CONTENTS

· VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN GRAÇANICA
· U.S. KFOR REACTS TO FATHER SAVA'S STATEMENT
· FIRST KOSOVO WAR CRIMES TRIAL POSTPONED
· GRACANICA SNC NOMINATES ITS DELEGATION FOR NEW YORK
· KOSOVO POLJE SNC: THAÇI AND KOUCHNER - HARDENED CRIMINALS
· IVANOVIC BLOCKS ROADS IN NORTH KOSOVO
· SERB ORTHODOX CHURCH APPEALS TO SERBS TO REGISTER
· TRAJKOVIC: IDEA FOR SERB PROTECTION CORPS TO BE ACTIVATED
· BATIC: KOSOVO ISSUE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO IS IN POWER
· MALIQI: CRIMINAL LOGIC
· DITA WRITES TO INTERNATIONAL JOURNALIST ASSOCIATIONS

VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN GRAÇANICA

Five Serbs were wounded by two grenades, three others were wounded by British KFOR, two Albanians were beaten, eight UNMIK and one KFOR vehicles were burnt and the commander of the Multinational Brigade Center was attacked by Serbs during Tuesday's riots in the town of Graçanica, reported Koha Ditore on page one, referring to international and Serb sources.

A spokesman of MNB Center told the paper that on Tuesday at about 0900 hours, a Serb crowd gathered in the town and started throwing stones on the Swedish KFOR soldiers. Afterwards KFOR reinforcements and UNMIK policemen arrived in Graçanica.

One hour later, at about 1000 hours, two grenades were thrown close to the cultural center, wounding five Serbs. KFOR helicopters reportedly identified a vehicle Opel Vectra, from which the grenades were allegedly thrown. The vehicle was later stopped and its occupants questioned. But KFOR sources didn't report on the identity of the occupants.

KFOR also said that after the grenades attack, outraged Serbs gathered and started attacking the vehicles passing through the town. Shots fired from small caliber firearms were also heard.

Quoting the Serb media, the paper said that Father Sava, spokesman of the Serb National Council of Graçanica, said that the trouble erupted after the grenades were thrown, leading to nearly 1,000 Serbs gathering there, who clashed with the soldiers of the Swedish KFOR contingent. According to Sava, the vehicle from which the grenades were thrown was an Opel Cadet, and not Vectra as KFOR said. The Belgrade-based Beta news agency reported that 12 Serbs were injured in the riots and while two Albanians were attacked by the crowd. 

The paper also said that Tuesday afternoon there was another incident in Graçanica. The security staff of the CMNB Brigadier General Richard Shirref, wounded three Serbs after a group of Serbs tried to attack the British commander. These persons received injuries in their arms, hands and legs. KFOR added that later another Serb was arrested after he tried to physically attack General Shirref. "The security of General Shirref assessed that the Serb group seriously endangered the commander of the Multinational Brigade Center. The security fired 15 rounds, in which three persons were wounded," said Lt. Rob Hannam, KFOR Spokesman.

While speaking on the incidents in Graçanica at a press briefing, General Shirref terms the grenade attack in Graçanica as a terrorist act, adding that most probably the attackers had managed to escape. General Shirref added that the Serbs reacted angrily and took the law into their own hands, beat up the Albanians who later found shelter in the Graçanica Monastery. He also said that the Serbs burnt some vehicles.

Commenting on the incident involving his security and the Graçanica Serbs, Shirref said that he was attacked and that his security had to open fire. "My life was in danger," said Shirref, adding that most of the people who met him had good intentions. "Some, however, preferred violence," he said.

After the riots, General Shirref reportedly met Father Sava, and according to a Beta report, he reiterated his support for the moderate Serbs who are in favor of a multiethnic Kosovo.

Regarding incidents in Graçanica, Zëri and Kosova Sot in their reports especially focused on the attacks on the Albanians by the Serb crowd. Zëri headlined its article "Serbs attack Albanians, the police, KFOR", while Kosova Sot said "Serbs badly mistreated the Albanian passers by and tried to burn them with petrol". Both papers had separate reports on the testimonies of the Albanians who were beaten and were later  hospitalized at the Prishtina Hospital.

Zëri also carried a commentary by Blerim Shala, paper's publisher, who referring to the latest incidents, noted that Mitrovica, the most disturbed town, had been very quiet in recent weeks, despite fears expressed about it, even by the former CMNB North, General de Sannes, that a series of incidents could be expected in this area. "All the latest incidents happened in the KFOR sectors, where the responsibility falls mainly upon the American and British troops, or upon the soldiers of the two states, which contributed the most for the liberation of Kosovo. We believe that these two conclusions, deserve a special consideration of KFOR and UNMIK," concluded Shala.

U.S. KFOR REACTS TO FATHER SAVA'S STATEMENT

Zëri on page three carried the reaction of the U.S. KFOR on the statement of the Serb National Council, which accused Americans of supporting terrorism in Kosovo. The spokesman of the Serb National Council, Father Sava, later reiterated this statement during an interview with the paper, it was noted.

Captain Russell Berg, deputy chief of press at the U.S. Bondsteel Camp, told the paper that the statement of Father Sava didn't reflect the situation in the Multinational Brigade East. "We have a noticeable presence in all communities. We are guarding Serb churches 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We escort buses, guard specific houses and groups of children and stores where it is necessary. We have been impartial in implementing the laws and resolution 1244, by stopping Kosovar Albanians and Serbs, when there was violence," added Berg.

Commenting on the events in Presevo Valley, Captain Berg said that the U.S. troops have carried out some surround and search operations and they had captured weapons, ammunition, anti-tank mines, and other military equipment. He added that, "it is not fair to say that we are supporting criminals only because the crimes were committed in our sector".

Berg also said that protection couldn't be secured simply through the presence of KFOR soldiers, which cannot be in all places all the time. "Security for the people in Kosovo is possible only through respect and tolerance for each other and through trust and cooperation with KFOR and UNMIK Police in preventing and investigating crime and violence," concluded the deputy chief of press at the U.S. Bondsteel Camp, Russell Berg.

FIRST KOSOVO WAR CRIMES TRIAL POSTPONED

The defense objections to the lack of facilities for simultaneous translation, was the reason of the postponement of the trial of Miroslav Vuckovic in the District Court of Mitrovica, located in the northern part of the town, reported Koha Ditore on page one and four. Miroslav Vuckovic and Bozur Bisevac were indicted for genocide committed in the Albanian villages of Gushofc and Suhodoll i Epërm, of Mitrovica municipality.

The paper recalled that the indictment, filed by the Municipal Attorney's Office in Mitrovica and represented by the prosecutor Jusuf Mejzini, noted that, "From 22 March to 24 May 1999, they violently expelled the Albanian population, thus forcing them to seek shelter in the mountains or in nearby villages. Afterwards, Vuckovic and Bisevac along with other persons, masked and wearing military, paramilitary and police uniforms, robbed the property of the Albanians and burned down their houses. During these attacks, they burned a sick old woman, Hazire Sahiti, in her house even though they knew she was inside. Thus they committed the crime of genocide".

According to the paper, the trial had to start at 9.00 hours, but Mahmut Halimi, the presiding judge, and the international judge, Swede Christer Karphammer decided first to visit the villages, Gushofc and Suhodoll i Epërm. In the meantime, 20 Albanian witnesses were brought by KFOR French troops to the Mitrovica District Court. "While the Albanian witnesses were entering the front-yard of the court, a group of Serbs gathered in front of the entry, abused and insulted the Albanians. Meanwhile, the French soldiers served coffee to the Serbs who were waiting in front of the entrance for the trial to begin," the paper noted.

Before the presiding judge opened the main session, the defense, consisting of five lawyers started speaking. Milan Vuljin, a lawyer from Belgrade wanted to know "which court is this and what laws will be applied". Responding to Vuljin, Halimi was reported to have said that "this is a court established by the Interim Administration of Kosovo and the Penal Procedure Code of Yugoslavia will be applied," to which Vuljin responded that, "the Penal Procedure Code of Yugoslavia doesn't foresee the third party, in this case the international judge, to be taken into consideration".

The paper reported that the Serb lawyer, Vuljin, continued speaking, this time on the use of the Albanian language in the trial. "All right, we accept this court, but we won't accept the procedure where the translation is done by whispering in the ear. This confuses the defense and prolongs the trial. When we talked to Mike Pedersen (head of the OSCE Department for the Rule of Law), he promised us that all facilities will be provided for adequate translation, because one cannot know what the interpreters whisper in the ear of the international judge," Vujin noted. Even though the presiding judge Halimi tried to convince the Serb lawyer that all interpreters are professionals chosen by Kouchner's administration, Vujin said that, "if they wanted to make it an international court then they have to provide all the facilities".

After a long break taken by the presiding judge and the lay judges to consult on the defense lawyers demand to secure simultaneous translation, Halimi said there were no facilities available to secure simultaneous translation. He added that he would request the UN Administration to secure these facilities as soon as possible. Halimi also informed that the trial of Vuckovic, regardless of whether the facilities were provided or not, would continue on 12 June with direct interpretation. At this Milan Vujin told the media that the defense will withdraw in case all the conditions for adequately following the trial were not provided.

The paper also noted that among those present in the trial was Jovica Jovanovic, former deputy prosecutor of Prishtina District Court. Albanians know Jovanovic as the attorney in the political trials in 1997-1998 against the Albanians, and also as a close associate of Danica Marinkovic, investigating judge in the Prishtina District Court. According to witnesses, Jovanovic was a participant in framing the "Klecka case", when Luan and Bekim Mazrekaj, were forced to say in front of the media that they committed crimes against Serb civilians. After the war, Jovanovic escaped to Serbia, but on Tuesday, he closely followed the trial and talked to Serb lawyers in the hallway of the court.

The coverage of the trial also featured a photo of the plaque at the entrance of the District Court of Mitrovica, which is still the same as at the time of the Serb administration and doesn't contain any reference to the UN. 

GRACANICA SNC NOMINATES ITS DELEGATION FOR NEW YORK 

The Serb National Council (SNC) in Graçanica has nominated the members of the delegation who are to travel to New York, where they intend to present to the UN Security Council details on "victimization of Serb people in Kosovo", reported Zëri on page four, referring to the Belgrade-based Beta news agency. Rada Trajkovic, a member of the SNC, will head the delegation, while its members include another SNC member, Randjel Nojkic and Dusan Batakovic, a historian from Belgrade.

The agency's sources said that the delegation departs for New York today, where it intends to request the UN Security Council to condemn "the terrorist and racist behavior of Kosovo Albanians". The UN Security Council members would be requested to adopt a new resolution on Kosovo, to ensure the security of the Serbs in Kosovo and incorporate provisions to fight against "Albanian terrorism". "The UN Security Council should urgently regulate the precise duties of the UN Mission or accept its failure and withdraw from Kosovo," the SNC officials said.

KOSOVO POLJE SNC: THAÇI AND KOUCHNER - HARDENED CRIMINALS

The Serb National Council in Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje condemned Tuesday the proposed visit of Graçanica SNC representatives to the UN Security Council in New York, considering that only legal representatives of Serbia and FRY can represent the Serb people, reported Koha Ditore on page two.

According to the paper, the SNC statement said that Serb interests couldn't be defended through dialogue with the PDK Chairman, Hashim Thaçi, and UNMIK Chief, Bernard Kouchner, who, the SNC said were "hardened terrorists" and "proven Serb haters".

The paper added that the members of the Graçanica SNC, Rada Trajkovic and Randjel Nojkic, were especially criticized and were said to "serve for a short-term satisfaction of transparent interests" in Washington and Brussels and that "their only interest is the goal of breaking the unity of those few Serbs who are left here."

IVANOVIC BLOCKS ROADS IN NORTH KOSOVO

Oliver Ivanovic, leader of Mitrovica Serbs, announced that starting Wednesday and until the day the UN Security Council meeting is held, i.e. 12 June, Serbs will block all roads in north Kosovo, i.e. those parts which are under the control of the Serbs, reported Koha Ditore on page three, referring to a report of Beta news agency.

According to the agency, Ivanovic said that the reason for this action in north of Mitrovica was to protest the actions of the international community for resolution of the Kosovo crisis and the spate of violence against Kosovo Serbs.

Ivanovic reportedly said that the roads leading from Mitrovica to Zvecan and Zubin Potok would be the first to be blocked.

SERB ORTHODOX CHURCH APPEALS TO SERBS TO REGISTER

The Serb Orthodox Church made an appeal to Kosovo Serbs, who are currently out of the country, to register for the OSCE lists before local elections which are to be held this fall in Kosovo, reported Zëri on page two, quoting a press release issued by the information service of the Serb Orthodox Church (SPC).

The press release noted that according to UNMIK regulations, the registration of people for the coming elections would last until 15 July. The SPC information service also emphasized that the necessary information concerning the registration can be received in the coordination centers in Vienna, Brussels, Berlin, Rome, Geneva, and Washington. Around 200,000 Serbs have fled Kosovo since June last year, concluded the press release.

TRAJKOVIC: IDEA FOR SERB PROTECTION CORPS TO BE ACTIVATED

Momcilo Trajkovic, chairman of the Serb Resistance Movement in Kosovo, condemned the grenade attack in Gracanica and stressed the indispensability of the Serb self-organization in order to survive in Kosovo, reported Koha Ditore on page three, referring to the Belgrade-based Beta news agency. "After the latest attacks on Serbs all over Kosovo, it is more than clear than Serb people should start to self-organize and with their own forces to protect its existence in Kosovo," said Trajkovic in a statement for the agency.

Trajkovic reportedly said that they are going to propose to all relevant Serb political forces to activate the earlier idea on forming the Kosovo Protection Corps, because, as he said, it is proved that the international community is not capable of protecting Serbs in Kosovo. "We expect to find understanding at the international factor in Kosovo, above all KFOR and UNMIK," said Trajkovic.

BATIC: KOSOVO ISSUE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO IS IN POWER

Vladan Batic, chairman of the Christian Democratic Party of Serbia (DHSS), said Monday that the Kosovo problem is a national issue, which has nothing to do with who is heading the government in Serbia and on which ideological and political differences have no place, reported Koha Ditore on page two, quoting the Belgrade based Beta news agency.

According to Beta, Batic was reported to have said at a press conference that Rada Trajkovic, deputy chairperson of the DHSS and member of the Serb National Council in Kosovo, would represent the "future Serbian state" at the UN Security Council. "This regime with an irresponsible policy has brought the situation in Kosovo to this state. The international community carries part of the responsibility but the Albanian terrorists carry most of the blame," said Batic. Batic also said that Serbs in Kosovo cannot be a minority since the status of minorities was determined according to the number of the residents in the whole country, reiterating that "Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia".

Batic, who is also the coordinator of the Alliance for Change, said that Serbs couldn't have special autonomy, adding that only Albanians in Kosovo can have minority rights according to the highest standards.

Batic reportedly also welcomed the decision of the Serb National Council to absent itself from the IAC and KTC because "of the inability of the international community to check the escalation of Albanian terrorism".

MALIQI: CRIMINAL LOGIC

Zëri on page seven carried a column by Shkëlzen Maliqi, who tried to respond to the question he raised in the column's subtitle: Why crimes happen on the eve of big political decisions? Inter alia, Maliqi wrote:

"When by the end of May, Kouchner warned of the possibility of incidents and grave crimes, he supposedly didn't do this only because he had information from secret services, but also because in a way he understood the presence in Kosovo of the amiss logic of using extreme measures of terror at big political moments, in this case the extension of UNMIK's mandate.

"The latest crimes in Kosovo have turned public opinion upside down, especially the international opinion, which doesn't respect all parameters of crisis but in a way falls under the influence of the terrorist logic. Political processes, which reflect the essence of the undertaking are being devalued and bypassed and the obstructive extremist acts are coming to the forefront.

"The problem of administrating Kosovo doesn't consist only of crime and lack of security but the lack of political will on one side, in this case the Serbs, to participate in the political process. The fact that Albanian leaders who represent the will of the majority of Albanians, don't have anything against sitting on the same table as Mrs. Trajkovic, is something that deserves more respect than the acts, although unresolved, of extremists, be they Albanian or Serbs. But the fact that Mrs. Trajkovic was feeling uncomfortable sitting on the table of the co-administration of Kosovo and the fact that she doesn't accept the table at all, shows that she and her followers have still not overcome the line that separates terrorist logic from politics. Let us call this slightly less neutral case as pragmatic politics, which represents a pre-condition for fulfilling the demands of the Serbs so that they could feel safer in Kosovo. How can they be safe in Kosovo that they don't love? Or are they blind when it comes to its reality?"

DITA WRITES TO INTERNATIONAL JOURNALIST ASSOCIATIONS

Today's papers carried the letter that Dita paper sent to the International Federation of Journalists and the Reporters Without Borders. Blerim Stavileci, paper's editor-in-chief, signed the letter. The letter read:

"We are addressing this with the request that you defend the profession and the daily paper Dita of Prishtina, which was punished with eight days closure by the Administrator of UN Mission in Kosovo, Mr. Bernard Kouchner.

"As you have been certainly informed, the pretext for this punishment without trial and judgment, was a report published in the daily Dita on 27 April, in which, through witnesses, we backed their claims saying that one employee (translator) of UNMIK, before and during NATO bombing campaign, had committed numerous crimes against members of the Albanian population in Prishtina. Eleven days after the publication of this article, he disappeared and seven day after that he was found murdered. Meanwhile, UNMIK did not manage to provide any evidence to challenge the truth in our article.

"We consider that Mr. Kouchner violated press freedom with this arbitrary and legally unfounded punishment and this, in our opinion, represents the beginning of press censorship in Kosovo.

"Therefore, exactly because of such a tendency, we think it would be right for you to raise your voice and judge the closure of our paper by Dr. Bernard Kouchner".