>BELGRADE, 16 August 2000 C O N T E N T S : FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF >YUGOSLAVIA -YUGOSLAVIA PROTESTS WITH U.N. OVER KFOR'S STORMING OF TREPCA >-YUGOSLAVIA ASKS U.N. AGENCIES TO CONDEMN KFOR'S TREPCA SEIZURE -MONTENEGRO'S >SNS WILL NOT NOMINATE CANDIDATE FOR YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT -YUGOSLAV ARMY AND >RECONSTRUCTION DIRECTORATE CHIEFS TOUR BUILDING SITES -YUGOSLAV ARMY DENIES >INFRINGING BUFFER ZONE IN KOSOVO-METOHIJA > >YUGOSLAVIA - IRAQ IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT SENDS MESSAGE OF THANKS TO YUGOSLAV >PREMIER > >SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA -NATO SUCKS PROFIT OUT OF >KOSOVO-METOHIJA, SERBIAN MINISTER AVERS -TREPCA EXECUTIVES STRONGLY CONDEMN >KFOR'S STORMING OF MINING COMPLEX -KOSOVO-METOHIJA OFFICIAL AVERS KFOR WAGES >SERB INTIMIDATION CAMPAIGN -RUSSIA BLASTS KFOR'S STORMING OF KOSOVO-METOHIJA'S >TREPCA SMELTER -KFOR SETS FIRE TO FOREST IN SERBIAN KOSOVO-METOHIJA PROVINCE > >* * * FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA YUGOSLAVIA PROTESTS WITH U.N. >OVER KFOR'S STORMING OF TREPCA NEW YORK, Aug 15 (Tanjug) - Yugoslavia's U.N. >ambassador has lodged a strongly worded protests with the U.N. Security >Council over Monday's storming of the Trepca mining complex in Serbian >(Yugoslav) Kosovo-Metohija by the international force KFor. Ambassador >Vladislav Jovanovic wrote to Council President Agam Hasmy demanding an urgent >session of the body over the outrage, and asked that the letter be circulated >as an official document. The letter says (official translation): "I have been >instructed by my Government to lodge the strongest protest on its behalf and >to request an urgent meeting of the Security Council at the armed attack on, >and the usurpation of, the RMHK "Trepca" Shareholding Corporation by the >Kosovo Force (KFOR). "In the night between 13 and 14 August 2000, massive KFOR >forces carried out an unprovoked brutal attack on "Trepca" near Kosovska >Mitrovica and occupied it. In doing so, they violated the KFOR mandate and >Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) of 10 June 1999 in the most flagrant >way so far. "KFOR used armed force against peaceful employees and management >of "Trepca" and the official state representatives, as well as the peaceful >Serbian population in that part of the Province. Even though the basic task of >UNMIK and KFOR under Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) is to guarantee >physical and property security of residents, and to provide a secure >environment in the Province, by this attack they have openly aligned >themselves before the eyes of the entire world public with ethnic Albanian >separatists and terrorists. "The attack on, and the occupation of, "Trepca" by >KFOR constitutes the most drastic violation of their mandate and the >provisions of the Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) so far. This is a >unique case of forces acting under a mandate of the United Nations being >massively engaged against a peaceful population for the protection of which >they have been dispatched by the Security Council and accepted by the >Government of my country. The goals of the demonstration of the armed force of >KFOR are very clear indeed: the intimidation and expulsion of the Serbian >population, continuation of the ethnic cleansing of Serbs and other >non-Albanians and an illegal usurpation of "Trepca" and of national, economic >and natural resources. "The alleged concern of Bernard Kouchner for the >protection of the environment is yet another cynical and transparent attempt >to hoodwink the world public opinion and the Security Council, which confirms >that the KFOR action is completely unfounded and represents the most flagrant >and brazen violation of the decisions of the Security Council and the norms of >the international law in general. Behind the deception are those who are >responsible for the aggression on my country last year, for the loss of >thousands of human lives, for the humanitarian, economic and environmental >catastrophe, as well as for the escalation of terrorism and separatism in >South East Europe and in other parts of the world. They are those who sowed >over 30,000 bombs with depleted uranium all over Kosovo and Metohija during >the 3-month aerial bombardment the consequences of which are unforeseeable. >"The action of KFOR and UNMIK is without a precedent and constitutes an >attempt to abuse and manipulate the Security Council. This is a blow to the >inviolability of property rights and attempt to occupy natural and economic >assets of a sovereign country illegally and by force. "Bearing in mind the >gravity of the situation and the consequences that may arise from such acts, >the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia demands energetically >that the Security Council condemn the takeover of "Trepca" and to bring a >decision to return the situation into the status quo ante so as to enable >"Trepca" and its employees to continue normal work. The Government of the FR >of Yugoslavia wishes to point out that it will not recognize the consequences >of this violent act nor the situations that have arisen on the basis of the >acts of KFOR and UNMIK. "Alongside the armed action against "Trepca", KFOR has >carried out vandal raids against the only remaining organs in the Serbian >language in Kosovo and Metohija, Radio "S" at Zvecan and the newspaper >"Jedinstvo" in Pristina. Their offices and equipment have been smashed and >destroyed while brute force has been used against journalists and other >personnel. The vandal suppression of the Serbian-langauge media with the use >of armed military force continues an unprecedented act and is part of the >extended collaboration of KFOR and UNMIK with ethnic Albanian separatists and >terrorists on the realization of the concept of ethnic cleansing. "The >aforementioned is a clear confirmation that the overall activity of UNMIK and >KFOR serves the goals that are in full contrast to Security Council resolution >1244 (1999) and that they are conducive to the further exacerbation of the >situation with the unforeseeable consequences. The Government of the Federal >Republic of Yugoslavia expects therefore from the Security Council to take, >without further delay, concrete and energetic measures to finally put under >control the activities of its representatives and to end their policy of fait >accompli that threatens peace and stability in the region. It is only in this >way that it will be possible to stop a further erosion of the authority of the >United Nations and pave the way to a peaceful political solution as provided >for by Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). "I should be grateful if you >would have the present letter circulated as a document of the Security >Council." > >YUGOSLAVIA ASKS U.N. AGENCIES TO CONDEMN KFOR'S TREPCA SEIZURE GENEVA, Aug 16 >(Tanjug) - Yugoslavia will not recognise any action by the U.N. force KFor or >the U.N. mission UNMIK in Kosovo- Metohija that runs counter to U.N. >Resolution 1244, according to Yugoslavia's U.N. mission chief in Geneva on >Wednesday. Ambassador Branko Brankovic wrote to this effect to the heads of >U.N. agencies based in the Swiss capital, in connection with KFor's storming >on Monday of the Trepca lead smelter in the U.N.-run Kosovo-Metohija province >of the Yugoslav republic of Serbia. Letters were sent to Under Secretary >General Vladimir Petrovsky, High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata, High >Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and Balkan human rights >rapporteur Jiri Dienstbier, asking that they resolutely condemn the outrage. >Brankovic said that UNMIK chief Bernard Kouchner and KFor surpass themselves >with their practically daily flagrant violations of Resolution 1244. According >to Brankovic, the storming of the lead smelter at Zvecan is one of the most >dangerous moves taken by Kouchner so far, which might have far-reaching >consequences for the entire situation and the normalisation process in the >province. It was clear that the chief reason for KFor's violent storming of >the Zvecan plant was plunder, ethnic cleansing and an attempt to prevent >Kosovo-Metohija voting in upcoming Yugoslav federal and Serbian local >elections, Brankovic said. He added that this kind of behaviour by Kouchner >was in flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of the U.N. Charter >and of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yugoslavia. This behaviour >was the height of hypocrisy on the part of Bernard Kouchner, designed to >justify last year's NATO aggression on Yugoslavia, Brankovic said. > >MONTENEGRO'S SNS WILL NOT NOMINATE CANDIDATE FOR YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT PODGORICA, >Yugoslavia, Aug 15 (Tanjug) - The Serbian National Party (SNS) of the Yugoslav >republic of Montenegro said on Monday it would not be nominating a candidate >for Yugoslav president at the coming polls, called for Sept. 24. The party has >a few seats in the Yugoslav federal parliament and supports the ruling >coalition. Monday's statement said the SNS had appointed campaign staff, >headed by Andrej Mandic, to conduct the party's campaign for the presidential >and parliamentary elections. > >YUGOSLAV ARMY AND RECONSTRUCTION DIRECTORATE CHIEFS TOUR BUILDING SITES >BELGRADE, Aug 15 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Defence Minister Dragoljub Ojdanic and >Chief of Staff Nebojsa Pavkovic visited the Reconstruction Directorate on >Tuesday. Directorate chief Milutin Mrkonjic briefed the defence officials on >efforts for implementing the national development project for building 100,000 >homes in the first decade of the 21st century, initiated by Yugoslav President >Slobodan Milosevic. Ojdanic, Pavkovic and Mrkonjic toured a housing >development in Belgrade, where 1,597 homes are being built. About 10,000 homes >are to be built in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia by the end of the year, >mostly for military and police families and young couples. > >YUGOSLAV ARMY DENIES INFRINGING BUFFER ZONE IN KOSOVO-METOHIJA BEOGRAD, Aug 15 >(Tanjug) - A Yugoslav Army spokesman on Tuesday denied a U.S. paper's report >that the Army had provoked an incident on July 28 by infringing a buffer zone >along the boundary of the Serbian (Yugoslav) U.N.-ruled Kosovo-Metohija >province. The allegation that the Yugoslav army entered the buffer zone has >been published in Stars and Stripes Magazine of the U.S. army. "It is not true >that Yugoslav Army troops entered the zone", Radisic told the national news >agency Tanjug. "The Yugoslav Army consistently respects provisions of U.N. >Resolution 1244 and the Military-Technical Accord, as different from (the >international force) KFor, whose troops daily deliberately violate these >documents in biased support of ethnic Albanians. "Meanwhile, the international >force daily demonstrates its impotence to implement the job it has undertaken >in Kosovo-Metohija", Radisic stressed. He went on to say that the magazine's >story had been picked up by some international and domestic news agencies. He >explained that the boundary zone in the southern Serbian Presevo municipality >was entered by local police troops in the line of duty, and that they had the >right to do so under the relevant U.N. resolution and the Kumanovo >Military-Technical Accord. "The information carried by the U.S. magazine was >clearly an attempt on the part of Kfor to justify its ill-planned and arrogant >operation of buzzing with helicopters our police, who had to give up the task >in hand because their lives were in danger", he said. This is the true reason >why Kfor chose to publish the report in Stars and Stripes Magazine, rather >than at their command in Kosovo- Metohija's city of Pristina, Radisic added. > >YUGOSLAVIA - IRAQ IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT SENDS MESSAGE OF THANKS TO YUGOSLAV >PREMIER BELGRADE, Aug 15 (Tanjug) - Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan >has sent a message of gratitude to Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic for >his message of felicitation on Iraq's national holiday, a Yugoslav government >statement said on Tuesday. Ramadan expresses conviction that relations with >the friendly Yugoslav people will develop and strengthen, and a wish for the >prosperity of Yugoslavia, the statement said. > >SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA NATO SUCKS PROFIT OUT OF >KOSOVO-METOHIJA, SERBIAN MINISTER AVERS KRAGUJEVAC, Yugoslavia, Aug 15 >(Tanjug) - Monday's storming of the Trepca smelter at Zvecan, Kosovo-Metohija, >by the U.N. mission (UNMIK) is NATO's way of encouraging ethnic Albanian >extremists and intimidating Serbs, according to a Serbian minister on Tuesday. >The operation gas clearly exposed a plan for ethnically cleansing this >U.N.-administered Serbian (Yugoslav) province of its Serbs and Montenegrins >for economic reasons, among others, Minister of Energy and Mining Slobodan >Tomovic told TANJUG. What they are really after is Kosovo-Metohija's mineral >resources, Tomovic said. The "peacekeepers" of UNMIK chief Bernard Kouchner >have demonstrated arrogance and force, as well as their intention to conquer >Kosovo-Metohija, completely flouting agreements and documents they have >themselves signed, he added. "The West preaches democracy and inviolability of >private property, and all the while its troops seize at arms facilities such >as Trepca, the Obilic thermo-electric power plant, Telecom, and the Pristina >factory of shock absorbers", he said. > >TREPCA EXECUTIVES STRONGLY CONDEMN KFOR'S STORMING OF MINING COMPLEX BELGRADE, >Aug 15 (Tanjug) - The shareholders-owners of the Trepca industrial complex on >Tuesday strongly condemned Monday's seizure of the Zvecan lead smelter by the >international force KFor and the U.N. civilian mission UNMIK. A statement >released from Trepca's Board of Governors in Belgrade condemned also the >seizure of the office building in Zvecan, mines in the Leposavic area and >other facilities. At its session chaired by Board President Milos >Milosavljevic, the Board of Governors said it would immediately take all legal >and other steps to protect the property rights and all other rights of the >shareholders. The body dismissed allegations that Trepca had been sold away by >the state and the management, and instructed the executives to seek legal >redress for slander injurious to the reputation of Trepca. Neither the Trepca >general manager nor the Board president have ever discussed the matter of >ownership with KFor or UNMIK, since the shareholders' property rights in >Trepca are indisputable, the statement said. Environmental hazards pleaded in >justification of the takeover are nothing but an excuse to mask the real >motives behind the outrage, as evident from the simultaneous seizure of four >Trepca mines at Leposavic, which pose no threat to the environment. The Board >of Governors instructed Trepca General Manager Novak Bijelic to work out a >production plan which should provide employment and a source of income for the >employees in the present circumstances. > >KOSOVO-METOHIJA OFFICIAL AVERS KFOR WAGES SERB INTIMIDATION CAMPAIGN KOSOVSKA >MITROVICA, Serbia, Aug 15 (Tanjug) - Monday's storming of the Trepca lead >smelter at Zvecan, Kosovo-Metohija, by the international force KFor was >designed to intimidate the local Serbs, according to a local government >official on Tuesday. Zdravko Trajkovic, chief administrator of the Kosovska >Mitrovica District, said the operation demonstrated KFor's bias in favour of >ethnic Albanian terrorists and was part of an effort to drive Serbs out of >this U.N.-run Serbian (Yugoslav) province. "The brutality and cruelty >demonstrated by KFor and UNMIK members in dealing with Trepca's workers and >the population of Zvecan serve the purpose of intimidating the people and >expelling Serbs from north Kosovo-Metohija. "This falls in with the plans of >ethnic Albanian terrorist leader Hashim Thaqi", Trajkovic told TANJUG. The >Serbian people are embittered and indignant also at ethnic Albanians' >vandalising of headstones at the Serbian cemetery in the south, ethnic >Albanian-help part of ethnically divided Kosovska Mitrovica, he went on to >say. What gives special rise to concern at this time, according to him, is >"the violent arrogance demonstrated by KFor troops," who showed they do not >shy from the darkest methods in dealing with Serbs and Montenegrins in >Kosovo-Metohija. The people in the Kosovska Mitrovica District, primarily in >the towns of Kosovska Mitrovica and Zvecan, remain determined to defend and >protect these lands, he said, adding that the latest outrage has only given >them new strength to endure. > >RUSSIA BLASTS KFOR'S STORMING OF KOSOVO-METOHIJA'S TREPCA SMELTER MOSCOW, Aug >15 (Tanjug) - Russia on Tuesday voiced deep concern over Monday's storming of >the Trepca smelter at Zvecan, Kosovo- Metohija, by the international force >KFor and the U.N. civilian mission UNMIK, which it saw as a property seizure >bid. The foreign ministry issued a statement to say that U.N. mission >officials' justification of the takeover by allegations of air pollution from >the lead smelting plant's fumes could not stand up under criticisism. Even if >there were an environmental threat, which Trepca's laboratory findings refute, >it would still not justify KFor's use of force, which was nothing short of an >effort to seize assets that do not belong to it, the statement said. UNMIK and >its chief, the U.N. secretary general's special envoy Bernard Kouchner, have >again proven their impotence to solve problems, where they exist, through >political dialogue, it added. The document further said that the U.N. >mission's arrogant seizure of Trepca was obviously politically motivated and >undertaken without the consent of the Yugoslav republic of Serbia as the owner >of the company in the eyes of the law. The ministry called for refraining from >any new steps that might additionally aggravate the volatile and dangerous >situation in that U.N.-administered Serbian province. > >KFOR SETS FIRE TO FOREST IN SERBIAN KOSOVO-METOHIJA PROVINCE GNJILANE, Serbia, >Aug 16 (Tanjug) - International force Kfor troops fired flares late on >Tuesday, setting fire to a forest in the east of the U.N.-run Serbian >(Yugoslav) Kosovo-Metohija province, according to reports on Wednesday. >According to amateur radio operators, KFor started a fire in the forest >outside the village of Izvor in the Novo Brdo municipality, which the local >population eventually managed to put under control. Radio operators report >also that, a few days ago, ethnic Albanian extremists launched an intimidation >attack on the hamlet of Perici in the Gnjilane municipality, and on the >neighbouring village of Labljane in the Novo Brdo municipality. Two days ago, >the ethnic Albanians repeated the attack on the villages, from the direction >of the neighbouring ethnic Albanian villages of Zegovce and Vrbice. Neither >Kfor nor the U.N. mission UNMIK took any action except to caution the people >in Izvor not to leave their homes or graze their cattle between 1 p.m. and 5 >p.m. because of army exercises near that Serb-populated village. This kind of >behaviour on the part of the international forces only causes fear and anxiety >among the remaining Serbs in this part of Kosovo-Metohija. __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
