Kosovo braces for the worst

By Maye Ostowani

Violence in Kosovo has been increasing steadily since February when Serb "anti-terrorist" forces killed over 100 ethnic Albanians, claiming they were members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) fighting for the region's independence. Yugoslavia has refused even to discuss the independence of Kosovo and is offering only autonomy without the interference of international powers.

"Kosovo is an autonomous province within Serbia," Vladimir Nesic, chargé d'affaires at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Cairo, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "Albanians in Yugoslavia are our own [Serbian] citizens. We can discuss [this issue] without having any foreign mediation," he insisted.

Nesic did, however, hail US envoy Richard Holbrooke's initiative in bringing Milosevic and Rugova together, calling it a "positive development." Holbrooke, who orchestrated the Dayton peace accord on Bosnia, described last Friday's initial talks between Serbian and ethnic Albanian delegations as "an important step forward in the [peace] process. They are the first technical talks between the two sides ever...We can take hope from them." Both sides agreed to meet once a week.

However, Nesic said that Rugova and his team, comprising the Kosovo Albanian delegation, are only one "political option". In Kosovo, there are several political parties besides Rugova's Democratic League of Kosovo, including the Parliamentary Party and the Social Democratic Party. "These parties are against dialogue without a third party," said Nesic. "Therefore, they are in a way sabotaging this dialogue." A more serious threat, Nesic continued, is a "terrorist organisation" consisting of the Kosovo Liberation Army that has made threats against "traitors" who enter into dialogue about autonomy instead of the "national cause", namely the independence of Kosovo.

The Clinton administration recently criticised the Yugoslav government for resorting to wide-scale deployment of troops, artillery and tanks along the border with Albania, saying that this could lead to a dangerous provocation. Nesic, however, insisted that Serb forces are entitled to defend themselves especially since the KLA has been heavily engaged in smuggling arms to Kosovo across the border with Albania. "Terrorist activities [by KLA] go on," said Nesic. "They kill people and they kidnap people. Then of course, Serbian police have to kill them. It's a vicious circle which could aggravate the situation further."

Although many ethnic Albanians in Kosovo support Rugova, who advocates non-violence, many now feel that peaceful negotiations are not the answer. After enduring years of human and national rights abuses -- Milosevic stripped Kosovo of its autonomous status in 1989 -- and police repression at the hands of the Serbian government, Albanians are leaning more and more towards fighting rather than talking to achieve what they believe is their right to independence.

A blockade enforced by the Serbian government of Kosovo that led to severe shortages of basic food and medical supplies two weeks ago was the latest breach of human rights. Speaking publicly, Adem Demaci, leader of the opposition Parliamentary Party of Kosovo, recently stated, "Serb policy has left Albanians with two choices: we can be free or we can be slaves. If we want freedom, we must fight for it." Over 200 people have been killed in Kosovo this year and many fear that the fighting will spill over into neighbouring countries.

Albanian President Rexhep Meidani last Friday urged Western powers to station an international military force along his country's borders with Kosovo. "Only an international, active preventive presence in Kosovo and the region, establishing monitoring missions on the borders of its neighbours, can guarantee the continuity of the [peace] talks between the sides, avoiding the further radicalisation of the situation," he said.

All hopes, whether international, Serbian or Albanian, seem to be pinned on Albanian leader Rugova. But Rugova himself is in a tight situation. He has been denied foreign mediation, told that independence for Kosovo is impossible and has been threatened by the KLA to remain loyal to the idea of full independence.

Chargé d'affaires Nesic insists that "if the international community encourages dialogue, direct dialogue, and encourages the positions of Rugova, then we can be optimistic." However, "if the terrorist [KLA] activities continue, and if someone from the outside doesn't want a peaceful solution, then he would encourage the terrorist activities. We hope that Europe, the US and other countries do not want that."