Retired general refutes deportation claims

Retired Yugoslav Army (VJ) General Božidar Delić denied claims that Albanians had been forced out of Kosovo in 1999.

Izvor: Beta

Friday, 30.11.2007.

10:36

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Retired Yugoslav Army (VJ) General Bozidar Delic denied claims that Albanians had been forced out of Kosovo in 1999. The then commander of the army’s Pristina corps, Vladimir Lazarevic, is accused of the forced deportation, murder and persecution of Albanians. Delic is a witness in the trial of Vladimir Lazarevic, Nikola Sainovic and Generals Dragoljub Ojdanic, Nebojsa Pavkovic and Sreten Lukic, who have been charged with war crimes allegedly committed in Kosovo in 1999. Retired general refutes deportation claims Delic, who was commander of the VJ mechanized brigade in Prizren at the time, said that Albanians had left that area and moved closer to the Albanian border. “I ran into them and asked them why they were leaving. Fear of the NATO bombing was the first reason. Some said that they were afraid of clashes, others that they were afraid of forced mobilization into the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Most of the Albanians said that they were afraid of the military, police and Arkan’s army. When I asked them if they had seen Arkan’s army, they said that they had not, but that they had heard of it,” Delic said. The witness claimed that he had turned back several groups of refugees from the border and told them to return to their villages. He confirmed, however, that there had been refugee groups from all over Kosovo moving towards the border with Albania. Delic said that there had been cases of refugees being robbed, but that all the perpetrators had been arrested and court-martialed. He said that all military personnel had been ordered to strictly comply with international humanitarian law, denying that the VJ had ever used unnecessary force while in Kosovo. In attacks on the Yugoslav-Albanian border near the Pastrik mountains at the end of May 1999, the KLA had artillery support from the Albanian side and air support from strategic U.S. bombers, a fact that was confirmed in the memoirs of then NATO commander Wesley Clark, Delic said.

Retired general refutes deportation claims

Delić, who was commander of the VJ mechanized brigade in Prizren at the time, said that Albanians had left that area and moved closer to the Albanian border.

“I ran into them and asked them why they were leaving. Fear of the NATO bombing was the first reason. Some said that they were afraid of clashes, others that they were afraid of forced mobilization into the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Most of the Albanians said that they were afraid of the military, police and Arkan’s army. When I asked them if they had seen Arkan’s army, they said that they had not, but that they had heard of it,” Delić said.

The witness claimed that he had turned back several groups of refugees from the border and told them to return to their villages. He confirmed, however, that there had been refugee groups from all over Kosovo moving towards the border with Albania.

Delić said that there had been cases of refugees being robbed, but that all the perpetrators had been arrested and court-martialed.

He said that all military personnel had been ordered to strictly comply with international humanitarian law, denying that the VJ had ever used unnecessary force while in Kosovo.

In attacks on the Yugoslav-Albanian border near the Paštrik mountains at the end of May 1999, the KLA had artillery support from the Albanian side and air support from strategic U.S. bombers, a fact that was confirmed in the memoirs of then NATO commander Wesley Clark, Delić said.

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