[ALBSA-Info] {QIKSH «ALBEUROPA»} NEWS: Ethnic Albanians Express Skepticism (AP, October 25, 2000)

[Wolfgang Plarre]

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001025/wl/kosovo_kostunica_1.html

Wednesday October 25 8:25 PM ET

Ethnic Albanians Express Skepticism 

By FISNIK ABRASHI, Associated Press Writer 

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) - Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo expressed
skepticism Wednesday about an admission from Yugoslavia's new president
that Yugoslav forces were responsible for widespread killings in the
province.
     Kosovo's newspapers largely ignored remarks made by President
Vojislav Kostunica (news - web sites) to CBS-TV's ''60 Minutes II,'' in
which he acknowledged that crimes had occurred during Slobodan Milosevic
(news - web sites)'s crackdown in the southern Yugoslav province. Only
one Albanian language newspaper, Koha Ditore, printed the remarks.
     ``I am ready to ... accept the guilt for all those people who have
been killed,'' Kostunica said. ``For what Milosevic had done, and as a
Serb, I will take responsibility for many of these, these crimes.''
     It was the first time any Yugoslav leader accepted responsibility
and expressed regret for any of the conflicts in the last decade in the
Balkans. Milosevic never admitting any wrongdoing in Kosovo.
     Nonetheless, some people here suggested Kostunica must take greater
steps toward reconciliation before such statements can be believed.
     ``After you kill, no apologies can be accepted,'' said Arben
Xhelili, 18, a bartender in Pristina.
     Ethnic Albanians endured a decade of oppression under Milosevic and
an 18-month brutal crackdown by Serb police that only ended after NATO
(news - web sites) airstrikes last year. During the 78-day air war,
ethnic Albanians say, thousands of people were rounded up by Yugoslav
forces. Many remain unaccounted for.
     ``This is only a little start from nothing,'' Milaim Murati, 34, a
cook, said of Kostunica's remarks. ``The good way to start would be to
release all Albanian prisoners from Serb prisons and find the missing.
That could be a genuine good sign.''
     Kostunica said Wednesday he would consider granting amnesty to
people jailed under Milosevic, but he stopped short of committing to the
release of Kosovo Albanians held since the conflict.
     Meanwhile, more than 20,000 supporters of Kosovo Albanian
politician Ibrahim Rugova gathered Wednesday at Pristina's stadium for
his final rally ahead of municipal elections on Saturday. Several polls
show Rugova's moderate Democratic League of Kosovo in the lead.
     Rugova attracted international attention ahead of the NATO bombing
campaign for seeking a nonviolent resolution with Belgrade. He was twice
elected ``president'' of an internationally unrecognized republic of
Kosovo.
     Also Wednesday, Switzerland announced that it will keep lightly
armed soldiers in Kosovo to help the province's NATO-led peacekeeping
force for an additional year. 

Copyright © 2000 The Associated Press


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