Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- [Despite the Judases' false assurances...] Tuesday August 7, 11:57 PM Belgrade worried by ethnic Albanian separatism in southern Serbia PRESEVO, Yugoslavia, Aug 8 (AFP) - Serb officials warned Tuesday that renewed activity by separatist guerrillas in a predominantly Albanian area of southern Serbia was threatening a NATO-sponsored peace deal in the area. Authorities also complained that plans by the two main political parties in the south to set up a "national assembly" for ethnic Albanians there would undermine efforts at ethnic reconciliation. Two months after the NATO-backed peace accord ended months of fighting between ethnic Albanian rebels and government forces in the Presevo Valley area, tensions flared this weekend when guerrillas killed two Serbian policemen and wounded two others in an Albanian village. A hitherto unknown group calling itself the Albanian National Army claimed responsibility on Monday for the attack. It vowed to launch a new war for a "unified Albania" encompassing the Presevo Valley and the neighboring, UN-run Yugoslav province of Kosovo, which is also predominantly Albanian. But in Belgrade, Serbian security police chief General Goran Petrovic insisted the group was "nothing but a mask" for former rebels of the National Liberation army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac (LAPMB), the movement which signed and was supposed to disarm under the NATO peace deal. He added that his services had gathered information that a new organisation, the Liberation Army of Eastern Kosovo, had been set up by former LAPMB commanders. "The ethnic Albanian extremists are trying, by any means, to obstruct the peace process in southern Serbia," Petrovic said. Serbian authorities also expressed concern over moves towards autonomy this week by ethnic Albanian politicians in Presevo Behlul Nasufi of the Party of Democratic Action (PDD) announced on Monday that his group planned to form a "national assembly" with a second party, the United Democratic Party of Albanians, and other ethnic Albanian politicians in the towns of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. The towns and the surrounding Presevo Valley has a 70 percent ethnic Albanian population. Nasufi told AFP the assembly would be "a joint and legitimate body designed to represent the interests of the Albanians in the region" in their relations with the central authority in Belgrade. He said the assembly would "discuss with Belgrade officials all the social, education and political problems" facing local people. The government press service in Bujanovac, where Belgrade has set up its main administrative office for the southern region, criticized the politicians' move as "counter-productive". "It will only make it more difficult to build a multi-ethnic society and will not contribute to establishing confidence in federal and republic institutions," the service said in a statement quoted by Tanjug news agency. Under the May peace accord, the Presevo Valley Albanians were to return to the Yugoslav political and social institutions that they had boycotted for years. Halil Selimi, a former member of the political wing of the LAPMB who took part in the ceasefire negotiations, also expressed opposition to the proposal. "Such an assembly is not necessary," he said, calling the plan "an attempt to eliminate nationalist and resistance ideas". __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
