From dbein at osnabrueck.netsurf.de  Wed Aug  1 18:22:01 2001
From: dbein at osnabrueck.netsurf.de (Divi Beineke)
Date: Wed Aug  1 18:22:01 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Email-action: RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW! -  Mail to the members
Message-ID: <3B688041.112C7C95@osnabrueck.netsurf.de>

Betreff: [RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW!] Please continue your great work!
Datum: Wed, 01 Aug 2001 15:15:27 +0200
Von: Divi Beineke <dbein at osnabrueck.netsurf.de>

Dear friends,

I know, our email-action is running a very long time now, the earliest
members of this action are taking part since October 2000.

When we started, there were 878 Albanian Prisoners in serb jails, today
there are still 234; 110 of them are political cases, 124 criminal.
We promised, we won?t stop, before the last of them has returned home and
so we will keep going  ...

And we hope and count on you, not to leave the remaining Albanian prisoners
alone.
They depend on every single person, who keeps knocking on doors  (and
mail-boxes!) to ask and call for their release again and again.

Below you?ll find a new example-letter, Alice Mead wrote for the action.
Please feel free to use it while sending your emails to the addresses from
our mailtable.
(Mailtable at: http://www.kosova-info-line.de/APP/pl.html)

Thank you so much for your support!
And please:
Continue your great work!

Sincerly
Divi Beineke
--
EMAIL-ACTION: RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW!
T? LIROHEN MENJ?HER? T? BURGOSURIT!
LASST JETZT DIE GEFANGENEN FREI!
ODMAH OSLOBODITE ZATVORENIKE!
http://www.kosova-info-line.de/APP/

NEW EMAI-TEXT:
_______________________________________

Dear Ladies and Sirs,

 the political will to release the final 234 Albanian
 prisoners from serb jails in FRY seems to have
 evaporated on all sides. Now that most are out (out of
 2,300 prisoners, 1,900 were released by bribes paid by
 family members and only about 300 were released
 under the amnesty law or the review process), there is
 no initiative to send the last group home. The
 long-promised "judicial review" by the Serb Supreme
 Court is over. The excuse for inaction on the Serb side
 is that they don't have enough money to hire new
 judges, but in fact release was denied to nearly all the
 remaining cases.

 This is unacceptable. A-PAL demands an immediate
 high-level meeting of all parties involved (Serb officials,
 UNMIK, UNHCHR, HLC, HRW, ICRC, US leaders,
 EU, and KFOR) to develop a timeline for the transfer of
 ALL Kosovar citizens now imprisoned in Serbia to
 Kosova where their cases will be reviewed, as
 guaranteed in UN1244, the Geneva Conventions, the
 Yugoslav Constitution, and OSCE. UN1244 which
 confirms the language of Rambouillet--"All abducted
 persons shall be released and transfered. Each side
 shall not prosecute anyone for crimes related to the
 conflict in Kosovo unless it is a violation of
 humanitarian law. Each side shall grant a general
 amnesty for all persons convicted of committing a
 politically motivated crime relating to the conflict in
 Kosovo."
 Furthermore, "Defendents are entitled to have his trial
 tranfered to a Kosovo court that he designates. In
 criminal cases, all judicial members will be from a
 nationality of their choice."

 It is vitally important to recall who in fact is trying these
 cases against the Albanians. At the end of the war,
 Milosevic tranfered all the Serb judges in Kosovo,
 claiming that he had transfered the court of Prishtina,
 Peje, Prizren, Gjlane, etc, so that judges in Serbia now
 had jurisdiction over Kosovar Albanians who were
 citizens of Kosovo--by order of Milosevic. These were
 the same judges and justice system who oversaw the
 torture, starvation, and forced confessions, and even
 massacre of Albanian prisoners only weeks before. The
 photo shows a guard from Dubrava who now works in
 Pozharevac Prison.

 The Republic of Serbia has no legal right to perpetuate
 this false system of justice, created solely for the
 ongoing ethnic persecution of the Albanian prisoners.
 These courts, these artrificially created reviews, are
 simply hold-overs of Milosevic's corrupt use of the
 judicial system of Yugoslavia to further his political and
 financial ends. Nowhere in the FRY Constitution does it
 say that the courts of Kosovo will operate in Serbia for
 an indefinite period of time. And nowhere in any law of
 any land belonging to the UN, EU, and OSCE does it
 state that martial law can abridge international human
 rights. Ever.

 Instead, following conflict -- All persons have a right to
 return home. It isn't the Hague tribunal that is a false
 court. It is the courts of Kosovo now in Serbia still
 operating by Milosevic's decree. No wonder the judges
 from these courts have a habit of disappearing.

 Statistics:
 - 234 Albanian Prisoners remain in Serb prisons
   110 are political cases, 124 criminal
 - Despite promises for release,
   90 Albanian political cases will NOT be reviewed
   or receive amnesty. Only 20 will be reviewed.
 - Death toll of Albanian prisoners (1999-2001):
   138 dead so far.
   And that's 138 too many.

 Thank you for your attention!

 Sincerely,

 ........................................
 (don?t forgot to sign with your name, please!)

 --
 This mail is part of an E-MAIL-ACTION:
 RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW !
 T? LIROHEN MENJ?HER? T? BURGOSURIT!
 LASST JETZT DIE GEFANGENEN FREI !
 ODMAH OSLOBODITE ZATVORENIKE !
 http://www.kosova-info-line.de/APP/
 mailto:beineke at kosova-info-line.de

_______________________________________

MAILTEXT END





From iti05248 at mweb.co.za  Tue Aug  7 18:56:01 2001
From: iti05248 at mweb.co.za (Johnson)
Date: Tue Aug  7 18:56:01 2001
Subject: [ALBANEWS] [Prishtina-E] Email-action: RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW!
 -Mail to the members
Message-ID: <0GHF00CXWOXDPU@earthquake.mweb.co.za>


----------
> From: Mentor Cana <mentor at ALB-NET.COM>
> To: ALBANEWS at LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
> Subject: [ALBANEWS] [Prishtina-E] Email-action: RELEASE THE PRISONERS
NOW! -Mail to the members
> Date: 02 August 2001 12:24
> 
> ____________ALBANEWS: Albanian News and Information Network_________
> Archives:    http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/archives/albanews.html
> ____________________________________________________________________
> 
>      >>>>>    Human Rights Issues in Macedonia: AMCC    <<<<<<<<
> 
>             http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/humanrights.htm
> ____________________________________________________________________
> 
>   Humanitarian Foundation "Liria Kombetare"
>                               http://www.liriakombtare.com/
>   Cultural Humanitarian Organization - MERHAMET
>                               http://www.merhamet.com/
>   Albanian Home Page          http://www.albanian.com/
>   KCC (Kosova Crisis Center)  http://www.alb-net.com/
>   Kosovapress                 http://www.kosovapress.com/
> ____________________________________________________________________
> 
>              --- Prishtina-E Discussion Forum ---
>         Archives: www.alb-net.com/pipermail/prishtina-e
> 
> Betreff: [RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW!] Please continue your great work!
> Datum: Wed, 01 Aug 2001 15:15:27 +0200
> Von: Divi Beineke <dbein at osnabrueck.netsurf.de>
> 
> Dear friends,
> 
> I know, our email-action is running a very long time now, the earliest
> members of this action are taking part since October 2000.
> 
> When we started, there were 878 Albanian Prisoners in serb jails, today
> there are still 234; 110 of them are political cases, 124 criminal.
> We promised, we won?t stop, before the last of them has returned home and
> so we will keep going  ...
> 
> And we hope and count on you, not to leave the remaining Albanian
prisoners
> alone.
> They depend on every single person, who keeps knocking on doors  (and
> mail-boxes!) to ask and call for their release again and again.
> 
> Below you?ll find a new example-letter, Alice Mead wrote for the action.
> Please feel free to use it while sending your emails to the addresses
from
> our mailtable.
> (Mailtable at: http://www.kosova-info-line.de/APP/pl.html)
> 
> Thank you so much for your support!
> And please:
> Continue your great work!
> 
> Sincerly
> Divi Beineke
> --
> EMAIL-ACTION: RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW!
> T? LIROHEN MENJ?HER? T? BURGOSURIT!
> LASST JETZT DIE GEFANGENEN FREI!
> ODMAH OSLOBODITE ZATVORENIKE!
> http://www.kosova-info-line.de/APP/
> 
> NEW EMAI-TEXT:
> _______________________________________
> 
> Dear Ladies and Sirs,
> 
>  the political will to release the final 234 Albanian
>  prisoners from serb jails in FRY seems to have
>  evaporated on all sides. Now that most are out (out of
>  2,300 prisoners, 1,900 were released by bribes paid by
>  family members and only about 300 were released
>  under the amnesty law or the review process), there is
>  no initiative to send the last group home. The
>  long-promised "judicial review" by the Serb Supreme
>  Court is over. The excuse for inaction on the Serb side
>  is that they don't have enough money to hire new
>  judges, but in fact release was denied to nearly all the
>  remaining cases.
> 
>  This is unacceptable. A-PAL demands an immediate
>  high-level meeting of all parties involved (Serb officials,
>  UNMIK, UNHCHR, HLC, HRW, ICRC, US leaders,
>  EU, and KFOR) to develop a timeline for the transfer of
>  ALL Kosovar citizens now imprisoned in Serbia to
>  Kosova where their cases will be reviewed, as
>  guaranteed in UN1244, the Geneva Conventions, the
>  Yugoslav Constitution, and OSCE. UN1244 which
>  confirms the language of Rambouillet--"All abducted
>  persons shall be released and transfered. Each side
>  shall not prosecute anyone for crimes related to the
>  conflict in Kosovo unless it is a violation of
>  humanitarian law. Each side shall grant a general
>  amnesty for all persons convicted of committing a
>  politically motivated crime relating to the conflict in
>  Kosovo."
>  Furthermore, "Defendents are entitled to have his trial
>  tranfered to a Kosovo court that he designates. In
>  criminal cases, all judicial members will be from a
>  nationality of their choice."
> 
>  It is vitally important to recall who in fact is trying these
>  cases against the Albanians. At the end of the war,
>  Milosevic tranfered all the Serb judges in Kosovo,
>  claiming that he had transfered the court of Prishtina,
>  Peje, Prizren, Gjlane, etc, so that judges in Serbia now
>  had jurisdiction over Kosovar Albanians who were
>  citizens of Kosovo--by order of Milosevic. These were
>  the same judges and justice system who oversaw the
>  torture, starvation, and forced confessions, and even
>  massacre of Albanian prisoners only weeks before. The
>  photo shows a guard from Dubrava who now works in
>  Pozharevac Prison.
> 
>  The Republic of Serbia has no legal right to perpetuate
>  this false system of justice, created solely for the
>  ongoing ethnic persecution of the Albanian prisoners.
>  These courts, these artrificially created reviews, are
>  simply hold-overs of Milosevic's corrupt use of the
>  judicial system of Yugoslavia to further his political and
>  financial ends. Nowhere in the FRY Constitution does it
>  say that the courts of Kosovo will operate in Serbia for
>  an indefinite period of time. And nowhere in any law of
>  any land belonging to the UN, EU, and OSCE does it
>  state that martial law can abridge international human
>  rights. Ever.
> 
>  Instead, following conflict -- All persons have a right to
>  return home. It isn't the Hague tribunal that is a false
>  court. It is the courts of Kosovo now in Serbia still
>  operating by Milosevic's decree. No wonder the judges
>  from these courts have a habit of disappearing.
> 
>  Statistics:
>  - 234 Albanian Prisoners remain in Serb prisons
>    110 are political cases, 124 criminal
>  - Despite promises for release,
>    90 Albanian political cases will NOT be reviewed
>    or receive amnesty. Only 20 will be reviewed.
>  - Death toll of Albanian prisoners (1999-2001):
>    138 dead so far.
>    And that's 138 too many.
> 
>  Thank you for your attention!
> 
>  Sincerely,
> 
>  Cheryl Johnson
    Filmmaker
    South Africa

>  (don?t forgot to sign with your name, please!)
> 
>  --
>  This mail is part of an E-MAIL-ACTION:
>  RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW !
>  T? LIROHEN MENJ?HER? T? BURGOSURIT!
>  LASST JETZT DIE GEFANGENEN FREI !
>  ODMAH OSLOBODITE ZATVORENIKE !
>  http://www.kosova-info-line.de/APP/
>  mailto:beineke at kosova-info-line.de
> 
> _______________________________________
> 
> MAILTEXT END
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________________
> Prishtina-E discussion forum: Prishtina-E at alb-net.com
> http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/prishtina-e
> 
> ____________________________________________________________________
> 
>      >>>>>    Human Rights Issues in Macedonia: AMCC    <<<<<<<<
> 
>             http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/humanrights.htm
> ____________________________________________________________________
> ____________________________________________________________________
> ALBANEWS is not affiliated with  the Albanian Government, the Kosova
> Government, any association or organization,  nor any information or
> news agency.  Reports, articles and  news items from various sources
> are distributed via ALBANEWS for INFORMATIVE purposes only.
> Opinions expressed/published on ALBANEWS do  NOT necessarily reflect
> the views of the owner and the co-owners and/or moderators,  nor any
> of their host institutions. ALBANEWS does NOT guarantee the accuracy
> of the reports, articles and news items distributed via the list.
> ____________________________________________________________________
> ALBANEWS listowner, co-owners and/or moderators can be contacted at:
> ALBANEWS-request at listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu


From mentor at alb-net.com  Tue Aug  7 18:56:07 2001
From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana)
Date: Tue Aug  7 18:56:07 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] [AMCC-News] Macedonians, ethnic Albanians clear way for peace accord; Skopje
 raid casts shadow over [peace] talks
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.33.0108070711280.22849-100000@alb-net.com>

>>>>>>>>>>>>> PLEASE READ  &  DISTRIBUTE FURTHER <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

---------------------------------------------------------------------

                Human Rights Violations in Macedonia
  
            http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/humanrights.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
  

1. Skopje raid casts shadow over [peace] talks (7 August, 2001)

      US envoy James Pardew told the BBC he was very disappointed by
      the Macedonian demands.
      "They need to think seriously about what they did," he said.

2. Macedonians, ethnic Albanians clear way for peace accord (6 August, 2001)

      Macedonian and ethnic Albanian political leaders cleared the way
      for a peace accord in Macedonia, resolving the main remaining
      sticking point in attempts to avert a new Balkan war.

##### (1) #####

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1476000/1476940.stm
Tuesday, 7 August, 2001, 09:21 GMT 10:21 UK

Skopje raid casts shadow over talks

Bloodshed has continued despite peace talks Five ethnic Albanians rebels
have been killed in a police raid in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, the
country's interior minister reported on Tuesday.

The dawn operation - the first of its kind in the capital - came hours
after a tentative peace deal with the ethnic Albanians was put on hold when
the Macedonian Government added extra demands at the last minute.

The deal had been reached after days of hard bargaining at talks near the
resort of Lake Ohrid. The most divisive issues - the status of the Albanian
language and policing - had been resolved, but the Macedonian Government
then demanded a timetable for rebel disarmament.

As international attempts to breathe life back into the peace talks
continued in Ohrid, news of the police raid in Skopje was given by Interior
Minister Ljube Boskovski.

He told the French news agency AFP that the raid took place in the suburb
of Bergino at 0500 (0300GMT) on Tuesday. The suburb is populated mainly by
ethnic Albanians.

He said a rebel commander known as "Teli" was among those killed.

If confirmed, the deaths will be the first in the capital since the
conflict began in February.

Most of the violence has been confined to northern towns and villages,
where the rebels have their strongholds, although the rebels have held some
territory outside Skopje.

The government demand for a timetable for rebel disarmanent came from Prime
Minister Ljubco Georgievski, who said the deal was off unless the extra
condition was met.

The disarmament is scheduled to be supervised by Nato, and the organisation
says it cannot give an exact timetable for disarmament.

A force of 3,500 Nato troops is ready to be deployed in the country when a
peace deal has been finalised.

US envoy James Pardew told the BBC he was very disappointed by the
Macedonian demands.

"They need to think seriously about what they did," he said.

He added that he hoped that no one was trying to undermine the whole
process, saying that the deadlock could be partly due to "signing jitters".

Neither the rebels nor the international community could accept the
government demands for a ceasefire timetable, he said, because they were an
attempt to link a political deal to a military one, for which international
mediators had no mandate.

The rebels say they are fighting for better rights, but they have been
accused of wanting to split some ethnic Albanian areas from the rest of
Macedonia.


##### (2) #####

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/010805/1/1a71n.html
Monday August 6, 6:34 AM

Macedonians, ethnic Albanians clear way for peace accord

Macedonian and ethnic Albanian political leaders cleared the way for a
peace accord in Macedonia, resolving the main remaining sticking point in
attempts to avert a new Balkan war.

"Both the Albanians and Macedonians have accepted the content of the
document that they have negotiated with our help," the European Union's
foreign policy chief Javier Solana said, after brokering the deal on the
crucial issue of police reform in areas of the country mainly inhabited by
ethnic Albanians.

The agreement late on Sunday by the two sides at internationally mediated
talks means that the major sticking points have now been cleared away and
the two sides can move to tying up the loose ends of an overall peace deal.

The two sides will meet again early Monday to finalise the details of a
comprehensive peace accord.

Once the peace accord has been signed NATO peacekeepers will sweep into the
former Yugoslav republic, disarming rebels who have been carrying out an
insurgency over minority rights, fighting Macedonian forces in the
northwestern hills since February.

The ethnic Albanian rebels of the National Liberation Army were not at the
negotiating table, and whether peace sticks largely depends on how they
view the accord.

Shortly after Solana's announcement, two loud explosions were heard near
the tinderbox northwestern town of Tetovo, close to territory controlled by
ethnic Albanian rebels engaged in a six-month-old rebellion.

Government spokesmen could not be immediately contacted to give details of
the explosions. The talks, which move into their ninth day on Monday, were
originally scheduled to be held in Tetovo, but moved to Ohrid because of
the security situation around the northwestern town, which has borne the
brunt of heavy fighting during the uprising.

Solana urged the people of Macedonia to accept the chance for peace, saying
he had been impressed by the beauty of the country.

"All the efforts will be useless if the people of the country do not want
to forget the past and look forward," he said.

He said the international community wanted to create a Macedonia which is
"stable, prosperous and democratic, and has a European perspective."

The issue of the police was at the heart of rebel demands, as it concerns
policing in the very areas where they had carried out their insurgency.

Ethnic Albanians form up to one third of the two million inhabitants in
Macedonia, living mainly in the north of the country on the border with
Kosovo and in the west near Albania.

The talks had been overshadowed by pressure, as a fragile July 5 truce had
been marked by sporadic attacks.

Last week, as talks dragged on, the Skopje government also started to talk
tough, saying it was ready to use military force to drive out the rebels
from the positions they have occupied in the country.

Ethnic Albanians had demanded at the talks that the police make-up be
proportional to the country's ethnic divide.

Under Sunday's deal an extra 1,000 ethnic Albanian police officers will be
taken on in two stages over 2002 and 2003. When these are added to ethnic
Albanians already in the police, they will make up 23 percent of the
national police force.

The other major sticking point, the status of the Albanian language in the
country, was resolved last week.

________________________________________________
To unsubscribe from this list visit:
http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/amcc-news


From mentor at alb-net.com  Fri Aug 10 15:05:01 2001
From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana)
Date: Fri Aug 10 15:05:01 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] [AMCC-News] MOSQUE SET ON FIRE, [Albanian] SHOPS DEMOLISHED IN MACEDONIAN TOWN
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.33.0108101240150.16104-100000@alb-net.com>

>>>>>>>>>>>>> PLEASE READ  &  DISTRIBUTE FURTHER <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

---------------------------------------------------------------------

                Human Rights Violations in Macedonia
  
            http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/humanrights.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
  

   Picture of the burned Mosque in Prilep;

   http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/images/mosqueburning08092001.jpg


RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 5, No. 150, Part II, 9 August 2001

website: http://www.rferl.org/newsline

MOSQUE SET ON FIRE, SHOPS DEMOLISHED IN MACEDONIAN TOWN.

Following the reports of the killing of the 10 soldiers, Interior Minister
Ljube Buckovski imposed a 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew on Prilep, where
most of the 10 came from, dpa reported on 8 August. Several hundred
Macedonians nonetheless demanded weapons to attack a neighboring Albanian
village "in order to save Macedonia," Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service
reported. When their request was denied, the crowd set fire to a mosque in
central Prilep and ransacked a number of shops owned by Albanian and other
Muslim Macedonians. Similar riots took place in Bitola earlier this year
after some local men were killed by Albanian fighters (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 2 May 2001). UB/PM

ALBANIAN SHOPS DESTROYED IN MACEDONIAN CAPITAL.

Several hundred Macedonian citizens who had been forced to leave their
villages some weeks ago staged a peaceful protest in front of the
Macedonian parliament in Skopje on 8 August. The crowd had gathered to
mourn the 10 dead soldiers. As the Skopje daily "Dnevnik" on 9 August
reported, the protesters were later joined by a crowd of young Skopje
citizens, who later destroyed several Albanian-owned shops in the city
center. UB

________________________________________________
To unsubscribe from this list visit:
http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/amcc-news


From naac at naac.org  Wed Aug 15 15:19:01 2001
From: naac at naac.org (National Albanian American Council - NAAC)
Date: Wed Aug 15 15:19:01 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] NLA Supports the Peace Agreement
Message-ID: <003c01c121f1$5f3617a0$775a1840@sold>

National Albanian American Council
1700 K Street, N.W., Suite 1201, Washington, DC  20006
(202) 466-6900    Fax: (202) 466-5593
Email: naac at naac.org
_______________________________________________________________________

For Your Information

Ali Ahmeti: "NLA Supports the Peace Agreement"

Dear Friends:

We wanted to share with you the full text of an interview that Ali Ahmeti, political representative of the NLA, gave to the Voice of America Albanian Language Service earlier today.  In his interview, Mr. Ahmeti declared that the NLA is ready to accept the peace proposal that has already been initialed by the representatives of Macedonian and Albanian political parties at the peace talks.  Upon signature of the agreement, the NLA is ready to comply with its regulations and help with its implementation.  Furthermore, Mr. Ahmeti declared that the NLA is already considering disarmament plans that have been proposed to it by NATO representatives in Macedonia.  

For the original Albanian version of this interview, please visit the following link to the Voice of America Albanian Language Service website: http://www.voanews.com/albanian/

Following is an English translation of the interview.

Voice of America Interview with Ali Ahmeti, National Liberation Army
Friday, August 10, 2001

VOA: Mr. Ahmeti, is NLA the author of the attacks that have taken place these last few days against Macedonian troops, for example of today's incident?

Ahmeti: The NLA has signed an agreement with NATO, where both parties have no right of movement, that is why today I am expressing my regret that the Government troops have entered the mountain road and have stepped on mines which we have not confirmed whether they have been planted by our soldiers or by government forces themselves, so that they could prevent the movement of the NLA in those areas. So again, I express regret for this accident. 

VOA: Mr. Ahmeti, a group named Albanian National Army took responsibility together with the NLA, as they say, for the second incident two days ago, when ten Macedonian soldiers were killed. Do you know this group? 

Ahmeti: No, we do not have any knowledge.  Here in Macedonia, there is only one active emblem, which is that of the NLA, whereas the act was committed on the road Shkup-Tetove, in that region our forces are not deployed, therefore we do not take any responsibility. 

VOA: Mr. Ahmeti, what is your opinion on the agreement among the political parties, are you in agreement with all the issues discussed, with all the points on which agreement has been reached? 

Ahmeti: Yes of course that in this kind of negotiations, we, the NLA, have presented our platform from the beginning.  Naturally our platform did not find adequate support in this conference, but in principle we agree with the platform which has been prepared by EU and USA, and Albanian political parties which participated in this conference.  Therefore, we see it reasonable that the platform approved at this conference, the peace platform, receive support from NLA, as well. 

VOA: So you accept the agreement that has been reached, could we say that?

Ahmeti: Yes, the NLA is in concurrence with this agreement; here we see that on the basis of this agreement, European standards will be implemented in Macedonia, Macedonia will have an opportunity to become integrated in the Euro-Atlantic structures; based on this agreement, the Albanians will generally accomplish a goal of their own, they will find themselves as equals in their own state.

VOA: Therefore, Mr. Ahmeti, if the Agreement is signed officially, the NLA will try to implement it, including your disarmament? 

Ahmeti: Of course.  We already have projects for the disarmament of the NLA. These projects have been offered to us from NATO officials, from the representative of Mr. Robertson, and we are now in the process of evaluating and working on these documents.

###
-------------- next part --------------
HTML attachment scrubbed and removed

From naac at naac.org  Wed Aug 15 15:19:08 2001
From: naac at naac.org (National Albanian American Council - NAAC)
Date: Wed Aug 15 15:19:08 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Today's Articles on Albanian Issues, August 15, 2001
Message-ID: <006901c125a0$9b55c890$5b511840@sold>

National Albanian American Council 
1700 K Street, N.W., Suite 1201, Washington, DC  20006 
(202) 466-6900,  Fax: (202) 466-5593 
Email: naac at naac.org
                                                                             
For Your Information 


New York Times
August 15, 2001
Macedonia Deployment Moves Forward
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- NATO leaders presented a proposal to their national governments for the partial deployment of a 3,500-member military mission to Macedonia, moving forward Wednesday with a plan the alliance hopes will pave the way for peace in the Balkan nation.

The alliance's ruling council set a 5 p.m. (11 a.m. EDT) deadline for any of NATO's 19-member governments to object to the plan. If they do not, the council will authorize deployment of the mission's headquarters, communications and other essential support elements -- about 400 personnel.

The 3,500-strong British-led force would collect and destroy arms and ammunition held by the rebels. The 30-day mission, dubbed Operation Essential Harvest, would include troops from the United States and 11 European nations.

One NATO official, speaking on condition he not be identified, said a decision to deploy partially did not imply a final decision on deployment of the entire task force.

NATO set four conditions for sending in troops: a political agreement between the parties, a NATO-Macedonia agreement setting out the legal basis for the deployment, an agreement with the rebels for turning in weapons, and a cease-fire.

The first three have been fulfilled. Despite the signing of the peace agreement on Monday, however, sporadic violence has continued.

The Macedonian Defense Ministry said Wednesday there was fighting overnight between the insurgents and government forces in the second-largest city of Tetovo and surrounding villages.

The ministry said ethnic Albanian rebels attacked Macedonian security forces deployed near the city's soccer stadium, and around Sara Mountain and other villages near Tetovo and in the Kumanovo area, north of Skopje. Government forces returned fire. There was no word on casualties.

NATO is concerned that if it deploys too early, allied troops could find themselves in a crossfire. If it waits to long to deploy, the political agreement could come apart.

NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson had been pressing the ambassadors to move quickly to keep up the momentum of the political agreement.

Once NATO gives the activation order, the first elements can be on their way almost immediately. Military officials have said the headquarters element of the deployment could be in Macedonia within 48 hours of the activation order.

Monday's peace deal, which came after six months of bloody conflict, gives ethnic Albanians a larger share of power in the police, parliament and education.

In Skopje, Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski said Wednesday he will ask Parliament to amend the constitution to give the ethnic Albanian minority more rights, the first formal step in implementing the peace deal and paving the way for NATO.

Parliament would ratify the amendments three days after NATO informs the government that ethnic Albanian rebels have been disarmed, state television reported.

Maj. Gen. Gunnar Lange of Denmark, a senior NATO representative in Skopje, said that once the mission is approved and a permanent-cease fire is established, the deployment will last about 10 days. ``Within 30 days, we expect to complete the mission,'' he said Wednesday.

``Our soldiers will not come here to enforce peace,'' Lange said. ``They will only come if the environment allows them to conduct their very specific mission of collecting weapons and ammunition that are voluntarily turned in.''

The most likely outcome of Wednesday's meeting in Brussels, diplomats said, is a proposal to deploy the NATO force on a fixed date.

On Tuesday, NATO reached deals with the Macedonian government and ethnic Albanians on the deployment of alliance soldiers and the disarming of rebels in this impoverished country.

The rebels officially declared they intend to hand in about 2,000 weapons, a figure NATO is trying to persuade the Macedonian government to accept.

NATO and ethnic Albanian officials said the insurgents pledged to hand in their weapons to the British-led force.

However, hopes for a permanent cease-fire were dampened by the recent killing of up to nine people in the village of Ljuboten on the outskirts of Skopje. Ethnic Albanians said the victims, all civilians, were summarily executed by the government troops; the government insisted they were rebels in disguise. 

Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty
Agust 15, 2001

"Sour Grapes" from Serbian Prime Minister 


Zoran Djindjic told Austrian Television on 13 August that the lesson of the settlement in Macedonia is that "violence pays," the BBC's Serbian Service reported. He added that the Albanians have received a generous deal, and that now the "only oppressed group in Europe" are the Serbs of Kosova. 

 

Shekulli (Albanian Daily)

August 15, 2001

Prime-Minister to be selected after a week
SP Council decides Committee meeting on 20 August
By Darina Tanushi

The SP Steering Council has decided to postpone the meeting of the Steering Committee due to the accident suffered by the SP Chairman Nano the previous day. The Council had an emergency meeting which the PM Meta, the ministers Meksi, Ruka and the Secretary fir Foreign Relations Dade did not attend. 
The Secretary General Ruci informed the other members of the health situation of the leader and requested their consensus for postponing the Committee meeting as Nano could not attend it. 
The leader Nano had been on a tour in the South during these days, which was commented as a move of the leader to make the local leaders not vote Meta as PM again. Certain senior party officials, supporters to Meta even criticized the tour. 
The Steering Committee meeting scheduled to take place today was going to select the new Socialist for PM and the new candidate for parliament Speaker. The materials had been prepared and the members had been acquainted with the platforms of the three candidates running for the post of PM. The candidates had been scheduled to have no debate but just present their platforms and their political-governance priorities. The selection would be through the secret voting. 

Fifth round delays CEC
Parliament to be convened one week later 

The constitution of the new Parliament has been postponed one more week, on 20th of August 2001. Time is needed to give the final result and for the calculation of the 40 additional seats. In one zone in Korce, the election which began on 24th of June actually might even finish in September.
In case the opposition candidate in this zone end with a loss, the opposition coalition is going to have 28 seats from the proportional list, which is two more and will total 48 (20 +28) instead of 47 (21 + 26). 
Another reason is the unexpected accident of the SP leader Nano two days ago and the SP is not ready yet to name the new PM.

Radio 21 News
August 15, 2001

KFOR Detains 16 NLA Soldiers, Two of Them Shoot at KFOR
National Liberation Army (NLA) soldiers fired at a Polish-Ukrainian (POLUKR) battalion Monday, a KFOR spokesman reported Tuesday. The incident occurred near the Macedonian border, after KFOR peacekeeping troops from Multinational Brigade East fired warning shots to prevent a group of Albanian guerillas from entering FYROM from Kosova. Major Norman Johnson said that the NLA suspects had fired on KFOR troops, after members of the Polish-Ukrainian battalion detained 16 NLA members attempting to crossing into Macedonia. KFOR also confiscated their weapons. "While the POLUKR soldiers were conducting the interdiction, two additional suspects approached to within 100 meters from the east with five horses and fired upon the MNB East soldiers. The soldiers returned fire and the men and horses fled west across the FYROM border," Johnson added. The detainees were sent to the Camp Bondsteel detention facility early Tuesday morning, along with two injured NLA members. A KFOR patrol from Multinational Brigade (MNB) East detained two men on Monday at Gornace village, traveling into Kosova from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Two horses carrying 20 82mm mortar rounds were seized, according to KFOR Tuesday. KFOR spokesman Howard Rhoades said that the two men had been taken to the White Eagle base and then transferred to the Camp Bondsteel detention facility for further questioning. KFOR also reported several illegal border crossing attempts from Albania. According to Rhoades, two men trying to enter Kosova at the Morina crossing on Monday afternoon were seized by a KFOR patrol from MNB South. "One was detained and questioned and the second turned back into Albania," Rhoades reported. Late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, two other men made a number of attempts to cross from the territory of Kosova into Albania. They were prevented each time by KFOR, after flares and warning shots were fired. MNB South intercepted a man accompanied by two children and two horses loaded with provisions, after they illegally crossed the Albanian border near Globocica. The group was handed over to the military police in Sharr.
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From mentor at alb-net.com  Wed Aug 15 15:19:16 2001
From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana)
Date: Wed Aug 15 15:19:16 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] [AMCC-News] Albanians slaughtered in Macedonia; Fleeing Albanians shot in the
 back by police; Macedonian Troops Accused of Rampage
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.33.0108151144030.20801-100000@alb-net.com>

>>>>>>>>>>>>> PLEASE READ  &  DISTRIBUTE FURTHER <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

---------------------------------------------------------------------

                Human Rights Violations in Macedonia
  
            http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/humanrights.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
  

1. Albanians slaughtered in Macedonia

   "MACEDONIAN security forces shot dead five unarmed ethnic Albanian
    villagers in cold blood on the eve of Monday's ceasefire signing,
    witnesses said yesterday."

   "The victims on the hillside had each been shot from behind as they
    fled. Bajram Jashari, a 30-year-old farmer was lying on his back,
    not far from two dead cows."


2. Fleeing Albanians shot in the back by police

   "They had black clothes and masks that covered their faces. I couldn't
    recognise them. They had Macedonian police insignia on their arms.
    They were shouting 'Come out, come out from the house', and were
    swearing at us."

   "He said the police then began to set alight to his house. "I ran and
    hid in a ditch, and I shouted to my sons to run away."

3. Macedonian Troops Accused of Rampage

   "The few ethnic Albanians who remained in Ljuboten on Tuesday said
    police entered the village Sunday and killed at least nine civilians,
    burned and looted 25 houses and killed as many as five dozen sheep and
    cattle. The victims' bodies, scattered on the streets, remained unburied
    until Tuesday."



### (1) ###

http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/08/15/wmac15.xml

Albanians slaughtered in Macedonia
(Filed: 15/08/2001)

MACEDONIAN security forces shot dead five unarmed ethnic Albanian villagers
in cold blood on the eve of Monday's ceasefire signing, witnesses said
yesterday.

In the worst atrocity in the six-month conflict, dozens of soldiers and
police stormed into Ljuboten on Sunday opening fire on villagers and
burning at least a dozen houses, locals said.

Two men were said to have been dragged from a cellar in which they were
hiding and killed in the street. Three more were said by villagers to have
been shot as they tried to escape across fields.

The bloodied bodies of the Albanians lay yesterday as they had fallen. One
was on his back at the end of the small tobacco grove, two more were higher
up the hill.

On the narrow road leading back into the hillside village were the corpses
of the two who witnesses said had been singled out by Macedonian troops and
executed.

Witnesses said that at least another five were killed, that many more were
beaten and that 12 were missing, last seen being led away by Macedonian
police officers.

In the bloody annals of the Yugoslav wars the scale of the killings merits
barely a footnote, but with a peace deal only a day old and cease-fire
violations beginning to multiply they threaten to plunge Macedonia back
towards civil war.

They also underline the risks for British troops who are expected to deploy
in Macedonia on Saturday as the first elements of a 3,500-strong Nato
force.

Nato's North Atlantic Council meets this morning to discuss the mission to
disarm the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Force rebels. Their task was
given hope last night after Nato officials said that the rebels had signed
a letter of intent promising to hand over their weapons.

The Macedonian government yesterday denied that the dead were civilians,
insisting that they were guerrillas. The Interior Ministry said "five
terrorists" had died in Ljuboten on Saturday and Sunday.

But the scene in Ljuboten, four miles north of Skopje, yesterday was grimly
reminiscent of crimes committed in Kosovo and before that Bosnia.

The victims on the hillside had each been shot from behind as they fled.
Bajram Jashari, a 30-year-old farmer was lying on his back, not far from
two dead cows.

He was dressed in brown trousers, a studded black leather belt, white socks
and black slip-on shoes. His body was punctured by bullet holes.

Nearby his 65-year-old father Qani rocked gently, tears streaming down his
creased face. He said: "They set fire to the house we were hiding in and we
all jumped out of a low window. I hid in a ditch and told my sons to run
for their lives. That's when they were shot."

A little higher up the hill was the body of Bajram's 28-year-old brother,
Kadri. Wearing a tight black suit embossed with the label Phoenix and a
bloodied grey T-shirt and black shoes, Kadri had two bullet wounds in his
back.

About 50 yards from the bodies of Kadri and Bajram lay Xhelal Bajrami, a
29-year-old cousin. Xhelal had been shot in the back three times. His arm
lay at an unnatural angle underneath him.

According to evidence collected from interviews and a continuing
investigation by Western monitors the Ljuboten operation began early on
Sunday morning.

Macedonians were furious after eight of their soldiers were killed nearby
last week by anti-tank mines. Several dozen special police units, backed up
by soldiers and reservists, entered the village and moved from house to
house.

Witnesses say they began burning, looting and killing. Some of the houses
were still smoking yesterday. As people hid in cellars, police and soldiers
sprayed automatic fire through the narrow streets.

Witnesses said that at least two men were called out of the cellars by name
and summarily shot. The body of one, Sulejman Bajrami, was still
spreadeagled in the road yesterday.

His head had been crushed, after, locals said, an armoured personnel
carrier was driven over his corpse. His shoes lay neatly by his feet,
placed there by his grieving mother.

Locals said that Muharem Ramadani, 68, whose head was covered by a piece of
plastic sheeting, was shot when he tried to prevent soldiers taking away
one of his sons.

Misim Jashari, 76, survived. He said: "They had balaclavas on and
Macedonian police insignia. "One rolled up his mask and his hair was blonde
underneath."

When the police finally left Albanians claimed that they heard them singing
"Long Live Macedonia" and "We killed the Albanians".



### (2) ###

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,537034,00.html

Fleeing Albanians shot in the back by police

Guardian gains access to site of alleged atrocity by Macedonian police
force

Nicholas Wood in Ljuboten
Wednesday August 15, 2001
The Guardian

The discovery of the bodies of five men shot in the head and chest in a
village five miles north of Skopje yesterday prompted the accusation of
war crimes by the Macedonian police and further undermined the chance of
resolving the country's conflict.
    The bodies were found in Ljuboten, a mainly Albanian village, two
days after teams of police swept though the village in what was
described as an anti-terrorist operation.
    Local people say the men were shot in the back as they tried to flee
the police, and deny that they were members of the ethnic Albanian
guerrilla group the National Liberation Army, a claim backed up by a
western observer who was nearby at the time.
    The observer said the police operation and the killing that followed
may have been prompted by a clash between the NLA and the security
forces close by.
    It is the first time such a serious allegation has been made since
the insurgency began in February.
    The men were all killed on Sunday afternoon after the security
forces shelled Ljuboten and the surrounding area.
    The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and
the International Committee of the Red Cross had tried to enter the
village but had been denied access by the Macedonian police. The
Guardian was among the first to go into the village since Sunday.
    Relatives of the dead say the police began to move into the village
and set buildings alight once the shelling had stopped. They also forced
people out of their homes.
    Qani Jashari said he was hiding in his house with his two sons,
Bajram, 30, and Kadri, 27, when the police arrived at about 3pm.
    "They had black clothes and masks that covered their faces. I
couldn't recognise them. They had Macedonian police insignia on their
arms. They were shouting 'Come out, come out from the house', and were
swearing at us."
    He said the police then began to set alight to his house. "I ran and
hid in a ditch, and I shouted to my sons to run away."
    Both of his sons were shot dead. Bajram's body lay on a slope in a
tobacco field. A British police officer working with the OSCE examined
his and all of the bodies lying where they had been shot.
    Bajram had been shot several times in the legs, and in the lower
back. The exit wound by his neck suggested that the bullet had struck
him as he lay on the ground facing away from his assailant.
    "This one here they killed and the other one is further up," Mr
Jashari said, looking at Bajram's body. A hundred metres up the hill in
a straw field lay his other son, also shot in the back. He had returned
from Austria 10 days earlier to bring money to the family.
    Halfway between the two brothers lay the body of Xhelal Bajrami, a
25-year-old farmer. He had two small bullet holes in his back, another
in his backside, and three more in his legs.
    In the village another two bodies lay beside the road, one of them
Xhelal's brother Syliman.
    Villagers say the men were among a group of 12 ordered out of a
basement; 10 were arrested by the police and taken away. Syliman was
shot in the head. A piece of plastic sheeting covered the gaping hole in
his skull.
    Next to him was a long bloody tyre mark where an armoured personnel
carrier had run over his body.
    Fifty metres away Muharem Ramadani, 68, lay on his back with his
mouth open. Two small holes in his back and wounds in his chest suggest
that he, too, had been shot in the back and left to lie on a concrete
slope. Next to his hand lay two cigarette lighters, a cigarette holder
and a comb.
    A statement by the ministry of the interior, the department
responsible for the police operation, described the dead men as
"terrorists".
    Antonio Milososki, a government spokesman, dismissed the allegation
that the men had been killed in cold blood.
    "This is one more trap for Macedonia's democratic elected government
to be accused about the repression of the poor Albanians who are
fighting for their human rights," he said.
    There is no other way to find justification for the rebel movement."
    He added that Ljuboten had been too dangerous for the police to
enter and launch their own investigation.
    Shortly after the Guardian's visit, the police closed access to the
village.
    oThe rebels have agreed to hand their weapons over to the Nato
soldiers who will be sent into Macedonia when promises of an amnesty and
political reforms have been secured, a diplomatic source said yesterday.
    The political leader of the NLA, Ali Ahmeti, agreed the deal with
brokers: a breakthrough towards implementing the political peace plan
was agreed on Monday.

Guardian Unlimited ? Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001


### (3) ###

http://www.latimes.com/templates/misc/printstory.jsp?slug=la%2D000066137aug15

Macedonian Troops Accused of Rampage

From Associated Press
August 15 2001

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Ethnic Albanians on Tuesday accused government
troops of rampaging through their village near Macedonia's capital,
killing civilians and burning houses. The government said five ethnic
Albanians were killed but that none was a civilian.
    International officials who visited the village of Ljuboten
confirmed that bodies had been found but would not say how many.
    The accusation against the government came the same day that ethnic
Albanian guerrillas agreed to hand their weapons to the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization, in a huge boost for a landmark political accord to
end discrimination against the minority Albanians, diplomatic and rebel
sources said. Rebel reluctance to disarm before the sweeping range of
reforms took effect was overcome when the government promised the
guerrillas amnesty and a definite timetable for minority rights, the
sources said.
    Government forces pounded Ljuboten with mortars and tanks Sunday in
an offensive that officials said was in response to a land mine that
killed eight soldiers two days before.
    The few ethnic Albanians who remained in Ljuboten on Tuesday said
police entered the village Sunday and killed at least nine civilians,
burned and looted 25 houses and killed as many as five dozen sheep and
cattle. The victims' bodies, scattered on the streets, remained unburied
until Tuesday.
    "There are seven killed civilians who have been summarily executed,"
Iljaz Bajrami, a Ljuboten resident, said by telephone.
    "Apart from the seven, we earlier buried two others in the
courtyards of private houses," he said.
    Harald Schenker, a spokesman for a delegation of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe that visited Ljuboten on Tuesday,
said that "some bodies have been found." He declined to elaborate.
    Amanda Williamson, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of
the Red Cross, said police refused to let them into Ljuboten.
    A police spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied that
a massacre occurred and that police were blocking access to
international organizations.
    Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski said five ethnic Albanians who
were killed in the fighting belonged to a "terrorist group."

________________________________________________
To unsubscribe from this list visit:
http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/amcc-news


From dbein at osnabrueck.netsurf.de  Fri Aug 17 19:32:01 2001
From: dbein at osnabrueck.netsurf.de (Divi Beineke)
Date: Fri Aug 17 19:32:01 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] [scutari] A courtesy to Kosovar Friends
Message-ID: <3B7DA8A7.3C3A3912@osnabrueck.netsurf.de>

Please answer - if you can help - directly to Dr. Giovanni Armillotta at:
mailto:ga57 at yahoo.com
Thanks
Divi Beineke

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 18:07:15 +0200 (CEST)
From: "[iso-8859-1] Dr. Giovanni Armillotta" <ga57 at yahoo.com>
Reply-To: scutari at yahoogroups.com
To: ga57 at yahoo.com
Subject: [scutari] A courtesy to Kosovar Friends

Dear Kosovar Friends,
I beg you a courtesy; in first days of 2001 an
Albanian editor of a Prishtin? dailynews (damn! I
don't remember his name and paper) told me that an
article of mine translated in shqip "Ditar italian mbi
luften n? Kosov?" would have been published in
mid-Febrary in two parts in his dailynews, then he
told that he sent me some copies of two numbers, but
from then I don't receive them. Could you inform if my
two-parts-article was published or not? Could you to
send this my e-mail in kosovar and Prishtin? e-groups?
Pardon me, but I re-beg you - if possible - to email
me directly to ga57 at yahoo.com and not in e-group
mailing.

Ju faleminderit dhe mirupafshim
Dr. Giovanni Armillotta

=====
Dr. Giovanni Armillotta
Casella Postale 226 - 56100 Pisa - ITALY

http://foreignaffairs.tripod.com/armillotta/home_it.html
http://go.to/armillotta



From mentor at alb-net.com  Wed Aug 22 12:48:02 2001
From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana)
Date: Wed Aug 22 12:48:02 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] [AMCC-News] HRW: Police Abuse Against Albanians Continues in Macedonia (Human
 Rights Watch - 8/22/2001)
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.33.0108221050530.2441-100000@alb-net.com>

>>>>>>>>>>>>> PLEASE READ  &  DISTRIBUTE FURTHER <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

---------------------------------------------------------------------

                Human Rights Violations in Macedonia
  
            http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/humanrights.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
  


    "Persistent police abuse in Macedonia is simply shocking. Macedonia
     must urgently address the violence in its police stations. Ethnic
     Albanians are being severely abused, and in some cases beaten to
     death, without the slightest prospect of accountability."

                                        Elizabeth Andersen
                                        Executive Director, HRW
                                        Europe and Central Asia division

http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/08/macedonia0822.htm

Police Abuse Against Albanians Continues in Macedonia
Peace Agreement Doesn't End Violence

(Skopje, August 22, 2001) Police abuse against ethnic Albanians remains a
serious concern in Macedonia despite the recent signing of a political
agreement aimed to end the six-month old conflict, Human Rights Watch said
today.

On August 13, 2001-the same day the Macedonian government and ethnic
Albanian leaders signed a framework peace agreement-police officers in
Skopje beat to death an Albanian man suspected of being a rebel.

"Persistent police abuse in Macedonia is simply shocking," said Elizabeth
Andersen, Executive Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division of
Human Rights Watch. "Macedonia must urgently address the violence in its
police stations. Ethnic Albanians are being severely abused, and in some
cases beaten to death, without the slightest prospect of accountability."

Human Rights Watch also urged that international organizations operating in
Macedonia dramatically increase their human rights monitoring presence in
the country.

On Monday, August 13, 2001, police officers guarding Skopje's main hospital
arrested four ethnic Albanians who had come to the hospital to pick up an
elderly Albanian relative undergoing kidney dialysis treatment. The police
searched their car and claimed to find a bullet in the trunk. The police
then proceeded to beat the four men in the street.

The men were then taken onto the hospital grounds and beaten continuously
for several hours with heavy metal cables, baseball bats, police
truncheons, and gun butts, amidst jeering from the civilian crowd that had
gathered. Following this, the four men were taken to the "Beko One" police
station, where they were subjected to more beatings, had urine and burning
cigarettes thrown at them, and were threatened with execution. Following
interventions from their ethnic Macedonian lawyer and a police officer who
knew the men, they were released the next morning. One of the men,
twenty-nine year old Nazmi Aliu, father of a six-year-old and a
two-year-old, died that day at the hospital from the injuries he received
from the police beatings.

Human Rights Watch researchers interviewed two of the surviving men, who
gave consistent and credible accounts of their ordeal, and inspected their
severe bruises from the beatings. One of the men, who was a week later
still unable to stand because of the injuries he received during the
beatings, told Human Rights Watch:

  [After claiming to find the bullet], they started beating us right there.
  One police officer hit me with a thick wire cable and slammed my head
  into the wall. My front teeth were in great pain. They were beating us
  for about one hour in the street, all of them, with cables, rubber
  truncheons, baseball bats, gun handles. There were lots of civilians
  there looking, they were swearing at us.

  We couldn't walk, so they dragged us inside the main gate [of the
  hospital] to some stores near a fountain. While they were dragging us,
  they were beating us very badly. I lost my consciousness there from the
  beating, and they took water from the fountain to revive us. . . .

  Then they dragged us out and put us in a police van and took us to the
  police station. They dragged us out of the van, and the commander said,
  "Who wishes to beat the UCK [rebels]?" They formed a column of police
  officers, some on our left and some on our right, and one of the officers
  would drag us through the column and they would beat us . . . .

  [In the cell,] the commander came and opened the door and everyone came
  inside. They beat us very badly, I couldn't move to protect myself, we
  were just lying like dead bodies there. Then the commander said, "OK,
  it's enough now, we will do it again after five minutes." He locked the
  door... One police officer grabbed a long metal stick and started beating us
  through the bars. We couldn't move, we just lay there and couldn't
  protect ourselves. They took a basket of water and urinated in it, and
  threw it on us. They kept pouring water on us, just to keep us conscious.
  They would swear at us, saying, "You UCK motherfuckers, we are going to
  kill you slowly."

Police abuse is an endemic problem in Macedonia, and was one of the main
grievances raised by the ethnic Albanian rebel National Liberation Army
(NLA; UCK in Albanian)) to justify its resort to arms. The framework peace
agreement signed last week provides for the gradual integration of ethnic
Albanians into the predominantly ethnic Macedonian police force.

"The peace agreement lays out a long-term plan for addressing the problem,"
Andersen stated. "What is also needed are immediate measures to curb abuse,
including international human rights monitors regularly visiting police
stations and insisting on accountability in cases like these."

Human Rights Watch has issued two reports on police abuse in Macedonia, in
1996 and in 1998. (See A Threat to Stability, June 1996; and Police
Violence in Macedonia, April 1998) The rights group has documented
widespread abuse at police stations since the beginning of the conflict.
(See Human Rights Watch release, Macedonian Police Abuses Documented, May
31, 2001).

Human Rights Watch also expressed concern about the safety of at least
twenty-seven ethnic Albanian men who were detained on Sunday, August 12,
2001 by the Macedonian police during an operation in the village of
Ljuboten. In addition to the detentions, the Ljuboten operation resulted in
the deaths of at least ten ethnic Albanian civilians. The Macedonian police
have claimed that the operation targeted an NLA stronghold, but they have
produced no proof to counteract mounting evidence that the victims of the
police action were civilians, not fighters.

On Saturday, August 18, relatives found the body of one man missing from
Ljuboten, thirty-five-year-old Atulah Qaini, at the morgue in Skopje. The
body of Qaini, who had last been seen in police custody in the village,
bore clear signs of severe beatings and had a cracked skull when inspected
by Human Rights Watch researchers. Most of the other men have been located
alive in police detention, but bear clear signs of severe beatings
according to relatives. A mother interviewed by Human Rights Watch who had
a thirteen- year-old son detained in the village said that his entire face
was bruised and swollen when she went to visit him in prison.

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From mentor at alb-net.com  Thu Aug 23 15:46:01 2001
From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana)
Date: Thu Aug 23 15:46:01 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] visas to Kosova?!
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.33.0108231542240.1258-100000@alb-net.com>

If you can help with information in regards to visa requests for French
citizens going to Kosova, please contact Caroline directly at
farfalla at compaqnet.fr

--
mentor

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2001 12:00:01 +0200
From: Caroline <farfalla at compaqnet.fr>
Subject: Re: [AMCC-News] Macedonia Paramilitary Threat Emerges

hi mentor , i would like to thank you for sending me news of the situation
of albanians in macedonia .
are  you a journalist ? could you give me sme useful information ? i am
contemplating having a journey in kosovo to visit one of my friends there, i
am french , do i need a visa ? what are the formalities and how are the
cusroms there ?
thank you in advance , carolina .



From dbein at bndlg.de  Wed Aug 29 18:53:01 2001
From: dbein at bndlg.de (Divi Beineke)
Date: Wed Aug 29 18:53:01 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW! http://www.bndlg.de/~dbein/APP/
Message-ID: <3B8D6D65.BA8CF917@bndlg.de>

Dear friends,

the Email-Action RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW!
has a new address and a complete update of the mail-sending-system.

Please visit:
http://www.bndlg.de/~dbein/APP/

At
"SEND  EMAILS NOW!"
members only need to insert their email-address, sign with their name below
the email-text and submit the form.

The Email will be ready and send to politicians and medias all over the
world.
No more manual email-sending, no more "copy and paste" ...

Good luck and I hope, many of you are going support this urgent action.

Don?t let the prisoners be forgotten!!!

Regards
Divi Beineke
--
EMAIL-ACTION: RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW!
T? LIROHEN MENJ?HER? T? BURGOSURIT!
LASST JETZT DIE GEFANGENEN FREI!
ODMAH OSLOBODITE ZATVORENIKE!
http://www.bndlg.de/~dbein/APP/




From naac at naac.org  Thu Aug 30 11:20:37 2001
From: naac at naac.org (National Albanian American Council - NAAC)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:20:37 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Plastic Surgeon Brings Relief to Balkans
Message-ID: <000401c12ceb$cd342d50$955a1840@sold>

National Albanian American Council
Hands of Hope Campaign
 
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION                    Rubenstein Public Relations
                                                                             Contact: Heather Mangrum
                                                                Tel: (212) 843-8008
 
 
Park Avenue Plastic Surgeon Brings Relief to Balkans
---
Dr. Howard T. Bellin Volunteers Services To Aid Victims of War Torn Kosova and Albania
---
 
New York, NY, Aug. 24, 2001 - Dr. Howard T. Bellin, one of New York's most prominent plastic surgeons, will embark on a three-week pro bono mission to Kosova and Albania to aid war victims in those countries.  The excursion, which begins August 26, will be made in conjunction with The National Albanian American Council's Hands of Hope Campaign.  
 
Dr. Bellin will perform reconstructive surgeries on war victims, focusing particularly on the underprivileged and children.  He will also provide instruction to local doctors in advanced techniques.  
 
"Dr. Bellin is making a tremendous contribution of his time and talent to our community in Southeastern Europe," says Richard S. Lukaj, Chairman of the National Albanian American Council ("NAAC").  "It is a wonderful achievement for our Hands of Hope Campaign and I am grateful for his sacrifice."
 
In private practice for over 25 years, Dr. Bellin is a well-respected leader in the medical community.  He has written acclaimed consumer books on reconstructive surgery and is also an accomplished sculptor and inventor with eight U.S. patents and another one currently pending.
 
This mission to the Balkans is the latest in an ongoing personal commitment by Dr. Bellin to help people in underprivileged areas of the world.  For years, he has donated his time and services to aid those in need of medical assistance and training in the former Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Nepal, Ecuador and Guatemala.  He also served in the war in Israel in 1973.  Through this latest venture, he hopes to inspire other medical professionals to donate their time and talents to this and other worthy causes.
 
The Hands of Hope Campaign (www.handofhope.org) is the humanitarian division of the National Albanian American Council (www.naac.org).  NAAC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advocating for Albanians and promoting peace and economic development in the Balkans by fostering democratic policy, promoting respect for human rights and conducting educational and developmental programs.
###
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From mentor at alb-net.com  Thu Aug 30 11:20:56 2001
From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:20:56 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] [AMCC-News] Massacre report names Macedonia interior minister
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.33.0108270740210.26543-100000@alb-net.com>

>>>>>>>>>>>>> PLEASE READ  &  DISTRIBUTE FURTHER <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

---------------------------------------------------------------------

                Human Rights Violations in Macedonia
  
            http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/humanrights.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
  


 "A tape filmed by Macedonian Television and seen by The Telegraph shows
  Mr Boskovski standing on the balcony of an empty house above Ljuboten and
  looking down into the village with other security officers. Houses can be
  seen burning and there is constant noise of shelling and machinegun
  fire."
 "The taped television narrative says: "Ljubce Boskovski was present during
  the whole operation of the Macedonian security forces.""

 "Outside, Fasli heard a baying mob shouting "Let us kill them. Gas
  chambers for Shiptars!" Shiptar is a derogatory term for an Albanian."


http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2001%2F08%2F26%2Fwmace26.xml

Massacre report names Macedonia interior minister

By Jessica Berry in Ljuboten (Filed: 26/08/2001)
The Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk)

MACEDONIA'S hardline interior minister will come under pressure this week
to explain his role in the worst alleged atrocity in the six-month conflict
with ethnic Albanian rebels, The Telegraph can reveal.

Ljubce Boskovski, an ultra-nationalist and a bitter opponent of the current
British-led Nato disarmament mission, will be accused by Human Rights
Watch, an American-based pressure group, of involvement in the incident in
Ljuboten.

The accusation will be made in a damning report to be submitted to the
Macedonian government, but its timing has alarmed some foreign diplomats
who fear that Mr Boskovski and his supporters could use it to rail against
the West and oppose the Nato mission to collect weapons from the rebels.
Operation Essential Harvest, which starts tomorrow, involves 1,900 British
soldiers at the head of a total deployment of nearly 5,000 Nato troops.

The Macedonian security operation in Ljuboten two weeks ago left at least
10 ethnic Albanians dead. In a series of interviews last week, villagers
described a three-day police operation in which civilians were tortured and
shot dead in cold blood.

The government claims that it was hunting down rebels from the National
Liberation Army (NLA) after 10 Macedonian soldiers were ambushed and killed
and eight servicemen were blown up by land mines.

A tape filmed by Macedonian Television and seen by The Telegraph shows Mr
Boskovski standing on the balcony of an empty house above Ljuboten and
looking down into the village with other security officers. Houses can be
seen burning and there is constant noise of shelling and machinegun fire.

The taped television narrative says: "Ljubce Boskovski was present during
the whole operation of the Macedonian security forces."

The interior minister has not replied to requests for comment by The
Telegraph, but he told journalists that there had been no massacre of
civilians.

Peter Bouckaert, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch who is writing
the report after a series of interviews with witnesses, said, however, that
the document would detail a massacre and raise questions about Mr
Boskovski's role.

The hardline interior minister controls not only Macedonia's uniformed
police force but also, according to diplomats, a renegade crew of
paramilitaries known as the Lions.

The Macedonian police claim that the Ljuboten operation was targeting an
NLA stronghold, and that eight NLA members were killed and 12 were
captured. Villagers, however, gave a dramatically different account to The
Sunday last week.

"There were children playing in the street. Suddenly a grenade hit one of
the kids. The boy flew in the air and there was smoke and blood. Everyone
ran," said Fasli, 25, a farmer.

When he tried to escape on Saturday he reached a checkpoint where, he said,
there were "many police, some wearing balaclavas, and dozens of civilians
with guns, axes and sticks".

He was then taken to a nearby police station where he and other men were
severely beaten by masked policemen. "The carpet was filled with blood," he
said.

Outside, Fasli heard a baying mob shouting "Let us kill them. Gas chambers
for Shiptars!" Shiptar is a derogatory term for an Albanian.

Elmas, 55, a paraplegic, watched his 33-year-old son, Rami Youssef, die in
agony. Unable to move, he could not help him. "They bombed my gate then
they came to my house. There were 20 police in my yard." An explosion blew
out his front door. This was followed by machinegun fire. He said his son
was hit in the side and stomach. "He died very slowly. It took two hours."

Aziz Barami said he saw his son, Suleyman, murdered after they were ordered
out of a basement where they had been hiding with other villagers. "They
took us through a small gate where there were eight men lying face-down on
the ground with their hands above their heads. We were told to lie down too.

" A policeman kicked Suleyman in the head. He was in pain and stood up and
then the policeman shot him and then everyone was shooting. I heard one
say: `This pig is still moving.' Then there was another single gunshot.
Suleyman tried to flee and then they shot him in the head."

________________________________________________
To unsubscribe from this list visit:
http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/amcc-news


From naac at naac.org  Thu Aug 30 11:21:00 2001
From: naac at naac.org (National Albanian American Council - NAAC)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:21:00 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Today's Articles on Albanian Issues, August 27, 2001
Message-ID: <007301c12f00$adda12a0$8b511840@sold>

National Albanian American Council
1700 K Street, N.W., Suite 1201, Washington, DC  20006
(202) 466-6900    Fax: (202) 466-5593
Email: naac at naac.org
_______________________________________________________________________
For Your Information
August 27, 2001

Exposed: man accused of Kosovo massacre 
Serbia agrees to act after Guardian tracks down wanted businessman 
By Rory Carroll in Kraguljevac
A Serbian entrepreneur accused of one of the worst atrocities of the Kosovo war has been tracked down by the Guardian to the central Serbian town of Kraguljevac. 
Misko Nisavic is running a driving school, called Boss, from the ground floor of a seven-storey block at 19 Karadordeva street, in the town's commercial heart. 
He is wanted by the Serbian authorities and war crimes prosecutors from the Hague tribunal for his role in the slaughter of a family of 49 ethnic Albanians in the town of Suva Reka in March 1999. 
Nisavic, who owned a string of businesses, vanished into Serbia after enlisting three friends to help him wipe out a family called Berisha in a massacre that sickened the west. 
Until now his new life in Kraguljevac has been undisturbed. That could change today because police in Belgrade promised to act as soon as the suspects' whereabouts were known. 
Last week Dragan Karleusa, chief investigator for the Serbian interior ministry, said there would be no hiding place for the killers of Suva Reka. 
"If we find these men we will arrest and question them. They should pay for these crimes. If we get them it would take away the black spot of the Serbian nation." 
Nisavic visits his office several times a week, overseeing a fleet of Yugo cars in which local teenagers learn to drive during #60 courses. His brother-in-law, Zivko Slavkovic, gives driving lessons and his sister takes care of administration. 
A small, heavily built man in his late 30s, he is identified on business cards as Milovan Nisavic, though in Kosovo Misko was assumed to be the diminutive of Milorad. 
He refused to speak to the Guardian but through his sister denounced the accusations as lies. "He told me to tell you he never did anything," she said. 
Her voice trembling, she added: "This is the first time I have heard about Misko being involved in something like that. I do not believe it." 
Suva Reka, in southern Kosovo, had a mixed population of Serbs and Albanians when forces loyal to the former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, rampaged through the province to quell an Albanian insurgency. When Nato responded with air attacks, Serbs were mobilised into a militia. Nisavic seized the opportunity to punish the Berisha family, which rented houses, for supposedly poaching clients from his hotel, also called Boss, from among staff of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. 
According to depositions from witnesses given to the Hague, he enlisted three friends, Zoran Petkovic, Boban Vuksanovic and Slobodan Krtic, and on March 26 surrounded the Berishas' houses. 
They shot the men first and cornered the women and children, who fled into the Calabria coffee shop on Reshtan road. Gunfire and grenades turned it into an abattoir. 
Bodies were loaded into a truck but three Berishas were still alive: Vjollca, her son Gramos, and her sister Shyrete. They rolled off the truck and escaped and have briefed Hague investigators, who entered Kosovo with Nato two months after the massacre. 
Vjollca, 38, said she would not be satisfied until Nisavic and his friends followed Milosevic to the Hague, where she intends to testify. "It was not just him, there were many Milosevices." 
The devastated village is rebuilding but the coffee shop has been left untouched; scorched, covered in debris and dried blood, it gapes open like a cavity. A concrete pyramid to remember the dead is being erected outside. 
Nisavic joined Serb refugees in fleeing the Albanian vengeance that accompanied Nato into the province in June 1999. He packed possessions into a fleet of cars and fled across the border to his sister in Kraguljevac, a provincial town south of Belgrade. 
People in Kraguljevac recalled that Nisavic had no trouble affording a prime location for the driving school, one of what is thought to be several interests. 
Nisavic has done better than his accomplices. Zoran Petkovic is said to be struggling to make ends meet somewhere near Belgrade, Boban Vuksanovic has disappeared, and according to Newsweek magazine, Slobodan Krtic was killed by Albanian guerrillas weeks after the massacre. 
In Belgrade, Capt Karleusa promised to follow up all leads. "There is no hiding place in Serbia for war criminals." 
Capt Karleusa has helped investigators from the FBI and the Hague to sift through the mass graves of an estimated 1,000 Albanians dotted around Serbia. 
Those killed in Suva Reka were buried at a nearby rifle range but were later shuttled to Serbia in refrigerator trucks after Milosevic allegedly ordered evidence of war crimes to be concealed. 
The Berishas are thought to be among the bodies burned and buried in Batajnica, an army base north of Belgrade, which is now being exhumed. 
Documents and jewellery belonging to seven family members have been found but it could be a year before DNA tests confirm the identities. 
In the refugee centre in the Avala mountains outside Belgrade, where Suva Reka's Serbs have lived for two years, they shrugged, shook their heads and said they knew of no atrocities. However, asked about Misko Nisavic, they scattered. 

British Soldier Killed in Macedonia
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) -- NATO helicopters swooped into a clearing in northern Macedonia on Monday as the alliance began the risky mission of collecting weapons from ethnic Albanian rebels, just hours after suffering its first casualty -- a British soldier.
Marauding youths threw a block of concrete that hit and killed Ian Collins, 20, of the 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers. He was driving an armored vehicle under an overpass on a main road outside Skopje, the capital, when the attack occurred, British military officials said. They said he suffered head injuries.
Collins was taken first to the U.S. Army's Base in Macedonia, Camp Able Sentry, and then on to the U.S. hospital at Camp Bondsteel in neighboring Kosovo. He was later transported back to Skopje University Hospital, where he died. Another person in the vehicle was uninjured.
The killing caused unease as NATO began the British-led mission to collect weapons from ethnic Albanian rebels. Though ethnic Albanians generally welcome the deployment, the country's majority Macedonians have been suspicious and sometimes hostile to the presence of foreign troops.
But NATO said it would press ahead with Operation Essential Harvest.
``This regrettable incident will not affect the resolve of Task Force Harvest to complete the mission,'' Brig. Barney White-Spunner, the top-ranking British commander, said in a statement.
French Puma and American Chinook helicopters ferried NATO troops near the village of Otlja, 6 miles west of the northern city of Kumanovo, to carry out the first collection of weapons. The area was secured before NATO moved in.
A leader of ethnic Albanian rebel forces in the area who goes by the name Commander Shpati said his men had started handing in their weapons and that everything was going smoothly.
About 1,400 British soldiers will take part in the overall mission, which will involve roughly 3,500 troops. Many of them have already arrived in Macedonia.
Further underscoring the tensions in the troubled Balkan country, a large crowd of angry Macedonians gathered in Tetovo, the second-largest city, in an attempt to block the army from withdrawing heavy weaponry along front lines.
A pair of bomb blasts rocked Skopje late Sunday and early Monday, but no injuries were reported.
Macedonians largely blame NATO for the country's six-month ethnic Albanian insurgency, accusing the alliance of failing to choke off weapons and supplies coming from Kosovo -- support that is widely believed to be helping the rebels.
The British soldier was killed just as Macedonian forces began pulling back from positions around sites where NATO will begin collecting weapons from the militants. The collection is part of a peace plan meant to avert a full-fledged civil war.
NATO is planning to collect 3,300 weapons from ethnic Albanian rebels in a mission scheduled to last for no more than 30 days.
Despite NATO's optimism about the mission, Macedonian government officials later said they did not agree with the alliance's figures on the number of weapons.
Premier Ljubco Georgievski called the figure ``ridiculous and humiliating,'' claiming the rebels have closer to 60,000 weapons. His statement underscored the problems the NATO mission will face.
The peace deal envisions a step-by-step process in which rebels hand over weapons to NATO in exchange for political reforms meant to improve the status of Macedonia's large ethnic Albanian minority.
Parliament is to begin debating the reforms once a third of the weapons are handed over, scheduled for the end of the week. The legislation is to be voted on only after all the arms have been collected.
But with the government insisting on higher weapons figures, it was unclear how or when parliament would begin its debate.
NATO officials acknowledge the mission is delicate but insist it is the only way to prevent further conflict.
``There are no guarantees and the path will not be easy and the alternative is clear,'' said Maj. Gen. Gunnar Lange, the military commander of Operation Essential Harvest. ``The alternative is war.''

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
PUTIN BACKS MACEDONIAN HARD-LINERS 
Continuing Russia's policy of supporting hard-liners among the Orthodox Slavs of the Balkans in order to gain influence there (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 23 March and 31 July 2001), Russian President Vladimir Putin told Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski in Kyiv on 24 August that the UCK are "terrorists, not rebels," dpa reported. He criticized NATO's mission as ill-conceived, said that the UCK will not surrender most of their weapons, and blamed the region's problems on poverty and crime. He added that "We should understand that we are confronted in Europe by fundamentalism, we are confronted by people with aggressive aspirations," RFE/RL reported. Trajkovski told newsmen that he agrees with Putin and wants NATO to take tougher measures to disarm the UCK. He added that both men agree that Kosova is the source of the problem. Western media have reported recently that Moscow and Kyiv are sending massive arms shipments to Skopje (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 August 2001). Russia and Ukraine deny this. Russia has little to offer the region except weapons and natural gas, for which it drives a hard bargain. PM 

SHEKULLI (Albanian Daily)
What small parties will demand from PS
Today ends concern of small parties about posts in new Government
By Darina Tanushi
The PS senior officials, Ruci and Rama are receiving the small allies in the PS headquarters. Following the invitation from PS the previous week, the small allies are presenting today their requests, demands and suggestions for the new Government, the program and the governing structure. It is not sure whether the PM Meta will attend the meeting or contact the small parties on his own. 
The socialists have planned to discus the priorities for the four coming years, the way tat the ruling coalition is going to function, the governing structure and the improvements to the co-operation convention. 
The Social-Democrats have been the clearest in their demands and have even defined the main issues to be discussed. They have stated that other meetings are to follow the first one, not necessarily at the PS headquarters. They have suggested to new ministries to the actual structure, the Ministry of Environment, which presents an actual need for the country's future, and the Ministry of Tourism, which is actual at the level of a Committee of Tourism. Sources from the PS headquarters say that the Ministry of Health might be the one determined by the Socialists for their PSD ally. PS has considered to offer the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and as well as the Ministry of Health to the rest of their allies. 
The Democratic Alliance convened its Steering Council two days ago but no conclusion was reached at the end. The Secretary for Relations with Public, Gjergj Zefi said that things will be known after the meeting with the Socialists today. 
The PBDNJ is surely the only  party to offer new names for the Government. It is said to have the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. As for the PS. It is said to retain the Ministry of Agriculture. 
With regard to the Convention of CO-operation, signed in November 1999, the allies find it to be convenient, but they remark it should be applied into practice, with punishment included in case of non-compliance, on the part of PS mainly. 


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From VENERAB at aol.com  Thu Aug 30 11:21:07 2001
From: VENERAB at aol.com (VENERAB at aol.com)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:21:07 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Job Posting at AAWO: Motrat Qiriazi, Please Distribute
Message-ID: <c.1a2ad795.28bc531e@aol.com>

Job posting:        Short-term researcher(s)
Date:               August 20, 2001
Deadline:           September 3, 2001

The Albanian American Women's Organization "Motrat Qiriazi", a nonprofit 
organization based in New York City, is looking to hire a researcher/team of 
researchers to conduct a needs assessment of the Albanian American women and 
families in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. 

Some of the information sought from this needs assessment include: 
information on the specific geographic areas within the tri-state area where 
the Albanian American community is clustered, the number of Albanian American 
women in these areas, what are the problems faced by these women, the 
barriers in seeking help to overcome these problems, the services needed, the 
services available to women and their families and the best way to refer the 
women to such services both within and outside the Albanian American 
community. A report will be produced as a result of this research. We expect 
the research to be completed in three months.

We expect the researcher(s) to develop the research using census data and 
other available information sources, focus groups, and in-depth interviews 
with community members and leaders of organizations serving the Albanian 
American community.

Requirements:
?   MS in Sociology, Anthropology, Demography or related fields, Ph.D. 
preferred
?   Research experience related to ethnic-based communities in the US
?   Research experience in gender sensitive analysis
?   Knowledge of the Albanian American community a plus.


If interested, please, mail, fax or e-mail a cover letter and the resume to:
AAWO
Re: Needs Assessment
481 Eight Avenue, Suite 934
New York, NY 10001
Fax: 212 244 8159
E-mail: venerab at aol.com






From naac at naac.org  Thu Aug 30 11:21:19 2001
From: naac at naac.org (National Albanian American Council - NAAC)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:21:19 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Today's Articles on Albanian Issues, August 28, 2001
Message-ID: <007001c12fca$cced5650$c6511840@sold>

National Albanian American Council
1700 K Street, N.W., Suite 1201, Washington, DC  20006
(202) 466-6900    Fax: (202) 466-5593
Email: naac at naac.org
_______________________________________________________________________
For Your Information
August 28, 2001

Macedonian Pilgrims Behind Rebel Lines; NATO Wary
By REUTERS
SKOPJE, Macedonia (Reuters) - Macedonians driven out of guerrilla-held territory returned in convoy Tuesday for a religious holiday despite warnings of land mines, raising tensions as NATO tried to collect weapons from ethnic Albanian rebels.
But a Reuters reporter who arrived in the village of Lesok with the convoy said no mines or Albanian guerrillas were in sight and the Macedonians were having emotional reunions with the few compatriots still clinging to their homes.
British paratroopers stood guard anyway, pointing heavy machine guns up at nearby hills to deter any threat from the rebels.
Just days ago, the Lesok area was swarming with guerrillas. But by Tuesday they appeared to be lying low as part of a disengagement-of-forces pact NATO struck with both sides to improve security along front lines for its weapons collectors.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission in Macedonia had appealed to the refugees not to make the journey, saying the Lesok area could be mined and confrontations with Albanians, armed or not, could occur.
Western officials were also concerned by the presence of ultra-nationalists from the World Macedonian Congress in the Assumption Day pilgrimage to Lesok.
The 10-bus convoy entered the village as NATO troops on a mountain above prepared to gather up more weapons surrendered by the guerrillas in exchange for improved minority rights, under a precarious Western-mediated bargain.
Many of the Macedonians in the convoy said they not only wanted to pray at the monastery but also to inspect the homes they fled, saying they feared for their lives.
``There's been a lot of looting so this time I'm planning to load anything that's left at my house onto a tractor and bring it back to Skopje where I'm living temporarily with my heavily pregnant daughter-in-law,'' said Blagoja Bogdanovski, 50.
``But we can't live like this indefinitely. We have to go home,'' he told Reuters.
NATO MISSION UNPOPULAR IN MACEDONIA
Most Macedonians regard NATO's mission with skepticism or resignation, but others with deep animosity.
A British soldier died Monday after a chunk of concrete was thrown through his vehicle windshield, an attack that hinted at the angry conviction of some Macedonians that NATO's plan to collect only guns volunteered by the rebels is a sham.
The soldier's death was a sobering reminder of the risks to NATO's ``Operation Essential Harvest.'' But its commanders launched the first day of arms collections unperturbed and pronounced it a success with more than 400 weapons registered.
NATO hopes to have reaped a third of its total target of 3,300 weapons by Wednesday to give political impetus for Macedonia's parliament to start passing reform legislation when it reconvenes Friday.
The NATO mission aims to snuff out Macedonia's six-month-old ethnic conflict, so far confined to the far north, before it spreads into the sort of war that wrecked many parts of the former Yugoslavia over the past decade.
Nationalist hawks led by Macedonia's prime minister and interior minister believe the disarmament operation is a farce and that NATO's target figure only skims the surface of the rebel arsenal easily replenished by smuggling from Kosovo.
PRESIDENT OFFERS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
But President Boris Trajkovski, a moderate in a divided coalition government, said after being briefed by NATO on the first day of arms collecting that it was a crucial aspect of the peace process and Macedonians should cooperate with it.
``NATO's assistance expresses the commitment of many countries to help Macedonia resolve its problems. It is expected to successfully complete its mission to provide basic conditions for bringing long-term peace to the citizens of Macedonia,'' he was quoted by state news agency MIA as saying.
But another potential flashpoint looms Thursday with displaced Macedonians reported to be planning a protest rally in the capital Skopje on the eve of parliament's session.
The August 13 peace accord will stand or fall on whether the nationalist-dominated chamber is ready to change the constitution and pass the new legislation it stipulates.
The deal aims to decentralize power, put ethnic Albanians into the police force in proportion to their share of the population and grant limited official status to the Albanian language, among other measures.
NATO insists most Macedonians are not hostile to its mission and points out that its task force is there at the invitation of the government.
NATO Secretary-General George Robertson will visit Macedonia Wednesday to inspect the operation, and besides talking with mission commanders will also seek to reassure political leaders.
``Lord Robertson has come down here many times at many phases of this process and has a personal interest in seeing peace come back to Macedonia,'' said spokesman Major Barry Johnson.
But many Macedonians see NATO as having sided with ethnic Albanian guerrillas in neighboring Kosovo during the 1998-99 war there and believe it has failed to stem a flow of weapons and personnel to the Albanians from Kosovo.
NATO counters that its peacekeepers in Kosovo have detained 750 suspected insurgents since clamping down along the porous border in June. The KFOR peace force said Tuesday it had detained 180 suspects since Friday alone.

KOSOVALIVE
Meetings With Families of Missing Serbs Aims to Eliminate Private Prison "Rumors," Says Haekkerup
PRISHTINA (KosovaLive) - A meeting was held between Kosova's Chief Administrator Hans Haekkerup, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic and families of missing Serbs, aimed at the elimination of "rumors" of Serbs held in private prisons, or as slaves in Kosova. Covic's visit with Haekkerup Friday in Prishtina, as well as meetings scheduled for this week, were a main topic of discussion at the Interim Administrative Council (IAC) Monday.
At the regular IAC meeting, developments in Prizren with regards to last week's demonstrations were also addressed.
After the meeting, Haekkerup told reporters that any rumors of private prisons or mass graves in Kosova would be immediately investigated. 
Haekkerup reported that the establishment of a Serb representation in Kosova in order to facilitate communication between the Serbian government and Kosovar Serbs was discussed at the six hour-long meeting.
Ibrahim Rugova, President of the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK), agreed with Haekkerup that the meeting with Covic was "quite constructive and positive," and that Belgrade had a role to play in the re-integration of Kosovar Serbs into the institutional structure in Kosova.
According to Rugova, Haekkerup could maintain some contact with Belgrade in specific cases. However, Rugova opposed the idea that Belgrade "interfere in Kosovar politics because this is unacceptable even according to international documents."
Arsim Bajrami, Vice-President of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), said that he wished to avoid a comparison of crimes committed by Serbia during the war and violence committed after the war in Kosova. "Sometimes a comparison is made between these two," he said.
According to Bajrami, Haekkerup told IAC members that progress had been made in the humanitarian issue, and promised the prompt release of Albanian prisoners.
Muhamet Kelmendi, Vice-President of the Alliance for the Future of Kosova (AAK), disagreed with the idea that Serbia could participate equally in the resolution of any Kosovar issue. 
"According to the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244, it is the U.N.'s responsibility, through UNMIK and KFOR, to address security, order and any other matter concerning Kosova. The formation of any other party equal to the international community is unacceptable to the AAK," said Kelmendi.
Haekkerup denied journalists' questions implying that such frequent meetings with Covic (they are to met again as early as next week) could be seen as the initiation of a Prishtina-Belgrade dialogue in the interest of deciding Kosova's future. He replied that a dialogue does exist, but only in "trying to solve some of the problems that are common to Kosovo and Serbia." 
Haekkerup repeated that UNMIK would not accept the establishment of parallel structures in Kosova. "UNMIK is [the only one] responsible for the civil administration in Kosovo and will not share that with anyone."
LDK head Ibrahim Rugova suggested that the Haekkerup-Covic meetings were not negotiations but "an effort by Belgrade to help Kosovar Serbs integrate into Kosovar society."
Regarding developments in Prizren after clashes between protestors and police forces, following a municipal assembly decision to halt the construction of two KLA war statues, Haekkerup confirmed that all IAC members supported the decision made by the municipal assembly in Prizren, as something done legally, and completely within their own authority. "Therefore, there are no reasons why IAC would interfere."
"We should learn to respect the decisions of the majority in the democratic institutions of Kosova," Rugova said. According to Rugova, no one was against the construction of the statues but the assembly thought it better to construct a larger complex, taking into account the specific demands and circumstances of the city. 
Rugova said he would support a decision made by the assembly in Prizren, "a decision which would respect the conditions and norms. because with pressure we would be working against the democratic institutions." "UNMIK is determined to respect the democratically [elected] institutions and also teach us how to respect them," he said.
PDK representative Bajrami said that he was in favor of a reasonable solution, "which would take into consideration the legality of the Assembly, but also the legitimate demands of the people."
According to Bajrami, the majority of the IAC members asked the Prizren assembly to make a decision which would incorporate statues of Ismet Jashari (Commander Kumanova), Xhevat Berisha, and Ekrem Rexha (Commander Drini), and the municipality's plan for a memorial complex. 
"This would be in the interest of everyone, as well as in the interest of Kosova, which now requires calm and political stability, because it is preparing for the elections and the installment of democracy at the highest institutional level," said Bajrami.

RADIO 21
Tomorrow begins the reconstruction of "Northern" Line, Kuk?s-Durr?s
Tomorrow sees the start of works to improve the "Northern" Line of Communication through Kukes to Durres in Albania, a UNMIK spokesman said. This is an important development for the region. It comes as a result of lengthy negotiations with the Albanian Ministry of Transportation. The represents a significant financial commitment by NATO, which is fully funding the first tranche of works at a cost of DM 930 000. There are seven projects in the first tranche of works, which is expected to be completed before the onset of winter. And finally, after a somewhat protracted deployment phase, the forces of the Operational Rehearsal, RAPID CHEETAH are now all in theatre. E Company of the 24th MEU took over from elements of the Polish / Ukraine Battalion at Camp Seminole yesterday. They will be joined, in their allocated Area of Responsibility, by the rest of the force and begin to conduct framework operations in the next 24 -48 hours.
Meta: Fight against trafficking is one of three priorities set by Albanian Government
Albanian Premier Ilir Meta stated that Albania without committing to the fight against organised crime and trafficking can not continue to play that important and constructive role it has played so far, in Vlore on Friday. "Regional co-operation in fight against organised crime and all kinds of trafficking, is one of the three priorities set by the government besides consolidation of regional integration and progress of the Stabilisation and Association Process, Meta said. The Prime Minister emphasised the indispensability of a closer and more sincere cooperation with all countries, in order that the responsibility does not fall unjustly on one country alone, as it occurs with Albania. He highlighted the readiness of the government he runs to take over the responsibility as regards facing this fight.
Meta stated that indices of illegal emigrants trafficking in one year have reduced more than five times, confirmed also by the data submitted by Italian partners. He informed the participants to have asked closer collaboration from the Region's and EU states, being also the destination countries. The Regional Centre of Fight Against Trafficking is part of this collaboration, already materialised with the agreement reached amongst Ministers of Interior of Albania, Italy, Germany and Greece that will soon become operational.

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From dbein at bndlg.de  Thu Aug 30 11:21:27 2001
From: dbein at bndlg.de (Divi Beineke)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:21:27 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW! http://www.bndlg.de/~dbein/APP/
Message-ID: <3B8C2790.B41A02FB@bndlg.de>

Dear friends,

the Email-Action RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW!
has a new address and a complete update of the mail-sending-system.

Please visit:
http://www.bndlg.de/~dbein/APP/

At
"SEND  EMAILS NOW!"
members only need to insert their email-address, sign with their name below
the email-text and submit the form.

The Email will be ready and send to politicians and medias all over the
world.
No more manual email-sending, no more "copy and paste" ...

Good luck and I hope, many of you are going support this urgent action.

Don?t let the prisoners be forgotten!!!

Regards
Divi Beineke
--
EMAIL-ACTION: RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW!
T? LIROHEN MENJ?HER? T? BURGOSURIT!
LASST JETZT DIE GEFANGENEN FREI!
ODMAH OSLOBODITE ZATVORENIKE!
http://www.bndlg.de/~dbein/APP/





From naac at naac.org  Thu Aug 30 11:21:31 2001
From: naac at naac.org (National Albanian American Council - NAAC)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:21:31 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Today's Articles on Albanian Issues, August 29, 2001
Message-ID: <007501c13095$24fa7a60$cf5a1840@sold>

National Albanian American Council
1700 K Street, N.W., Suite 1201, Washington, DC  20006
(202) 466-6900    Fax: (202) 466-5593
Email: naac at naac.org
_______________________________________________________________________
For Your Information
August 29, 2001


NEW YORK TIMES

Smoothly, NATO Collects More Arms in Macedonia
By CARLOTTA GALL
BRODEC, Macedonia, Aug. 28 - Hundreds of ethnic Albanian fighters lined up to hand in their weapons to NATO troops today at a rebel training camp in this village high in the hills above Tetovo, in western Macedonia. 
It was the second day of NATO's weapons collection operation and, without a hitch, several hundred more weapons, including three ground-to-air missiles, were consigned for destruction.
The operation so far, part of a phased operation to try to halt a civil war, is being described as a success by NATO officials. Both the Macedonian Army and rebel fighters are complying with NATO's requests, a NATO spokesman said. 
The Macedonian Army has been required to pull back about three miles from weapons collection points during the operation and has complied readily each time, he said. "They are trying to help," he added.
Macedonian government officials and the news media that direct coverage to the majority Macedonian Slavs expressed skepticism at the operation, however. The rebels have been handing in "museum pieces," scoffed the leading daily, Dnevnik. A government spokesman, Antonio Milosovski, said that what NATO is calling Operation Essential Harvest was a "theatrical harvest." 
And as NATO troops continued to arrive in this small and divided country, the complexities of their operation are becoming more apparent. Although they insist that they are only here to collect weapons, they are having to work hard to reduce tensions, avert confrontations and even patrol roads.
About 3,300 NATO troops have arrived so far. When at full strength, the force will number 4,500 - significantly more than the originally planned 3,500. The additional troops are mostly for logistical support, including administration and supply units, that individual member countries found they needed to back up the troops they were sending for the disarmament operation, said a NATO spokesman, Maj. Barry Johnson. 
They hope that by Wednesday they will have taken in a third of the 3,300 weapons they plan to collect during their 30-day operation. Then, under an agreement earlier this month between Macedonian Slav and ethnic Albanian leaders, Parliament should approve constitutional amendments to expand rights for the minority Albanians.
The rebel fighters were relaxed and cooperative as they arrived to disarm today. "We trust in NATO and the international community," said a rebel known as Commander Luli. But he said the NATO task force would be needed here for longer than the 30-day mission.
The potential for trouble is clear in Tetovo, scene of the worst fighting of the conflict, where rebels and the Macedonian police are still staring down their guns at each other. Rebels have sandbagged positions in the walled grounds of a hotel and a much revered Sufi shrine. Government police officers and paramilitary fighters are in a tall apartment building and at a sandbagged checkpoint.
The rebels said they expected to receive orders to pull out and dismantle their positions within days. They said they would obey because of NATO's involvement. Yet there is still tension in the air. 
"We are going to withdraw when the order comes in cooperation with NATO," said the commander of the rebel military police here. "But I am not sure about it. The problem is people are disarming up there in the hills, but here they are reinforcing." 
And he said he would hold back one weapon to keep at his home down the street in case the conflict flared, or in case the Macedonian police harassed civilians.
NATO officers admit that beyond their stated goal, building confidence between the two sides and persuading them to solve their problems politically is the much bigger task. "You have got to try to build the confidence," said one NATO official in Skopje, the capital. 
Two British officers crossed the front line today in Tetovo to do just that. They came from the Macedonian government side to ask rebels if they were holding any Macedonian Slavs in the grounds of the hotel. The rebels said no and took the two officers on a tour of the grounds. 
"We have liaison teams helping on the ground to prevent any misunderstanding and to make sure there is no shooting and stop it before it starts," Major Johnson said.
Elsewhere British troops were out in force watching as busloads of Macedonian Slavs visited the remote village of Lesok for a religious celebration. The Macedonian Slav village lies in a predominantly Albanian area, and most of its inhabitants fled the fighting and still do not dare return except on organized visits.
Albanian refugees have been rushing home since the NATO operation started. About 600 arrived over the weekend and 900 crossed into Macedonia on Monday, said Maki Shinohara, spokeswoman for the United Nations refugee organization.
"We are really concerned about them returning to places that are not stable," she said. If NATO makes the two sides disengage and pull back, who will be in charge in the areas in between, she asked. "There will be a security vacuum and the situation is fairly unpredictable almost daily." 
RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY

MIXED SIGNALS FROM MACEDONIAN AUTHORITIES OVER COLLINS' DEATH 
In a statement in Skopje on 27 August, Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski condemned the killing of British sapper Ian Collins by a gang of youths (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 August 2001), Deutsche Welle's "Monitor" reported. Trajkovski stressed that such violent incidents only help those who want to attain their political goals through violence. He later told British Prime Minister Tony Blair that there will be a full investigation, "The Independent" reported. Macedonian government spokesman Antonio Milosovski, however, criticized NATO for not informing the Macedonian authorities quickly of the killing, "Monitor" reported. He added that NATO hampered the police investigation by moving Collins' vehicle before police arrived. Milosovski said that it is "too early" to catch the killers. Observers note that in most cases of violence, the authorities are quick to blame and hunt for "Albanian terrorists" without much of a prior investigation. It is not clear why the security forces, whose supporters feel are capable of crushing an armed insurgency, cannot identify and catch a group of teenagers. PM 
WITNESS SAYS MACEDONIAN TEENAGERS KILLED BRITISH SOLDIER 
"The Daily Telegraph" on 28 August quoted a local teenager with a Slavic name as saying that he saw the killing and that "a group of Macedonian teenagers" had been throwing stones at passing vehicles. A NATO spokesman said that the youths surrounded Collins' Land Rover "in a threatening manner" after hitting it. "The Independent" reported that a Macedonian policeman was 500 meters from the scene of the attack. It is not clear why he did not intervene and arrest the youths. The same daily quoted Macedonian Television as identifying the youths as ethnic Macedonians. PM 
BRITISH SOLDIER'S DEATH THE RESULT OF MACEDONIAN GOVERNMENT 'HATE CAMPAIGN'? 
The "Daily Telegraph" reported from Skopje on 28 August that "the death of sapper Ian Collins after a mob attack in the suburbs of Skopje follows a venomous anti-Western campaign orchestrated by hard-line ministers in the Macedonian government." The daily specifically mentions Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski and Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski in this respect (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 5 June and 24 August 2001). One Macedonian special forces vehicle has "NATO Killers" painted on it. Some individual local people told the British reporter that "NATO has done a lot of evil things here" and "we've seen what they've done in Kosovo and Bosnia. They helped the Albanians and Bosnian Muslims and banished the Serbs. They're playing the same game here." "The Independent" quoted an unnamed off-duty Macedonian army captain as saying, "If I saw NATO soldiers here now, I would kill all of them myself." PM 
SAPPER'S DEATH PART OF ORGANIZED ANTI-WESTERN MACEDONIAN VIOLENCE 
British Major Neil Peckham told RFE/RL in a telephone interview from Skopje on 27 August that Collins' death fits into an emerging pattern of violence. "There are indications that it is part of a pattern against NATO vehicles that has been building up over the past few weeks... There have been other instances of NATO vehicles, i.e., green [colored] military vehicles, being targeted by unknown individuals, the dropping of projectiles off road bridges, and throwing projectiles at the vehicles as well." Peckham added that "the [NATO] military police are in close coordination with the Macedonia police, and the investigation is ongoing." Security precautions for NATO personnel have been stepped up. PM 

PRO-BELGRADE PARTY SAYS ALBANIANS TRYING TO SPLIT MONTENEGRO 
Dragan Koprivica of the pro-Belgrade Socialist People's Party (SNP) said in Podgorica on 27 August that a recent violent robbery at Plav near the Kosova border by persons who did not speak Serbo-Croat shows that "Montenegro is unstable. Mentors from Kosovo and Albania have instructed local Albanians to push for an independent Montenegro," dpa reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 August 2001). But Igor Luksic, a spokesman of President Milo Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) said, "Koprivica is in the twilight zone." Gazim Hajdinaga, an ethnic Albanian political leader and the government's minister for minorities, stressed that the "Albanians will push for their goals only in legal institutions." PM 

KOSOVALIVE
No Donors to Finance Small Parties' Campaigns 
PRISHTINA (KosovaLive) - Small political parties will have no one to rely on but themselves, given that no donors have offered to support them during the campaign leading up to the November 17 general election.
Some small parties complained that if they were not offered financial support from the OSCE or others, they would be at a disadvantage even before the campaign began, considering that larger political parties already have funds at their disposal. 
"The fact that parties will have to secure funds by themselves is nothing new, while financing has always been a challenge," OSCE spokesman Sven Lindholm told KosovaLive Tuesday, confirming that no donors have yet expressed a willingness to support small parties in the election campaign. Lindholm also said that small parties would have to work harder this year in order to convey their message to the electorate. 
"It is true that bigger parties have an advantage over smaller parties because of the financing issue. That is why the OSCE saw it as very important last year to help find donors to finance the election campaign."
According to Lindholm, these funds had a specific destination - the production of video-clips that would enable small parties to effectively communicate their message to the people. "This was aimed at helping people determine whom they were going to vote for, which is very important in every democracy," he said. 
Last year, the Central Election Commission (CEC) approved a regulation that obliged political parties to outline their funds before and after the elections. Another regulation limited the amount of money parties could spend during the election campaign.
Lindholm said that the regulation was quite important since it ensured greater transparency, by allowing the public to see how each party used their financial resources during the elections campaign, thus permitting voters to draw their own conclusions with regards to how each political party spends their money. 

ATA (Albanian News Agency)
NATO troops start improvement of road Durres-Kukes
President of the Republic Rexhep Meidani on Tuesday in Fushe-Arrez participated at the opening ceremony of the intervention projects of NATO troops in improvement of the road Durres-Kukes. The senior leader of KFOR general Lutc highlighted the importance of Albania to KFOR and the region considering the road Durres-Kukes as an important line joining the "endless interests for stability in the region with the economic development and consolidation of democracy in Albania." President Meidani, placing the beginning of today's operations in a context of regional events, stressed those in Macedonia saying that "the beginning of the operations by your part coincides with a very important moment for peace, security and stability in the region." Further on, he appraised the role and presence of NATO, EU and USA in the achievement and guaranteeing of Peace Agreement. The state leader appraised in general the military contribution to the civil projects and expressed the support of the state in the success of NATO's engagement on the road Durres-Kukes. Afterwards, President Meidani along with the deputy/commander of KFOR in Kosova Lutc, commander of COMMZ West Cekone, placed a stone symbolizing this way the start of the operations. 
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From naac at naac.org  Thu Aug 30 11:21:39 2001
From: naac at naac.org (National Albanian American Council - NAAC)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:21:39 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] FYI
Message-ID: <007f01c130bd$3f0f3d00$5e511840@sold>

National Albanian American Council
1700 K Street, N.W., Suite 1201, Washington, DC  20006
(202) 466-6900    Fax: (202) 466-5593
Email: naac at naac.org
_______________________________________________________________________
For Your Information

WASHINGTON POST
Out of a Job, but Not Out of Opinions 
By Nora Boustany
Wednesday, August 29, 2001

The Yugoslav ambassador to Washington, Milan St. Protic, was unceremoniously fired last Thursday while he was home on vacation, but he only learned about it from the media, he said in a telephone interview from Belgrade on Monday. The envoy, who Belgrade said was recalled after six months on the job for statements contrary to government policy, vowed to continue to speak his mind rather than be someone else's loudspeaker.
"No one from the government or the official side contacted me to let me know," he said. "I was never informed of anything."
Protic, a U.S.-educated historian who was one of the leaders of the democratic opposition that toppled Slobodan Milosevic, said there had been "disagreement from the very beginning and dissatisfaction all along" with the government of President Vojislav Kostunica, whose party he helped found and which he later quit over political differences about Bosnian Serbs. The ambassador will return to Washington with his family Saturday to pack up.
"There was an orchestrated, Communist-type campaign against me and I had to react, so I made some public statements," he said. Protic had accused top officials in the government of not keeping him informed of policy or developments at home. He said he first learned through the press that Kostunica was to visit Washington in May.
The campaign against him, he said, "tells you that the political transition has not ended yet. There are still people adhering to the mind-sets of Tito and Milosevic."
Yugoslav sources said several interviews Protic gave in Belgrade aggravated the tension between him and the leadership. Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic said last week that Protic was a prominent person whose contributions he appreciated very much but who had strayed far from the norms of diplomatic behavior.
"Essentially, there has been a deep misunderstanding between us on what our policies toward the United States should be. The same day the prime minister announced I was being recalled, President Kostunica, who was standing next to him, said: 'There are some people who want to replace communism with Americanism.' He was referring to me," Protic said, explaining that he was perceived by some officials in Belgrade as trying too hard to please Washington.
>From March 6, when he said at a congressional hearing that Milosevic would be arrested on March 31 -- the date by which Belgrade had to comply with Washington's demand that he be detained to obtain certification for international aid -- the ambassador said he was at cross purposes with Kostunica. "When Milosevic was arrested that day, proving me right and him wrong, from that point on things got worse," he added. Protic said he also signaled to the Americans in an indirect way that a "major breakthrough" was afoot one week before Milosevic was handed over to the tribunal, where he now awaits trial.
"I have no regrets. You win some, you lose some. This is part of the struggle," he said.
"I never wanted to be anybody's man in Washington, but the man of an idea dedicated to victory against Milosevic and change toward an open, democratic society," he added.
Protic insists he paid a high price for his good connections and high profile here. "I have been speaking my own mind for 10 years and I will continue to do so because it is something that is precious to me," he said. "I was not ready to sacrifice my beliefs; they were too important to give up, even for an ambassadorial post."

RADIO FREE EUROPE
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
August 29, 2001
WEAPONS COLLECTION ENTERS THIRD DAY IN MACEDONIA. 
NATO officials said near Gostivar that weapons collection is proceeding "very well" and that the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (UCK) "are
compliant," BBC Television reported on 29 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 August 2001). Guerrillas lined up to hand in weapons and uniforms
near Tetovo the previous day. The UCK issued demobilization papers to its fighters, "The Independent" reported. One commander, known as Xhaxhi, warned, however, that the guerrillas will rearm if NATO leaves. It is not clear whether he spoke for other commanders or only for himself. Many ethnic Albanians fear that Macedonian security forces and paramilitaries will launch revenge killings when Operation Essential Harvest ends (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 August 2001). NATO stresses that its main aim is to promote mutual self-confidence between Macedonians and Albanians so that the political settlement can work. 
ROBERTSON ARRIVES IN MACEDONIA. 
NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson arrived in Skopje on 29 August to assess the progress of Operation Essential Harvest, dpa reported. He will meet with President Boris Trajkovski, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, Defense Minister Vlado Buckovski, Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski, and parliament speaker Stojan Andov. The legislature is scheduled to begin discussing the comprehensive political settlement on 31 August. Georgievski, Boskovski, and Andov have publicly stated their reservations about the agreement (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 August 2001). 
MACEDONIANS RETURN TO LESOK FOR ASSUMPTION DAY. 
Several hundred ethnic Macedonians attended an Orthodox Assumption Day celebration in Lesok on 28 August, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. British
paratroopers looked on, as did UCK fighters in the hills above. The celebration took place amid the ruins of a church, which was largely destroyed recently under unexplained circumstances (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August 2001 and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 28 August 2001). Many of the Macedonians who attended the celebration said, however, that they do not feel safe enough to return permanently to their homes in Lesok, from which the UCK drove them in July (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 July 2001). Elsewhere, UNHCR officials in Skopje warned displaced persons against returning to their homes in rural areas before the
security situation sufficiently improves. 
NATO DETAINS ALBANIANS ON KOSOVA-MACEDONIA BORDER. 
In what is becoming almost a daily occurrence, KFOR troops stopped and arrested 32 ethnic Albanians entering Kosova from Macedonia, AP reported from
Prishtina on 29 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 and 28 August 2001). A KFOR spokesman said that unidentified persons fired on U.S. troops in the same area in a separate incident. The troops had responded to a call of "NATO, NATO help!" from unidentified persons in a forest. The gunmen then "fled the scene."
SERBIAN COALITION TO STAY TOGETHER -- WITH PROBLEMS UNRESOLVED. 
Leaders of the 18-member governing Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) agreed in Belgrade on 28 August to remain a coalition, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. They failed to resolve the mutual recriminations arising from what has become known as the Gavrilovic affair (see "RFE/RL South Slavic Report," 30 August 2001). Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said that his Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) will work with DOS but not participate in the Serbian cabinet. He added that "tonight's long discussion was encouraging because it pointed at corruption and crime as phenomena which shake many
societies in transition and particularly ours." Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic warned that "spreading slander and uncorroborated claims
undermines the country's credibility, makes it difficult to attract foreign investment, and slows down the country's economic recovery," Reuters reported.
U.S. AGREES TO LIFT SERBIAN ARMS EMBARGO. 
The U.S. has joined France and Russia in calling for an end to the UN arms embargo against Belgrade, "The Washington Post" reported on 29 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 August 2001). Critics charge that lifting the embargo will deny the international community needed leverage to encourage Serbia to cooperate with The Hague-based war crimes tribunal. PM
MONTENEGRIN FOREIGN MINISTER: YUGOSLAV EMBASSIES DO NOT SPEAK FOR PODGORICA. 
Montenegrin Foreign Minister Branko Lukovac said in Podgorica on 27 August that he and Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic have failed to resolve differences between their two ministries regarding Montenegro's diplomatic representation abroad, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. He added that Yugoslav diplomatic missions abroad were set up and staffed without the approval of Podgorica, which does not recognize the federal government as legitimately elected. Lukovac stressed that Yugoslav ambassadors abroad have no right to speak in Montenegro's name. Montenegro previously established its own "offices" in several foreign countries and former Yugoslav republics.
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From VENERAB at aol.com  Thu Aug 30 11:21:48 2001
From: VENERAB at aol.com (VENERAB at aol.com)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:21:48 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Job Posting at AAWO
Message-ID: <4b.10793722.28be9dd6@aol.com>

Ju Lutem Distributoni me tutje!


Job Posting:            AAWO Executive Director
Posted on:              August 28, 2001
Deadline to apply:  September 15, 2001

Organization: The Albanian American Women's Organization "Motrat Qiriazi" is 
a 501 ? (3) organization based in New York City.  The organization serves the 
Albanian American community paying particular attention to the needs of women 
and children. Through its various projects, AAWO contributes to the 
strengthening of ties among Albanian Americans, and to their effective 
integration in the US society.

The Executive Director: This is a full-time position. The Executive Director 
will lead the work and supervise the staff of AAWO. It will be responsible 
for the overall performance of the organization, particularly for the 
successful implementation of the program "Helping Sisters in Need", funded by 
the Office for Refugee Resettlement.

Responsibilities include:
    Ensure the successful implementation of AAWO programs, particularly of 
the program "Helping Sisters in         Need".
    Maintain and develop further AAWO relationships with the Albanian 
American community, with AAWO       members, and with other Albanian American 
institutions.
    Ensure the timely and accurate reporting to the donors.
    In partnership with the Board, identify AAWO organizational needs and 
develop strategies to raise funds to        meet those needs. 
    Cultivate relationships with potential AAWO donors, including private 
foundations, federal and state      agencies, and individual donors.
    Supervise the organization of fundraising events. These currently include 
AAWO annual benefit and other       events.
    Represent AWWO in speaking events, meetings and conferences. Some travel 
nationally and      internationally may be required.
    Supervise the financial management of AAWO. Ensure that the accounting 
and financial systems and       reporting are accurate and conform the US and 
New York nonprofit accounting standards.
    Support the work of the Board, keep the Board informed on AAWO programs 
and work closely with the       Board Chair.

Requirements:
    Bachelor's Degree (Master's a plus) 
    Minimum five years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, 
preferably with organizations that focus        on gender issues
    Good knowledge of the Albanian American community
    Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills 
    Ability to supervise staff and juggle many task simultaneously
    Ability to work well independently and as part of a team 
    Excellent oral and written communication skills 
    Knowledge of finance and budgeting a plus 

Salary: Low 40s and benefits

To apply:
E-mail or fax a resume, a cover letter and three references to:
AAWO
Attn: Executive Director Search
481 Eighth Avenue, Suite 934
New York, NY 10001
Fax: 212-244-8159
E-mail: venerab at aol.com






From naac at naac.org  Thu Aug 30 11:21:56 2001
From: naac at naac.org (National Albanian American Council - NAAC)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:21:56 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Today's Articles on Albanian Issues, August 30, 2001
Message-ID: <007701c1315d$d7500630$54521840@sold>

National Albanian American Council
1700 K Street, N.W., Suite 1201, Washington, DC  20006
(202) 466-6900    Fax: (202) 466-5593
Email: naac at naac.org
_______________________________________________________________________
For Your Information
August 30, 2001

KOSOVALIVE

Rail Journey by UNMIK and KFOR Chiefs Symbolizes Return to Normalcy in Kosova
PRISHTINA (KosovaLive) - A rail journey to symbolize the return to normal life in Kosova was organized for Wednesday by UNMIK, KFOR and UNMIK Police. UN Special Representative of the Secretary General Hans Haekkerup boarded a train Wednesday afternoon in Lipjan for the short trip to Fushe Kosova/Kosovo Polje. Kosova's chief administrator was accompanied by COMKFOR Thorstein Skiaker and UNMIK Police Commissioner Christopher Albiston. According to KFOR, the journey illustrates the continuous process towards normalcy in the region. Journalists were invited to join the tour and chat with Kosova's top three international officials. Perhaps surprisingly, the rail system has been little used since the end of the war, mainly by Serbs traveling from Leposavic to Fushe Kosova/Kosovo Polje. However, more than two years after the arrival of NATO troops, UNMIK and KFOR consider the security situation satisfactory, which bodes well for rail travel in Kosova.

Every Third Candidate for Kosova Assembly Should Be Female, says OSCE
PRISHTINA (KosovaLive) - Traditionally, few Kosovar women have been involved in politics.  The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) aims to change that picture.  The OSCE is looking forward to one in three candidates for the new Kosovo Assembly to be female.  In support of this goal, the OSCE launched a seminar Wednesday for female candidates running for the post of deputy in the Kosovo Assembly.  
The point of the seminar it is to empower female candidates to join political parties, coalitions and citizens initiative, according to Carolyn McCool, Director of the OSCE's Department of Democratization.  Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Prishtina, McCool said that a further goal was to train women candidates to take the leadership in political activities and to hold down the post, once elected.
McCool said that females are in the majority in Kosova and OSCE was taking the correct steps to raise the number of females working in the political sphere.  The OSCE has decided that one-third of the first 67 percent of political candidates designated by each party must be women.  This means every third candidate should be female.
"We do trust that Kosovar females will be able to take over the duties in the political sphere as well as in the social sphere," said seminar leader Audrey McLaughlin, adding that women can bring new meaning to politics.
Jennifer Mauro, who has previous experience in Canadian elections, said despite progress since the municipal elections, Albanian females are still involved very little in the political process.
"This is a long process and we need involvement from political parties and from the voters," she said.
The three-day seminar headed by McLaughlin, a member of the Canadian Parliament until 1997, and Jennifer Mauro, former adviser to the prime minister of the Yukon.

NEW YORK TIMES

A Macedonian Hawk Vows to Extend Pursuit of Rebels
By CARLOTTA GALL
SKOPJE, Macedonia, Aug.29 - Macedonia's interior minister, Ljube Boskovski, said today that NATO's operation to collect weapons from rebels was only a "symbolic disarmament," and he warned that his anti-terrorist police would seize any remaining illegal weapons as soon as NATO was finished with its 30-day mission.
While Mr. Boskovski promised to deal definitively with any continuing threats from the rebels, it was not clear if Macedonia's coalition government would ultimately take such action. Mr. Boskovski wields considerable influence in the government, particularly through his association with the prime minister, Ljubco Georgievski, who shares his views.
But Mr. Boskovski, who is a founding member of the nationalist Macedonian party that leads the government coalition, also represents the hard-line faction within that coalition. Ultimately, the government might not go along with Mr. Boskovski's ideas as it tries to find common ground in carrying out a peace plan with the rebels.
Despite the government's backing of the peace plan, Mr. Boskovski and Mr. Georgievski have continued to criticize international efforts to head off a civil war here, and they have blamed the West for supporting the ethnic Albanian insurgents. They have also been seen to encourage anti-Albanian sentiment in Macedonia and among the police, which Mr. Boskovski, through his ministry, has the power to order into action.
Mr. Boskovski, 40, made it clear today that he would use that power to begin anti-terrorist operations against rebel bases after NATO finished its operation to disarm the insurgents.
"Basically we have to clear the field of weapons according to our laws," Mr. Boskovski said, "and take weapons away from those who illegally possess them. That would be done and is done by every democratic state, because weapons threaten the stability of democracy." 
His comments, of course, were not expected to go down well with the rebels, or with NATO mediators, who have already complained that his hard-line positions have only complicated the peace process. A NATO task force of 4,500 troops is trying to help that process along by collecting 3,300 weapons in the next 30 days. NATO hopes that its operation will defuse tensions and end the rebel insurgency.
Mr. Boskovski is a hawk who has supported a military solution to the ethnic Albanian insurgency, and who has been accused of allowing his police forces to inflict violence on ethnic Albanian civilians. Human rights organizations and even government officials have criticized him for arming thousands of Macedonian Slav reservists, encouraging attacks on ethnic Albanian properties and the Macedonian Parliament, and organizing paramilitary units that, among other things, have hindered NATO troop movements around the country.
Mr. Boskovski's promise of further action against the rebels came as NATO's secretary general, Lord Robertson, was visiting Macedonia today to assess the NATO operation. Lord Robertson, who met with Mr. Boskovski, urged Macedonian politicians to adopt political changes that are a crucial part of the internationally mediated peace plan to end the six-month conflict.
After the meeting, Lord Robertson said that Mr. Boskovski had agreed to prevent any illegal paramilitary groups from operating in the country - something the secretary general stressed was an important commitment. 
In an interview today, Mr. Boskovski voiced support for President Boris Trajkovski's peace plan and for NATO's presence in Macedonia.
"There are no dilemmas regarding this issue," he said. But he said he would pursue the rebels "to the end," because, he said, they were set on creating a greater Albania and seizing control of territory from the government.
He expressed his distrust of NATO's special envoy in Macedonia, Pieter Feith, who has negotiated with the ethnic Albanian rebels in southern Serbia and in Macedonia. He blamed Mr. Feith and the rebel leader, Ali Ahmeti, for failing to ensure that the July cease-fire agreement was observed by the rebels, and for allowing attacks on as many as 20 Macedonian Slav civilians in western Macedonia.
And one diplomat made it clear that Mr. Boskovski was not trusted, saying: "We are concerned about him and his stunts and tricks. There is a lot that could knock this thing off its tracks."

German Troops Head to Macedonia
BERLIN, Aug. 29 - Chancellor Gerhard Schr?der won a large majority in Parliament today on a vote to send 500 German soldiers to help NATO troops in Macedonia.
Parliament must approve any troop deployments outside Germany, and in special session voted 497 to 130, with 8 abstentions, to support the government. 

WASHINGTON POST

Worried Macedonians Weigh Public Vote on Peace Accord 
Officials Fear Legislative Rejection of Pact, Seek Alternative 
By Peter Finn, Washington Post Foreign Service
SKOPJE, Macedonia, Aug. 29 -- Phase one of NATO's effort to disarm ethnic Albanian rebels ended today at an army base in a small Macedonian town. But in the capital, opponents of the country's peace plan signaled they will try to vote it down when it is put before parliament in coming days.
Western and moderate Macedonian officials, fearful this effort might succeed, are examining the possibility of stalling the vote in the legislature and taking the agreement directly to the people in a referendum.
That could force NATO to prolong its operation, which is supposed to be limited to the collection of arms over a strict 30-day period. A referendum could take at least 60 days to organize after a parliamentary vote authorizing one, or the collection of 150,000 signatures from among the population.
A referendum is "an option we're looking at," said a source close to President Boris Trajkovski, whose aides have indicated that approval of the peace accord is on a razor's edge in the 120-member parliament. Western officials have discussed the possibility of a referendum with Trajkovski and say public opinion is swinging toward support of the peace agreement.
Political leaders of the Slavic majority and the ethnic Albanian minority signed the accord two weeks ago. It calls for Albanian guerrillas, who have launched sporadic attacks on Slav-dominated government forces since February, to turn in their arms to NATO in return for enactment of a package of measures meant to increase rights for ethnic Albanian citizens.
A telephone opinion poll of 1,055 adults conducted last weekend by the Skopje-based Institute for Democracy, Solidarity and Civil Society showed that a bare majority of respondents, 50.3 percent, support the agreement. But it represented a significant jump from a poll conducted by a different organization immediately after the accord was signed.
A U.S.-funded media campaign to build support among Macedonians for the agreement began this week with television, radio and print advertisements. A Western-sponsored voter survey showed there is very little understanding in both ethnic groups of what the agreement actually says or means, and a major goal of the campaign is to increase public knowledge about the terms.
Among Macedonian Slavs, support for the agreement stands at 43.7 percent, according to the weekend poll; opponents generally contend the deal gives too much to the Albanians and that a full military assault against the guerrillas is the best alternative. Seventy-eight percent of ethnic Albanians favor the deal, the poll found.
Members of parliament, meanwhile, are coming under intense pressure to support the agreement or risk full-scale civil war and the country being globally isolated. Western diplomats are visiting with legislators and municipal leaders to build support for a yes vote.
"The pressure is overwhelming," one lawmaker said today.
NATO Secretary General George Robertson visited an army base in the town of Krivolak in southern Macedonia, where some of the 750 weapons surrendered so far by guerrillas of the National Liberation Army were displayed, and pronounced the program on track. "It is not just the number of weapons that matters," Robertson told reporters today, referring to claims that the guerrillas are giving up only a tiny portion of their cache, "it is the fact that the so-called NLA is handing over these weapons and disbanding as an organization."
"The members of parliament hold the future of this country in their hands," Robertson said, following lengthy talks with political leaders. "I can't tell whether this historic project is going to succeed, but the alternative will be horrifying."
The rebels are meant to disarm completely in three phases under the agreement, while parliament simultaneously initiates a three-step legislative process to adopt constitutional amendments, prepare drafts of the amendments, then vote on each amendment. The first step begins Friday and its successful conclusion requires a yes vote by 80 members of the 120-member assembly. The vote is to follow a debate that could extend into next week.
Attempts to scuttle the accord in parliament focus on a rump group in the party of Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, according to Western officials, local leaders and a key legislator.
"I would not like it to be my destiny that a Macedonian killed me because I betrayed the nation," Danilo Gligorski, a member of Georgievski's governing party, said in an interview today. He described himself as leaning strongly toward voting against the agreement. "If I choose to be killed, I would rather be killed by a terrorist in the mountains."
According to Gligorski, the overwhelming majority of his colleagues in parliament oppose the accord, and its defeat is likely. 
He estimated that the agreement will get only 50 to 55 favorable votes.
Western officials and other analysts dismissed those figures as exaggeration and said a group of about 10 young hard-line members of Georgievski's party could defy the leadership and vote no. But that would still allow the agreement to squeak through, analysts said.
"This is a small country not known for defiance," said Edward P. Joseph of the International Crisis Group, a Brussels research organization. "At the end of the day, they always roll."
And Ivica Bocevski, executive director of the democracy and solidarity institute, said parties here are disciplined and hierarchical, and that Georgievski can secure enough votes for passage while allowing a small group to dissent for symbolic purposes.
The prime minister, a reluctant signatory to the agreement, plans to meet with his parliamentary group Thursday night to urge them to at least allow the process to go forward from Friday even if they reserve the right to vote no at the end, legislators said. That would provide some breathing space for further lobbying and allow the return of displaced refugees to their homes, a critical issue for the dissenters.




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From naac at naac.org  Thu Aug 30 11:22:04 2001
From: naac at naac.org (National Albanian American Council - NAAC)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:22:04 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Today's Articles on Albanian Issues, August 30, 2001
Message-ID: <007e01c1315d$e5727e50$54521840@sold>

National Albanian American Council
1700 K Street, N.W., Suite 1201, Washington, DC  20006
(202) 466-6900    Fax: (202) 466-5593
Email: naac at naac.org
_______________________________________________________________________
For Your Information
August 30, 2001

KOSOVALIVE

Rail Journey by UNMIK and KFOR Chiefs Symbolizes Return to Normalcy in Kosova
PRISHTINA (KosovaLive) - A rail journey to symbolize the return to normal life in Kosova was organized for Wednesday by UNMIK, KFOR and UNMIK Police. UN Special Representative of the Secretary General Hans Haekkerup boarded a train Wednesday afternoon in Lipjan for the short trip to Fushe Kosova/Kosovo Polje. Kosova's chief administrator was accompanied by COMKFOR Thorstein Skiaker and UNMIK Police Commissioner Christopher Albiston. According to KFOR, the journey illustrates the continuous process towards normalcy in the region. Journalists were invited to join the tour and chat with Kosova's top three international officials. Perhaps surprisingly, the rail system has been little used since the end of the war, mainly by Serbs traveling from Leposavic to Fushe Kosova/Kosovo Polje. However, more than two years after the arrival of NATO troops, UNMIK and KFOR consider the security situation satisfactory, which bodes well for rail travel in Kosova.

Every Third Candidate for Kosova Assembly Should Be Female, says OSCE
PRISHTINA (KosovaLive) - Traditionally, few Kosovar women have been involved in politics.  The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) aims to change that picture.  The OSCE is looking forward to one in three candidates for the new Kosovo Assembly to be female.  In support of this goal, the OSCE launched a seminar Wednesday for female candidates running for the post of deputy in the Kosovo Assembly.  
The point of the seminar it is to empower female candidates to join political parties, coalitions and citizens initiative, according to Carolyn McCool, Director of the OSCE's Department of Democratization.  Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Prishtina, McCool said that a further goal was to train women candidates to take the leadership in political activities and to hold down the post, once elected.
McCool said that females are in the majority in Kosova and OSCE was taking the correct steps to raise the number of females working in the political sphere.  The OSCE has decided that one-third of the first 67 percent of political candidates designated by each party must be women.  This means every third candidate should be female.
"We do trust that Kosovar females will be able to take over the duties in the political sphere as well as in the social sphere," said seminar leader Audrey McLaughlin, adding that women can bring new meaning to politics.
Jennifer Mauro, who has previous experience in Canadian elections, said despite progress since the municipal elections, Albanian females are still involved very little in the political process.
"This is a long process and we need involvement from political parties and from the voters," she said.
The three-day seminar headed by McLaughlin, a member of the Canadian Parliament until 1997, and Jennifer Mauro, former adviser to the prime minister of the Yukon.

NEW YORK TIMES

A Macedonian Hawk Vows to Extend Pursuit of Rebels
By CARLOTTA GALL
SKOPJE, Macedonia, Aug.29 - Macedonia's interior minister, Ljube Boskovski, said today that NATO's operation to collect weapons from rebels was only a "symbolic disarmament," and he warned that his anti-terrorist police would seize any remaining illegal weapons as soon as NATO was finished with its 30-day mission.
While Mr. Boskovski promised to deal definitively with any continuing threats from the rebels, it was not clear if Macedonia's coalition government would ultimately take such action. Mr. Boskovski wields considerable influence in the government, particularly through his association with the prime minister, Ljubco Georgievski, who shares his views.
But Mr. Boskovski, who is a founding member of the nationalist Macedonian party that leads the government coalition, also represents the hard-line faction within that coalition. Ultimately, the government might not go along with Mr. Boskovski's ideas as it tries to find common ground in carrying out a peace plan with the rebels.
Despite the government's backing of the peace plan, Mr. Boskovski and Mr. Georgievski have continued to criticize international efforts to head off a civil war here, and they have blamed the West for supporting the ethnic Albanian insurgents. They have also been seen to encourage anti-Albanian sentiment in Macedonia and among the police, which Mr. Boskovski, through his ministry, has the power to order into action.
Mr. Boskovski, 40, made it clear today that he would use that power to begin anti-terrorist operations against rebel bases after NATO finished its operation to disarm the insurgents.
"Basically we have to clear the field of weapons according to our laws," Mr. Boskovski said, "and take weapons away from those who illegally possess them. That would be done and is done by every democratic state, because weapons threaten the stability of democracy." 
His comments, of course, were not expected to go down well with the rebels, or with NATO mediators, who have already complained that his hard-line positions have only complicated the peace process. A NATO task force of 4,500 troops is trying to help that process along by collecting 3,300 weapons in the next 30 days. NATO hopes that its operation will defuse tensions and end the rebel insurgency.
Mr. Boskovski is a hawk who has supported a military solution to the ethnic Albanian insurgency, and who has been accused of allowing his police forces to inflict violence on ethnic Albanian civilians. Human rights organizations and even government officials have criticized him for arming thousands of Macedonian Slav reservists, encouraging attacks on ethnic Albanian properties and the Macedonian Parliament, and organizing paramilitary units that, among other things, have hindered NATO troop movements around the country.
Mr. Boskovski's promise of further action against the rebels came as NATO's secretary general, Lord Robertson, was visiting Macedonia today to assess the NATO operation. Lord Robertson, who met with Mr. Boskovski, urged Macedonian politicians to adopt political changes that are a crucial part of the internationally mediated peace plan to end the six-month conflict.
After the meeting, Lord Robertson said that Mr. Boskovski had agreed to prevent any illegal paramilitary groups from operating in the country - something the secretary general stressed was an important commitment. 
In an interview today, Mr. Boskovski voiced support for President Boris Trajkovski's peace plan and for NATO's presence in Macedonia.
"There are no dilemmas regarding this issue," he said. But he said he would pursue the rebels "to the end," because, he said, they were set on creating a greater Albania and seizing control of territory from the government.
He expressed his distrust of NATO's special envoy in Macedonia, Pieter Feith, who has negotiated with the ethnic Albanian rebels in southern Serbia and in Macedonia. He blamed Mr. Feith and the rebel leader, Ali Ahmeti, for failing to ensure that the July cease-fire agreement was observed by the rebels, and for allowing attacks on as many as 20 Macedonian Slav civilians in western Macedonia.
And one diplomat made it clear that Mr. Boskovski was not trusted, saying: "We are concerned about him and his stunts and tricks. There is a lot that could knock this thing off its tracks."

German Troops Head to Macedonia
BERLIN, Aug. 29 - Chancellor Gerhard Schr?der won a large majority in Parliament today on a vote to send 500 German soldiers to help NATO troops in Macedonia.
Parliament must approve any troop deployments outside Germany, and in special session voted 497 to 130, with 8 abstentions, to support the government. 

WASHINGTON POST

Worried Macedonians Weigh Public Vote on Peace Accord 
Officials Fear Legislative Rejection of Pact, Seek Alternative 
By Peter Finn, Washington Post Foreign Service
SKOPJE, Macedonia, Aug. 29 -- Phase one of NATO's effort to disarm ethnic Albanian rebels ended today at an army base in a small Macedonian town. But in the capital, opponents of the country's peace plan signaled they will try to vote it down when it is put before parliament in coming days.
Western and moderate Macedonian officials, fearful this effort might succeed, are examining the possibility of stalling the vote in the legislature and taking the agreement directly to the people in a referendum.
That could force NATO to prolong its operation, which is supposed to be limited to the collection of arms over a strict 30-day period. A referendum could take at least 60 days to organize after a parliamentary vote authorizing one, or the collection of 150,000 signatures from among the population.
A referendum is "an option we're looking at," said a source close to President Boris Trajkovski, whose aides have indicated that approval of the peace accord is on a razor's edge in the 120-member parliament. Western officials have discussed the possibility of a referendum with Trajkovski and say public opinion is swinging toward support of the peace agreement.
Political leaders of the Slavic majority and the ethnic Albanian minority signed the accord two weeks ago. It calls for Albanian guerrillas, who have launched sporadic attacks on Slav-dominated government forces since February, to turn in their arms to NATO in return for enactment of a package of measures meant to increase rights for ethnic Albanian citizens.
A telephone opinion poll of 1,055 adults conducted last weekend by the Skopje-based Institute for Democracy, Solidarity and Civil Society showed that a bare majority of respondents, 50.3 percent, support the agreement. But it represented a significant jump from a poll conducted by a different organization immediately after the accord was signed.
A U.S.-funded media campaign to build support among Macedonians for the agreement began this week with television, radio and print advertisements. A Western-sponsored voter survey showed there is very little understanding in both ethnic groups of what the agreement actually says or means, and a major goal of the campaign is to increase public knowledge about the terms.
Among Macedonian Slavs, support for the agreement stands at 43.7 percent, according to the weekend poll; opponents generally contend the deal gives too much to the Albanians and that a full military assault against the guerrillas is the best alternative. Seventy-eight percent of ethnic Albanians favor the deal, the poll found.
Members of parliament, meanwhile, are coming under intense pressure to support the agreement or risk full-scale civil war and the country being globally isolated. Western diplomats are visiting with legislators and municipal leaders to build support for a yes vote.
"The pressure is overwhelming," one lawmaker said today.
NATO Secretary General George Robertson visited an army base in the town of Krivolak in southern Macedonia, where some of the 750 weapons surrendered so far by guerrillas of the National Liberation Army were displayed, and pronounced the program on track. "It is not just the number of weapons that matters," Robertson told reporters today, referring to claims that the guerrillas are giving up only a tiny portion of their cache, "it is the fact that the so-called NLA is handing over these weapons and disbanding as an organization."
"The members of parliament hold the future of this country in their hands," Robertson said, following lengthy talks with political leaders. "I can't tell whether this historic project is going to succeed, but the alternative will be horrifying."
The rebels are meant to disarm completely in three phases under the agreement, while parliament simultaneously initiates a three-step legislative process to adopt constitutional amendments, prepare drafts of the amendments, then vote on each amendment. The first step begins Friday and its successful conclusion requires a yes vote by 80 members of the 120-member assembly. The vote is to follow a debate that could extend into next week.
Attempts to scuttle the accord in parliament focus on a rump group in the party of Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, according to Western officials, local leaders and a key legislator.
"I would not like it to be my destiny that a Macedonian killed me because I betrayed the nation," Danilo Gligorski, a member of Georgievski's governing party, said in an interview today. He described himself as leaning strongly toward voting against the agreement. "If I choose to be killed, I would rather be killed by a terrorist in the mountains."
According to Gligorski, the overwhelming majority of his colleagues in parliament oppose the accord, and its defeat is likely. 
He estimated that the agreement will get only 50 to 55 favorable votes.
Western officials and other analysts dismissed those figures as exaggeration and said a group of about 10 young hard-line members of Georgievski's party could defy the leadership and vote no. But that would still allow the agreement to squeak through, analysts said.
"This is a small country not known for defiance," said Edward P. Joseph of the International Crisis Group, a Brussels research organization. "At the end of the day, they always roll."
And Ivica Bocevski, executive director of the democracy and solidarity institute, said parties here are disciplined and hierarchical, and that Georgievski can secure enough votes for passage while allowing a small group to dissent for symbolic purposes.
The prime minister, a reluctant signatory to the agreement, plans to meet with his parliamentary group Thursday night to urge them to at least allow the process to go forward from Friday even if they reserve the right to vote no at the end, legislators said. That would provide some breathing space for further lobbying and allow the return of displaced refugees to their homes, a critical issue for the dissenters.




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From mentor at alb-net.com  Thu Aug 30 11:22:11 2001
From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana)
Date: Thu Aug 30 11:22:11 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] [AMCC-News] Foto FACTS: 1) Macedonian police brutality, abuse and massacres in
 Luboten/Ljuboten on Aug 11-12th, 2001; 2) Destruction of Albanian property
 and Islamic cultural objects
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.33.0108301023560.22366-100000@alb-net.com>

>>>>>>>>>>>>> PLEASE READ  &  DISTRIBUTE FURTHER <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                Human Rights Violations in Macedonia
              http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/humanrights.htm

           Macedonian police brutality, abuse and massacres
            http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/abuse_violence.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 


1. Photographs from Luboten/Ljuboten

   Macedonian police brutality, abuse and massacres in Luboten/Ljuboten on
   Aug 11th and 12th, 2001.

        http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/abuse_violence.htm

   Note: The pictures are very disturbing.

   You can view more photographs at the following location:
        http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/pics/ml/
        http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/pics/ml/gb
        http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/pics/ml/aq

   Some of this pictures correspond directly to the Human Rights Watch
   Report from Aug 22nd, 2001: "Police Abuse Against Albanians Continues in
   Macedonia".
	URL: http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/08/macedonia0822.htm


2. Destruction of Albanian property and Islamic cultural objects

   Nikushtak:    http://www.inter-liber.com/chom/images/foto2.htm
   Likove:       http://www.inter-liber.com/chom/images/foto3.htm
   Shkup:        http://www.inter-liber.com/chom/foto1.htm

________________________________________________
To unsubscribe from this list visit:
http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/amcc-news


From kosova at jps.net  Fri Aug 31 19:10:01 2001
From: kosova at jps.net (kosova at jps.net)
Date: Fri Aug 31 19:10:01 2001
Subject: [Prishtina-E] Request for the immediate release of Albanian Prisoners
Message-ID: <LNBBKKIEKFOPADHBEFPFAEELEFAA.kosova@jps.net>

		ASSOCIATION OF POLITICAL PRISONERS (APP)
		   http://www.khao.org/appkosova.htm


At this time, 120 Albanian political prisoners remain detained in Serb
prisons. Some were arrested randomly, some based on their political beliefs.

They were brutally arrested and tried under the Milosevic regime, the goal
of which was to persecute ethnic Albanians, to force them from Kosova. These
prisoners have the right to be immediately pardoned or transferred to Kosova
under the judicial jurisdiction of UNMIK as stated in UN 1244. Their
continued detention reflects numerous broken promises by FRY leaders given
to internationals such as Madeliene Albright, Kofi Annan, Chris Patten, the
UN Security Council and many others who have petitioned for their release in
accordance with international law.

In order to keep them imprisoned, President Kostunica and Serb Prime
Minister Djindic and the Serb Supreme Court have upheld the strange courts,
transferred from Kosova to Serbia on June 9, 1999, by Slobodan Milosevic.
These courts have denied amnesty or appeal to the remaining 120 prisoners.
They have denied transfer to the UNMIK judicial system. Protection of these
courts, outdated vestigial holdovers from the Milosevic regime, has been
deemed more important than protecting or promoting human rights -- This is
TRAGIC.

WE DEMAND FROM HAEKKERUP, DJINDIC, AND KOSTUNICA THAT THE PROBLEMS OF
MISSING AND DETAINED BE RESOLVED AND THAT THIS BE THE TOP PRIORITY OF THE
UNMIK AND SERB GOVERNMENTS BEFORE EITHER SIDE IS GIVEN MORE INTERNATIONAL
AID MONEY. NEITHER SIDE IS MEETING EVEN THE MOST BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS
REQUIREMENTS TWO YEARS AFTER THE WAR IN KOSOVA HAS ENDED.


A NEW Section on the Association of Political Prisoner's Website:

Now available are actual stories of the prisoners and their ordeal.  Please
point your browser to: http://www.khao.org/prisonerstory.htm to read the
stories of Skender Ferizi, Besim Zymber, and Agim Recica.


Thank you for your continuous support.  Please keep the word out and the
effort going.  We cannot forget and allow innocent lives be destroyed by a
shameless, evil regime.

Sincerely,
Association of Political Prisoners Committee



Archives from A-PAL on the prisoners may be found at:
http://www.khao.org/appkosova/newsletter.htm