KOSOVO NEWS WIRE March 20

KOSOVO NEWS WIRE
March 20, 2004 - Various News Agencies

Due to the sheer scale of terrorist violence that is being perpetrated by the Albanian terrorist hordes against the non-Albanian civilian population residing in the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija, providing a link to each individual news report on the main page of the website would be a huge task. Therefore, we are providing the a collection raw newswire feeds for the day of March 20, 2004 on this one page. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.

Andy Wilcoxson
webmaster, www.slobodan-milosevic.org

23:00 (INET - March 20, 2004) More than 3,600 Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija have been expelled from their houses and displaced since Wednesday, when Kosovo-Metohija Albanians launched ethnic violence, torching at least seven Serb villages and 25 sacral buildings.

22:40 (INET - March 20, 2004) For the first time in 14 years international community officials have admitted that Serbs are the target of an ethnic cleansing campaign in Kosovo-Metohija and that KFOR is currently protecting only Serbs, Serbia-Montenegro defence minister Boris Tadic said today.

22:00 (INET - March 20, 2004) Assistant UN high commissioner for refugees Kamel Morjane condemned murders and escalation of violence in Kosovo-Metohija, the UNHCR Office in Serbia-Montenegro said in a statement.

21:20 (INET - March 20, 2004) The Russian State Duma unanimously adopted a declaration in Moscow, demanding that the UN Security Council adopted a resolution which would authorise the Serbia-Montenegro Army to defend the Serb population in Kosovo-Metohija.

20:20 (INET - March 20, 2004) NATO commander for southern Europe, Admiral Gregory Johnson, has estimated as ethnic cleansing the massive violence which is still present in Kosovo-Metohija.

20:00 (INET - March 20, 2004) South-East Europe Stability Pact special coordinator Erchard Busek has estimated that the latest riots in Kosovo-Metohija were caused by Albanian politicians.

17:45 (INET - March 20, 2004) Serbian Unity Congress will organize demonstrations on Wednesday, March 24th, at 6:15pm, in front of the United Nations building, in Geneva, Switzerland.

17:25 (INET - March 20, 2004) Thirty tons of food, clothes and medicines have been collected in today's charity action in Belgrade.

17:00 (INET - March 20, 2004) Sunday, March 21st is proclaimed the day of sorrow in Serbia and Montenegro becuase of the tragic events in Kosovo and Metohia.

14:00 (INET - March 20, 2004) Scores of citizens are bringing humanitarian supplies to the parking lot in front of the Sava Center and twenty trucks have been loaded so far. Organizers are informing the public that in case of need the collection of contributions will be prolonged after 4 pm.

13:30 (INET - March 20, 2004) Humanitarian aid for Kosovo and Metohia can be delivered to all the Orthodox churches. Serbian Orthodox Church appeals to all companies for urgent transportation assistance - three trucks are needed for transport of humanitarian aid for Kosovo and Metohia - two in fornt of the St. Sava church and one in front of the St. Marko church. Serbian Red Cross receives humanitarian aid for Kosovo and Metohia only on the parking lot in front of the Sava Center.

13:00 (INET - March 20, 2004) Police have arrested ethnic Albanian Ramadan Nuhiu who tried to torch the Mosque in village Oraovica, near Presevo, in Southern Serbia.

11:50 (INET - March 20, 2004) First eyewitness reports of Serbs fleeing from Kosovo and Metohia testify that in some cases Albanian members of the Kosovo Police Force, instead of providing protection, took active part in expelling Serbs from their homes, with other ALbanian extremists chanting 'KLA, KLA'.

18:53 MOSCOW , March 20 (Tanjug) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said in Moscow on Saturday that developments in Kosovo-Metohija represented the ethnic cleansing of local Serbs.

Russia cannot stand aside and watch the developments. Out Western colleagues have admitted that this is indeed ethnic cleansing and that an appropriate strong reaction should follow, Putin said on Saturday after the regular consultations of top state officials, where the situation in Kosovo-Metohija was one of the main topics.
(end)

22:38 BELGRADE , March 19 (Tanjug) - British Permanent Representative to the United Nations Emyr Jones Parry said at a UN Security Council special session on Kosovo-Metohija late on Thursday that Kosovo leaders had to condemn volence and use their influence actively to work with UNMIK and KFOR and restore order.

"I said the previous day had been a very bad day for Kosovo," Parry was quoted as saying in a statement, a copy of which was sent to Tanjug by the British Embassy in Belgrade on Friday.
(end)

22:32 BELGRADE , March 19 (Tanjug) - The United States urges "all people in Kosovo immediately to restore calm, observe order, return to their homes, stop damaging cultural, religious and historical sites, lift the blockage of transportation arteries, and support the efforts of KFOR and international civilian police", US Ambassador James Cunningham said at a late Thursday Security Council session.

The United States "resolutely condemns the incidents of violence in Kosovo", he said, and it was announced on the State Department web-site.
(end)

Kosovo leaders must condemn violence - British ambassador to UN

22:09 BELGRADE , March 19 (Tanjug) - British Permanent Representative to the United Nations Emyr Jones Parry said at a UN Security Council special session on Kosovo-Metohija late on Thursday that Kosovo leaders had to condemn volence and use their influence actively to work with UNMIK and KFOR and restore order.

"I said the previous day had been a very bad day for Kosovo," Parry was quoted as saying in a statement, a copy of which was sent to Tanjug by the British Embassy in Belgrade on Friday.
(end)

21:43 PRISTINA , March 19 (Tanjug) - Italian General Alberto Primiceri, who commands KFOR's Multinational Brigade Southwest, based in Prizren, said that Kosovo Albanians had a well-prepared plan for the eruption of violence in Kosovo-Metohija.

The wave of violence, triggered by Kosovo Albanians, evidently continues unabated, Primiceri said in an interview to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera and added that he believed that Kosovo Albanians had had a well-prepared plan to strike at Kosovo with full force.
(end)

Council of Europe expresses shock with absence of condemnation of violence by Kosovo Albanian leaders

21:26 STRASBOURG , March 19 (Tanjug) - The Council of Europe on Friday said that it was shocked with the fact that ethnic Albanian leaders in Kosovo-Metohija had not clearly and unequivocally condemned violence against Serbs in the province.

An open letter sent to Kosovo Premier Bajram Rexhepi by Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President Peter Schieder goes as follows:
(end)

21:14 MOSCOW , March 19 (Tanjug) - The Russian State Duma unanimously adopted a declaration in Moscow on Friday, demanding that the UN Security Council adopted a resolution which would authorise the Serbia-Montenegro (SCG) Army to defend the Serb population in Kosovo-Metohija.

The resolution should first of all confirm SCG's sovereignty in Kosovo and the indespensability that state union army units protect the Serb population and Orthodox churches in the province, as well as the borders, said the document adopted by the Russian parliament lower house.
(end)

20:41 BRUSSELS , March 19 (Tanjug) - The NATO Council said in Brussels on Friday that the greatest responsiblity for putting the situation in the province under control lay with Kosovo-Metohija Albanian leaders.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop has already made a similar remark in his message for Premier of the interim Kosovo government Bajram Rexhepi.
(end)

20:09 BELGRADE , March 20 (Tanjug) - A charred body found at the burnt building of the Prizren-based St Kirilo and Metodije School of Theology is that of Dragan Nedeljkovic, a 55-year-old Kosovo Serb, the KIM Radio in Caglavica reported on Saturday.
It was previously believed that Nedeljkovic had remained at his torched house in Prizren, the radio reported.
(end)

20:05 BELGRADE , March 20 (Tanjug) - For the first time in 14 years international community officials have admitted that Serbs are the target of an ethnic cleansing campaign in Kosovo-Metohija and that KFOR is currently protecting only Serbs, Serbia-Montenegro Defence Minister Boris Tadic said on Saturday.

Speaking at a briefing for foreing and domestic journalists in Belgrade, Tadic said that Serbia-Montenegro state organs and the Serbian governments would use only diplomatic efforts to secure the settling of the situation in the province and avoid any use of force in Kosovo-Metohija.
(end)

19:43 PRISTINA , March 20 (Tanjug) - More than 3,600 Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija have been expelled from their houses and displaced since Wednesday, when Kosovo Albanians launched ethnic violence, torching at least seven Serb villages and 25 sacral buildings.

Out of the 3,600 IDPs, mostly Serbs, but also Roma and Ashkali, about 1,100 found shelter at KFOR bases, while the others fled to the Serb-populated areas that have not been affected by violence, UNMIK representative in charge of IDP return Peggy Hicks said on Saturday.
(end)

19:29 BELGRADE , March 20 (Tanjug) - Day of mourning for the victims of violence in Kosovo-Metohija will be observed in Serbia-Montenegro on Sunday, the Serbia-Montenegro Council of Ministers said in a statement on Saturday.

"The Serbian government and the Montenegrin government have informed the Council of Ministers of Serbia-Montenegro that they declared day of mourning for the victims of violence in Kosovo-Metohija," the statement said.
(end)

19:00 STRPCE , March 20 (Tanjug) - The situation in Strpce was peaceful and there were no incidents on Friday night and on Saturday, but the entire municipality lost electricity during the night when ethnic Albanians sabotaged the Gatnjanska Suma transmission line, the Strpce crisis centre told Tanjug.

The southernmost Serb enclave of Strpce is populated by about 12,000 Serbs.
(end)

18:56 PRIZREN , March 20 (Tanjug) - The Potkaljaja Serb settlement in Prizren was torched, armed ethnic Albanians raided Serb houses and maltreated the remaining people and, according to the Koha Vision television station, the charred body of an unidentified Serb was taken out of the torched building of the Prizren School of Theology, the Ras and Prizren Bishop's Diocese said on Saturday.

Ethnic Albanians on Friday set fire to the remaining buildings of the School of Theology complex in Prizren.
(end)

Lipljan Serbs' food reserves are reducing
18:41 LIPLJAN , March 20 (Tanjug) - Lipljan deputy municipal assembly head Borivoje Vignjevic on Saturday sent an appeal for urgent humanitarian assistance to Lipljan, since local Serbs were running out of food.

Serbs in Lipljan urgently need food and other basic goods, because about 250 people who lost their homes are running out of food, Vignjevic told Tanjug.
(end)

18:07 VIENNA , March 20 (Tanjug) - South-East Europe Stability Pact coordinator Erhard Busek has said that the latest wave of violence and unrest in Kosovo-Metohija was provoked by politicians in the province.

Attacks at Kosovo Serbs are not spontaneous, the strategy of certain political parties ahead of the October elections probably stands behind them, Busek told the Austrian state radio.
(end)

Organised violence campaign implemented against Kosovo Serbs

17:33 WASHINGTON , March 20 (Tanjug) - Tragic developments in Kosovo-Metohija are not multiethnic clashes, but an organised and orchestrated campaign of violence against local Serbs aimed at expelling them, Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic said in a message to the UN Security Council in New York.

Speaking at a news conference organised for correspondents from Serbia-Montenegro at the Serbia-Montenegro Embassy in Washington late on Friday, Svilanovic said that he had warned UN Security Council members about the situation at the Kosovo-Metohija side of Serbia-Montenegro's border towards Macedonia and Albania, "which is not protected sufficiently enough to prevent the infiltration of those who wish to encourage violence" in the province.
(end)

Serbian police prevent torching of mosque in Oraovica near Presevo

17:13 BELGRADE , March 20 (Tanjug) - Serbian police late on Friday prevented an attempt at setting fire to the mosque in Oraovica near Presevo, the Serbian government's office for media cooperation said in a statement on Saturday.

During the morning, Serbian police took in Ramadan Nuhi from Oraovica, who is suspected of trying to set fire to the mosque.
(end)

Covic says evacuated villages are targetted by ethnic Albanian terrorists

17:02 BELGRADE , March 20 (Tanjug) - Head of the coordination centre for Kosovo-Metohija Nebojsa Covic late on Friday said that, using the excuse that it could not gurantee safety to Serbs, KFOR called on Serbs to evacuate from their villages, which were then torched and destroyed by ethnic Albanian terrorists.

Speaking in a BK television broadcast, Covic said that KFOR had to make major reinforcements to protect Serbs in Kosovo.
(end)

St. Nichola's Church in Pristina destroyed

22:11 BELGRADE , March 19 (Tanjug) - The Kosovo-Metohija coordination centre said on Friday it had been confirmed that the St. Nichola's Church in Pristina, as well as the whole church inventory had been completely destroyed.

A statement issued on the occasion said that church superior Father Miroslav Popadic had visited the remains of the church and seen for himself that everything had been destroyed in the blaze, and that one of the most valuable iconostatsis of Serbian Orthodox churches had turned into ashes.
(end)

BELGRADE -- Saturday – Although the situation in Kosovo appears calmer today, neither Serbia nor the international community can afford to relax, Serbia-Montenegro Defence Minister Boris Tadic said today.

“The situation can’t be described as having finally calmed down, that’s the first thing I must say, because there is a constant threat of escalating violence,” Tadic told B92.

“Because of this, the situation requires close watching and the arrival of new KFOR troops. At this point we have no jurisdiction in Kosovo, which is a tragic fact but a fact.

“We must use diplomatic force, constant diplomatic pressure on the international institution,” he added.

Tadic also noted that the international community had clearly identified Albanian extremists as responsible for an organised campaign against Serbs in Kosovo, describing this as ethnic cleansing.

“This is the first time in fourteen years that the international community has acknowledged that Serbs are victims in Kosovo.

“At this moment KFOR is protecting the Serb population from Albanian extremists, terrorists and bullies in Kosovo, although at the beginning it had a quite different mission, to protect the Albanian population,” said Tadic.

PRISTINA -- Saturday – Serb refugees from Pristina and Obilic sheltered in a KFOR camp in Pristina clashed violently with KFOR troops this morning.

KFOR representatives played down the incident, describing it as only a scuffle.

One refugee, Novica Stolic, told B92 that the conflict erupted after the arrest of Serb Ivan Carapic.

After the international troops used physical force on Serbs who came to Carapic’s rescue, said Stolic, a British KFOR commander brandished a handgun and threatened to fire.

“After this, we had to retreat because they were stronger, and also there were children present,” he said, adding that no explanation was given for Carapic’s arrest except that the troops had order to arrest him.

KFOR spokesman Peter Appleby told B92 that Carapic was being taken to speak to representatives of the UNMIK mission at their request.

“We don’t know what they wanted to talk to him about, that’s not our job,” said Appleby.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- Saturday – The funeral of the Albanian children whose drowning near Mitrovica triggered this week’s ethnic clashes in Kosovo has been scheduled for 1.00 p.m. on Sunday.

The UN mission in Kosovo and KFOR say they expect a massive number of Albanians to attend the funeral.

Serbs living along the road from Mitrovica to Zubin Potok have been ordered to leave their homes.

KFOR say they will attempt to prevent any violence but cannot guarantee that international troops will be able to provide adequate protection for people and their property.

PRISTINA -- Saturday – Twenty-five NATO aircraft have landed at Pristina airport today, bringing about two thousand fresh NATO troops to supplement the 18,000 strong KFOR.

The troops, arriving from the US Ramstein base in Germany have been directly deployed to positions throughout Kosovo on arrival.

BELGRADE -- Saturday – The Pristina and Uzice Corps of the Serbia-Montenegro Army are on the highest level of combat alert, Chief-of –Staff Branko Krga said today.

Krga said that the army’s two southern corps would remain on alert while the army monitored in the situation in Kosovo and southern Serbia.

“These measures have been taken in order to stabilise the situation in Kosovo and southern Serbia, but are certainly not intended to provoke any escalation as Albanian separatists and terrorists in Kosovo are suggesting,” he told journalists in Belgrade.

STRPCE -- Saturday – The municipality of Strpce was without electricity last night after ethnic Albanians sabotaged a regional power line, the Strpce Crisis Centre said today.

Strpce is the southernmost Serb enclave in Kosovo, with a population of about twelve thousand.

Apart from the power outage, the situation in the municipality was calm, said the Crisis Centre.

BELGRADE -- Saturday – Serbia-Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic today called on the international community to help protect the cultural heritage of Kosovo, threatened by destruction in the wave of violence which has gripped the province this week.

Marovic today called on the director-general of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, to condemn the destruction of historical buildings.

In a written appeal, he called on UNESCO to assess the damage done already and recommend measures for reconstruction and permanent protection.

VALJEVO -- Saturday – The director of Radio Television Serbia, Aleksandar Crkvenjakov, was sacked this week because of the state media company’s poor reporting of event in Kosovo, Culture and Information Minister Dragan Kojadinovic said today.

Kojadinovic told journalists at a meeting of the Serbian Renewal Movement in Valjevo that the state television had failed to respond adequately to the situation and had continued its regular programming on Wednesday as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

“They played a series and a quiz program after the news that evening and only after 10.00 p.m. did they begin tentative reports on what was really happening in Serbia’s southern province,” said the minister.

He added that, as director of the company, Crkvenjakov was acting editor-in-chief because no replacement had been appointed for Bojana Lekic who had left to join BK Television.

The state government on Thursday appointed journalist Aleksandar Tijanic to replace Crkvenjakov, prompting protests from media groups who say the move sacrificed the autonomy of Radio Television Serbia.

MOSCOW, March 20, 2004. (RIA Novosti). Russian President Vladimir Putin considers the developments in Kosovo an ethnic purge in regard to Serbs.

"Russia cannot watch indifferently what is going on there. It is, as it has also been admitted by our Western colleagues, nothing but an ethnic purge. An adequate tough response to it is required, in this case, to defend the Serbs," the Russian President said at a regular Saturday meeting in the Kremlin.

"I ask Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to clearly formulate Russia's position on this problem," Putin stressed.

In the near future, he said, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu is to pay a planned visit to Serbia and Montenegro.

"Of late, hard events have been going on there, bringing suffering to many people," the President said. In this connection Putin asked Shoigu to inform about actions that may be taken to help the Serb refugees.

Shoigu replied that the planned trip to Serbia and Montenegro is associated with Russia's economic cooperation with that country.

"At present the situation has worsened seriously. Refugees have fled already 20 populated areas in Serbia. So, urgent actions must be taken to help those people," Shoigu said.

Reference here, he explained, to aid by providing tent camps, medicines, and foodstuffs. Most probably a field hospital is to be opened there, the Emergencies Minister said.

Latest news regarding the fate of the expelled Serbs and an increasingly serious humanitarian situation

Two press conferences were held today in Kosovska Mitrovica, one organized by the Serb National Council of Northern Mitrovica, the other by the district administrator. At these conferences the following information was presented:

In the Kosovska Mitrovica region there are currently about 380 internally displaced persons.

Leposavic: People from Kosovo Polje have been lodged in the administrative building of Trepca and the public utility company.

Kosovska Mitrovica: People from villages near Vucitrn are lodged in the student center; schools are being prepared for additional refugee lodging.

Zvecan: About 30 people are lodged in private houses, with relatives and friends. Lodging is also planned in the village of Banjska and the Trojka Hotel.

Priluzje: There are about 115 people from Obilic here.

After speaking with representatives of French KFOR, Oliver Ivanovic stated that he received information that as of 15,00 hours today there are over 600 Serbs lodged in French military bases as follows:

About 205 in the Belvedere base, about 220 in the base in Novo Selo and about 200 in the base in Smrkovnica.

The situation in the camps is very difficult and a true humanitarian catastrophe is in the making. It has therefore been decided to transfer some Serbs to Kosovska Mitrovica (from Gojbulja, Babin Most, Gacko, Priluzje)

Serbs are almost unanimously expressing a desire to return to their homes. It was agreed to urgently rotate the men from Gojbulja, because the small number of them that stayed in the village is completely exhausted.

About 80 Serbs from the Srbac area are also asking for transportation back to their homes.

The Serbian Red Cross was the first to succeed in delivering humanitarian aid to the suffering people in Kosovo and Metohija. Seven truckloads have arrived in Kosovo and Metohija; seven more are on the way.

International humanitarian organizations have come under criticism. The explanation offered was that they still do not feel safe enough to be able to deliver aid.

The difficulty of their position is also attested to by a letter to the Coordinating Center of Kosovo and Metohija from the Serbs delivered by a representative of international police from one of the KFOR camps.

In the letter the Serbs asked urgent assistance in the form of basic medication.

Monks visit burned Holy Archangels Monastery - Albanians reveled all night over its ruins

The monastery is almost completely destroyed because all wooden construction and interior furnishings were burned. Scattered throughout the monastery courtyard were pieces of burned items, computers and electrical devices used until recently by the monastery. The cover on the tomb of King Dusan has been broken and the tomb itself has obviously been forced open. The belfry is completely destroyed and the monastery's engraving studio burned to the ground. German soldiers informed Fr. Benedict that the Albanians reveled over the ruins all day and all night.

Priest-monk Benedict Preradovic of Holy Archangels Monastery visited the ruins of his burned monastery today with a German KFOR military escort.

The monastery is almost completely destroyed because all wooden construction and interior furnishings were burned. Scattered throughout the monastery courtyard were pieces of burned items, computers and electrical devices used until recently by the monastery.

The cupola above the Chapel of the Holy Bishop Nikolai is still in place but the collapse of the burned beams of the roof structure is expected at any time.

The cover on the tomb of King Dusan has been broken and the tomb itself has obviously been forced open. The belfry is completely destroyed and the monastery's engraving studio burned to the ground.

German KFOR has resumed protection of the ruins of the monastery (sic!) which is currently not at all habitable.

Fr. Benedict then returned to the village of Sredska, where most the brotherhood of Holy Archangels Monastery has been evacuated. The monks are firmly resolved to restore the monastery as soon as possible and to return to their holy shrine.

German soldiers informed Fr. Benedict that the Albanians reveled over the ruins all day and all night.

Latest news from Kosovo and Metohija, March 20, 2004

ERP KIM Info Service
March 20, 2004 13,00 hours

The night has been calm and the morning normal. The refugee village of Novake was on the verge of evacuation last night and Serbs were scheduled to be transferred to the Austrian military base in Suva Reka yesterday afternoon. However, the Serbs refused to leave their restored homes out of fear that KFOR would not protect them after their departure. Significant KFOR forces are now present in Novake.

In the mixed Serb/Bosniak village of Musnikovo in Srednjacka Zupa, someone has set fire to Serb barns. Serbs requested urgent assistance from the UNMIK civil administration in Prizren which informed KFOR and firefighters. This morning it was confirmed that three barns were burned but the panic has calmed somewhat. An increased number of members of the Kosovo Police Service is now present in Musnikovo.

In the city of Prizren itself numerous burned Serb houses and Orthodox buildings can be observed. The extent of the material damage is not known. The only identified victim for now is Dragan Nedeljkovic (born 1950) whose burned body was shown on Albanian KohaVision TV.

The situation near the monastery of the Pec Patriarchate is stable. The monastery is protected by strong KFOR forces.

In Istok a gradual normalization of the situation can also be observed. The sisterhood of the monastery of St. Nicholas in Gorioc is safe and under the strong protection of members of Spanish KFOR. The burning of the Orthodox church in the town, already damaged in 1999, still has not been confirmed. Also unknown is the fate of the church in Djurakovac, which had been partially damaged earlier, and the church in Vitomirica. According to information received yesterday the church in Pecka Banja has been burned.

The remains of burned UNMIK vehicles have been removed from the road. The streets and sidewalks are being washed. UNMIK police vehicles are normally patrolling the streets. No demonstrations are planned for today. The mayor and party officials of AAK (the Alliance for the Future for Kosovo) have appealed for a complete calming of the situation. On March 24 a large commemoration is planned on the anniversary of the beginning of armed conflict in 1998 and police expect the presence of 40,000 to 80,000 people. The road to the "memorial dome" in the village of Glodjani was recently asphalted and a greater number of people is expected to attend than in previous years.

The situation near the monastery of Visoki Decani is table. The presence of great numbers of KFOR troops can be observed and the area is frequently overflown by helicopters.

An UNMIK representative is scheduled to go to Osojane today and meet there with Serbs who were evacuated from Grabac and find a solution for the livestock that remained there after the evacuation. UNMIK representatives visited Bicha yesterday and inspected the damage done. Currently one house has been burned and a second partially destroyed. Despite the presence of KFOR and the Kosovo Police Service both locations are tense.

According to UNMIK assessments the present calm does not necessarily mean a lasting normalization of the situation. Yesterday representatives of UCK (KLA) veterans ordered demonstrations to disperse; it is not known whether they may be continued in coming days.

Nenad Vasic of Lipljan died today of wounds inflicted, according to eyewitnesses and his own statement, by members of the Kosovo Police Service. He was in his house when it was attacked and then set on fire. As he was leaving the house, he was attacked by members of the Kosovo Police Service and seriously wounded. Vasic was rescued by members of UNMIK police who transferred him to the hospital in Lipljan where he passed away today. Members of the Vasic family state that many Serbs in Lipljan were seriously beaten up.

After today's removal of the blockade on the road from Pristina to Skopje, vehicles are normally passing on the road through Caglavica. Strong UNMIK police and KFOR forces are present which are searching vehicles and ensuring security to prevent further incidents. For now the situation is calm.

The UN Security Council strongly condemned the violence in Kosovo and Metohija at its session in New York, scheduled at the request of Serbia and Montenegro, and stated that it must be stopped at once, adding that establishing multi-ethnic, democratic society in the province still remains the aim of the international community. In a statement issued after the session it is pointed out that assaults on members of international security forces represent an assault on the entire international community, and that extremism cannot have a role in the future of Kosovo and Metohija. The Security Council reiterated that it is necessary for interim institutions in Kosovo and Metohija to take efficient measures in enforcing the rule of law, to provide true security for all ethnic communities and to bring to justice the perpetrators of criminal offences. The Council also called for full cooperation between interim institutions in Kosovo and Metohija, representatives of the Belgrade authorities and all the parties involved.

At least 31 people are dead and more than five hundred injured after the past two days of violence in Kosovo, said UNMIK spokesperson Izabella Karlowicz. According to the data by Orthodox priests, 17 churches and monasteries have been destroyed or burnt in Kosovo.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has stated that the attacks on the Serb community in Kosovo represent an organized action, which endangers peace in the entire region. In an interview to the British Sky News TV, he has positively assessed the decisive action of KFOR to protect Serbs, but added that it is only a temporary solution and that it is necessary to find a permanent model of peace for Kosovo. Independent Kosovo cannot be the right solution, and we should try to find another option without altering the borders, the Serbian Prime Minister underlined.

Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are threatened with ethnic cleansing due to brutal attacks by Albanian terrorists and international forces in the Province have failed to prevent that, Serbia and Montenegro Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic said at a UN Security Council session on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija. Svilanovic warned that with violence terrorists are threatening the UN mission and are sending a message to the Security Council that Resolution 1244 will not be implemented. Svilanovic demanded of the Council to explicitly condemn terrorism in Kosovo and Metohija and take measures for the protection of the Serb community. Pointing to the fact that the stabilization of the situation requires the decentralization of the province, Svilanovic expressed Belgrade’s readiness to extend aid to UNMIK and KFOR in the implementation of all the adopted measures.

Tadic met with Admiral Johnson (RTS)

The SaM MoD Boris Tadic met with NATO's South Flank Commander Admiral Gregory Johnson in the vicinity of the Ground Safety Zone to discuss the situation in Kosovo. Johnson informed Tadic and the SaM Army Chief of Staff Branko Krga on the situation in Kosovo. The meeting lasted for more than an hour and was held behind closed doors. Tadic and Johnson emphasized that it is the common goal to calm down the situation and ensure peace and stability of all citizens in Kosovo, especially the Serb and non-Albanian population.

Gregory Johnson, Commander of NATO Southern Wing said that the mass violence still going on in Kosovo, was ethnic cleansing. “Such activities are actually ethnic cleansing. That must not continue and that is why we came in Kosovo,” Admiral Johnson told the journalists in Pristina after meeting with UNMIK Head Harri Holkeri. “I am convinced that Kosovo citizens are better from what we have seen in the past two days. It was violence of a mob, of criminals. We have to work together to solve this problem that we are in,” Johnson said. According to him, KFOR shall today, as in previous days, do its utmost to provide security. He appealed to Kosovo citizens to show “responsibility” and to “respect the law.” Johnson yesterday said that the mass violence was “orchestrated” since there was a “matrix” as per which the violence was going on.

The Russian parliament unanimously passed a resolution saying the Serbian-Montenegrin military should be allowed to help defend the Kosovo Serbs. The resolution also condemned the failure of international organizations to stem the ethnic violence between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo.

The lower house of parliament, the Duma, said a new UN resolution on Kosovo should be passed to reaffirm the Belgrade government's sovereignty over Kosovo and that "the military units of Serbia-Montenegro should take part in defense of the Serb population of the region, of Orthodox churches and guarding borders." "So far all measures taken by KFOR and the UN mission have in fact brought nothing but a temporary freeze of the conflict," the Duma said. The lawmakers, who passed the resolution by a 397-0 vote, said they were also ready to offer "any necessary assistance on Russia's part, including emergency measures to evacuate Serbs from the conflict zone and humanitarian aid" if Serbs are forced to flee Kosovo. Russia's Emergency Situations Minster Sergey Shoigu was to travel to the Balkans soon to discuss the situation in Kosovo, said the head of the Duma's international affairs committee, Konstantin Kosachyov, Interfax news agency reported.

Germany will send 600 additional troops to Kosovo over the escalation of violence there, Defense Minister Peter Struck said. The troops will start deploying on Saturday and will bring Germany's contingent in Kosovo to 3,800 troops. France said it was sending 400 additional troops to Kosovo. The French troops will join extra 150 British troops.

Jonathan Eyal, Director of the Royal Institute of Armed Forces in London, has no dilemma when he is speaking about the latest Albanian attacks on Serbs. 'This is a plan prepared in advance and not spontaneous events', Eyal says. In his interview with Blic he notices that the violence occurred at the most inconvenient moment. “That has not happened accidentally. There were ongoing debates about withdrawal of large number of NATO soldiers from Kosovo and Bosnia. It is clear that for the authorities in Belgrade the crisis occurred at the worst possible time, only few days after setting up of new government. On the other hand this is an ideal time for Pristina. Albanians think that the world has lost interest in Kosovo since the countries of the West are preoccupied without world spots of crisis,” Eyal says.

“I have no dilemma about that at all. It is characteristic that Kosovo politicians are silent and that they show not a slightest wish to stop the violence by Albanians against Serbs. Everything has been directed so to attract the attention of the US and force it to speed up the settlement of Kosovo status. There was also large propaganda by Albanian television in Pristina, which abused the tragic incident with children that lost their lives in the River of Ibar. World media completely failed. They all know what is going on but they do not want to say so. They are trying in every possible way to draw the equality sign between Serbs and Albanians. It is clear to everybody with good intentions that the Albanians are behind the violence and that they initiated it. Media do not want to say that.”

“Serbian hands are completely tied and it has very small maneuvering space. What Pristina would like to see is violence and destruction in Belgrade and Serbia. In Pristina they are trying in every possible way to make impression that Kostunica is another Milosevic. That is pure propaganda. I understand the people in Serbia, but the Government cannot do more than it is doing.”

The spokesperson of KFOR’s multi-national brigade Northeast, Mathew Maben, has stated in Kosovska Mitrovica that KFOR will use all means towards protecting the citizens, and that the international forces will also use in the future arms against armed persons that threaten public order. He also called on the local population to surrender arms. Maben denied that one KFOR soldier was killed and specified that 16 soldiers of the brigade Northeast were injured during the three days of clashes.

Scheffer: Albanians are not going to get what they want through violence (Politika/Beta)

NATO S-G Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has warned the Kosovo Albanians that they are making a huge mistake if they believe that organized violence would help them to get what they want from the international community. He also called on Serbs to restrain from violence. "If Kosovo Albanians think that orchestrating of this violence can get them what they want, they are wrong. If moving towards the Euro-Atlantic structures is what they want, resorting to organized violence is a wrong call," Scheffer told BBC. When asked who orchestrates the violence in Kosovo, he answered that, "it is hard to say," and stressed: "My message is that people who are organizing this violence will lose the confidence of the international community. If the Albanian community in Kosovo believes that the orchestrated violence will get them what they want from the international community, they are dead wrong. They are going to be much more further away from their goal than they are now." Scheffer emphasized that burning down of the Serb churches and evacuating of villages and monasteries was "a very bad thing", as well as that the attacks on KFOR and UNMIK personnel were seriously deteriorating the situation in Kosovo. "I've spoken with leaders of both Pristina and Belgrade and I have conveyed them the same message - do not resort to violence, show restraint," said Scheffer and added that he has also conveyed this message to the SaM MoD Boris Tadic with whom he met during a conference in Bratislava.

Galyak: EU foreign ministers to adopt conclusions on west Balkans (Radio SaM)

EU foreign ministers will adopt on Monday, at a meeting in Brussels, conclusions on the west Balkans, focused on the latest situation in Kosovo after the surge of violence in the province, Christina Galyak, spokesperson of Javier Solana, told Tanjug. She confirmed that Solana had talks over the telephone with Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and with interim Kosovo PM Bajram Rexhepi, but did not mention the details.

In his letter to Kosovo Prime Minister Bayram Rexhepi, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Peter Schieder has assessed that the violence of Albanians against Serbs in the province is shameful and that the fact that Kosovo Albanian leaders have not condemned attacks on Serbs is shocking. Transfer of responsibilities to the other side and attempt to use escalation of ethnic violence for promoting political interests of the majority Albanian population are completely unacceptable, Schieder stressed. Pointing that the international community will never allow that the future of Kosovo resembles its past, Schieder warned Rexhepi that in his capacity of Prime Minister he must represent all citizens of the province and not just Albanians.

Cathleen Stevens: Not the right moment for Kosovo status (Politika/Tanjug)

Now it is not the right moment to discuss the final status of Kosovo and Metohija, said Cathleen Stevens, the US State Secretary Deputy Assistant. Kosovo risks much with this violence and we want to help stop the violence in every way, Stevens told the VoA, specifying that Washington’s promise to extend all the possible aid to stop the violence entails additional military forces.

In an exclusive statement to Danas, Richard Holbrooke, the key creator of the Kosovo solution, said the US and the UN were to be blamed for the situation in Kosovo. “I think the international community is to be blamed, first of all the US and the UN that, despite the knowledge that there is only illusory peace, had not undertaken anything for some solutions for the situation to be found,” said Holbrooke. Holbrooke assessed that the unrest in Kosovo and Metohija was actually the result of “the impatience by Albanians because the problem was being indefinitely postponed.”

The SaM Parliament will most probably hold a special session devoted to the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, DSS caucus whip Zoran Sami stated. On the occasion of the initiative of two MPs from Montenegro for convening a session of the state union’s parliament, Sami told Beta this was no problem, but was only a question when will it be held, taking into account the earlier planned obligations of many MPs. Sami said that certain MPs were included in diplomatic activities regarding the situation in Kosovo.

HRW urges NATO and UN to protect Kosovo Serbs (RTS)

The international organization "Human Rights Watch" has urged NATO and the UN to protect minority communities in the province and prevent their forceful resettlement. "The response of the international community to the attacks at minorities in 1999 was too weak and came too late. This time NATO and the UN must act fast in order to protect minorities and prevent their forceful resettlement," outlines yesterday's statement of HRW Executive Director for Europe and Central Asia, Rachel Denber. HRW emphasizes that Albanians torch Serb churches, homes and public service offices, adding that the most recent attacks resemble to those in spring 1999. "Kidnappings, burning down houses, intimidations and other attacks had forced more than 200.000 Serbs and several thousand Romas to leave the province then," recalls HRW in a statement carried by the German based agency DPA. The particularly worrying fact is that houses, just recently built for the Serb returnees were burnt down, as well.

Pecket: Riots are orchestrated (B92/Srna/Beta)

The SFOR Commander, General Virgil Pecket has confirmed that the riots in Kosovo were well organized and orchestrated. "Everything has started after some shooting and drowning of two Albanian boys, which triggered the riots," said Pecket and added that the multinational forces have information that the violence will not spread any further and that the dramatic developments would soon be stopped. "SFOR is trying to maintain stability in the region and at the same time to help KFOR to put the situation in Kosovo under control," said Pecket.

The Commander of MNB Southwest Italian General Alberto Primiseri told 'Corriere de la Serra' that Albanians had a plan for the devastation of province prepared. "The wave of violence that Albanians have started is not calming down. I think that they had this 'fire and sword' plan to devastate the province for quite some time."

Little Zivojin has not managed (Blic)

On Thursday afternoon two years old Zivojin Filipovic was admitted to emergency department of the hospital in Prokuplje. The little boy from the vicinity of Lipljan, died on the way to the hospital in Nis. Zivojin was taken to the hospital in Gracanica with symptoms of poisoning. The doctor on duty said the boy should be transported urgently to the hospital in Nis. Doctors requested KFOR escort, but were rejected. Emergency vehicle with little Zivojin was driven around Serbian enclaves in central Kosovo. At Merdare checkpoint members of UNMIK police kept the vehicle longer than necessary. Without adequate medical treatment the boy died shortly before arrival to the hospital in Prokuplje. On Friday Merdare was again a crossing for Serbs running away from Kosovo and looking for safety in Serbia.

Humanitarian disaster is a threat for more of 20000 Serbs from the central part of Kosovo. Starvation and illness are threatening to kill the Serbs that Albanians have not managed to kill. The Serbian Crisis Headquarter of central Kosovo sent request to International Red Cross and Red Cross of Serbia to urgently send food, water, and medical drugs into the central part of Kosovo, Strpce and Kosovsko Pomoravlje. “Serbs are running out of food while the shops are almost empty. We are cut off from the world and have no communication. We cannot leave, because UNMIK and KFOR are refusing to provide us escort on our way to central Serbia,” the Crisis Headquarter says in its appeal.

German KFOR soldiers prevented larger group of Albanians from entering the village of Novake near Prizren. According to Beta sources from Kosovo, German soldiers clashed with a group of Albanians near Novake in the morning. Using tear gas and shock bombs the soldiers managed to suppress Albanians. After that German KFOR offered Serbs to be evacuated from the village what Serbs refused. The latest news from Prizren is that German soldiers have stayed to guard Serbs in Novake.

Several tens of thousands of Belgraders attended church service held in front of the St. Sava Temple and dedicated to Serbs in Kosovo. The citizens, led by Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, members of his cabinet and representatives of political parties started the protest walk from the Building of Serbian government through main Belgrade streets and arrived before the St. Sava temple to attend the service. “At the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century this people were accused for ethnic cleansing in places in which it is not present today any more. There are no Serbs in Krajina, Slavonija and probably there will be no Serbs in Kosovo, either. The last remnants of these people are being destroyed. Their homes and churches are on fire. It should be clear to all that the Serbian nation can not exist without the Pec Patriarchate, Decani, Gracanica, Bogorodica Ljeviska,” the Head of Littoral Montenegrin Church Amfilohije said.

SaM President Svetozar Marovic has stated that it is important to immediately stop the ethnic cleansing of the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija. After the session of the SaM Council of Ministers, Marovic has told a press conference that he had talks with French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on necessity of urgent and energetic ending of the violence in Kosovo. They provided their convictions that governments of their countries would do everything at the international level in order to protect lives and property of non-Albanian population in the province, Marovic pointed out. He said that in his talks he had pointed that democratic public in Serbia and Montenegro had condemned the setting mosques in Nis and Belgrade on fire and that resources had been approved for reconstruction of these religious objects.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus has requested the UNSC a new resolution on a political solution of the Kosovo crisis because the “existing political framework is not resolving the problem of Kosovo and Metohija.” “A new resolution is needed on the political solution of the crisis in Kosovo that can be explained in one sentence: cantonization immediately,” Labus told Beta, adding that the situation in Kosovo was slowly calming down.

Albanian extremists and terrorists have planned for months and organized in detail the latest ethnic cleansing of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. According to some intelligence data, the rampaging should stop in two days. According to the Novosti information, members of the international forces in Kosovo and Metohija, under the veil of saving the Serbs, are actually helping the Albanians. The Serb population is being transferred, allegedly to safer places, with the help of trucks and other KFOR and UNMIK vehicles. This frees the space to terrorists who are setting on fire and destroying everything that is Serbian, so Serbs would have nowhere to return.

Noted Kosovo Albanian journalists Veton Surroi said that Albanians had organized the current wave of violence in Kosovo with the aim of expelling the Serb population. Surroi, who published Pristina daily Koha Ditore, said that the violence had entered a second phase, which is obviously organized and orchestrated. “The aim is to intimidate the Serb population and expel them from central Kosovo by destroying their homes and churches. “There is also accumulated rage directed towards UNMIK and KFOR which would have been unthinkable before yesterday,” said Surroi.

SECTION: International News

HEADLINE: EXCERPT - 3,600 Serbs, non-Albanians displaced by Kosovo violence: UN

DATELINE: PRISTINA, Serbia, March 20

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At least 3,600 Serbs and other non-Albanians have been forced to flee violence from ethnic Albanian groups in the province of Kosovo over the past days, a UN official said Saturday.

"This situation has created a substantial humanitarian relief need in Kosovo," said Peggy Hicks, who heads the UN's office for people returning to Kosovo.

"It will require a full scale effort by international organizations ... to meet the humanitarian need that has been created by the recent violence."

The vast majority of the displaced people are Serbs, but there are also gypsies and people from the Ashkali minority of Indian descent, she said.

She said that 1,100 of the people have taken refuge in camps run by the NATO multinational force, known as KFOR, while others have claimed sanctuary in Serb areas that have so far not been affected by the violence.

"These people will be displaced and will be living in conditions that are certainly not what they left and that is going to take us substantial time to address," Hicks said.

The cycle of violence was sparked by an unconfirmed rumour that Serbs in northern Kosovo chased three Albanian children into a rain-swollen river, and rapidly spread all over the province with crowds of ethnic Albanians attacking Serb enclaves.

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HEADLINE: REMAINS OF DESTROYED KOSOVO SERB CHURCH CLEARED TO MAKE WAY FOR PARK

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Djakovica, 20 March: The remains of the demolished (Serb Orthodox) Church of the Holy Trinity in Djakovica were completely cleared away today in line with a decision by the local authorities and the remaining masonry was thrown into the nearby River Krena, immediately behind Hotel Pastrik in the centre of Djakovica.

A few thousand (ethnic) Albanians participated in clearing the church ruins, using their hands, wheelbarrows and bags to remove the remaining evidence of the church's existence. The municipality had decided at an extraordinary session to build an approximately 3,000 sq.m park on this location.

To recall, Kfor (NATO-led Kosovo Force) officials had on a number of occasions this year asked Bishop Artemije for the remains of the church in the centre of Djakovica, which had been blown up by Albanians on 19 July 1999, to be cleared away.

Source: FoNet news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1224 gmt 20 Mar 04

) BBC Monitoring

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HEADLINE: MACEDONIAN DEFENCE MINISTER DESCRIBES KOSOVO SITUATION AS EXTREMELY SERIOUS

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(Reporter) Armed groups from Macedonia are entering Kosovo to participate in the clashes. Have our border units noticed anything?

(Macedonian Defence Minister Vlado Buckovski) This is sheer misinformation. We have offered to our friends from Serbia-Montenegro to exchange the information we have to persuade them that we have prevented any illegal movements with the good cooperation between the Defence Ministry and Kfor (Kosovo Forces). There have been only one or two such cases over the past 48 hours, so we cannot talk about large-scale transfer of armed individuals from the territory of the Republic of Macedonia to Kosovo's territory. (Reporter) Are you worried that the clashes may once again spill over into Macedonia?

(Buckovski) We are monitoring the Kosovo developments closely and extremely seriously. The coordination between the Defence Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the (Counterintelligence) Agency has been raised to a maximum level. I believe that the reinforced border control will prevent any surprises. I still believe that the situation in Kosovo is extremely serious, so we are acting seriously.

Yesterday, I had telephone conversations with Serbia-Montenegro Defence Minister Tadic and Prime Minister of the interim Kosovo government Rexhepi to find out what was really going on both in Kosovo and Serbia-Montenegro, bearing in mind the reports we regularly receive from our NATO partners.

The situation is extremely critical and complex. If there are no new and more serious incidents today and tomorrow, then the crisis may be managed and kept under control. Otherwise, it is possible that the current escalation of violence may have insurmountable consequences. The international community is aware of this, which is why NATO has deployed additional forces and even Admiral Johnson has come to command the NATO forces. We must be extremely careful when making assessments, because - I will repeat once again - the situation is extremely serious.

(Reporter) In this context, do you think the peacekeeping mission withdrew from Macedonia too early?

(Buckovski) No. There are no threats to the Republic of Macedonia's security now. However, there is the possibility of the crisis escalating in the border zones, although, judging by the current situation, it seems that these were only isolated incidents in several Kosovo enclaves, primarily populated by the Serb minority.

Source: Sitel TV, Skopje, in Macedonian 1700 gmt 19 Mar 04

) BBC Monitoring

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HEADLINE: KFOR ASKS SERB TOWNS IN NORTH KOSOVO TO ACCOMMODATE 800 REFUGEES

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Kosovska Mitrovica, 19 March: Kfor (Kosovo Force) is at a loss as to what to do with more than 800 Serbs from enclaves Gojbulja, Svinjare and Lipljan, which is why it has appealed to the presidents of municipalities in northern Kosovo to find accommodation for the victims of Albanian ethnic cleansing, whom they had failed to protect.

All Kfor managed to do was evacuate Serbs to their base. It is now trying to palm them off after it had abandoned their homes and property to Albanian arsonists and looters. However, leaders of Serb municipalities said they were even less in a position to look after refugees.

Tanjug has learned that there are many ill people, especially children, among the refugees. (Passage omitted)

Source: Tanjug news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1848 gmt 19 Mar 04

) BBC Monitoring

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HEADLINE: SERBIAN COMMENTARY SAYS CLASHES DISPERSED ILLUSIONS OF MULTIETHNIC KOSOVO

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Text of commentary by M.M.: "Circles of helplessness", by Serbian newspaper Politika on 19 March

The situation in Kosovo (un)expectedly escalated two days ago into the biggest conflict between the Albanian majority and Serb minority since the deployment of the international forces in this turbulent, nominally Serbian province. The conflict was sparked by a rumour, but a noticeable lack of spontaneity in the Albanian crusade against the Serb enclaves and the facility with which they crossed into the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, point to a considerable degree of organization.

There were many casualties - mostly Serbs, and houses of old settlers were burned down, new residential buildings for the returnees, schools and health centres - razed to the ground, and places of worship proving Serbia's roots and existence in these parts. Following the rampage and clashes with the flaccid international forces, the situation calmed down yesterday. But the event had dispersed, altogether and perhaps for good, illusions that were systematically created by the international factors of a stabilization of circumstances in Kosovo and progress towards democracy, multiethnic and tolerant standards of the civilized world. Nothing is left of the image of progress, to which "Serb uncooperativeness" had been the chief obstacle.

The latest eruption of violence revealed several concentric circles of helplessness. First the helplessness of the international forces and civilian administration in securing fundamental human rights to the remaining Serbs: the right to live and move freely. Second, the powerlessness of the Kosovo Albanian democratic corpus to contain their own extremists. Third, the powerlessness of Kosovo extremists to transform themselves into normal politicians who will solve conflicts through dialogue and not conflict. And finally, the helplessness of Serbia, which has lost jurisdiction over Kosovo, to protect its people, who have no option by to seek help from their parent state.

Incidents that ensued in Belgrade and other Serbian cities were a natural response and understandable indignation over the situation in a territory that maintains a strong hold for expressions of patriotism and political emotions, until hooligans took over, whose rioting can have nothing to do with patriotism or solidarity with the endangered Kosovo Serbs. The burning of mosques and breaking of shop windows is nothing but vandalism that helps no-one in Serbia's moment of crisis, but severely injures it.

Source: Politika, Belgrade, in Serbian 19 Mar 04

) BBC Monitoring

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HEADLINE: PUTIN CALLS FOR TOUGH STANCE IN DEFENCE OF SERBS IN KOSOVO

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Moscow, 20 March: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that what is happening in Kosovo at present is "ethnic cleansing" and it is necessary to take a tough stance in defence of the Serbs.

"I am asking Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to clearly formulate Russia's position on the issue," Putin said at a meeting with the prime minister, the head of the administration and power ministers, which usually takes place on Saturdays. "Russia cannot stand by and watch what is happening there (in Kosovo)," the president said.

"And our Western colleagues also said this is nothing other than ethnic cleansing, and there should be a corresponding tough reaction in this case in defence of the Serbs," the president said.

Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1043 gmt 20 Mar 04

) BBC Monitoring

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LOAD-DATE: March 20, 2004