Terror group video grabs Kosovo attention

A broadcast of masked uniformed men who said they were ANA members is still a subject of debate in the province. Kosovo public broadcaster Wednesday aired an interview with what it said were members of the Albanian National Army (ANA), an armed group designated as terrorists by the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK. Terror group video grabs Kosovo attention The television promotion of the group, shown "patrolling highways and checking vehicles" in the province, has generated almost identical public reaction, that of worry that illegal armed groups are what Kosovo "needs the least at this point," in the words of citizens who took part in various polls. Opposition National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo, an extreme right wing party with roots in Albanian emigration from the 1980's, said in a statement that the public showing of ANA members "today has no significance for Kosovo." On the other hand, assembly speaker Kol Berisha rejected the masked gunmen's explanation that they organized in order to counter "Serbian paramilitaries threatening Kosovo," by saying the province's security is taken care of by KFOR "and other mechanisms," adding that Kosovo "faced no threats." Observers in Pristina now believe that unless it opts for any new promotion of its activities, the appearance of ANA members will "soon be forgotten, due to intensified status talks expected in the near future." A fresh interpretation of the broadcast came from UNMIK deputy chief Steven Schook, who told Pristina daily Koha Ditore that he did not believe the armed persons wearing masks and black uniforms shown in the video were in fact ANA members. "I personally doubt the authenticity of that footage," Schook, himself a center of media attention over a corruption investigation, told the newspaper on Saturday. However, the UN official warned that, irrelevant of whether the video "was true", it could "damage the process" of determining Kosovo's future status. Schook also said UNMIK did not change its 2003 decision branding ANA a terrorist organization. In the meantime, an obscure Serb group cited as the reason for the self-declared ANA members to organize checkpoints on Kosovo's highways, the so-called Tzar Lazar Guard, says it will organize "a peace rally" in Kosovska Mitrovica on October 14. "We will ask NATO to disarm the terrorist Albanian National Army which is using Albanian media to directly threaten Serbs," a spokesman for the group, Andrej Milic, told reporters Saturday. He also warned UNMIK and KFOR that the Guard members "will not allow the Serb flags and insignia to be taken from them," as was the case during the June Vidovdan ceremonies in the province. Milic went on to say that both UN and NATO will "face many surprises" should they ban the rally. According to him, their request to organize the gathering has not been answered yet. "The Guard will intervene in case of a unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence, since we took an oath to defend the freedom of the Serbs and lead a war until we liberate the Serb lands," Milic said, and added that "a training camp" for the group was located "in the mountains near Guca and Ivanjica." The actual membership figures or nature of the group have not been verified by anyone to date.

Terror group video grabs Kosovo attention

The television promotion of the group, shown "patrolling highways and checking vehicles" in the province, has generated almost identical public reaction, that of worry that illegal armed groups are what Kosovo "needs the least at this point," in the words of citizens who took part in various polls.

Opposition National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo, an extreme right wing party with roots in Albanian emigration from the 1980's, said in a statement that the public showing of ANA members "today has no significance for Kosovo."

On the other hand, assembly speaker Kol Berisha rejected the masked gunmen's explanation that they organized in order to counter "Serbian paramilitaries threatening Kosovo," by saying the province's security is taken care of by KFOR "and other mechanisms," adding that Kosovo "faced no threats."

Observers in Priština now believe that unless it opts for any new promotion of its activities, the appearance of ANA members will "soon be forgotten, due to intensified status talks expected in the near future."

A fresh interpretation of the broadcast came from UNMIK deputy chief Steven Schook, who told Priština daily Koha Ditore that he did not believe the armed persons wearing masks and black uniforms shown in the video were in fact ANA members.

"I personally doubt the authenticity of that footage," Schook, himself a center of media attention over a corruption investigation, told the newspaper on Saturday.

However, the UN official warned that, irrelevant of whether the video "was true", it could "damage the process" of determining Kosovo's future status.

Schook also said UNMIK did not change its 2003 decision branding ANA a terrorist organization.

In the meantime, an obscure Serb group cited as the reason for the self-declared ANA members to organize checkpoints on Kosovo's highways, the so-called Tzar Lazar Guard, says it will organize "a peace rally" in Kosovska Mitrovica on October 14.

"We will ask NATO to disarm the terrorist Albanian National Army which is using Albanian media to directly threaten Serbs," a spokesman for the group, Andrej Milić, told reporters Saturday.

He also warned UNMIK and KFOR that the Guard members "will not allow the Serb flags and insignia to be taken from them," as was the case during the June Vidovdan ceremonies in the province.

Milić went on to say that both UN and NATO will "face many surprises" should they ban the rally. According to him, their request to organize the gathering has not been answered yet.

"The Guard will intervene in case of a unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence, since we took an oath to defend the freedom of the Serbs and lead a war until we liberate the Serb lands," Milić said, and added that "a training camp" for the group was located "in the mountains near Guča and Ivanjica."

The actual membership figures or nature of the group have not been verified by anyone to date.