[PEN-L:7802] (Fwd) SERBS FEAR MASS KILLINGS BY THE KLA - Daily Telegraph

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Date sent:              Mon, 07 Jun 1999 10:48:57 -0700
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Subject:                SERBS FEAR MASS KILLINGS BY THE KLA - Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph                                                     June 7, 1999

SERBS FEAR MASS KILLINGS BY THE KLA

        By Philip Smucker in Skopje 

Serbs from Kosovo fear reprisal killings by the Kosovo
Liberation Army when the Yugoslav army withdraws. They say
that Nato is not offering enough guarantees for their safety in the
troubled province.

Danijela Knezevic, 28, a nurse with two small daughters said:
"When I heard about the peace deal I called my husband in
Pristina and said, 'This is great. I am coming home soon'. But he
didn't share my opinion. He said, 'Be patient and stay there a
little longer. The KLA might start to slaughter'."

America offered few assurances over the weekend. Ken Bacon,
a Pentagon spokesman, said: "Our assumption is that many
Serbs will leave Kosovo. I don't think that Kosovo is going to be
a very happy place for them." The Serbs, he said, would not be
forced out, but that is what most of the 150,000 Kosovar Serbs,
some living in the province and others surviving as refugees in
neighbouring states, fear most.

It is not clear, however, that Nato forces will be able to defend
Serb civilians. An exodus of 150,000 Serbs from Kosovo would
make a farce of Nato's mission to re-establish a multi-ethnic
Kosovo. Most male Serbs of fighting age have remained in
Kosovo during the Nato air strikes, many of them fighting on the
side of the army and police. Though some Serbs from large
cities are not armed, Serbian villagers generally keep at least a
Kalashnikov handy at all times. Others have rocket-propelled
grenades and bazookas.

Serbs now planning their return from Macedonia are not happy
about their homecoming prospects. Todor Stankovic, 48 is an
engineer from Urosevac, a once peaceful town, which, say
Albanian refugees, became an armed camp during the war with
Nato. He said: "It will be very difficult for Serbs to defend
themselves. People will be forced to move out, they will be
harassed at work and we won't be able to find jobs."

Adding to growing Serb fears of revenge, Albanian attacks
against persons thought to be sympathetic to the Serbian regime
began over the weekend in the Stankovec II refugee camp.
Several gipsies said to have helped burn Albanian homes were
severely beaten in the camp by an angry mob. Christopher Hill,
the American Ambassador to Macedonia, arrived on the scene
and tried to calm the Albanians by reassuring them that they
would soon be going home under Nato's protection. But few
Western officials appear ready to guarantee the safety of Serbs
in Kosovo. The Serbs are most concerned about the first few
days of the peace implementation process when their own forces
leave and Nato forces move in.

Despite an apparent peace agreement between Nato and
Belgrade, Serb and KLA forces continue to engage in fierce
fighting inside Kosovo. Western officials estimate that the rebels
now have 20,000 armed followers. Nato officials say they hope
to plug the security vacuum, but are not optimistic about creating
immediate peace in Kosovo. Capt Anthony Kennaway, a British
spokesman for Nato in Skopje siad: "We are not saying that
when the first troops cross the border we will have peace in
Kosovo. We will be in Kosovo to enforce the peace and that
applies to both sides. It has been made clear to the KLA that we
expect them to abide by our terms."

Such statements are met with scepticism. The Serb people, who
suffered immensely through two World Wars, have a long
history of being persecuted. Zaklina Popovic, 30, a female
economist from Pristina said: "Nato will provide no security for
the Serbs in Kosovo. My husband is there, my job and my
home. But I still don't feel free to plan my return."

Under an original peace agreement offered to the Serb leadership
in Rambouillet, the KLA was to be disarmed. The wording has
now changed to "demilitarise", leading many Serbs to fear that
Nato is not serious about disarming the rebels. Ana, 24, a
student from Urosevac said: "The KLA is a dangerous
organisation that will continue its terrorist activities. Nato said it
would discuss their disarmament, but when? And how long a
process is that going to be? I only hope that Nato will keep its
promise to be the peacemaker."