewhere, yes." This is the first time that a
top-ranking Serbian leader has admitted that Serbian forces committed
war crimes. Most opposition leaders prefer not to discuss the subject or
give evasive answers. Officials of the Milosevic regime and many
nationalists place the blame on "Albanian separatists and terrorists"
and "NATO bombs." PM 

© 2000 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
_______________________________________________________________________
http://www.centraleurope.com/yugoslaviatoday/news.php3?id=212652

Kostunica Acknowledges Kosovo Genocide

NEW YORK, Oct 24, 2000 -- (Reuters) President Vojislav Kostunica has
acknowledged that Yugoslav security forces committed genocide in Kosovo
and said he was ready to take responsibility for crimes committed by his
predecessor Slobodan Milosevic.
     Milosevic, who has been indicted by a UN court for his security
forces' crimes against members of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, was
forced by a mass uprising to admit defeat to Kostunica in last month's
elections.
     Kosovo legally remains part of Serb-dominated Yugoslavia but has
been run as a de facto international protectorate since June last year,
when NATO bombing drove out Serb forces.
     In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes II", released on Monday and
to be aired on Tuesday, Kostunica was asked if there was any doubt that
the Yugoslav army and police were guilty of genocide in Kosovo.
     "Those are the crimes and the people that have been killed are
victims," the president responded, adding: "I must say also there are a
lot of crimes on the other side and the Serbs have been killed.
     "I am ready to, how to say, to accept the guilt for all those
people who have been killed so I'm trying to, taking responsibility for
what happened on my part. For what Milosevic had done and as a Serb I
will take responsibility for many of these, these crimes,"
     On whether Milosevic would stand trial somewhere, Kostunica
replied: "Yes, somewhere." Asked about Serb crimes against humanity, he
said Milosevic was "among those responsible."
     Kostunica said his government had not arrested Milosevic because
there were "too many things to be done at this moment, too many
priorities."
     The president also said "before anything else we are in need of
democracy being, how to say, consolidated in this country. By opening
the questions of the Hague (court) that democracy may be put into
question."
     After the sacking of the parliament building in Belgrade, Kostunica
said he had feared a visit from the security forces.
     "We were somewhere between democracy and revolution. And I must say
that that morning I went to bed and had the specific feeling that
someone might knock at my door."
     Asked if had feared arrest, he replied: "Exactly."

(C)2000 Copyright Reuters Limited


-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/8/_/920292/_/972426079/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->

Nëse don të çregjistrohesh nga ALBEUROPA, dërgo një Email në:

albeuropa-unsubscribe at egroups.com