Hope on the Balkans Kosov@ Crisis
1999
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Alliance for Change becomes electoral coalition
Leaders of the opposition block Alliance for Change agreed to become an electoral coalition. The opposition insists that early elections on all levels be held by the end of the year based on a system of proportional representation.
21st October 1999The Serbian opposition finds a platform
The fractious opposition has finally agreed a common approach to elections. But attacks are on the rise, and Milosevic remains in control of any vote.
20th October 1999The struggle for a Kosovo authority
The KLA leader is fighting to salvage his popularity, and the UN chief is battling to build an administration. But the winner may be Rugova.
20th October 1999Reinforcements in the Sandzak
Additional troops deployed in the Muslim-dominated region of Serbia have raised fears that Milosevic may stir up fresh conflict in his own backyard.
20th October 1999The battle over the crude
Rivalries erupted among the opposition as soon as the EU announced its heating oil aid to two towns in southern Serbia. But the real risk is that the regime, too, has its eye on the crude.
16th October 1999Belgrade offers federation talks
After dangerously stoking up the campaign against Montenegro, Belgrade has suddenly offered to continue negotiations with the rebellious republic. It could be the last step before a referendum.
16th October 1999The comforts of Serbia's police state
Police are out in force in Serbia, and it seems to make many people feel better. Citizens are urged to spy on their neighbours and stay vigilant for "suspicious" activities. Most are happy to help.
16th October 1999Balkans task force recommends immediate environmental action as part of humanitarian aid
Four environmental hotspots found in Serbia
14th October 1999Opposition draws closer together
In the last few days a few bridges have been thrown across the divide between the leaders of the Serbian opposition and the country's maverick political figure Vuk Draskovic, once more raising the possibility of a united opposition to Slobodan Milosevic's regime.
13th October 1999Serbian opposition unites in demand for early polls
The principal Serbian opposition parties look set to sign a joint declaration calling for elections "under free and democratic conditions" within three months, the leaders of one group said today. The Alliance for Change, the Serbian Renewal Movement and a number of small parties seeking to unseat Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic were expected to sign the document tomorrow, the Alliance's Vladan Batic said today.
13th October 1999Anti-Milosevic activists arrested
Activists from the student resistance organisation Otpor were rounded up for police interrogations in Novi Sad this morning after local police last night confiscated about 3,000 posters for a concert entitled "A Fist to the Head".
13th October 1999UN Secretary General makes first visit to Kosovo
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Kosovo today for his first visit since the end of NATO's bombing campaign, with elections and security for UN personnel high on the agenda.
13th October 1999Thugs attack protesters in Belgrade
Several Belgrade protesters were injured in incidents following the Alliance for Change demonstration tonight. About fifty protesters from New Belgrade who, like groups in other parts of the city had set off to march to Republic Square in the centre, were attacked near the former Communist Party Central Committee building by about twenty young men dressed in black.
13th October 1999Alliance for Change leaders did not go to Luxembourg
BETA news agency reported that it's possible that the trip of Serbian opposition leaders to the EU in Luxembourg would be canceled because of the EU officials' ultimatum that opposition would pledge that, if they come to power, they would extradite Milosevic and four of his aides to ICTY in The Hague.
11th October 1999Small breakthrough for families of Kosovars imprisoned in Serbia
Fifty-four Kosovar Albanians were released Tuesday from a Serbian prison and allowed to return to their families in the province, but a leading rights activist says the UN authorities must do more to secure the release of prisoners on both sides.
5th October 1999Opposition round table: first reactions
Participants in yesterday's opposition round table today expressed mixed feelings about the meeting, at which all present agreed on the necessity for early elections and the activities of all opposition parties to be coordinated.
1st October 1999Belgraders protest violence in Republic Square while police stand by on roads to Dedinje
Ten thousand Belgraders demonstrated on the central Republic Square tonight for the eleventh successive evening. Rally organisers tonight kept the protesters close to the square, after the violence encountered from police on marches through the city on Wednesday and Thursday.
1st October 1999Serb police close private daily
Serbian financial police on Thursday ordered the two-week closure of a private daily newspaper and its printers and a daily leaflet distributed to opponents of the regime, an executive at the papers told AFP.
1st October 1999Police violence in Serbia condemned
The Serbian police used unnecessary and excessive force against peaceful anti-government demonstrators in Belgrade on September 29, Human Rights Watch charged, and warned that the violence may mark a new government response to Serbia's ongoing street protests.
30th September 1999Extraordinary elections fastest solution
All participants in today's opposition round table agreed that the situation in Serbia demanded the urgent and coordinated action of all opposition forces. The opposition said jointly that the extraordinary circumstances imposed the need for extraordinary elections as the fastest and most rational solution.
30th September 1999More than twenty injured on Wednesday's demonstrations
More than twenty people, including several journalists and five policemen were injured on the 29th September when police blocked a protest march of about 20,000 Belgraders.
30th September 1999"They started beating without a warning"
An eye-witness account of the 29th September Rally in Belgrade (with photograps!).
29th September 1999Belgrade students lead resistance to bad government
A student movement dubbed 'Resistance' plans to mark the new university year in October by occupying faculties, blocking lectures and pressing for Slobodan Milosevic's ouster - but his regime is certain to fight back, and hard.
28th September 1999Demob opportunities in Kosovo
A week after KFOR and the UN certified the final dismantling of the KLA, the international community is intensifying efforts to ensure that ex-KLA fighters and other former combatants can find jobs in 'civvy street'.
28th September 1999Off on a paranoid hunt for enemies of Serbia
The state media is turning Serbs into a nation of paranoids, sending them out to hunt fifth columnists in every corner - and targeting ordinary people for the slightest of reasons.
28th September 1999Fifth day of alliance rally
Thousands of Serbian citizens all around the country continued their protest today to demand a change of government and this evenings rally organised the mock trial of the Minister for Information.
25th September 1999Is the army going back to Kosovo?
Some 10,000 new military draft notices have been printed and are ready for use at the headquarters of the Yugoslav Army (VJ), report several sources close to its commanders. Impossible to verify officially, the report continues to fuel speculation that the army is ready for a fighting return to Kosovo.
24th September 1999Montenegro's relations with Belgrade get sourer by the day
Amid charges of coup attempts and Belgrade's cold shouldering of Podgorica's effort to renegotiate its federative relationship with Serbia, Montenegro slips closer to outright confrontation.
24th September 1999KLA demilitarisation deal despite last minute wrangles
Days of dispute slowed progress towards Monday night's agreement on the demilitarisation of the Kosovo Liberation Army and highlighted a profound disagreement between the Kosovars and the international community on the nature of the force that will replace it.
21st September 1999Muzzling the media
The Milosevic regime is resorting to increasingly draconian measures to control Serbia's media.
21st September 1999Devaluing the dinar, like it or not
The dinar in the pocket of Serb consumers is worth less by the day, yet the official exchange rate of six to the German mark remains unchanged.
17th September 1999Macedonia elections: has NATO outstayed its welcome?
Though campaigning for the Macedonian presidential elections does not officially start until October 1, the political debates are underway and the top topic is the continued presence of NATO forces in the country.
17th September 1999Federal Government rejects Vuk Draskovic
The Federal Ministry for Information today rejected the statement made by Serbian Renewal Movement President Vuk Draskovic that the Yugoslav government was preparing "something resembling a putsch" in Montenegro, planning a military takeover of the media.
17th September 1999Montenegro reservists on standby for Yugoslav intervention
Despite having no standing army, Montenegro has the firepower to resist any attempt by the Yugoslav military to overthrow the pro-western leadership in the tiny republic, sources close to the Montenegrin government say.
17th September 1999Prisoners on hunger strike will be transferred to Lipljan
Prisoners who have been on a hunger strike in the Kosovska Mitrovica prison since Sept.13, will, for health reasons, soon be transferred to Lipljan where conditions exist for providing adequate medical care.
17th September 1999Alliance for Change promotes Avramovic as future premier.
During the Alliance For Change Convention in Novi Sad on Sep. 16, the Yugoslav Central Bank's former governor, Dragoslav Avramovic, was officially promoted, in the name of this coalition, as the future premier of the transitional Serbian government.
17th September 1999Alliance for Change: "We will go to the very end"
The Alliance for Change gathering in Novi Sad marked the start of a new anti-government campaign organised by the Alliance which plans to hold a new rally in Belgrade next Tuesday, to be followed by daily protests throughout Serbia.
17th September 1999Convention of Alliance for Change held in Novi Sad
In front of 5,000 supporters, the convention of the Alliance for Change was held on the 16th September in Novi Sad.
16th September 1999Protests in Serbia
The Alliance for change held another rally yesterday, this time in Vranje. The Former governor of the National Bank of Yugoslavia, Dragoslav Avramovic, said that the independent sindical organizations would support the protests.
15th September 1999Serbs returning to Kosovo attacked near Gnjilane
In an attack on a column of Serb civilians who were returning to their homes near Gnjilane, one person was killed and two were wounded, Kfor spokesman Ole Irgens told BETA on Sept. 14.
15th September 1999Where Serb forces are forbidden, Serb paramilitary grows
NATO is denying the re-entry of Serb military or police into Kosovo, despite its agreement to allow limited Yugoslav troops to return after ethnic Albanian disarmament. This is causing not only a Serb protest in Belgrade, but also two further complications for NATO's reconstruction attempt in the region.
14th September 1999Armed clashes mar three-month 'peace' dateline
Clashes between armed Serbs and both KFOR and Albanians have surged on the eve of the three-month marker of the military technical agreement establishing the international military presence in Kosovo.
14th September 1999Yugoslavia's diplomats stay at home
The clerks at the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry have nothing to do - their bosses are barred from travelling and almost no-one wants to visit them - which somewhat handicaps their work.
14th September 1999Travel bans are more effective than most sanctions
Economic sanctions against Yugoslavia have hit disproportionately against ordinary Serbs. Travel bans, by contrast, are successfully targeting Milosevic's elite.
14th September 1999Life in Belgrade: abundance only on TV
The streets of Belgrade display more and more the poverty of its inhabitants. In spite of this, a spokesman of the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia claimed a rise of the living standard of the citizens.
10th September 1999Arrest fever
As more and more senior war crimes suspects end up in The Hague, speculators wonder who will be arrested next.
10th September 1999Serbia's schools teach new lessons in war
Serbian schoolchildren have a bundle of new books for their libraries - a gift from Serbia's self-styled 'Uncle Education Minister' - but the lessons they teach are all about war, hate and patriotic militarism.
10th September 1999No welcome in Belgrade for Serbs fleeing Kosovo
Serbian families escaping from Kosovo have bought a one-way ticket to Belgrade and what they hoped would be refuge - but have found themselves at the door of an inhospitable host.
8th September 1999Kosovo prisoners still languish in Serb jails
More than 2,000 Kosovo Albanian civilians arrested in the final days of the Serbian military operations in the province are still held in Serbian jails, unsure of their future. The Belgrade-based NGO the Humanitarian Law Fund is their only link to home, as the UN is powerless to help.
8th September 1999Definitely not the party to be seen at
The new state-approved management of the formerly independent Radio B-92 held a party to mark the station's tenth birthday on September 8 - despite the fact that, before the takeover in March, B-92 was a major thorn in the regime's side.
8th September 1999EU divided over future of Serbia sanctions
The European Union was divided on Saturday over whether to ease sanctions against Yugoslavia to strengthen the hand of pro-democracy Serbs seeking to topple President Slobodan Milosevic.
4th September 1999Western ministers voiced concern over organised crime in the Balkans
Foreign ministers from the 15-nation bloc meeting informally at a Lapland ski resort also discussed the rise in organised crime in the Balkans and voiced concern that some countries, particularly Albania, appeared to be safe havens for mafia-type groups.
4th September 1999Draskovic collaborates with regime
Alliance for Change coordinator, Vladan Batic, reacted sharply to the accusation from Vuk Draskovic that part of the opposition did not want elections but civil war in Serbia. Batic added that "with the changes all police archives will be opened so people will find out how Vuk Draskovic collaborated with Milosevic's regime."
4th September 1999Serbian opposition representatives in London
On a joint press conference in London, Serbian opposition representatives called on Western countries to lessen the sanctions on Yugoslavia so that heating installations and power plants can be repaired before the coming winter.
4th September 1999Army reservist goes to Belgrade on foot
4th September 1999Seselj heralds reshuffling of government soon
The outgoing Serbian vice-premier Vojislav Seselj stated on Sept. 2 that the government would undergo some changes most probably in the next ten days, and that Mirko Marjanovic will remain the premier.
3rd September 1999Pork for pickups
British troops plan to help about 30 pigs stranded in Kosovo get back to their rightful owners on the other side of the provincial border. In return for the pigs, Serbs in the area plan to return some vehicles belonging to local Albanians.
29th August 1999KFOR and UNMIK under severe criticism
The flood of criticism of NATO follows an exodus of Serbs from Kosovo since the deployment of the alliance-led force. The United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR said last week the province was now "almost Serb-free."
29th August 1999Holbrooke stressed the importance of Russian troops in KFOR
Richard Holbrooke on Sunday urged a swift end to a dispute in which Kosovo Albanians have barred Russian peacekeepers from their town for a week. He stressed the importance of Russia's role in the international force in Kosovo.
29th August 1999Citizens of Yugoslavia "survive on black economy"
The black economy could now account for up to half of Yugoslavia's gross domestic product (GDP), according to a United Nations report.
27th August 1999Referendum Montenegro "inevitable"
The leader of the Montenegrin Socialdemocratic party has said that the referendum concerning the national status of Montenegro is "inevitable", and that the question posed on the referendum will have to be defined in the following two months.
27th August 1999Milosevic's Bosnia factor
Former rivals, Milosevic and the dismissed Bosnian Serb leader Poplasen are forging a new alliance to try to refresh their standing among the Serbs.
25th August 1999Serbian Patriarch asked president Milutinovic to resign
The Patriarch of Serbian Orthodox Church, Pavle, said that he asked to speak with the president of Serbia, Milan Milutinovic, and the president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic."Because of economic and political international isolation of our country and our people, we said that our opinion is that he should resign."
25th August 1999Serbia may hold elections on November 7th
The report in the independent Blic daily, which cited a highly placed source in the left-wing coalition, said that Serbia's ruling coalition has decided to organize early local elections on Nov. 7 and hold a general election on the same day if the opposition agrees.
25th August 1999Mladjan Dinkic: "Draskovic and Djindjic don't hate each other"
Mladjan Dinkic, coordinator of the Group of 17 independent economists, said in a talk-show on Novi Sad's Radio 021, that the main obstacle in the relations of two key opposition leaders, Vuk Draskovic and Zoran Djindjic, is not their hatred, but their attitude towards Milosevic.
24th August 1999UN rejects US deal with KLA
United Nations officials in Kosovo are saying that a deal reached by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the US State Department will undermine the organisation's peace efforts in the province. The agreement, reached by KLA leaders and State Department spokesperson James Rubin in June, would give KLA members favourable consideration in the selection of a civil police force for Kosovo.
24th August 1999Repression on the initiators of the citizens' protests in Valjevo and Leskovac
Citizens Resistance Valjevo sent a letter on behalf of the citizens of Valjevo and the Arsenijevic family to the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pavle, to inform him about the brutal arrest of Bogoljub Arsenijevic-Maki, artist and the founder of the Resistance and initiator of protest rallies in Valjevo.
21st August 1999Serbs from Orahovac protest against the arrest of war crimes suspects
The Serbian population from Orahovac sent a letter to the UN Mission in Kosovo and KFOR, demanding release of four Serbs, arrested on Friday, or "all remaining Serbs will leave Orahovac," the Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church "Pravoslavlje Press" reported.
21st August 1999Serbs proposed Kosovo divided on ethnic lines
21st August 1999Persistent rift between Serbian opposition groups
In a setback to efforts to unseat Slobodan Milosevic, an opposition leader denounced rivals in the movement and said his followers would boycott joint rallies aimed at forcing the Yugoslav president to step down.
21st August 1999European Union to reconsider sanctions against Yugoslavia
21st August 1999Violence against non-Albanian population in Kosovo continues
21st August 1999Incidents continue in Pristina, somewhat more peaceful in Gnjilane
20th August 1999More than 150,000 people at opposition rally in Belgrade; Vuk Draskovic booed
More than 150,000 people gathered at the Aug. 19 rally of opposition supporters in central Belgrade, where deep divisions between the two largest opposition factions were confirmed.
20th August 1999150,000 on the streets in Belgrade
Opposition leaders told a crowd of 150,000 protesters in Belgrade that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic must be replaced for the survival of Serbia. Speakers warned that if the government did not step down within fifteen days, Serbia would take to the streets, not only in Belgrade but throughout the country.
19th August 1999Photos from the Belgrade rally of 19th August
According to Free Serbia, between 170,000 and 200,000 people attended the anti-Milosevic rally on 19th August in Belgrade
(Photos courtesy of Free Serbia)
19th August 1999Poll shows ruling coalition is losing support
The popularity of the Serbian Renewal Movement and the Alliance for Change coalition is on the rise, while support for the ruling coalition is declining, indicated an opinion poll conducted by the Belgrade Partner agency between Aug. 10 and Aug. 16.
19th August 1999Final list announced of participants in opposition rally in Belgrade
The organizers of the rally in front of the federal assembly building in Belgrade on Aug 19, announced the order of the speakers at the rally.
19th August 1999Elections possibly in November
The independent Belgrade press agency BETA reports that exraordinary elections in Serbia could be held in November, providing that they would be scheduled by the Serbian legislature.
19th August 1999Opposition protests continue throughout Serbia
Opposition protest rallies continued throughout Serbia over the weekend with protesters demanding that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and his regime step down.
16th August 1999Dinkic announces large attendance of the Belgrade rally
Less then 100 hours before the opposition rally in Belgrade, called by the writers of Stability Pact for Serbia, one of the writers, and the coordinator of the Group of 17 independent economists, Mladjan Dinkic, said for Radio B2-92 that people from around Serbia are interested in attending the rally in Belgrade.
15th August 1999Serbian Prime Minister accused opposition of terrorism
Serbian Prime Minister, Mirko Marjanovic, accused the leaders of Alliance for Change of being "terrorists organization" and "the paid killers employed by NATO".
15th August 1999More casualties of the violence in Kosovo
15th August 1999General Perisic's political organization
Who are the members of the Movement for a Democratic Serbia and what do they have to say?
14th August 1999Granny killing
Most of Pristina's remaining Serbs are elderly women. Yet they are still targets for "revenge" attacks.
13th August 1999Momcilo Perisic founds movement for democratic Serbia
The Yugoslav Army's former chief of staff, Momcilo Perisic, confirmed, on Aug. 12, that he had founded the Movement for Democratic Serbia (PDS) and announced the establishment of a government consisting of non-party experts.
13th August 1999An officer and a politician
Former Yugoslav chief-of-staff Perisic launched a movement to oust his former boss, Milosevic. But he, too, has been accused of war crimes.
13th August 1999Will Romania be left out?
Bucharest is determined to ingratiate itself with the West and integrate itself in European institutions. But Romanians are sceptical about talk of a Stability Pact for south-eastern Europe.
13th August 1999Federal cabinet's reshuffle takes place
Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic made changes in the federal government on Aug. 12.
13th August 1999Burying the hatchet?
With UN prodding, Kosovo's rival Albanian leaders have patched up some of their differences. But key questions of money and power remain.
10th August 1999For Kosovo's political prisoners, the war continues
While most Kosovo Albanians celebrate an end to the war, the agony goes on for more than 2,000 Kosovo Albanians held in Serbian jails.
10th August 1999Serbia's state swindle
Serbia is short-changing its citizens in almost every aspect of their lives, but still promises to rebuild everything.
10th August 1999Human rights groups demand information on missing persons
Six human rights groups, four from Kosovo and two international, called on the Serbian government to release information about the thousands of ethnic Albanians who are known to have been taken into custody by Serbian forces during the NATO bombing campaign between March 24 and June 15, 1999.
6th August 1999Dossier: Crimes in Kosovo
A change of violence is taking place in postwar Kosovo: the perpetrators these days are Albanians, and the victims, Serbs. And between is KFOR.
July 1999Federal dialogue between Serbia and Montenegro
The conversations on the crucial relationships between members of the Federation and on the future of FRY have not practically begun, as some participants of the talks said to the journalists.
July 1999Three days of horror in Pec
Natasa Kandic, Director of the Fund for Humanitarian Law, offers a testimony.
July 1999Kosovo atrocities recounted in detail
Human Rights Watch released a detailed report on how Serbian and Yugoslav forces besieged and terrorized the ethnic Albanian population of Glogovac town and the surrounding villages in Kosovo.
27th July 1999Pancevo: Anti-government rallies
Despite the rain and cold wind, around 5 thousand people from Pancevo gathered on the main city square at the protest meeting of the opposition umbrella Alliance for Change. Highlight of this gathering was simple - "Resignation".
23th July 1999Challenge for KFOR
Life is starting to go back to normal in Kosovo. But this is just the very beginning of normalisation. The scars, and even the wounds are still evident all over the place.
20th July 1999A brief state visit
Rugova returned to Kosovo Thursday, July 15th, but was gone again within hours. But no other Kosovo Albanians are in charge either.
17th July 1999Constitutional shadow-boxing
Montenegrin and Serbian representatives have meet to discuss relations between the two republics. But the first round was only tactical sparring.
17th July 1999Russian forces to join KFOR
Russian ships carrying troops for Kosovo peacekeeping duties reached the Greek port of Thessaloniki on Wednesday. U.S. and Russian troops will soon begin joint peacekeeping patrols in the American sector of Kosovo to ease fears of ethnic Albanian and Serb civilians.
15th July 1999Situation in Kosovo still unstable, Serbs still in fear
An anti-tank mine explosion in Kosovo killed one person and critically wounded another, the latest in an alarming number of deaths by mines in the province, a NATO spokesman said today.
15th July 1999UN Secretary-General urges for civilian police
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday urgently appealed for the quick deployment of civilian police to Kosovo as well as money to pay civil servants before public services collapsed entirely.
15th July 1999Macedonia waiting for a miracle
As of late, at all their meetings with representatives of the international community the Macedonian officials point out the fact that this country was hit by the Kosovo crisis almost equally as Kosovo itself.
15th July 1999Rival frustrations
Open discontent within the security forces is growing, as Yugoslav soldiers express bitterness over low pay, poor prospects and military defeat.
13th July 1999ICTY intensifies its activity on Kosovo
UN war crimes prosecutor Louise Arbour arrived in Kosovo today for a two-day visit. Arbour was due to meet other international officials on Tuesday and visit several mass grave sites on Wednesday.
13th July 1999Reconstruction - The main trump card
Economists have estimated that, should it decide to rely on its own resources, Serbia will need half a century to bring its economy back to the level of the time before dissolution of former SFR of Yugoslavia.
13th July 1999Rallies held all over Serbia
13th July 1999More than a half of Gypsy population fled Kosovo since mid-June.
Dragoljub Ackovic, head of the Congressional Party of Roms, said that more than a half of the Gypsy population of Kosovo has fled Kosovo since mid-June, fearing reprisals from returning ethnic Albanian refugees.
13th July 1999Leaving Subotica
While Subotica authorities consider reintroducing cattle-drawn carts for refuse collection, its multi-ethnic population is voting with its feet and leaving.
13th July1999Situation on Kosovo far worse than expected
International agencies and NGOs in Kosovo are facing a grim situation on the ground with far worse damage to towns and villages than expected. After spending billions on the war against Yugoslavia and peacekeeping, donor governments have little cash left for reconstruction, leaving agencies without the money or time to prepare for October snows.
13th July 1999Refugees returning from the "third countries"
Anne-Willem Bijleveld, UNHCR's head for Europe, said the returnees from up to 30 points of departure in Europe and other countries would be flown to Macedonia's capital Skopje under the campaign starting on July 15.
13th July 1999No advance in Serbian-Albanian relationships
The Press service of Serbian Orthodox Church "Orthodox press" issued a statement on Monday accusing KFOR soldiers of breaking into Serb houses searching for arms. KFOR soldiers are reacting to reports made by ethnic Albanians that some Serb houses are weapon storages, the statement said.
12th July 1999Belgrade police forbids the petition for Milosevic to resign
Only one hour after the action started, on every of the 29 locations organized by the Alliance for Change, at which the citizens put their signature on the demand for the resignation of the President of the FRY Slobodan Milosevic, the police appeared and verbally forbid this action.
12th July 1999Incidents in Gnjilane
11th July 1999Yugoslavia has no own reconstruction resources
Dr. Ljubomir Madzar, Professor of the Faculty of Economy at the Belgrade University, said on Sunday that the annual interest of Yugoslav foreign debt is approximately the same as the damage that Yugoslavia suffered of NATO bombing.
11th July 1999Yugoslav Army reservists still unsatisfied
Yugoslav Army reservists are blocking the road from Blace to Krusevac for the third consecutive day, demanding the payment of allowances for the time they spent in the Army during NATO bombing.
11th July 1999Djindjic announces demonstrations in Belgrade in August
The opposition Alliance for Change plans to top off its series of anti-Milosevic protests in progress throughout Serbia with a massive rally in Belgrade, Democratic Party president Zoran Djindjic said on July 9.
9th July 1999Explosive reporting
Independent media in Serbia have in recent years become accustomed to "spontaneous", unresolved attacks. Now, in Cacak at least, it's the turn of the regime media.
9th July 1999Television producer gaoled
Yugoslavia's Association of Independent Electronic Media protests strongly at the sentencing of TV Leskovac producer Ivan Novkovic to thirty days' imprisonment. Novkovic was sentenced by a municipal misdemeanours judge in Leskovac. ANEM also protests at Mr Novkovic's dismissal from TV Leskovac.
8th July 1999Belgrade is hiding toxic time bomb, Greens warn
The Yugoslav government is leaving its people exposed to poison by suppressing evidence that Nato's bombing has devastated the environment and contaminated the food chain, European environmentalists warn.
7th July 1999Kosovo becomes a place of no return for angry Serb refugees
Impoverished by economic collapse and ravaged by NATO airstrikes, Serbian towns can do little to help the streams of angry refugees now arriving on their doorsteps from Kosovo.
7th July 1999The basketball revolution?
Thousands of demonstrators have been calling for Milosevic's resignation in a town which has hitherto been a bastion of support for the Yugoslav President
7th July 1999Autonomy on the agenda, again
During NATO's bombing campaign, Vojvodina's Hungarians kept as low a profile as possible. Now they have taken up the issue of autonomy again.
7th July 1999Montenegro looks to the future
Even as the Yugoslav Army sends in reinforcements, Podgorica hopes to exploit Belgrade's clumsy threats and move further away from Serbia.
6th July 1999Anti-Milosevic protesters march
Thousands of angry Serbs rallied in a central Serbian town Tuesday to demand that President Slobodan Milosevic resign, and police in another Serb town clashed with a similar crowd of anti-government protesters.
6th July 1999The damage done
Macedonia to seek 110 million dollars in compensation for damages to roads and infrastructure.
6th July 1999Campaign for democracy goes on
Alliance for Change continues with protest rallies in Serbia.
4th July 1999Geremek and Dienstbier ask for the end of isolation of Yugoslavia
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Bronislaw Geremek, said that international isolation of Serbia should be ended as soon as possible, and warned that without democratic changes in Belgrade, the whole region could suffer the destabilization.
4th July 1999Montenegro patiently waits for the response of Serbian authorities
Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic said yesterday in Rome that his republic patiently waits Serbian response to their suggestion for redefining the partnership in the federation, but that it will choose its own way, if Serbia keeps its reactionary attitude.
4th July 1999Women in Black against the war in Yugoslavia
The news reports from Belgrade show men and women, with targets pinned to their clothes, cheering for Milosevic. One might get the impression that all citizens of Serbia support the regime and its actions in Kosovo, but for seven and half years, the feminist group Women in Black has boldly and visibly stated their opposition to war, rape and ethnic cleansing in all of former Yugoslavia.
3rd July 1999Troops 'may face Gulf syndrome'
Depleted uranium in spent Nato shells could pose threat to peacekeepers and civilians, British expert warns.
3rd July 1999An ecological disaster in the wake of the war
During its air war in Yugoslavia, NATO's military might was locked on targets stockpiled with some of the most lethal chemicals known to man. As a result, NATO's air campaign unleashed a chain of ecological disasters, the aftermath of which will be felt for generations.
2nd July 1999Large-Scale Massacre in Pusto Selo
Serbian forces removed bodies after release of satellite photos
2nd July 1999Towards a new state of emergency
Serbia has just lifted its state of war. Barring a miracle, it is heading towards a new state of emergency.
1st July 1999The church reaps what it sowed
After its early alliance with Milosevic, the Serbian Orthodox Church is struggling to present itself as a new voice of moderation.
1st July 1999Cacak's voice of reason
Opposition Mayor Ilic made a triumphant return at the first post-war anti-Milosevic rally, setting the stage for further demonstrations in other cities within Serbia.
30th June 1999Return to Kosovo: not a solution for all
Even as the official UNHCR programme to return refugees to parts of Kosovo deemed safe begins, many who are unable to go are in urgent need of an alternative, Amnesty International said in a new field report.
29th June 1999Protest from the pulpit on St. Vitus' day
Bishop Artemije says Milosevic inflicted much evil upon everybody but hurt Serbs most.
28th June 1999Violence against Kosovo Serbs continues
It is a very tense situation throughout most of Kosovo's major cities. Frightened Serbs from Pristina and Pec flee as their houses blaze after being looted by ethnic Albanians.
26th June 1999Yugoslav Army reservists ended the protests
Yugoslav Army reservists, who were blocking all the roads in vicinity of Kraljevo, ended their protests around 6 p.m. Friday.
26th June 1999ANEM statement on the shutting-down of independent media
The Association of Independent Broadcasting Media (ANEM) accused Federal Ministry of Telecommunications for attempts of shutting down all remaining members of the Association, by sending the warnings for payment of the enormous rents for the frequencies.
26th June 1999Petition for the Milosevic resignation begins
The Opposition Alliance for Change announced that it has started the collecting the citizens' signatures of the demand for the resignation of Slobodan Milosevic.
26th June 1999Violent abuses by KLA members
Beatings, killings and rape taking place in Kosovo
25th June 1999Kraljevo blocked by protesting reservists
Unpleased members of the Yugoslav army reserve have continued with their blockade of all entry points to Kraljevo. The army reserve demand to be payed the wages for their participation in the war.
25th June 1999NATO bombed dummies
NATO'S 79-day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, which involved thousands of sorties and some of the most sophisticated precision weapons, succeeded in damaging only 13 of the Serbs' 300 battle tanks in Kosovo, despite alliance claims of large-scale destruction of Belgrade's heavy armour.
24th June 1999Kosovar refugee flow is now two-way and bicultural.
News agencies report that in less than two weeks after the signing of the peace accord, more than 200,000 ethnic Albanian refugees returned to Kosovo while some 70,000 Serbs fled the province.
24th June 1999International war crimes tribunal under way
The US-based International Action Center projects a massive people's tribunal on the war on Yugoslavia. The IAC considers it essential that an international forum will be developed that holds the U.S. and NATO accountable for its allegedly criminal acts.
24th June 1999New wave of Serb refugees rejected by Belgrade
Serb refugees on the move out of Kosovo are being directed away from Belgrade, for fear that their presence might upset the state's preferred image of victory over the 'NATO aggressors'
23rd June 1999Banished Kosovars leaving Macedonia
The beginning of the end of a yet unseen exodus at the end of the twentieth century has started - the Kosovars have begun to go back to their homes.
22nd June 1999Peace walk to Kosovo cancelled
For Mother Earth decides to join Italian non-violence presence in Pristina and cancels plans for Walk from Timisoara.
22nd June 1999Five Yugoslav army reservists sentenced
Five Yugoslav men accused of deserting their army units in Kosovo during the NATO bombings have been sentenced to three years in prison, the pro-government Politika daily reported Monday.
21st June 1999Opposition plans rallies for change across Serbia
A Serbian opposition group, the Alliance for Change, announced on Monday that it would soon start organizing demonstrations across the republic calling for early elections and democratic change.
21st June 1999Serbian government forcing Kosovo Serbs to return
In the last few days, Serbian government officials began campaign of pushing and forcing Kosovo Serbs to return to the province. They said that thousands Serbs who had fled Kosovo over the past few days were to return home on Monday.
21st June 1999Concern about fate of detained Kosovar Albanian men
Freed detainees describe mistreatment by Serb forces
Human Rights Watch reports
21st June 1999The End
NATO announced on Sunday that all Serb troops and soldiers had left Kosovo 11 hours earlier than scheduled. At almost the same time, NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana issued a statement, saying as all Serb forces had left Kosovo in compliance with international agreements, he was therefore officially terminating NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia.
20th June 1999Police arrest official of Democratic Party from Prizren
In Belgrade, the police has broken up a Serbian refugee protest meeting. The police has arrested Svetozar Fishich, head of the Serbian Kosovo refugee organisation, who is as well the local leader of the Democratic party from Prizren.
18th June 1999Serbian refugees from Kosovo protest in front of federal parliament
A group of Serbs who have fled from Kosovo have managed to arrive in front of the Federal Parliament building in Belgrade this morning, where they have expressed their protest towards the actual government. According to them, they expected to be addresed by the official authorities.
18th June 1999Burnt remains of Korenica villagers found
In four homes in Korenica , a village some 15 kilometers west of Djakovica (Gjakove), a Human Rights Watch researcher examined the burnt remains of a number of Kosovar Albanians reportedly killed by Serb security forces on April 27.
18th June 1999Elderly Serb civilian brutally beaten by KLA soldiers
A seventy-year-old Serb civilian who was interviewed by a Human Rights Watch researcher the evening before he fled Kosovo for Serbia has described how soldiers of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) tied him up, held him hostage for six hours, and brutally beat him.
18th June 1999The waiting game
While desperate to return home, most Kosovo refugees in camps in Albania are waiting patiently for the all-clear from international aid agencies.
18th June 1999Kosovo rape victims suffer twice
The use of rape as a weapon of war was widespread in Kosovo. But the scale of the atrocities has been hidden by Albanian communities to hide their "shame" from the outside world.
18th June 1999Recognising the KLA
Skopje appears to have accepted that it must recognise the political role of the KLA.
18th June 1999Pre-election revival in Serbia
At this moment, all political protagonists obviously rely on possible profitting in the elections at the expense of Milosevic's loss in Kosovo. After all, regardless of how great animosity the Serbs may feel for the Tribunal in the Hague, many of them will refer to the data collected by its prosecutors.
17th June 1999Patriarch Pavle moves to Kosovo
The Serbian church head Patriarch Pavle moved today from Belgrade to Pec, the town in Western Kosovo where the historical centre of Serbian Orthodox Church is located.
17th June 1999Rugova returns to Kosovo
The moderate leader of the Kosovar Albanians, Ibrahim Rugova, has said he is planning to return to Kosovo in the next few days to resume his political activities in the province.
17th June 1999Russia to participate in control of German sector
According to informations in the "Berliner Zeitung", Russia is to participate in the control of the German sector in Kosovo. The command of this sector will be swapped every half year between Germans and Russians, the paper reported on Thursday evening.
17th June 1999Increasing ethnic tensions and violations of human rights in Serbia and Montenegro
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights and its affiliates in Serbia and Montenegro warned that the rights of citizens of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are being increasingly threatened in the aftermath of the war over Kosovo.
16th June 1999Serbian opposition parties accuse Radicals
Serbian opposition parties accused the ultra- nationalist Serbian Radical Party of cutting a cynical deal to preserve the government while ostensibly trying to quit to collect policital points.
16th June 1999Disarmament of the KLA?
British government sources said on Wednesday that NATO and the Kosovo Liberation Army have agreed an outline plan for disarming KLA fighters.
16th June 1999Serbs fleeing Kosovo, Bishop Artemije leaving Prizren
International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland, said today that more than 30.000 people, mostly Serbs, have fled Kosovo as Yugoslav troops pull out of the Serbian province and NATO-led peacekeeping forces deploy.
16th June 1999B92 marathon broadcast online
Almost three months after the shutdown of B92 by the Yugoslav authorities, the presently only online- existing radio station organised a 24-hours' marathon with the purpose to return into the air.
15th June 1999Serbian independent media still repressed
The Association of independent broadcasting media (ANEM) accuses Milosevic's regime of continued repression on independent media in Serbia.
15th June 1999Newspaper Koha Ditore publisher and editor safe in Kosovo
The Albanian-language newspaper Koha Ditore reported today that its publisher, Veton Surroi, and the editor of its English edition, Dukagjin Gorani, are safe and sound in Pristina.
15th June 1999Serbian Orthodox Church demands Milosevic's resignation
The influential Serbian Orthodox Church today demanded that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic resign. The Holy Synod, the church's highest body, insisted that the ouster of Milosevic and his government was "in the interest of the people and their salvation."
15th June 1999KLA refuse to disarm and terrorizes Serbs
Commander of KLA guerrillas in Pristina quoted as saying he rejects a U.N. resolution calling on them to disarm.
15th June 1999First mass-grave sites found
KFOR troops have found first mass-grave sites in Kosovo yesterday. The massacres are reported to have happened on April 8 and 9.
15th June 1999Over 33,000 Serbian refugees left Kosovo since last Wednesday
15th June 1999Serb paramilitary shot imam and burned mosque near Gnjilane
On Sunday, gunmen shot and killed a Muslim cleric and burned down a 12th-century mosque near the southeast Kosovo town of Gnjilane.
15th June 1999Montenegrin independence movement founded
The leader of a newly founded Montenegrin independence movement on Monday said he believed that this Yugoslav republic would become independent within two years.
15th June 1999Clamp-down in southern Serbia
Journalists, human rights activists and opposition politicians in southern Serbia have been jailed or mobilised during NATO's bombing campaign--and the repression seems likely to continue.
14th June 1999Leaving in flames and tears
Serbs in Kosovo are facing the hardest choice. With a final blaze, many are deciding to pack up and head "home" to Serbia.
14th June 1999Racing home
Kosovo's rival Albanian leaders are scurrying back to Pristina, each hoping to be viewed as the people's undisputed chief.
14th June 1999Serb exodus from Kosovo continues
Episcope of Serbian Orthodox Church, Artemije launched an appeal via radio amateurs warning that international peacekeeping forces entering Kosovo do so "very slowly, in small numbers and are too passive and not interested to protect people".
14th June 1999Agreement over Russian role in KFOR not reached yet
14th June 1999Confusion over Russian troops still not solved
Diplomatic efforts took place after confusion caused by sudden deployment of Russian troops. Russian and US officials held talks on Sunday, trying to work out a mutually acceptable deal on Russia's role in a Kosovo peace force.
13th June 1999Several thousands of Serbs left Kosovo
13th June 1999Vieira de Mello temporary head of civilian mission in Kosovo
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Brazilian diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello to temporarily head of the international civilian mission in Kosovo.
13th June 1999NATO Expects Separate Kosovo
Although the political future of Kosovo is left vague in the settlement that ended the war, American and NATO officials say they envision an international protectorate that will in theory be part of Yugoslavia but that may well, after a few years, become independent.
11th June 1999Waiting for the saviours
Albanian residents nervously watched the Serbian celebrations from behind their curtains, but everyone in Kosovo is just happy to have survived.
11th June 1999The family feud turns serious
The tensions and increased stakes of the war have intensified disputes between the Kosovo Albanians, complicating prospects for a future Kosovo administration.
11th June 1999NATO and The Hague
U.N. war crimes prosecutor Louise Arbour met a group of international lawyers to hear their request that she investigate alleged atrocities by NATO in the Kosovo conflict.
9th June 1999UNHCR fears Serb exodus from Kosovo
The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said in a planning paper released Wednesday that there was a "strong possibility" of a Serb exodus from the southern province, which was 90 percent ethnic Albanian before the crisis.
9th June 1999Peace at last?
NATO and Yugoslavia signed an agreement for the withdrawal of Serbian forces from Kosovo. After five days of talks, representatives of both sides announced that an accord has been signed.
9th June 1999High-level talks rumored?
Yugoslav, Russian and some Western media reported that talks between Yugoslav and NATO officials continued.
8th June 1999Russia accused of holding up a peace agreement
Serbian Renewal Movement and the smaller New Democracy party accused Russia of holding up a peace agreement between NATO and Yugoslavia.
8th June 1999Peace walkers want early start to Kosovo
After balancing the advantages and disadvantages, a group of peace walkers decided to make an early start with a peace walk to Kosovo. The walkers stress that in the current situation with insecure perspectives on a political agreement for the end of the war in the Balkan, participants have to put their lives on hold, and organise the peace walk as soon and as best as possible.
8th June 1999Foreign ministers of G8 reached agreement
Members of G8 agreed on U.N. Security Council resolution that should authorize a peacekeeping forces for Kosovo. Seven top Western industrial nations and Russia is now taking steps to gain support from U.N. Security Council members for the resolution.
8th June 1999Talks failed between Yugoslav and NATO officials
Yesterdays' talks between high ranking officers of Yugoslav Army and NATO officials led by General Jackson finished at Monday around 3.00 without success. Both sides accused other side of inserting new details into document that was agreed by Serbian parliament.
8th June 1999Meeting of G8, bombing may end on Wednesday
Foreign ministers of the G8 leading industrial countries are meeting in Bonn, Germany to try to draft a UN resolution giving a mandate to the international force poised to go into Kosovo.
8th June 1999Kosovo bombed again
As a result of Milosevic's refusal to sign peace agreement, as well as his delaying tactics, NATO intensified attacks of Serb forces in Kosovo, using more than ever "carpet" bombing.
8th June 1999Kosovar Albanian Journalist Beaten But Safe
Human Rights Watch reports
7th June 1999Plans for peace walk to Kosovo move ahead
As the world holds its breath for a possible political solution for the end of the war in Yugoslavia, Mother Earth campaigners remain sceptic and continue preparations for a peace walk to Belgrado and Pristina as a non- violent peace keeping force.
5th June 1999Full text of the Kosovo Peace Plan
3rd June 1999Harsh reality under the bombs
Belgrade's bravado in the wake of NATO's early air strikes has disappeared as the reality of daily bombing has set in.
3rd June 1999The dead don't care about Kosovo
Anti-war protesters in southern Serbia have argued that Serb lives are more important than Serb control over Kosovo.
3rd June 1999Kosovar families broken by rape
In Kosovo, the otherwise unbreakable social bond that holds together extended families can be shattered by rape. Both the victims and their families are under intense pressure to conceal and deny what has happened.
28th May 1999Ex-detainees recount ill-treatment in Smrekonica prison
Human Rights Watch reports
26th May 1999Demand for President of Montenegro to Step Down
Why is the Socialist People's Party (SNP) demanding that Milo Djukanovic step down, and why is he claiming that he is not a traitor?
25th May 1999Invisible Life
The Free B92 team organized a real 24-hour "live- aid" concert on the Internet.
25th May 1999Protests in Serbia, opposition leaders pessimistic
In Krusevac 2,500 reservists that returned from Kosovo protested when they received orders to return to the province. Prominent opposition members, however, doubt the protests will spread across the country or seriously influence Milosevic's military or diplomatic strategies.
24th May 1999Police arrests peace activists in Cacak (Serbia)
Four activists of a peace group in the Serbian town Cacak were arrested by the police last Monday. They are to be tried on short notice for breaching the peace. The activists were charged with organising a public meeting without proper authorisation.
24th May 1999Several thousands of Serbs protest against Milosevic
After eight weeks of NATO air attacks resistance against the regime of Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is rising among the population. In Serbia, demonstrations against military service in Kosovo were continued.
20th May 1999Separation of men and mass killing near Vucitrn
Human Rights Watch reports
20th May 1999Witness to Izbice Killings Speaks Possibly Largest Massacre of Kosovo War
Human Rights Watch reports
19th May 1999Attack on the Democratic party Headquarters
Supporters of JUL, the party of Milosevic's wife Mira Markovic, assaulted the Belgrade headquarters of the Democratic Party. The Democratic party feels that today's assault is the introduction to an attempt to start a civil war in Yugoslavia.
19th May 1999Yugoslav Army accuses Montenegro government of collaboration with NATO
HQ of Second Army and Yugoslav Navy issued a statement on the 18th May, saying that Montenegro officials wrongfully accuse the Yugoslav Army and its officials of protecting the regime in Belgrade.
19th May 1999Controlling the struggle
Kosovo Albanians are still unable to form a unified front. But the balance of power has clearly shifted to the KLA, leaving Rugova nearly a private envoy.
19th May 1999Refugee heat rising
While the aid agencies are running out of cash, tensions in the refugee camps in Macedonia are increasing.
19th May 1999Milosevic: possible negotiations on G-8 principles
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and the Russian President's Special Envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin agreed on May 19 that the solution to the problem in Yugoslavia "can only be political, within the U.N. framework, and with the active and direct participation of Yugoslavia in working out the concrete policies on the basis of the G-8 principles."
19th May 1999Amnesty International concerned relating to NATO bombings
Following the NATO bombing of Korisa which killed at least 79 civilians, Amnesty International said today that the reported presence of legitimate military objectives in the village does not absolve NATO of its responsibility under international humanitarian law to take all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians.
18th May 1999The witch hunt continues
While the Serbian police, it seems, have been unable to turn up any leads in the murder of one editor, new attacks in the media have been launched against other opposition figures.
18th May 1999Remnants of an opposition
During the winter of 1996-97 Serbia's opposition appeared on the verge of ousting Slobodan Milosevic. Those days are long gone.
18th May 1999Italian prime minister proposes immediate halt to bombing
if Yugoslavia will accept UN resolution
17th May 1999Emergency aid for the neighbours
To help Macedonia and Albania cope, the international financial institutions have put together emergency aid packages.
14th May 1999The damage from defiance
Estimates of the cost of the destruction inflicted by the NATO bombing on the Serbian economy extends to billions of dollars.
14th May 1999Sharpening Bulgaria's red-blue divide
Amid street rallies and errant bombs, Sofia maintains its pro-NATO stand. But some old partisans are ready to take to the hills.
13th May 1999Survival instincts
To stay alive in Kosovo, Albanians are resorting to ingenious measures, drilling holes in the walls, scurrying into attics, and relying on the spirit of children. Still, many are lost.
13th May 1999Letter from Natasa Kandic - Human Rights'Activist
Natasa Kandic, a Serbian human rights' activist, writes to the B92 support group
12th May 1999Yugoslavia's self-blockade
Pressure on the second republic grows as the Yugoslav Army moves against the Montenegrin economy.
11th May 1999Media on message
Serbian TV's message depends on the political mood. With a diplomatic opening, anti-Western rhetoric cools. But the solidarity for China knows no bounds.
11th May 1999Balkan conflict could speed up EU expansion
The Balkans conflict, posing a spectacular challenge to the peace and stability of Europe, has forced the European Union (EU) to focus on former communist bloc countries, many of whom are candidates for membership of the 15-member Union.
10th May 1999Lawyers charge NATO leaders before war crimes tribunal
A group of lawyers from several countries has laid a formal complaint with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia against all of the individual leaders of the NATO countries and officials of NATO itself.
9th May 1999Stuck in the Macedonian mud
With the camps in Macedonia crammed to bursting, many Kosovo refugees wish to move to third countries out of the region.
5th May 1999Serbian opposition in favour of compromise with NATO
Three Serbian opposition parties spoke last Tuesday in favour of an immediate compromise between Yugoslavia and NATO, considering the great number of casualties and immense material damage caused by NATO air attacks.
4th May 1999Sandzak severed
Links between the Sandzak and the rest of Serbia have been severed by NATO bombing, and its Muslims continue to leave.
3rd May 1999Broken bridges, disrupted lives
The bridges of Novi Sad were life itself. Now they're gone, and Vojvodina's capital city has been split in two.
3rd May 1999On The Record to report on civil society amid the Kosovo crisis
The Advocacy Project announces a new series of the E- letter, On the Record.
2nd May 1999Solidarity with independent media
AMARC launches international campaign of solidarity with independent media in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
1st May 1999In the wrong place
This is not a good time to be Albanian in Belgrade. Many have fled.
1st May 1999Making concessions and buying time
Celebrations of the seventh birthday of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were muted last week in Montenegro, as the days of the federation seem numbered.
1st May 1999Belgrade popular movements seek reconciliation with Albanians
A letter to Albanian friends from Serbian nongovermental organizations
30th April 1999Massacre in Meja:
At least one hundred men believed executed
After nineteen separate interviews with eyewitnesses, Human Rights Watch finds that at least one hundred, and perhaps as many as three hundred, men were taken out of a convoy of refugees by Serbian forces and systematically executed.
30th April 1999NATO urged to use extreme caution
Civilians put at risk by Yugoslav forces' use of civilian property for military purposes
30th April 1999Villagers of Hade systematically expelled from Kosovo
Five men executed
The entire village of Hade near Obilic in central-eastern Kosovo was systematically expelled from Kosovo. Villagers reported that Serbian security forces executed five male civilians in the village.
29th April 1999Rape of ethnic Albanian women in Kosovo town of Dragacin
Human Rights Watch reports
28th April, 1999Catchment from a crisis
The war in Kosovo is throwing Albanians together. Expelled and bussed and broke, they are herded from place to place--bringing with them all of their terrible tales.
27th April 1999Koha Ditore started again
In the first days of the war, the offices of Pristina's leading daily were destroyed and all of its journalists scattered. But the team has reassembled and relaunched from exile, and Kosovo Albanians once again have a voice.
27th April 1999Refugees recount weeks on the move
Human Rights Watch reports
26th April 1999Macedonia unravels
KLA arms caches, Serbian pro-Milosevic demonstrators, and friction between Skopje and the West. The signs are ominous for the fragile republic.
23rd April 1999Creeping coup in Montenegro
Podgorica is distancing itself further from Belgrade--and from the Yugoslav Army, which it feels poses a direct threat.
23rd April 1999On hold in Republika Srpska
Whatever the outcome, the repercussions from the NATO bombing will be huge for Republika Srpska-- where pragmatic politicians are trying to keep their options open.
23rd April 1999Killings and Scorched Earth in Southern Kosovo
Human Rights Watch reports
20th April 1999Nobel Peace Laureates Call for End to War
Seven Nobel Peace prize-winners call for a halt to the NATO attacks on Yugoslavia and the "ethnic cleansing" carried out by Serbs in the province of Kosovo.
21st April 1999Skopje's United Front Holds
The influx of Kosovo refugees has caused ethnic tensions to rise. But for now, Macedonia's ethnically mixed government is maintaining a united front.
17th April 1999Where Next for the Displaced?
About 110,000 refugees remain in Macedonia, and the hard questions begin.
15th April 1999Silencing the Insider
Dnevni Telegraph editor Slavko Curuvija played the game, and lost. The consumate insider, he turned sharply against the regime, and paid the ultimate price.
13th April 1999Leaving Homes, Seeking Futures
An IWPR senior editor makes a personal connection amongst the tens of thousands of lost souls now being forced across the Kosovo- Albanian border.
11th April 1999Taking Care Of Their Own
Despite their poverty, ordinary Albanians have rushed to help their ethnic kin who have fled ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.
11th April 1999Macedonia Must Protect Kosovo Refugees, Keep Families Intact
Report by the Human Rights Watch
8th April 1999Multiple Eyewitnesses Confirm Killings Around Velika Krusa
Report by the Human Rights Watch
2nd April 1999CPWC Statement on the grave situation in Kosova
8th January 1999UCK went wild
8th January 1999
Maintained by Heleen Ransijn ( hera@dds.nl)
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