Ex-KLA leader: No missing Serbs in Gnjilane

One of the former leaders of the KLA says that accusations against the Gnjilane war crimes suspects are false. Ahmet Isufi, who headed the Gnjilane zone of this armed ethnic Albanian group, outlawed by Serbia as a terrorist organization, told Pristina daily Express today that "no Serbs were missing" from the area. Ex-KLA leader: No missing Serbs in Gnjilane "The arrests are based on false accusations. There are no missing Serbs in the Gnjilane operative zone. Claims about charges against Albanians from the Presevo valley are absolutely untrue," said he. Ahmeti, who is today deputy president of opposition Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, also said that such operations "can incite to war". "Serbia should forget about inciting war in this manner that will be primarily damaging for Serbia, but also for others," said Ahmeti. The daily also brings reactions from the chairman of the Pristina-based Board for Human Rights and Freedoms, Bedzet Sala, who was critical of "the manner in which the suspects were apprehended", as well as of "the search that the Serb policemen conducted in Albanian houses". However, Beta is reporting, Sala would not comment on the charges against the ten suspects arrested on Friday, "since that is outside the mandate of our organization". The Serbian War Crimes Prosecution has asked for an investigation to be launched against 17 members of the so-called Gnjilane Group, ten of which have been arrested on Friday, accusing them of kidnapping, rape, torture and vicious killing of at least 51 Serbs and other non-Albanians in the area after the end of the 1999 war.

Ex-KLA leader: No missing Serbs in Gnjilane

"The arrests are based on false accusations. There are no missing Serbs in the Gnjilane operative zone. Claims about charges against Albanians from the Preševo valley are absolutely untrue," said he.

Ahmeti, who is today deputy president of opposition Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, also said that such operations "can incite to war".

"Serbia should forget about inciting war in this manner that will be primarily damaging for Serbia, but also for others," said Ahmeti.

The daily also brings reactions from the chairman of the Priština-based Board for Human Rights and Freedoms, Bedzet Sala, who was critical of "the manner in which the suspects were apprehended", as well as of "the search that the Serb policemen conducted in Albanian houses".

However, Beta is reporting, Sala would not comment on the charges against the ten suspects arrested on Friday, "since that is outside the mandate of our organization".

The Serbian War Crimes Prosecution has asked for an investigation to be launched against 17 members of the so-called Gnjilane Group, ten of which have been arrested on Friday, accusing them of kidnapping, rape, torture and vicious killing of at least 51 Serbs and other non-Albanians in the area after the end of the 1999 war.