We Listened to the Voice of the People

Nojkic: We are forced to cooperate. Ivanovic: They want to retain their positions

By Ljiljana STALETOVIC

Glas Javnosti, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia, June 26, 2000

BELGRADE - Representatives of the Serbs from the most endangered locations pleaded with representatives of the Serbian National Council (SNV) of Kosovo and Metohija not to interrupt cooperation with the international community because this would imperil the continued survival of Serbs in those enclaves.

On Monday, during an interview with Glas the vice-president of the executive board of the SNV of Kosovo and Metohija, and member of the Transitional Council of Kosovo (PSK), Randjel Nojkic, stated this in response to the question why they decided to participate in the work of Kouchner's organs of government for another three months.

GLAS: Did you make the decision yourselves?

NOJKIC: No. The representative of the village of Gojbulja, in the municipality of Vucitrn, said that if it were not for KFOR there would be no Serbs there today. This was echoed by Serbs from Plemetina, Priluzje, Gorazdevac, Kosovsko Pomoravlje, Sirinicka Zupa, Orahovac. The prior of Decani, Father Teodosije, said that the brotherhood of the monastery would be forced to leave if cooperation with KFOR was discontinued. Our decision, therefore, was not made arbitrarily; we listened to the voice of the Serb people and the meeting in Gracanica was attended by Serb representatives from all districts. This clearly demonstrates that our decision carries political weight.

Some of our requests fulfilled

"We asked for a radio station and soon we will have it. We asked for the establishment of local offices in Serb and [ethnically] mixed locations so that Serbs could resolve their problems according to the program for coexistence. An office has been opened in Gracanica; we expect others to be opened in Gnjilane and Vitina. Currently the inclusion of Serbs in the Kosovo police force is being considered. Serb policemen would work in Serb locations and ensure the security of local Serbs," said Nojkic.

GLAS: Frequently one hears accusations that through its cooperation with UNMIK, the SNV KM has inflicted damage on the Serb people. What is your reaction to this?

NOJKIC: We considered what the Serbs gained, and what they lost by our participation in the work of the Temporary Administrative Council of Kosovo (IACK) and the Transitional Council [of Kosovo] (TCK). Much of what we requested has not been realized but we have also prevented a considerable number of decisions from being made which would have been harmful to the Serb people. After our return from New York and Washington, the work on the solution of some of the agreements and problems which we had presented has begun. The Americans insisted that the conditions for our participation be fulfilled. In the final analysis, we were aware of possible sacrifices but because of the conditions in which we are living we were forced to cooperate.

GLAS: What are you going to do in the next three months?

NOJKIC: We will continue to fight for the rights of the Serb people and to apply pressure on the international community to fulfill our requests, which are the requests of the Serb people. Time will show that our decision was the right one.

A group without support

The SNV of [Kosovska] Mitrovica condemned on Monday the decision of the SNV of Kosmet to continue with participation of their representatives in the civil administration in Kosovo. The president of the executive board of the SNV of Mitrovica, Oliver Ivanovic, stated for Glas that a small group of people was active in Gracanica, did not have the support of the people, and wished to retain their positions at any price.

"These are people with great ambitions. I completely understand them because if they were to lose contact with Kouchner they would have no one to turn to. Without the Gracanica group, Kouchner is finished, and the Gracanica group without Kouchner is insignificant," says Ivanovic. He said that the SNV of Kosovska Mitrovica would forbid the SNV of Kosovo and Metohija to continue using the honorable name of the Serbian National Council.

They excluded themselves

On Monday the SNV of Kosmet rejected as "false and tendentious" the claims of Momcilo Trajkovic regarding the lack of legitimacy of the SNV KM. In a statement it is said that Trajkovic and Slavisa Kostic, who left the session of the SNV together with the president of the Serb Resistance Movement, by their positions and "failure to participate" in the dynamics of the SNV's work "excluded themselves from the SNV and are persistently seeking to undermine the work of the Council for the sake of their own personal political promotion".

Translated by Snezana Lazovic (June 27, 2000)