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27 October 2002 Sunday Edition
Kosovo Stories
· Polls In Kosovo close, vote turnout 50 percent (AFP)
· Polls close in Kosovo local elections (dpa)
· UN Mission hails peaceful vote despite low turnout (dpa)
· Municipal elections reveal ethnic Albanian disenchantment, Serb
refusal to join (AP)
· Serbs split on Municipal Elections (AP)
· Low turnout Serb turnout mars Kosovo's third post-war poll (Reuters)
· Rugova, Thaçi misleading voters, says Covic (Tanjug)
· Kosovo Polls marred by low turnout of Serb voters (AFP)
· Low turnout mars Kosovo vote (BBC News)
· Kosovo Serbs question their future in the province (AFP)
· Serbian official says turnout 70 percent among Serb in some Kosovo
towns (BBC)
· Serbian official says process of Kosovo decentralization to continue
(BBC)
· Serbian TV reports "peaceful" Kosovo local elections,
fluctuating Serb turnout (BBC)
· Turnout among Kosovo Serb refugees in Serbia 13 percent (BBC)
· Albanian voter turnout in Kosovo election described as good (BBC)
Regional News
Bosnia
· Orao denies exporting weapons to Iraq (FoNet)
Croatia
· Croat police find military gunpowder on seized ship (AP)
Albania
· Hundreds attend funeral of former Albanian queen Mother (AFP)
Polls in Kosovo close, voter turnout 50 percent
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, Oct 26 (AFP) - Over 50 percent of voters
in Kosovo had turned out for local elections in the southern Serbian province
by the time polling stations closed at 7 pm (1700 GMT) on Saturday, the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said.
"We believe the percentage to be over 50 percent," said Poul
Smidt of the OSCE, the pan-European body that supervised the vote.
But there were no immediate details of the turnout among Kosovo's minority
Serb voters, who had been strongly urged to vote by international officials
and Belgrade's reformist authorities.
Earlier on Saturday officials had said Serb turnout was only around 14
percent.
Some 1.3 million people were registered to vote in the election for the
province's 30 local authorities. Most were from Kosovo's ethnic Albanian
majority and only 180,000 were Serbs.
The election is the second local ballot since the end of the war in 1999.
Kosovo's Serb minority boycotted the first local poll, in 2000, but took
part in the parliamentary election in November 2001.
Saturday's poll was seen as a stepping stone in the process of transferring
power to local structures from the United Nations, which has run Kosovo
since the end of the war.
More than 200,000 Serbs fled the province in 1999 to other parts of Serbia
or neighbouring Montenegro, fearing revenge attacks by ethnic Albanians
after Belgrade's troops pulled out and NATO-led peacekeepers (KFOR) began
to deploy throughout Kosovo.
The 180,000 Serb voters elegible to take part in Saturday's election were
allowed to cast their ballots in Kosovo itself, elsewhere in Serbia or
in Montenegro, Serbia's smaller partner in the rump Yugoslavia.
Only about 80,000 Serbs remain in the province, leading an isolated life
under heavy KFOR protection.
The OSCE said preliminary results of the vote, supervised by some 1,000
international and 12,000 local observers, were expected late on Monday.
Polls close in Kosovo local elections
Pristina (dpa) - Polls closed at 7:00 p.m. local time in local
elections which occurred without major incidents in the Yugoslavian province
of Kosovo on Saturday, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) reported.
The first official results are to be published on Monday, the OSCE, the
polls organizers, said.
The main Kosovo Albanian leaders expressed hope that the province's second
local elections will bring stability and help to speed up the process
of Kosovo becoming an independent country.
``These elections surely speed up the independence and democracy of Kosovo'',
Ibrahim Rugova, president of Kosovo and leader of the main political party,
the Democratic League of Kosovo, said after casting his vote.
``I voted with the first lady of Kosovo, my wife, for an independent Kosovo,
integrated in the E.U., NATO and with eternal friendship with the USA,''
Rugova underlined.
His main rival, Hashim Thaci, former leader of the rebel Kosovo Liberation
Army (UCK) and now leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) expressed
the same view.
``I believe this is the most important step after the war, which will
speed up the resolution of the so long awaited, so much desired issue,
the independence of Kosovo'', Thaci told reporters.
The voters are choosing assembly members for Kosovo's 30 municipalities
from 68 political parties, coalitions, citizen's initiatives and independent
candidates.
U.N. Mission hails peaceful vote despite low turnout
Pristina (dpa) - The head of the United Nations Mission that administers
Kosovo on Saturday night praised peaceful and well-organized local elections
in Kosovo, despite low turnout.
``We had a safe and secure environment. We had peaceful elections,'' Michael
Steiner said in a public address, two hours after the end of voting.
The top U.N. official in Kosovo underlined that, as promised, it was safe
to vote throughout Kosovo, and he played down security concerns raised
prior to Saturday's elections, mainly by Kosovo Serb political leaders.
Turnout for the whole of Kosovo, in the second local elections since the
war ended in June 1999, was around 50 per cent, with the final figure
to be presented on Sunday by the election organizer, the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
OSCE reported estimated figures from Kosovo's five administrative regions,
varying in turnout from 45 per cent in the Pristina region to 57 per cent
in the Prizren region.
Although turnout was much lower than in the first local elections, which
were close to 80 per cent, and last year's general elections approaching
70 per cent participation, top international officials still considered
it satisfactory.
``It seems we have good figures. ... We can be satisfied with the turnout,''
Steiner said.
An unsatisfactory feature for U.N. and OSCE officials was the poor turnout
of Kosovo Serbs.
OSCE reported that by their estimates, turnout at polling stations set
up in Serbia and Montenegro for displaced Kosovo Serbs, who number about
110,000 eligible voters, was only 14 per cent.
Although international officials hesitated to acknowledge it, low turnout
was also reported from Serb areas inside Kosovo.
Sources from those polling stations reported that Serbs voted only in
the five municipalities where they are in the majority and practically
boycotted the rest of the country.
The chief of the U.N. Mission in Kosovo blamed the low Kosovo Serb turnout
on Serb leaders.
``Unfortunately, since summer it was a constant flow of negative and contradictory
messages from Serb leaders. They have confused a number of Serb voters,''
Steiner said.
Earlier in the day, the main Kosovo Albanian leaders expressed a belief
that the province's second local elections will bring stability and speed
the process of Kosovo becoming an independent country.
``These elections surely speed up the independence and democracy of Kosovo,''
Ibrahim Rugova, president of Kosovo and leader of the leading political
party, the Democratic League of Kosovo, said after casting his vote.
``I voted with the first lady of Kosovo, my wife, for an independent Kosovo,
integrated in the E.U., NATO, and with eternal friendship with the USA,''
Rugova said.
His main rival, Hashim Thaci, former leader of the rebel Kosovo Liberation
Army (UCK) and now leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), expressed
the same view.
``I believe this is the most important step after the war, which will
speed up the resolution of the so long awaited, so much desired issue,
the independence of Kosovo,'' Thaci told reporters.
Kosovo voters on Saturday choose assembly members for Kosovo's 30 municipalities
from 68 political parties, coalitions, citizen's initiatives and independent
candidates.
Municipal elections reveal ethnic Albanian disenchantment, Serb refusal to join political scene
By GARENTINA KRAJA
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) _ Municipal elections underscored a Kosovo
divided among ethnic Albanians voting for mayors and city councilors and
fearful Serbs who generally ignored calls to participate in balloting
as an overture to reconciliation in the province.
To independence-minded ethnic Albanians _ 90 percent of Kosovo's 2 million people who now run town halls with little Serb input _ Saturday's elections were means to increase their political strength at the local level.
Even ethnic Albanians, however, appeared disenchanted with a democracy that has left the economy struggling three years after the United Nations assumed control of their province. The Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe put overall turnout at around 50 percent, based on preliminary figures _ substantially lower than in two previous elections since 1999.
But Serb turnout was much lower, according to non-governmental monitors whose statistics indicated final figures would put it at below 20 percent. The poor showing represented a blow to U.N. efforts to integrate Serb into the political scene and overcome ethnic divisions threatening further violence.
Voters in 30 municipalities chose between 5,700 candidates from 68 parties and coalitions or independent candidates and will elect 920 local councilors. Full preliminary results were not expected before Monday.
But the Kosovo Action for Civic Initiatives monitoring group said that
exit polls in Pristina, the capital, gave the Democratic League of Kosovo
around 56 percent; the Democratic Party of Kosovo, around 26 percent,
and the smaller Alliance for the Future of Kosovo 7 percent. The three
also finished in that order in general elections a year ago and municipal
elections in 2000 _ the year after Kosovo came under U.N. control.
Ethnic Albanians and Serbs remain divided on most issues, including the
province's future, with Serbs insisting it remain part of Yugoslavia and
Albanians seeking independence.
Some 200,000 Serbs have fled Kosovo out of fear of revenge by ethnic Albanian extremists and an estimated 90,000 Serbs remain living in enclaves protected by the NATO troops that arrived in 1999 after U.S.-led bombing ended a near century of Serbian dominance by forcing out the troops of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
Initially skeptical, the governments of Yugoslavia, and of Serbia, the dominant Yugoslav republic, on Friday and Saturday urged Kosovo's Serbs to vote, as did moderate Kosovo Serb leaders.
But the appeals came only after weeks of vacillation and outright opposition to Serb participation from leading officials. Alluding to that, Michael Steiner, Kosovo's U.N. administrator, blamed the ``constant flow of negative and contradictory messages,'' for the low turnout.
Steiner had promised Serbs a say in strictly municipal decisions _ if
they turn out in large numbers. Touching on the low Serb turnout, he suggested
that role now was in doubt, but said no decisions would be made before
final results are analyzed.
``If you want to be part of change ... it's good if you elect those who
should speak in your name,'' Steiner said.
Serbs Split on Municipal Elections
By GEORGE JAHN
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia (AP) Voters in Kosovo on Saturday
chose mayors and town councilors who promised better schooling, roads
and public health services. But for beleaguered Serbs, the elemental issue
was whether to vote at all.
To ethnic Albanians 90 percent of Kosovo's 2 million people who now run
town halls with little Serb input the municipal elections are uncontroversial.
Advocating Kosovo's eventual independence, they see them as a means to
further their goal by increasing their political strength at the local
level and as a signpost on the road to peace and prosperity in a province
with 50 percent unemployment and sub-poverty wages.
``I want a better, happier life and a safer future,'' said 36 year-old
Naxhije Ademi, a voter, mother of two and like her husband jobless.
But Serbs are fiercely opposed to independence for the U.N.-run Yugoslav
province. Serb supporters and opponents of the elections alike justify
their stance in terms of their desperate struggle to claw back from near
oblivion in a region they claim as their birthright.
Polls closed at around 7 p.m. Preliminary results were expected Monday
from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Reporting
on turnout by mid-afternoon, the OSCE said it was around 40 percent overall.
But only 16.3 percent of Serbs eligible to vote in the province did so
by mid-afternoon, said other monitoring agencies, and the turnout among
Serb expatriates was substantially lower, indicating overall reluctance
to vote among members of the minority.
Across Kosovo, voters in 30 municipalities, choosing between 5,700 candidates
from 68 parties and coalitions or independent candidates, were electing
920 local councilors. The assemblies, which will sit for four years, are
U.N. supervised but are slated to assume increased authority over the
coming years.
The ruling minority of more than 200,000 just four years ago, the estimated
90,000 Serbs still in Kosovo are now a fearful lot. Targeted by ethnic
Albanian extremists, most live in enclaves protected by the NATO troops
that arrived in 1999 after U.S.-led bombing ended a near century of Serbian
dominance by forcing out the troops of former Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic.
Seeking to reintegrate the Serbs, chief U.N. administrator Michael Steiner
has promised them a say in strictly municipal decisions if they turn out
in large numbers on Saturday.
``We can talk about decentralization, provided ... they take part in elections,''
he told The Associated Press. ``This is the only way for them to get a
voice on the decisive level for them the municipal level.''
Initially skeptical, the governments of Yugoslavia, and of Serbia, the
dominant Yugoslav republic, on Friday and Saturday urged Kosovo's Serbs
to vote. Moderate Kosovo Serb leaders joined in, asking compatriots to
exchange the gun for the ballot.
``We have to fight for a new beginning, for our children, for our freedom
and future,'' said Rada Trajkovic, one of the moderates, after voting
in Gracanica, near Pristina, the provincial capital.
Retiree Momcilo Filic, 71, followed Trajkovic's call.
``I need to place my hope somewhere,'' he said in Novobrdo, some 25 miles
east of Pristina. ``If I didn't hope for a better life, I wouldn't be
voting.''
But in ethnically split Kosovska Mitrovica, where the Serb leadership
had called for a boycott in its push to gain formal division of the city,
only 24 of the city's 8,607 registered Serb voters had voted by mid-afternoon,
said local officials.
Miki, a paunchy former chef who now spends his days watching the bridge
splitting the tense city into its ethnic components for any sign of ethnic
Albanian ``infiltrators,'' said he would not vote because ``we see no
future in living together with the Albanians.''
Low Serb turnout mars Kosovo's third post-war
poll
By Fredrik Dahl
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Kosovo voted on Saturday
in its third election since its 1999 war, but many Serbs stayed away from
the municipal poll in a sign of protest over difficult living conditions.
Western officials hoped the vote would help strengthen peace in the U.N.-governed
Yugoslav province, whose majority Albanians and minority Serbs remain
bitterly divided.
They had urged Serbs in particular to vote, telling them the best chance
to improve their situation was to engage in political life with other
groups. The Serbian government in Belgrade also called on people to participate.
The election of councillors to manage everyday issues like schools and
roads in 30 municipalities was seen as a key step for U.N.-led efforts
to foster normal life and reconciliation, with much interest focused on
how many people would vote.
But preliminary figures made clear Kosovo's Serbs had showed up in much
smaller numbers than its Albanians, especially in the northern flashpoint
town of Mitrovica.
They cast ballots in higher numbers in towns they dominate, but only 14
percent of more than 100,000 mainly Serb refugees living outside Kosovo
took part, figures from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation
in Europe showed.
Kosovo's U.N. governor, Michael Steiner, blamed ``a constant flow of negative
and contradictory messages'' from local Serb leaders, some of whom had
urged a boycott.
``I'm sorry to say these contradictory messages apparently confused a
number of Serb voters,'' the German diplomat said, still expressing general
satisfaction over the election.
ELECTION HIGHLIGHTS DIVISIONS
In predominantly Albanian areas of Kosovo, turnout generally exceeded
50 percent, preliminary figures showed.
The election seemed to reflect continued deep divisions in Kosovo, whose
future status has yet to be determined. Albanians are united in demanding
independence, while Serbs insist Kosovo is and will always remain part
of Serbia.
``These elections are not ours,'' said pharmacy owner Lepa Dzoni in the
mainly Serb part of Mitrovica.
Among Albanians, the vote was a test of strength for rival parties led
by veteran pacifist Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova and ex-rebel chief
Hashim Thaci. Both leaders portrayed the poll as a crucial step towards
independence.
``Of course this election will speed up the independence, the democratisation
of Kosovo,'' Rugova said when voting.
More than 1.3 million people were able to vote.
They included Serbs and other non-Albanians who fled the province in mid-1999
in fear of Albanian revenge attacks after NATO air strikes ended repression
directed by Belgrade when Slobodan Milosevic ruled Yugoslavia.
Many of those remaining live in enclaves protected by peacekeepers, complaining
they cannot travel around freely.
Serbs boycotted the first local election in October 2000 and only participated
in an election to a new Kosovo parliament in November last year under
heavy Western pressure.
The minority says the U.N.-led mission has not done enough to improve
Serbs' situation, even though the level of ethnic violence has abated
considerably in the past year.
Hardline leaders had urged Serbs to vote in five towns where they form
a majority and to boycott the election where they do not, including Mitrovica,
where less than one percent visited their polling stations.
The turnout was much higher in Serb-dominated towns, reaching as high
as 79 percent in Zubin Potok in the north.
Rugova, Thaqi misleading voters, says Covic |
Tanjug
ZUBIN POTOK -- Saturday - The head of Belgrade's Coordination Centre for
Kosovo, Nebojsa Covic, today accused two senior Kosovo Albanian leaders
of misleading voters in today's local government elections.
Covic, who is a deputy prime minister of Serbia was commenting on statements that the province would be independent in the future which, he said, was simply a pipe dream of ethnic Albanian politicians.
Kosovo President Rugova told media that the election was a path towards the rapid resolution of Kosovo's ultimate status.
Former Kosovo Liberation Army leader Hashim Thaqi made similar remarks after voting in Pristina today, adding that the election was the most important moment for Kosovo since the end of the war.
Kosovo polls marred by low turnout of Serb voters
By Nebi Qena
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, Oct 26 (AFP) - Kosovo's local elections on
Saturday, seen as a test of UN efforts to ensure Serbian minority representation
in political institutions dominated by ethnic Albanians, was marred by
a low turnout of Serbs, officials said.
The UN administration in Kosovo had set the participation of the ethnic
Serbian minority, as a priority.
However, the Serbs, who make up some 180,000 of 1.3 million voters in
the province, came out to the polls in low numbers.
"Some 14 percent of those registered in Kosovo voted by 3 pm,"
said Milena Jaksic of the Belgrade-based non-government observers of the
Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CESID).
More than 200,000 Serbs fled the province in 1999, fearing revenge attacks
by ethnic Albanians after Belgrade's troops pulled out and NATO-led peacekeepers
(KFOR) began to deploy throughout Kosovo.
Some 80,000 Serbs remain in the province, leading an isolated life under
heavy KFOR protection. They could cast their ballots in the province or
in Serbia and Montenegro, where they fled since 1999.
But outside the province, displaced Serbs also stayed away from the vote,
with only seven percent casting their ballots by afternoon, the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has sponsored the
vote, said.
In Kosovska Mitrovica, an ethnic hotspot north of the provincial capital
Pristina, where the Serb minority live in the northern part of the town,
the turnout was also low.
"I can only confirm that there is a very low turnout in the northern
part of Mitrovica," Poul Smidt, OSCE spokesman, said.
The OSCE did not have figures on the overall turnout of the Serb minority
in the province."We have not registered the voters based on ethnicity,
so we cannot tell you that," Smidt said.
The general turnout of voters reached some 40 percent by 3 pm (1300 GMT)
throughout Kosovo, OSCE said.
So far, the two communities have led parallel lives, with the Albanians
hoping to gain independence and the Serbs looking to revert the province
back to under Belgrade's rule.
The Serbs complain that both the UN and NATO have failed to protect their
communities from ethnic Albanian reprisals or create the security conditions
necessary for the return of refugees.
However, those who decided to come out to the polls, believed improved
living conditions were ahead.
"Things will get better in time. And these elections are a step towards
that. Both sides can live together, but nothing would come out without
elections," Zoran Savic, a 43-year-old Serb living in the provincial
capital Pristina, said.
The main ethnic Albanian political parties, the League of Democratic Kosovo
(LDK) of Kosovo's President Ibrahim Rugova, and the Democratic Party of
Kosovo (PDK) of former rebel leader Hashim Thaci are the main contenders
among the majority Albanian community.
Most Albanians saw the poll as a means of achieving independence from
Belgrade.
"I hope the leaders will keep their promises, make life better and
be united in getting us to independence," said Ahmet Ahmeti who works
for the province's electric company.
The UN was hoping that Serb participation on Saturday would demonstrate
that Western efforts to promote reconciliation and lay the foundations
for multi-ethnic democracy, were succeeding.
Polling stations opened at 7 am (0500 GMT) and were due to close 12 hours
later as people voted to elect representatives to run Kosovo's 30 municipalities.
The polls are seen as a stepping stone in the handover of power from the
UN administration to the local structures. Voters will elect more than
900 officials out of 5,700 candidates.
The municipal governments' powers are limited, but the UN has signaled
its readiness to hand over more responsibilities to local bodies during
their four-year mandate.
The OSCE said preliminary results of the vote, supervised by some 1,000
international and 12,000 local observers, were expected late Monday.
Low Serb turnout mars Kosovo vote
Ethnic Albanian leaders aspire to independence
Counting is taking place in Kosovo, following a day of voting in local
elections that are seen as a test of the prospects for democracy in the
southern Yugoslav province.
It is the second municipal election there since Kosovo came under United
Nations administration in 1999 - and the first in which the minority Serbs
are taking part.
However officials say early indications are that many of them did not
vote.
Guns were barred from polling stations
Overall turnout is estimated at over 50% by the Organisation for Security
and Co-operation in Europe, which supervised the election.
However by mid-afternoon, only 16% of Serbs eligible to vote had done
so.
Hard-line Serb leaders had urged people to stay at home, saying the UN
has not done enough to improve conditions for the province's Serb population.
Kosovo's ethnic Albanian community largely chose between supporters of
President Ibrahim Rugova and those of ex-rebel leader Hashim Thaci.
Both leaders have said the elections are a crucial step towards independence
for Kosovo.
Boycott call
Voters in 30 municipalities were choosing 920 local councillors.
The international community encouraged Serbs to vote.
Moderate Serbs leaders did vote
"If you want change, you have to participate," said Kosovo's
UN governor, Michael Steiner.
Moderate Serb leaders, both in Kosovo and in Belgrade, also favoured participation.
But others took a different view.
The leader of the Serb community in the divided town of Mitrovica called
on Serbs to vote only in the five municipalities where they form a majority.
And the leader of the Serbian Radical Party, Vojislav Seselj, has called
for a total boycott.
The Serbs are embattled, impoverished and outnumbered 10 to one by the
Albanian majority. They are deeply fearful of losing their remaining ties
to Belgrade.
Among the Albanians, opinion polls show widespread disillusionment with
parties across the political spectrum - a feature of several recent Balkan
elections.
In Serbia, presidential elections had to be annulled altogether after
turnout fell below the legal minimum, following another boycott led by
Mr Seselj.
Kosovo Serbs question their future in the province
By Jean-Eudes Barbier
PRISTINA, Oct 26 (AFP) - Kosovo's 80,000 remaining Serbs, surrounded
by an ethnic Albanian majority in the UN-administered Yugolsav province,
are only slowly, and with great difficulty, regaining a political voice.
Their community leaders complained, as polls opened Saturday for local
elections, that security for the minority community has improved little
during three years of NATO supervision.
The polls are the third since the June 1999 NATO bombing campaign that
ousted then-Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic's forces from the province.
The UN administration has set a priority on the participation of the Serb
minority, which boycotted a first election in 2000, and hope it will show
that efforts to promote reconciliation and lay the foundations for multi-ethnic
democracy are succeeding.
The Serbs are represented in the Kosovo parliament and the government.
If they vote in sufficient numbers, they could gain deputies at the municipality
level.
"But we will have influence over nothing," complained Milorad
Todorovic, a Kosovo Serb member of the provincial government responsible
for the return of displaced persons.
Over 200,000 Serbs fled the province in 1999, fearing revenge attacks
by ethnic Albanians after Belgrade's troops withdrew and NATO-led peacekeepers
(KFOR) began to deploy throughout Kosovo. Those who remain lead an isolated
life under heavy KFOR protection.
"Only less than 500 have so far returned," to their homes in
Kosovo, Todorovic said, blaming what he claimed was nearly non-existent
security for Serb communities.
Around 180,000 Serbs registered to vote could cast their ballots in the
province or from Serbia or Montenegro, where they have fled.
Unlike many Albanians' desire for total independence from Serbia-dominated
Yugoslavia, most of the province's Serbs want closer ties to Belgrade.
UN data has shown a steady decrease in violence against Serbs in Kosovo,
but Todorovic insisted daily life proved otherwise.
Without military escort outside the protected enclaves, Serbs are a continuous
target of violence, he said.
"Several days ago, the Serbs were insulted, threatened, spat upon
in the face and pelted with stones in (the eastern town) Gnjilane,"
Todorovic added.
Such incidents never appear in official data but occur all the time, the
official said.
In addition, Serbs also face "institutional" violence, he explained.
Jelena, one of the rare Serb clerks in the Pristina administration, commutes
to work daily via UN vehicle from her home in a nearby village.
For a monthly salary of less than 120 euros (110 dollars), she works full-time
in the centre of town but cannot leave the building on a break.
She brings her lunch from home, explaining: "I don't want to risk
my life to buy a sandwich in the street."
Serb official Oliver Ivanovic complained that the German diplomat Michael
Steiner, chief of the province's UN administration, has done little to
encourage dialogue between ethnic Serbs and Albanians.
"The Albanians feel strongly and do not see a need for dialogue.
They think only of independence and take all measures to reach it as soon
as possible," Ivanovic said.
"What if the Albanians refuse to be reconciled with us?" he
asked.
Steiner promised to begin debate in November on a decentralization policy
that would establish local municipalities in areas inhabitated by Serbs.
Local and Yugoslav-based Serb leaders have called for "national councils"
that would focus on return of persons displaced by the war and its aftermath.
For Ivanovic, the ball is in the court of UN officials to advance inter-ethnic
cooperation in the divided province.
"They should put a fist on a table and bring us all together to talk",
the Serb official said.
Serbian official says turnout 70 per cent among Serbs in some Kosovo towns
BBC Monitoring Service
Announcer] The turnout among the Kosovo Serbs varies from municipality
to municipality. The highest turnout is in Strpce and Novo Brdo, and the
lowest in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, the head of the coordination
centre for Kosovo and Metohija, Nebojsa Covic, has told B92.
[Covic] We have over 70 per cent turn out in Strpce, although I should
add that this is according to unofficial data. I think that the turnout
in Zubin Potok is 50-55 per cent. The turnout in Leposavic is over 30
per cent, Gracanica 26 per cent, Blatno Selo [as heard] 27 per cent, Plemetina
50 per cent.
I think that it is over 80 per cent in Novo Brdo.
And what is not good as indicating the situation is Kosovoska Mitrovica,
that is, northern Mitrovica.
Source: Radio B92, Belgrade
Serbian official says process of Kosovo decentralization to continue
BBC Media Monitoring
[Announcer] The problem of the low turnout among the Serbs from the province
[Kosovo], [Serbian Deputy Prime Minister] Nebojsa Covic explains with
a brief election campaign, adding that there were some forms of obstruction.
[Cocvic] Firstly, a short time, secondly numerous attempts to confuse
and numerous inconsistent statements even by people who should not be
saying that, especially as they had problems themselves until recently.
But here it is. This is the result we have now. This results certainly
shows that no-one had an intention regarding selective approaches. But
simply the people are like that, they are confused.
And it is up to us not to scold them and lecture them, but to continue
to work together with them and to embark upon a realistic programme of
decentralization of authorities in Kosovo and Metohija.
Source: Radio B92, Belgrade
Serbian TV reports "peaceful" Kosovo
local elections, fluctuating Serb turnout
BBC Monitoring Service
[Presenter] Polling stations closed at 1900 [1700 gmt] in Kosovo-Metohija
as well as those in Serbia proper where citizens of the southern province
[of Kosovo] voted for local institutions of power. We have Azra Jukovic,
BKTV's correspondent in Pristina, on a direct telephone line. Azra, good
evening.
[Jukovic] Good evening.
[Presenter] Tell us if the elections have been completed in a peaceful
manner?
[Jukovic] Yes, they have been completed in a relatively peaceful manner
except for a few incidents about which we have already heard - local Albanians
putting up Albanian national insignia at polling stations which the OSCE
[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe], in accordance with
its policy, removed from polling stations. Otherwise, no other irregularities
and incidents have been noticed yet.
[Presenter] Can voter turnout in Kosovo-Metohija be estimated at this
moment?
[Jukovic] Well, the way things stand, [OSCE spokesperson] Poul Smidt has
told BKTV that over 50 per cent of Kosovo citizens who were registered
on voter lists voted today. The OSCE will publish the official information
about how many citizens voted today during its news conference, which
OSCE mission chief Pascal Fieschi and UNMIK [UN Interim Administration
Mission in Kosovo] chief Michael Steiner set for 2100 [1900 gmt]. Poul
Smidt admitted that Serb turnout was significantly higher in those five
municipalities - Decani, Zubin Potok, Leposavic, Novo Brdo and Strpce
- where Serbs are in a majority, while those enclaves where Serbs live
as minorities had poor turnout.
We should add that, according to the last overview which the OSCE conducted
at 1500 hours and which it presented at 1700 hours, in the region of Gnjilane
there was a 45-per-cent turnout, in Mitrovica 32 per cent, in Pec 47 per
cent, and in Pristina and Prizren 40 per cent each, while there was a
7-per-cent turnout in Serbia and Montenegro.
[Presenter] Azra, thanks for that report from Pristina. As to how the
election went on in other parts of Serbia, Natasa Mandic from the Serbian
Commission for Refugees will tell us about it. Natasa, good evening.
[Mandic] Good evening.
[Presenter] Do you have any information about the percentage of those
who voted?
[Mandic] As far as 1900 hours is concerned, we still do not have any information
because polling stations have just closed in central Serbia. We expect
the first, in information in some 15 to 20 minutes. The latest information
which we have is that from 1600 hours, namely that 8,804 people voted
in central Serbia.
[Presenter] Natasa, thank you for your report.
Source: BKTV, Belgrade
Turnout among Kosovo Serb refugees in Serbia 13
per cent
BBC Monitoring Service
[Announcer] The lowest turnout was in central Serbia, where 13 per cent
of displaced Serbs voted, the Republican Commissioner for Refugees, Sandra
Raskovic Ivic, has told B92.
[Raskovic Ivic] The lowest turnout was in Vojvodina and some municipalities
in central Serbia. The highest turnout was in the municipality of Medvedja
[southern Serbia] where the turnout among the displaced was 57.52 per
cent, then Negotin with the 46 per cent turnout, Kovin 45 per cent, Vlasotinci
43 per cent, Raca Kragujevacka 44 per cent. So the turnout was quite good
in these municipalities. In other municipalities, the turnout was much,
much lower.
Source: Radio B92, Belgrade
Albanian voter turnout in Kosovo election described as good
BBC Monitoring Service
Pristina, 26 October: During the early hours of the local elections in
Kosovo, the turnout of voters in municipalities dominated by Albanians
has been good, a BETA, Belgrade, in correspondent reports from Pristina.
According to information from the field, all 1,720 voting stations have
opened in Kosovo...
In the course of today, the OSCE mission will provide three updates on
the progress of voting. The first news conference is scheduled for 1000
[0800 GMT] in Pristina.
The OSCE will announce preliminary election results on Monday 28 October,
while the final results will have been announced by the end of the next
week at the latest.
Source: Beta news agency
Orao denies exporting weapons to Iraq | FoNet
BANJA LUKA -- Friday - The Orao munitions company in the Bosnian Serb
Republic today issued a statement denying ever providing military goods
or services to Iraq.
The statement, signed by the sacked company director Milan Prica, also denied having a contract with the Yugoslav Government's arms trading company Jugoimport.
"Orao and its staff are shocked by the official statements of a number of domestic and foreign institutions concerning this case and believe these judgements to be tendentious and false," said the statement.
The company also claimed that the issue was an attempt to discredit and damage it.
Croat police find military gunpowder on seized ship
By SNJEZANA VUKIC
RIJEKA, Croatia (AP) _ Gunpowder was found on a ship seized in
this Croatian port after authorities received a tip the vessel could be
transporting Yugoslav military supplies to Iraq, Croatian authorities
said Saturday.
Police found explosive materials in 14 containers stored on the ship, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Zinka Bardic said. According to police the powder could be used in mortars, artillery shells and rockets.
Croatian officials have refused to give details about the seizure of the ship, the Boka Star, which is owned by a businessman from Montenegro, Yugoslavia's smaller republic. It was seized Wednesday when it sailed into Croatian waters under Tongan flag.
The seizure of the ship came as the U.S. Embassy in neighboring Bosnia announced it had ``clear evidence'' that a Bosnian factory, Orao, and the Yugoslav state-owned arms dealer Yugoimport were ``refurbishing military aircraft for Iraq,'' in a violation of the U.N. embargo.
The Yugoslav government immediately fired two senior military officials that headed Yugoimport and Bosnian Serb officials confirmed the Orao factory was violating the U.N. embargo.
A Croatian police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged Saturday that there ``was a suspicion that the ship's cargo might be linked to military exports to Iraq.'' The official, however, said that until the investigation is over, ``we cannot confirm that,'' adding that the initial suspicion that the ship carried Iraq-bound parts for military fighter jets MIG-21 ``turned out to be incorrect.''
Hundreds attend funeral of former Albanian queen
mother
TIRANA, Oct 26 (AFP) - Hundreds of people, including senior officials,
gathered Saturday for the funeral of the former queen mother of Albania,
Geraldine Zog, who died Tuesday at the age of 87.
Albanian Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta and opposition leader Sali Berisha
were among those present at the mass in the main Tirana's cathedral, after
hundreds of people passed by the coffin for more than three hours.
Zog spent more than 60 years in exile before returning to Albania in July
this year accompanied by her son, Leka First Zogu, her grandson and daughter-in-law.
"It was her wish to die and be buried in Albania," royal family
spokesman Fluturak Germenji said.
Germenji condemned the Albanian government for failing to proclaim the
national mourning day, as the royal family had demanded.
He insisted the burial of the former queen mother at the public cemetery
in Tirana, was only "temporary".
Zog had been in hospital for a week before suffering three heart attacks
Tuesday, a hospital official told reporters.
Born in 1915 to a noble Hungarian family, countess Geraldine Apponyi married
Albanian king Ahmet Zog in 1938.
Following the Italian occupation of Albania in April 1939, King Zog and
his family were expelled from the country.
The king, who died in 1961 in Paris at the age of 66, never returned to
Albania, which became a communist state after World War II.
Following the king's death, his son Leka proclaimed himself the king of
Albania.