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CONTENTS: THERE SHOULD BE CALLS FOR PEACE COMING FROM KOSOVARS THERE SHOULD BE CALLS FOR PEACE COMING FROM KOSOVARS The protests in support of the National Liberation Army and statements by political parties were reported in Koha Ditore on page five. Independent Students Union of Pristina University (UPSUP) organized three protests led by its president Afrim Hoti. He said that the first protest was organized on 21 March. But the students say that they were organized by a group of students from Tetovo and later the UPSUP president joined them. The protest was in support of the National Liberation Army and also marked the uprising of the "81 Albanian Spring". The main political parties signed a declaration that did not support these protests. The declaration was signed under pressure from the internationals calling on the NLA to give up arms and return to their homes. From the Dean's office, there were statements that "the UPSUP cannot organize such protests unless they are in accordance with the engagement of all Kosovar subjects" which means that protests can be organized only if "they support a peaceful solution to the problem". "Protests regarding the Macedonia issue can be organized only as an expression of the will against violence," said a member of the dean's office who wished to remain anonymous. Meanwhile, demonstrators who joined the three protests were quite vociferous in their support for the NLA. AAK chairmanship member Naim Maloku said "These protests can mobilize the international factor in being more active in solving the problems in Macedonia". He added "that calls for calming the situation should be supported". ANNAN: ELECTIONS IN KOSOVO TO BE HELD THIS YEAR UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's interview for the Neue Zurcher Zeitung on the Kosovo elections, reported Zëri on page four. In an extensive interview for the Swiss paper, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said that it would be better for the Kosovo issue be resolved as fast as possible taking into consideration the unstable situation in the Balkans. Annan said "the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 foresees that UN will administer Kosovo, which will have 'substantial autonomy'. This year there will be elections and we are working to determine the competencies and creating the organs that would function within the framework of substantial autonomy. Naturally, this autonomy will be very close to independence. The resolution emphasizes that there should be a long-lasting discussion on Kosovo's future. There is need for talks with Serbia, neighboring countries and the international community". Does this means that UN will remain for many years in Kosovo? "This would not be very beneficial and it is not something I am praying for. We must find a definite solution. The UN members are discussing this problem. We have to come up with a solution acceptable to all sides that would automatically lower the tension in the region. If we do not achieve this, then this part of the world would remain unstable," said Annan. Annan termed relations with the new administration in Washington as very good and added that he had a very fruitful talk with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and President Bush. "Both of them assured me that they want to cooperate with the UN". SHALA: ARRESTING CRIMINALS AND GIVING AMNESTY? Zëri on page three carried a column by its editor-in-chief Blerim Shala on Milosevic's arrest and his possible extradition to The Hague. Shala noted: He broke his word once more. For the first time in his life, the negotiations he was involved in had nothing to do with fate of other nations, with redrawing ethnic and state borders, with stopping the wars he began himself or with an agreement to spare his life. This time he was the point of the negotiations. As he had always done when he negotiated, he started very aggressively: he announced that he will kill his wife, daughter and then himself in case the police tried to arrest him. His last word was that he would not go out alive. What happened afterwards is obvious. He gave up and is now in the famous C-Z, an institution where Albanians have been in majority for the last 50 years. Milosevic did not commit suicide. The new Serb government during the negotiations surely promised him that his arrest had nothing to do with The Hague or war crimes. It had to do with corruption and thievery. Milosevic certainly sees his extradition to The Hague as the greatest humiliation possible, a thing worse than death. However he is not the only one who shares this opinion. The Belgrade citizens still believe that Milosevic has done more damage by stealing hundreds of millions of deutsch mark than he has by beginning four wars, which resulted in hundreds killed, among which were more than 12,000 Kosovo Albanians. After all, it seems as if Milosevic's arrest is a matter of money. Earlier, the American reward for his arrest was five million dollars. This time his arrest and cooperation with The Hague is worth 100 million dollars in American aid for Serbia. This way, the new Serb regime is trying to sell its cooperation with The Hague at a very high price. Milosevic is now the most expensive export merchandise to The Hague Tribunal. However, can the head of FRY, who until now fiercely opposed each and every attempt by The Hague to judge the crimes committed in Kosovo, Bosnia and elsewhere, allow cooperation with The Hague? Why does Kostunica's Belgrade so fiercely oppose Milosevic's extradition to The Hague? Milosevic's extradition to The Hague cannot explain the past of FRY wars and Serb politicians and militarists participation in them. His trial in The Hague, spectacular for Europe, would be a political process of justifying the necessity of an independent Kosovo and Montenegro. It would enable Kosovo because of the crimes committed here to finally break all political, governmental and state links in future with Serbia. This judicial process is necessary to understand how the Balkans sank during the last decade. Milosevic's wars challenged the European post communist era, they made
NATO find a new role in Europe even after the great Soviet superpower
dissolved, they made NATO troops spread to many parts of the Balkans and
become an important body in the decisions of the UN Security Council, they
created the Contact Group as west's and Russia's new supreme political
body for solving the main issues in the Balkans. Milosevic's political biography, which will be revealed in The Hague, will come out as Serbia's political biography of the last decade of the twentieth century. The people in Belgrade are aware of this. Therefore, they do not want his extradition to The Hague." VLLASI: NATIONS MUST BE CONVINCED THAT THERE IS JUSTICE Zëri on page four carried a comment by Former President of Kosovo's Communist Central Committee, Azem Vllasi. Vllasi wrote: "Milosevic's arrest and extradition to The Hague is the most important step in pursuing war criminals. This should be decisive in convincing the public opinion, especially the nations, which suffered from Milosevic's terror that there is justice after all and that the perpetrators of war crimes and civilian population will be brought to justice. The condemnation of the main criminal will at least calm the democratic opinion, especially the many victims of Milosevic and his regime. Milosevic's extradition should also be an important turn in dismantling the great Serb ideology, which under Milosevic had taken on fascist dimensions and committing crimes and genocide against other nations, especially Albanians and Bosniaks. Therefore Milosevic can be put on trial only in The Hague. It is important that the Serbs were the ones who imprisoned him, but not just for criminal acts in Serbia. Milosevic's arrest and trial should be the beginning of many others who promoted the idea and project of a 'Greater Serbia' through the commission of war crimes and genocide. There are many of them. In other words, the process of cleansing Serbia from the Nazis should begin, just like it happened in Germany after World War Two. This is a crucial pre-condition for peace and stability in the Balkans. The Serb nation cannot wash its hands off the crimes of Milosevic and his regime against other nations only by putting Milosevic on trial. The new Serb government must send all other accused criminals to The Hague and others should be put to trial in local courts. This way, trust can return and relations can normalize between nations of the Balkans. Because Milosevic was only a product of a certain state of mind in Serbia, a state in which Serbia and the Serbs have been living for more than 15 years. Due to us being the first to face his aggression and brutality through genocidal attempts and to feel his crimes on our own skin, Albanians and I see Milosevic's arrest with great satisfaction. His imprisonment and trial gives us hope that such a criminal and such policy will never again be reborn in the European land of the Balkans. "CHIEF PROSECUTOR" HAEKKERUP EXTENDS THE DETENTION Though the international judges released the three suspects in the Merdare bombing, they are still under detention, reported Gazeta e Re on page five. Even thought the three international judges Renate Winter, Guy Van Craen and Jose Manuel Rodriguez decided to release the three suspects, Avdi Behluli, Çelë Gashi and Jusuf Veliu, they are still held in the District Jail in Pristina, in the Merdare case. Tomë Gashi, defense lawyer for the three suspects said "I received a release order for these three on 28 March". However, he does not know the reason why they are still being kept in detention. According to the international judges, the three suspects should be released because of the lack of evidence and further investigation towards the three should be suspended. According to this order, only the fourth suspect Florim Gashi should be under detention for another 30 days. Our source at the Department of Justice informed us that the three suspects were being held by an executive order given by the UNMIK Chief Administrator Hans Haekkerup. As his predecessor, Bernard Kouchner continued the detention of Afrim Zeqiri because the Gjilani District Court released him for lack of evidence and the prosecutor did not want to continue the case. Afrim Zeqiri has been kept in jail since then and his status is still undefined. Haekkerup in this case has taken the role of his predecessor Kouchner especially when Albanians are in question. They are above every institution and law in Kosovo, devaluing and corrupting even those institutions they created and signed for. It is very surprising and irritating that those arrested are noted KPC officers and their arrest by UNMIK and KFOR special units has come at a time when there is a crusade for tarnishing the image of KPC. Even more irritating is the fact that their arrest was very brutal and in a style only seen in crime movies. Their conduct was similar to what we had seen for many years during the Serb regime. These are arbitrary arrests resembling those by the Serb police and
judgments given by Serb judges where cases were fabricated and later on
judgments were given according to the political needs. This practice has
to definitely stop and justice has to take over and take its course
without political implications. |