A statement issued yesterday, after a session of the Goran National Community in Pristina, emphasizes that Gorans support multiethnic life in Kosovo, but only in those parts of the province where that is possible. Otherwise, Gorans support cantonization as a solution. "Gorans strongly condemn an attempt at assimilation of their co-nationals on behalf of extremists from the Party for Democratic Action [SDA, main Bosniak-Muslim party in Bosnia-Hercegovina]. In cooperation with Albanians, they are imposing in schools in Gora in the south of Kosovo, a certain Bosniak language," stresses the statement of GNC.
Owner and director of Ozna Zivadin Jovanovic says for Danas that the intermediary (between Ozna and Medit) at first expressed interest whether this private investigation agency from Kragujevac would look for missing Albanians, since it is claimed in Kosovo that it does look for abducted Serbs.
"We told him that Ozna does not distinguish between people based on their ethnicity and that there were no obstacles to start a search for missing Rusiti. His father offered a lot of money for that service, some $20,000," says Jovanovic.
The mentioned intermediary, according to Jovanovic, was told during this contact that Ozna in this case would not work for money but that "it would be good to perform an exchange of Rusiti Medit for abducted Serbs who, according to reliable information, are held in private prisons in Drenica".
Idriz Medit, says the owner of Ozna, accepted the exchange and offered 10 Serbs for his son Rusiti. Abducted Serbs offered by the father of Rusiti Medit in exchange for his son are held in the village of Poljance (old mine near a brick factory), then in Lukavac, a village 12 kilometers from Srbica (on the road to Glogovac), where Albanians are holding four abducted Serbs, whom they hide ("they lower them in a well") when KFOR troops come by, as well as in Tusilje, a village above Devic monastery.
After the first contacts with Idriz Medit, Ozna was contacted by Rusiti's sister (from New York) and brother (from Leipzig). They said that they would "pay anything to find their brother", but they also agreed for an exchange and even offered to organize it personally. They only demanded evidence that Rusiti is alive.
"After all of that, we initiated a wide ranging investigation and established with full confidence that a person named Rusiti Medit is not being held in any civilian or military prison or jail in the territory of FRY. However, we have reliable information that a certain number of Albanians, between 300 and 400, reported fake names when they were captured, as they had no personal identification documents at the time. Now we are trying to make sure that Rusiti Medit is not being held in one of the Yugoslav prisons under a fake name," says Zivadin Jovanovic.
He adds that this was the first time that Ozna was looking for a missing ethnic Albanian, but that is has been contacted lately by another two families of Kosovo Albanians who are interested for the same type of service. "We shall search for all missing and abducted persons from Kosovo, regardless of their ethnicity. However, we shall not accept exchanges of Serbs and Albanians who were abducted or went missing after September 1 1999. Otherwise, we could encourage new abductions," concludes Jovanovic.
According to him, citizens joined the defenders of the bridge. On first day, in small numbers, but on the second day they showed up in force, so that the bridge was defended from the first attack of the Albanians.
"After a quiet period of about fifteen days, KFOR ordered us to leave the bridge. Again there were complications. Ethnic Albanians, in their desire to get through, threw even bombs on us. 30 guys were hurt by shrapnel. In the Bosniak Quarter, where we were keeping watch, they even shot at us. But we survived even that," says Ilincic.
He explains that the people participating in the defense of the northern part of the city vowed ten years ago in the Devic monastery, anticipating the future downfall of the Serbs in Kosovo, to stay and defend Mitrovica.
"There were a lot of us in Devic, but some had to leave during the war with their families. These people can return at any moment. We keep watch 24 hours a day on both bridges and run patrols. We have people who can at any moment come out to the city and put up barricades for the defense of the city. At any moment we can establish even the Serb Defense Corps. These people are determined to live and die here, because there is nothing for them in Serbia. Our culture, world, graves are all here and I believe that we cannot leave that behind," explains Ilincic.
"Defense was organized everywhere we had some influence: in Priluzje, Svinjare, Babin Most. Even there in Gracanica. However, in Metohija treason most likely occurred. Treason by the leadership. There was also a lot of looting, so that maybe some Serbs got scared because of their misdeeds and ran away and then others had to follow them because of Albanian savagery," explain Ilincic the reasons for the lack of defense in all Serb settlements in Kosovo and Metohija.
According to Ilincic, relations of the defenders of the bridge with KFOR are correct, while according to Vuko Antonijevic, among other a member of the Main DSS Council in Leposavic and Transitional UN Council for Kosovska Mitrovica, there is no contact with the representatives of the Serbian authorities in Kosovo and Metohija. "Instead of helping us, they are establishing phantom national assemblies, as a tool of the Serbian Socialist Party and are dividing the people. They can be seen on the bridge only when there is a photo opportunity, while the defense is organized by the Serb National Council of Kosovo and Metohija," explains Antonijevic.
These documents are dominated by a state symbol of Albania, the two-headed eagle. A small coat of arms of Albania and word "Kosove" are displayed on the top of the document. The documents are written only in the Albanian language. The stamp used to certify the document also carries the two-headed eagle. The citizenship certificates are signed in his official role by Agim Thaci.
UNMiK Spokesperson Danijela Rozgonova said for BETA agency that the Kosovo citizenship certificate is illegitimate. Rozgonova said that UNMiK intends to conduct a census in Kosovo, after which all inhabitants of Kosovo should receive trilingual (in Serb, Albanian and English) personal identification documents issued by UN "as the only legal I.D.".
She could not specify when UNMiK will begin to issue personal identification documents, but suggested that that should happen by the end of this or beginning of the next year. "In any case, we shall not recognize illegal documents issued by local authorities in Kosovo".
This protective measure was introduced after a few weeks ago in Pristina ethnic Albanians killed Valentin Krumov, believing that he spoke in the Serb language.