Albanians Planning Attack on Inner-Serbia

RADICALS' LEADER SAYS KOSOVO ALBANIANS PLANNING RAID ON SERBIA IN MARCH
BBC Monitoring International Reports - December 18, 2004

Text of report by "N.C.-Lj.B.": "Albanians preparing attack on inner Serbia", published by Serbian newspaper Blic on 17 December

Kosovo Albanians are preparing to raid the territory of Serbia's interior in March of next year, Tomislav Nikolic, deputy chairman of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), told Blic yesterday (16 December). He added that Serbian President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica are also aware of this information.

"We must do everything to prevent this," Nikolic said, stressing that both Kostunica and Tadic agree with this. Asked where the information about a possible Albanian attack on Serbia came from, Nikolic said it had been received from security structures in Serbia, as well as from the West.

"Both Tadic and Kostunica have more information about this than I do," Nikolic said, adding that he had discussed these threats with both the prime minister and the president of Serbia.

"The political and security climate in Serbia is extremely bad. Our positions are practically identical; our evaluation of the situation is practically identical. We practically do not differ on what needs to be done," Nikolic said, speaking about what he had discussed with Tadic on the subject two days ago (15 December).

"The West is prepared to help us defend ourselves," Nikolic said, but did not go into details of the information at his disposal. He said that the purpose of his latest talks with Tadic and Kostunica was to help bring Serbia's prime minister and president closer together.

"Kostunica and Tadic must communicate with one another lest we should blame what happens on Defence Minister Prvoslav Davinic tomorrow," Nikolic said, adding "we must all be united."

Presidential adviser Branko Radujko told Blic that he has no access to security information and therefore does not know the truth of what Tomislav Nikolic said.

"However, I do believe that there is a threat and I think that, where the territory of Serbia's interior is concerned, our security forces must take every measure to keep the peace and fend off any possible terrorist attacks against the peace and safety of the people of Serbia," Radujko said. He added that those who publicly disclose such information as soon as they get it from the president and the prime minister of Serbia do not behave responsibly and that such behaviour could hamper the security services in their work.

(Box, signed "N.M.J.") New terrorist operations imminent

Albanian terrorists plan to carry out a number of terrorist operations on the territory of Kosovo soon, but army security bodies are keeping an eye on the situation, top men in the SCG (Serbia-Montenegro) Army have told parliamentary floor leaders and members of the Serbian Assembly's Security Committee in an informal meeting, according to Blic 's information. Serbian Assembly Speaker Predrag Markovic said before the meeting that this would be a presentation of "some important information of state". SRS representatives did not attend the presentation in protest against its being held behind closed doors. Speaking after the meeting with the military leadership, Security Committee Deputy Chairman Dragan Sutanovac only said that such meetings call in question the purpose of the Security Committee.

"Having this committee loses all meaning if we meet like this, while at the same time the committee chairman has failed for a second time to convene a session to review the BIA's (Security and Information Agency) report. The SRS is only trying to politicize this issue," Sutanovac said.

The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Prvoslav Davinic and his assistants, as well as Army Chief of Staff Branko Krga.

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