Committee chair: Memorial is Priština's provocation

BELGRADE, PRESEVO Milovan Drecun says a memorial to the members of a disbanded ethnic Albanian terror group in Presevo is "Pristina's provocation". The chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kosovo and Metohija spoke on Thursday, a day after several former members of the so-called Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja (UCPMB) - an offshoot of the KLA, disbanded in the early 2000s - threatened to take up arms if the memorial were to be removed. Committee chair: Memorial is Pristina's provocation According to Drecun, the provocation of the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Pristina had the goal of preventing "Belgrade's strong political activity". Drecun also told the press at the parliament building that it has been observed that armed people in uniforms have been gathering along Serbia's border with Macedonia and along the administrative line with Kosovo, which he said was "worrying". He said that Serbia needs to prevent any provocation of destabilization and attempts to solve problems by using violence. According to Drecun, Belgrade's strong political and diplomatic activity and preparation of the platform is not in Pristina's interest. "Belgrade has taken the initiative and moved from a very passive position to an active one, which noted support even in the major centers of power which support the secession of Kosovo," Drecun stressed. He expects that political representatives from southern Serbia will soon request that MUP's Gendarmerie, "which is obviously the biggest guarantor of security in this part of the country", be relocated from this area. "The state needs to show it has capacity and will not to let anyone impose such serious challenges on it, as it has been the case these days. But, because of the sensitivity of the political situation in the area of Presevo and Bujanovac, a measure that would prevent destabilization should be found," Drecun said, and added that most of Albanians in the south do not support possible armed clashes, but that "there are always individuals". Head of the SPS-DHSS group in parliament Aleksandar Jugovic commented on the situation on Thursday to say that the threats uttered were "dangerous and implied a possible explosion of new problems". This MP told reporters such threats were dangerous even when someone unimportant was behind them, and even when they were fake. "Even then, they indicate a potential explosion of new misunderstandings in this region," Jugovic noted. United Regions of Serbia (URS) parliament group chief Vladimir Ilic noted that the provocations coming from southern Serbia were an issue of Serbia's sovereignty and the government had to show determination and seriousness and resolve the situation in Presevo in the way expected by the Serbian people. Ilic told reporters he did not consider the threat a serious one, but that caution was called for. "The things said on the webiste hould not be underestimated. I think the people making decisions and in charge of security are in control of the situation in the field and know what they are doing," Ilic noted. (Tanjug, file) Albanian leaders downplay threats On Wednesday, tensions were raised as several former members of the UCPMB warned that they would "again take up arms" against the state if it demolished the memorial, while PM Ivica Dacic reacted by saying that it would be removed regardless of the threats. Later in the day, local ethnic Albanian politicians made statements, downplaying the relevance of the threats. "What armed conflict or war with the state of Serbia? That's out of the question and I am making an appeal that nobody, and the media in particular, should fan the flames in the Presevo valley," Presevo Mayor Ragmi Mustafa was quoted as saying by the Belgrade-based Danas newspaper. The leader of the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) also stated that there were "greater problems" in the town than "something published on some websites, which can cause damage to the relations between Serbs and Albanians". Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) leader Jonuz Musliu, described as "an advocate of radical political positions", said the threats were "more about sensationalism and less about the truth": "We can solve all problems only through dialogue. The problem related to the monument in Presevo should be solved through institutions, not through the media." Editor of the preshevo.com website Driton Salihu told the newspaper that "this was about an Albanuan journalist who wrote an artcile about possible new conflicts in southern Serbia, which has no other credibility expect the sensationalist one". "It is unnecessary to cause tensions in this way that don't exist anyway. I am sure that all this does not look serious," said Salihu, and added that proof of that was the fact that "no Albanian language media in Kosovo" had reported the statements made by former UCPMB leaders, apparently now based in Switzerland. Meanwhile in nearby Bujanovac, officials of the ruling party on the local level, the Democratic Party (DP), "did not wish to comment the media stories that are not serious", said the newspaper. However, Danas also quoted DP deputy leader Nedzat Behluli as saying: "Everything related to the monument raised in Presevo should be solved within the institutions of the system. In this way it seems as if we're all frivolous, and that one article could cause an earthquake." B92 Danas Tanjug

Committee chair: Memorial is Priština's provocation

According to Drecun, the provocation of the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Priština had the goal of preventing "Belgrade's strong political activity".

Drecun also told the press at the parliament building that it has been observed that armed people in uniforms have been gathering along Serbia's border with Macedonia and along the administrative line with Kosovo, which he said was "worrying".

He said that Serbia needs to prevent any provocation of destabilization and attempts to solve problems by using violence.

According to Drecun, Belgrade's strong political and diplomatic activity and preparation of the platform is not in Priština's interest.

"Belgrade has taken the initiative and moved from a very passive position to an active one, which noted support even in the major centers of power which support the secession of Kosovo," Drecun stressed.

He expects that political representatives from southern Serbia will soon request that MUP's Gendarmerie, "which is obviously the biggest guarantor of security in this part of the country", be relocated from this area.

"The state needs to show it has capacity and will not to let anyone impose such serious challenges on it, as it has been the case these days. But, because of the sensitivity of the political situation in the area of Preševo and Bujanovac, a measure that would prevent destabilization should be found," Drecun said, and added that most of Albanians in the south do not support possible armed clashes, but that "there are always individuals".

Head of the SPS-DHSS group in parliament Aleksandar Jugović commented on the situation on Thursday to say that the threats uttered were "dangerous and implied a possible explosion of new problems".

This MP told reporters such threats were dangerous even when someone unimportant was behind them, and even when they were fake.

"Even then, they indicate a potential explosion of new misunderstandings in this region," Jugovic noted.

United Regions of Serbia (URS) parliament group chief Vladimir Ilić noted that the provocations coming from southern Serbia were an issue of Serbia's sovereignty and the government had to show determination and seriousness and resolve the situation in Preševo in the way expected by the Serbian people.

Ilić told reporters he did not consider the threat a serious one, but that caution was called for.

"The things said on the webiste hould not be underestimated. I think the people making decisions and in charge of security are in control of the situation in the field and know what they are doing," Ilić noted.

Albanian leaders downplay threats

On Wednesday, tensions were raised as several former members of the UCPMB warned that they would "again take up arms" against the state if it demolished the memorial, while PM Ivica Dačić reacted by saying that it would be removed regardless of the threats.

Later in the day, local ethnic Albanian politicians made statements, downplaying the relevance of the threats.

"What armed conflict or war with the state of Serbia? That's out of the question and I am making an appeal that nobody, and the media in particular, should fan the flames in the Preševo valley," Preševo Mayor Ragmi Mustafa was quoted as saying by the Belgrade-based Danas newspaper.

The leader of the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) also stated that there were "greater problems" in the town than "something published on some websites, which can cause damage to the relations between Serbs and Albanians".

Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) leader Jonuz Musliu, described as "an advocate of radical political positions", said the threats were "more about sensationalism and less about the truth":

"We can solve all problems only through dialogue. The problem related to the monument in Preševo should be solved through institutions, not through the media."

Editor of the preshevo.com website Driton Salihu told the newspaper that "this was about an Albanuan journalist who wrote an artcile about possible new conflicts in southern Serbia, which has no other credibility expect the sensationalist one".

"It is unnecessary to cause tensions in this way that don't exist anyway. I am sure that all this does not look serious," said Salihu, and added that proof of that was the fact that "no Albanian language media in Kosovo" had reported the statements made by former UCPMB leaders, apparently now based in Switzerland.

Meanwhile in nearby Bujanovac, officials of the ruling party on the local level, the Democratic Party (DP), "did not wish to comment the media stories that are not serious", said the newspaper.

However, Danas also quoted DP deputy leader Nedzat Behluli as saying:

"Everything related to the monument raised in Preševo should be solved within the institutions of the system. In this way it seems as if we're all frivolous, and that one article could cause an earthquake."