ITALIANS MAKE KOSOVO SERB RETURNEE SIGN PAPER SAYING HE RETURNED AT OWN RISK
FoNet - September 30, 2004

Kosovska Mitrovica, 30 September: Milivoje Ribac, the coordinator for return in the Pec region, has told FoNet that Italian Kfor (NATO-led Kosovo Force) members demanded that the former head of Klina municipality, Vlado Prodovic, who returned with 33 Serbs to Vidanje village yesterday, sign a paper stating that he would stay in the village on his own responsibility and that he would not request the status of a person under protection.

Prodovic, who headed Klina municipality under two mandates, said that Kfor had already warned him earlier on that, because of possible incidents, it would be better for him not to return.

"I am not afraid and I am determined to return. I have no reason to fear because I was correct both at work and in private and I do not remember getting on anyone's bad side," Prodovic told FoNet.

Ribac expressed his concern because of the "currying favour and servile attitude by Italian members of Kfor towards Albanian extremists".

"I expect them to give me such a paper to sign one day, too, because it is obvious that more prominent persons are forbidden to return to Kosovo," Ribac said.

Twenty-five Serb families returned to Vidanje yesterday without any major incident and were accommodated in the house of one returnee.

According to the Kosovo government's plan, the restoration of 25 houses will be completed by the end of the year, the date when the returnees to this village near Klina were scheduled to move in.

Source: FoNet news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 0946 gmt 30 Sep 04

Copyright 2004 Financial Times Information
All rights reserved
Global News Wire - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire
Copyright 2004 BBC Monitoring/BBC
BBC Monitoring International Reports

Posted for Fair Use only.