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Road-building machines blocked Sofia downtown because of repairs of tram rails. The road traffic along 'Evlogi Georgiev' boulevard will be stopped till August 28. Photo Victor Levi
Macedonia says Albanian gunmen seek to wreck vote - A Macedonian policeman guards the place in Gostivar, near Skopje, where two police reservists were killed in a drive-by shooting early on August 26. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski
Monsignor Antonio Mennini, Apostolic Nuncio to Bulgaria, handed to Lt. gen. Dimiter Vladimirov, Director of the National Bodyguard Service (NBS) an award - a bronze bas-relief depicting the Pontiff during his Bulgarian visit, in recognition of the NBS excellent services during the visit Pope John Paul II made to Bulgaria in May 2002. Pressphoto: photographer Bistra Boshnakova
SITUATION IN CRISIS REGIONS.
MIA
Macedonian police reservists Daniel Jankovski and Aleksandar Nikolic, both residents of Gostivar, were killed last night around 12:50 a.m. in Gostivar settlement "Ciglana" while performing their regular duties.
Spokesman of the Interior Ministry Voislav Zafirovski confirmed the information that heavy automatic gunfire was opened at the reservists from a motor vehicle.
Jankovski and Nikolic were immediately taken to the Medical Center in Gostivar "Boris Kamcevski", whereat the doctor on duty stated death caused by heavy injuries inflicted in the chest.
Gostivar Interior department is undertaking activities to detect the killers.
Increased shootings from various infantry weaponry were heard overnight that ceased after 06:00 a.m. MIA' special correspondent reported.
According to the reports by Tetovo Interior department, the shootings were of increased intensity in the central city regions.
Series of sporadic and riffle shootings were registered overnight coming from the central city region of the military barracks "Kuzman Josifovski Pitu", the city stadiums, the RED Cross warehouse, settlements of Tetovcanka, Gorna Carsija, Kupenik and Vonvardarska, the SEE University, the state school "Mosa Pijade" as well as the residential complexes of Tetovo Teke.
Series of gunshots have also been evidenced from the villages of Mala Recica, Lisec, Gajre, Zerovjane, Radiovce, Zelino, Palatica, Ozormiste, Strimnica, Neraste, Odri, Dobroste, Prsovce, Tearce and Slatino.
Police reports that the shootings were not aimed at direct targets.
Decreased number of shootings has been registered in Kumanovo-Lipkovo region overnight, MIA special correspondent reported.
According to police sources, undetermined target shootings were registered on five occasions, coming from the villages of Ropaljce, Matejce and Opae.
REACTIONS ON LAST NIGHT MURDERING OF POLICE RESERVISTS IN GOSTIVAR.
MIA
Monday's meeting of highest state officials focused on the murder of the two policemen in Gostivar, which was seen as a terrorist-extremist act with a political objective, and represented a great provocation to the democratic political processes and the security situation in the Republic of Macedonia.
As announced from the Cabinet of President Boris Trajkovski, this act followed the previous attacks on the representatives of the security forces and the army and police objects.
"In order to reveal the perpetrators of this disgusting act, the authoritative institutions should overtake all necessary measures and activities", the announcement states.
"The highest state officials state that the responsibility for these terrorist-extremist acts lies in the extremist structures, and that is why the Macedonian authorities should act energetically in thwarting them, along with the cooperation of the European community, which signed the Framework agreement, thus guarantying the implementation of its provisions in the constitutional- legal system", states the announcement.
It is necessary that the international community condemned this incident, identify it as terrorist-extremist act with a political objective, and support the legitimate action of the Macedonian authorities for their elimination.
"The Ministry of Interior and the Army were obliged to take over suitable measures and activities for control of the borders and preservation of public order and peace at the territory of the entire state", the President's Cabinet said in a press release.
Trajkovski expressed his condolences in regard to the murder of two members of the reserve police composition in Gostivar and expects from the authorized institutions to urgently launch activities and to discover the persons responsible for this filthy act.
"This criminal act, which unfortunately resulted with two dead persons, could have been expected, having in mind the information that several armed groups have entered in Macedonia in order to obstruct the process of stabilization of the country and to initiate new acts of violence against the legitimate institutions and against the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia," states the announcement from the President's Cabinet.
The Macedonian President expects from the police and the Army of the Republic of Macedonia to launch professional operations for control of the border and maintenance of the public peace and order on the entire territory of the country. Trajkovski believes that the legitimate operations of the security forces should be supported by all Macedonian citizens regardless of their ethnic belonging, because, as the announcement states, "the combat against the crime and the forces who want to destabilize the situation ought to be our highest priority."
President Trajkovski insists on readiness and mobility of the Macedonian security forces, so they could prevent any similar incidents.
At the meeting with Trajkovski, the international community representatives in the country expressed support for carrying out of full police investigation for the last night murder of two police officers in Gostivar.
"We gave and we will continue to give full support to legitimate police action aimed to discover the persons responsible," said Alain Le Roy, EU Special Envoy, after the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by U.S. ambassador Lawrence Butler, NATO Ambassador Nicolaas Biegman, and Head of the OSCE Mission Craig Jenness. Earlier on Monday, the international community representatives also had a meeting with Macedonian ministers of interior - Ljube Boskovski and foreign affairs - Slobodan Casule.
After the meeting, Jenness said that OSCE was being in contact with the Macedonian police since early Monday morning.
"They are carrying out professional investigation to discover the persons responsible for this cowardly act," he said, adding that OSCE is ready to provide any support within its authorizations.
Regarding the information that two persons were already arrested in regard to the murder at the border crossing of Jazince, Jenness said that according to his information two persons were detained, but he could not reveal any other details.
U.S. Ambassador Lawrence Butler said he was shocked from the murder, because it takes place at time when Macedonia is getting back to normal.
He said that "they will have to talk with representatives of the Ministry of Interior and of the other institutions of the system."
NATO Ambassador to Macedonia Nicolaas Biegman sharply condemned the last night murder of two Macedonian police reservists in Gostivar.
In a press release distributed to the media, Biegman expresses his condolences to the families of the killed police officers and expresses hope that the murderers would soon be arrested and brought before the justice.
"I appeal to all sides to remain calm and to avoid any transfer of the responsibility and not to pass conclusions before the end of the investigation," Biegman said, adding that "this tragic event should not be allowed to jeopardize the peace which was achieved last year."
The OSCE Mission in Skopje strongly condemns the killing of two police reservists, which took place late Sunday in Gostivar.
"We deeply regret for this terrible act and express our condolences to the families of Daniel Jakoski and Aleksandar Nikolic, who lost their lives while performing their duties," OSCE said Monday in a press release.
OSCE mission announces that it carefully observes the situation on the ground and offers its assistance to the country's authorities in resolving the case.
"Macedonian police forces reacted promptly and professionally regarding the incident and are now conducting investigation on the site for which we hope will be over soon, by bringing the offenders to justice. The situation in the region is stable and the local population, among which many of them condemned the tragic incident, is cooperating with the authorities. We believe that the leaders and the citizens of this state, regardless of their ethnical background, will condemn this criminal act," OSCE said.
EU High Representative on Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana condemned the murder of the two representatives of the reserve structure of the Macedonian police Monday.
"I strongly condemn today's attack on the two Macedonian police officers in Gostivar, and express my condolences to their families. This criminal act should be inspected in detail, and its perpetrators should be put before the face of justice", Solana emphasised.
EU High Representative stated that he fully supported the efforts of the Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski and the Macedonian authorities in the solving of this case.
The State Election Commission (SEC) was disappointed from the information for the murder of two Macedonian police officers in Gostivar and condemns any act of violence in the pre-election period.
SEC concluded that the last evening incident does not go in favor of peaceful preparations of the election process.
SEC appeals for peaceful, reasonable and non-violent behavior of everyone in the country.
SEC expects from the authorized bodies to discover the persons responsible for the murders and to undertake all measures necessary those persons to be punished.
The Russian Embassy to Macedonia strongly condemns yesterday's armed attack on police checkpoint in Gostivar, in which two policemen were killed.
"We are infuriated by such demonstration of terror, particularly against law and order enforcers. It is rather concerning that this extremist action took place before the parliamentary elections," the Embassy said in a press release.
It also extends condolences to the families of killed policemen.
The United States Government condemns this criminal and senseless murder of two Macedonian policemen early this morning near Gostivar, the US State Department said Monday in a press release.
"Our condolences go out to the families of those killed and any who may have been injured in this attack. Police and judicial authorities should locate and prosecute the perpetrators of this outrage according to Macedonian law.
Last summer, the United States, together with our international partners, facilitated the Ohrid Framework Agreement. With the signing of the agreement and the subsequent constitutional changes, Macedonian political parties took courageous steps forward to reduce ethnic tensions, restore stability, and build a more prosperous and democratic state. Such cowardly shootings fly in the face of responsible and determined fulfillment of the Framework Agreement.
We urge all political parties to condemn this criminal act and to work together, in the spirit of the Framework Agreement and code of electoral conduct that they all signed, towards a free, fair and non-violent election on September 15th," the press release reads.
Today, the Gostivar Police found a white "Golf" with Italian registration plates, which could have been used in drive-by killing of two police reservists this morning near Gostivar.
Six hundred grams of Chinese explosive, 50 cm. fuse and an initialing powder charge were found in the car.
Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski, confirmed today in Gostivar that two suspects were arrested, while few others were invited for informative conversation.
During a search of the house of Ramazan Jajoski, one of the arrested, the police discovered a solid quantity of arms and ammunition, the Gostivar Police Department reported.
The seized weaponry includes two automatic riffles, one riffle "Winchester", two guns 7,62 T, ammunition, two grenades for hand launcher "Kaster 40", two hand grenades, two forged passports and several photos of "NLA" members, as well as marijuana.
Additional Information On Assassination of Policemen in Gostivar.
Makfax
Two policemen of Macedonian nationality had been shot to death in Gostivar shortly after midnight, Makfax news agency said.
The attack was carried out in Gostivars municipality of Ciglana one hour after midnight. Daniel Jankovski (age 52) and Aleksandar Nikolic (age 41) were on active duty within Police Force in SVR Gostivar. The fire was opened on three-person patrol team from a passing-by vehicle.
The Head of District Court in Gostivar, Brane Sekulovski, along with the Deputy Prosecutor in the District Prosecution Office went to the crime scene to pursue an investigation into the murder.
The vehicle came from Gostivars village of Belovishte. The assailants fired machine-gun rounds on the three-person patrol team. Two policemen suffered from injuries in the chest and they had been transferred to Medical Center in Gostivar. They both died on the way to hospital due to severe injuries.
The third policeman suffered no injuries. The police has undertaken activities to trace and hunt down the perpetrators of this crime that shocked the public and raised concerns among the residents in multinational municipality of Gostivar.
Gunmen Kill Two Police Ahead of Macedonia Vote.
Reuters
By Kole Casule
SKOPJE (Reuters) - Angry Macedonians blocked a highway into the capital to prevent former ethnic Albanian rebel leader Ali Ahmeti attending a political rally after two Macedonian policemen were gunned down early on Monday.
The machinegun attack which killed the policeman has happened less than three weeks before the first elections since the country narrowly averted ethnic civil war last year.
Fearing an immediate backlash, European and U.S. envoys urged the Macedonian government to act with restraint, and NATO condemned the killings as a bid to stoke tension. Ahmeti issued a statement saying the political gathering was canceled.
The drive-by attack on a police checkpoint in the western town of Gostivar, populated mainly by ethnic Albanians, occurred shortly after midnight, a police spokesman said.
The two victims, officers Daniel Jankovski and Aleksandar Nikolic, died on the way to hospital.
Police said they suspected the attack was ethnically motivated. They detained 10 people and tested them for gunpowder residues, but have not charged anyone yet.
The shooting was the one of the worst incidents of violence since an internationally brokered peace deal last year ended a six-month conflict between state security forces and the so-called National Liberation Army of ethnic Albanians.
"We condemn the action, it is a crime," NATO spokesman Yves Brodeur told Reuters in Brussels.
"There is a risk of undermining the whole democratic process there. It just creates tensions and we don't need tension right now. There's an election in a few weeks," he added.
Leaders of the now disbanded rebel army are due to contest the September 15 general election, a key step in cementing a new era of relations between Macedonians and ethnic Albanians.
But diplomats worry that carefully timed violence by just a few renegades could wreck the peace in the landlocked former Yugoslav republic of some two million people.
PEACE PROCESS AT RISK.
If the killers were politically motivated Albanians, the peace process could be seriously damaged, a Western diplomat said. "We hope police will act in a professional manner, although they have the tendency to overreact in such cases."
In Skopje, resident envoys from the European Union, the United States and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were meeting President Boris Trajkovski and Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski to counsel restraint.
Last November, three policemen were killed in an attack by rebels, triggering a government reaction that almost unleashed fresh conflict. Western peace monitors averted a new flareup.
Witnesses in Gostivar on Monday said police investigators had secured the scene of the attack and, despite tension, there was no sign of police reinforcements arriving in the town.
A NATO peacekeeping force of 700 was deployed in Macedonia last year as guerrillas voluntarily surrendered their weapons, and remains on station in the republic.
The NATO mission in Skopje said it had sent a liaison team to Gostivar to evaluate the situation. "We are still waiting for our team on the ground to be debriefed, so we can have a clear picture of what happened," a NATO official said.
U.S. condemns killing of police officers in Macedonia.
AP
WASHINGTON - The United States on Monday decried as "criminal and senseless" the drive-by shooting deaths of two police officers in western Macedonia, saying it flouts efforts to curb tensions ahead of Sept. 15 elections.
U.S. officials are urging political leaders in Macedonia to condemn the slayings and work to ensure that a framework on electoral conduct to which they agreed last summer does not unravel, said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
"With the signing of the agreement, and the subsequent constitutional changes, Macedonian political parties took courageous steps forward to reduce ethnic tensions, restore stability and build a more prosperous and democratic state," Boucher said. "Today's cowardly shootings fly in the face of responsible and determined fulfillment of the framework agreement."
The United States offered condolences to the families of the dead officers, Boucher said, and called on local authorities to find and prosecute those responsible.
The officers were shot late Sunday or early Monday in Ciglana, a village just outside a town 40 miles west of Skopje, the Macedonian capital. The killers fired from inside a passing car that lacked registration plates, police said.
Three people were detained. The Macedonian Interior Ministry blamed the attack on an ethnic Albanian rebel group, the Army of the Republic of Ilirida.
Two Macedonian policemen shot dead.
BBC
The attack is one of the most serious in recent months.
Two policemen have been shot dead in western Macedonia, near the Albanian border. The drive-by attack occurred overnight as the two reservists were on patrol near Gostivar, some 70 kilometres (40 miles) from the capital, Skopje, police said.
The town is a multi-ethnic area, home to Macedonians, Albanians and Turks.
The attack comes just three weeks before crucial legislative elections - the first poll to be held since the country narrowly averted civil war last year.
The Macedonian Government has condemned the killing of the two policemen as a terrorist act intended to challenge the country's stability in the run-up to the elections.
The shooting is the most serious incident to have taken place in the former Yugoslav republic since the electoral campaign began on 15 August. It is not known who carried out the attack, and an investigation is under way. A police spokesman said an intensive search for the gunmen was under way.
Motive unclear.
A spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior said the two policemen tried to flag down a car on a motorway near Gostivar. The car failed to stop, drove by, and men inside sprayed the policemen with machine-gun fire. The two officers died on their way to hospital.
It is unclear what the exact motive for the killings is, but it may affect what has otherwise been a relatively peaceful electoral campaign, says the BBC's Pristina correspondent, Nicholas Wood.
Talk of ethnically motivated violence and last year's conflict between ethnic Albanian guerrillas and the Macedonian security forces has been kept to a minimum.
The shooting is an unpleasant reminder of last year's fighting, and with no party showing a clear lead in the polls, it maybe difficult for some politicians not to try and use this latest incident to their own advantage, our correspondent says.
The two policemen tried to flag down a car on a motorway near Gostivar.
Peacekeeping.
The forthcoming elections, due to be held on 15 September, are intended to cement an international peace agreement which ended a seven-month ethnic Albanian uprising last August.
Large parts of Macedonia were the scene last year of fierce clashes between ethnic Albanians, fighting for more rights, and Macedonian forces.
The agreement, under the supervision of Nato and the European Union, opened the way for the deployment of a Nato peacekeeping force, which has since largely been responsible for security in Macedonia.
How to Take Down a Government, Part One.
Antiwar
by Christopher Deliso in Skopje.
The International Campaign to Intervene in Macedonia's Elections.
Macedonia's parliamentary elections are slated for 15 September, and the US government is taking them seriously. So seriously, in fact, that Washington recently took a rare break from threatening Iraq in order to officially address the little Balkan country.
It was Philip Reeker, State Department spokesman, who (on 13 August) fired the opening salvo. After noting the one-year anniversary of the Ochrid Agreement and how it has helped "build bridges between ethnic communities" Reeker spelled out the official US interventionist policy, one which will doubtless be trumpeted by friendly media bodies:
"we call upon all in Macedonia to support, contribute to, and build upon this momentum toward lasting peace, stability and growth. Macedonia's upcoming democratic elections must serve to solidify the gains made this past year. The world will be watching to see how Macedonia conducts these elections. We look to Macedonia's leaders to ensure that the elections are fair, free from violence, in conformity with international standards, and that the results are respected."
This, of course, is mere propaganda. After the Ochrid Agreement, ethnic relations worsened and continue to do so. Behind the rhetoric, the White House knows well that only ethnic partition and war are likely in Macedonia's future. The government also knows that the West allowed this situation to occur. The threat to the Macedonians that the elections be fair is of course baseless, coming as it does from an administration that won in 2000 through violence, obstruction, ballot tampering and other lurid means. As usual, America's moral imperative is left to others for implementation.
Nevertheless, the Ochrid Framework Agreement has become the interventionists' sacred cow. It is cited as the precedent and starting-point for Macedonia's future. Left by the wayside is the uncomfortable truth that there was indeed life before Ochrid. The agreement proves, first of all, that violence has its own rewards. It also shows the international community's desire to gloss over as quickly as possible the disturbing details that do not fit in their fairy tale of successful intervention. A year on, and the situation is infinitely worse than it was then. Although the internationals have to share at least some of the blame, they continue to deny this. Instead, they declare Ochrid to be a shining example of successful intervention. Yet will repeating the fairy tale ad nauseam convince anyone?
High Stakes: The US Banks on a Socialist Victory.
Although Macedonia presently offers little excitement (for a war-thirsty media, at least), this could change instantly. The upcoming elections which may result in a palace coup for the opposition are certain to be bitterly fought, nasty and violent. The ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, buffeted by scandals and perceived capitulation to the NLA, plans to use all weapons at its disposal to stay in power including, their opponents fear, physical intimidation. The main opposition party, the socialist SDSM, is sure of a big victory and its leader, Branko Crvenkovski, has been exuding confidence lately. Branko is so confident, in fact, that he skipped the August 2nd national holiday in order to visit Bulgaria the alleged enemy of his party, and leading ally of VMRO and its Prime Minister, Ljubco Georgievski. On 9 August, RFE/RL waxed ironic on the visit:
"over the past decade, Crvenkovski has stood for a strict anti-Bulgarian line in Macedonian politics. But now he was received like an official guest by President Georgi Parvanov, who is the former chairman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), and by incumbent BSP leader Sergey Stanishev. Even Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski asked for a meeting with Crvenkovski.
If there was a clear sign of improving relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia, it was Crvenkovski's visit to Sofia on a day so important for Macedonian national identity. Supporters of the Third Ilinden a nationalist ideology calling for the creation of a Greater Macedonia at its neighbors' expense seem further from their goal than ever."
This account is truly mystifying, for two reasons. First of all, relations with Bulgaria were fine already. Secondly, there is no serious person in Macedonia who would even contemplate the idea of a "Greater Macedonia." The country has a hard enough time holding on to the territory it has. Yet on the contrary, there are many in Bulgaria who believe that Macedonians are really Bulgarians in denial, and that they have no unique history, culture or language. Many Macedonians are afraid of Bulgarian expansionist aspirations. It is undeniable that this report like many others we will consider as this series unfolds is intended to influence the elections.
Chaos in the Albanian Parties.
For the Albanian parties, the stakes are also high. The traditional dichotomy between the DPA and PDP has exploded amidst a series of defections and splinter groups. Chronic infighting continues to characterize Albanian political life, as it has since Spring, when battles first erupted between supporters of the NLA's Ali Ahmeti and the mysterious "Albanian National Army" (ANA).
There were assassination attempts on DPA vice-president Menduh Thachi, and on Ahmeti himself. Further fragmentation has occurred recently with the blacklisting of the Albanian politician Nezvat Halili. The announcement of a new "Army of the Republic of Illyria" in Kosovo, and continuing KFOR arrests there, may also cause a spillover of tensions, just as the ballots are to be cast.
Now, it seems that Ahmeti and his new "unity and integration" party are going to give the DPA a run for its money. Ahmeti's campaign has been consistently hyped in the Western media. In contrast, Arben Xhaferi and the DPA seem to be yesterday's media favorites. As we will see as this series unfolds, Ahmeti has close relations with very influential American interventionists. While he may not be Hamid Karzai, Ahmeti is clearly being groomed for bigger things.
In response to his popularity, the newly "radicalized" DPA accuses Ahmeti of having sold out the Albanian cause by signing the Framework Agreement. Despite having widespread popularity, Ahmeti is up against senior Albanian politicians who are much older, wealthier, more connected and cunning and who won't allow their turf to be violated. It remains to be seen whether Ahmeti will be the Albanian messiah, or simply the lamb left out for the slaughter.
Throwing in Their Chips.
Nevertheless, it seems that the US has thrown in its chips with Ahmeti thereby, opposing the very same Albanian politicians whose assistance they sought in containing the young warlord last year.
It is unquestionable that the US is also determined to overthrow the current government. VMRO-DPMNE leaders Ljubco Georgievski and Ljube Boshkovski are considered neither intelligent nor pliable enough for Western liking. Now, they must be replaced with the opposition SDSM who do not, however, represent something new. They were in power until four years ago when the US, in fact, helped to unseat them.
Essentially, however, it does not come down to parties. The biggest difference between Macedonian and American politics is the tribal character of the former. In the US, if you lose an election, your career is finished. The party simply moves on to another candidate. In Macedonia, however, the same old gang runs the show, year in and year out. This means that the country is dominated by personalities more than by issues or platforms. A return to SDSM rule will bring to power the very same politicians who owned the country until 1998.
In any case, the US seems to want an SDSM victory at all costs, and will try and attain this goal through every conceivable method of intervention possible.
Its enormous arsenal includes international organizations like the OSCE, the media, "independent" NGO's like the ICG, and powerful financiers like the IMF and World Bank.
The OSCE: "Election Monitoring" and More.
One of the long arms of American influence in the Balkans is the OSCE. In Macedonia, the OSCE is by far the least accountable of major institutions.
"Confidence building" is its specialty, as is "advising" foreign governments.
Another beloved practice is election monitoring. Spokesman Reeker's official statement was meant to reinforce this part of the OSCE mission.
Although the OSCE was technically invited to come to Macedonia, the country will not be able to verify its own election results without the OSCE's blessings. And these tend to be rather, shall we say arbitrary. After all, in Macedonia's 1999 presidential elections, the OSCE overlooked widespread irregularities to put America's chosen son (VMRO's Trajkovski) in power.
Another example occurred in 1995 in Georgia, when the OSCE again turned a blind eye to corruption so that America's choice (Shevernadze) would win.
American Academia Plays the Albanian Card.
"With the exception of the last presidential elections," says Dr. Sam Vaknin, "I have yet to recall such a strong campaign of intervention." Dr. Vaknin is a Balkan expert and former advisor to Macedonia's Ministry of Finance (we will hear detailed testimony from him in Part II tomorrow).
Recently, Dr. Vaknin was approached by an American professor, Harley Johanson, who had visited Macedonia in June. Johnson is the head of the Department of Geography, at the University of Idaho's College of Mines and Earth Resources. According to Dr. Vaknin, the professor had been contracted by a US governmental agency, to produce a report on what Albanians in Macedonia get in return for taxes paid. This was not to be merely an objective, scholarly report, however: Dr. Vaknin understood that the goal was to portray the Albanians as, once again, the victims of an oppressive state, one which gave them nothing in return for their tax sacrifices.
Dr. Vaknin responded that such a study would probably not yield the desired result since Albanians make up almost 30 percent of the population, but are responsible for barely 3 percent of taxes paid. Often, Macedonian tax collectors (as well as the utility companies' collectors) do not force Albanians to pay, out of fear of being killed in hostile villages. Thus many "oppressed" Albanians live high off the hog, enjoying free utilities, land, and no taxes.
Dr. Vaknin replied further that to be really accurate, the study would take at least a year, in order to factor in seasonal payment schedules, VAT receipts, and other economic indicators. These concerns were pushed aside by the professor, recounts Dr. Vaknin:
"the stunning answer I received was, 'no, we must publish this before the elections!' I replied, 'by publishing the report before the elections, you are pouring gas on an already raging fire."
Mysterious NGO's Spring Up In Macedonia.
Lately, mysterious NGO's have been springing up in Macedonia. One, which is funded by American governmental institutions, has been purchasing 24,000 copies a day of newspapers exclusively anti-government ones to disseminate for free in Macedonian villages.
When Finance Minister Nikola Gruevski protested this, he was told that rural inhabitants who depend on state-owned television need to hear an alternative point of view. However, such inhabitants live in very remote areas of the country and make up around 2 percent of the population. Strangely enough, the project only aims to give these peasants an "alternative view" during the period of 15 August 15 September: in other words, exclusively in the month before the election. The cost of such an endeavor is estimated to be around $3,000 a day. This effort also flies in the face of everything free-market competition stands for. For example, says Gruevski, "one of the papers involved is Makedonija Denes, which has a circulation of around 2,000. Overnight, their circulation is increased by five times!"
Less mysterious NGO's include the NDI (National Democratic Institute) and IRI (International Republican Institute), both of which have been active in various facets of the elections. Through IREX operates an American "media training" firm (ProMedia) entirely funded through that American economic octopus, USAID, which has other election-oriented projects also underway.
Other Sources of Pressure: Think Tanks and the Media.
Another NGO is the powerful ICG (International Crisis Group), whose Macedonia boss, Edward Joseph, has become the central figure in the interventionist campaign. His major report on corruption in the Macedonian government is, despite his stated disclaimer, intended to influence the elections directly in favor of the Socialists. This specific intervention will be a major focus as this series unfolds.
In short, a strong and concerted media campaign to disparage the current government and praise the opposition is well underway. It is being orchestrated by specific Western media groups, in tandem with the ICG.
Detailed evidence of this collusion will appear later in the week.
In the meantime, stay tuned tomorrow for the compelling story of how the IMF and other financial giants throw their weight around in Macedonia and what impact it is meant to have on the elections.
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE PROVIDED DENAR 100 MILLION FOR VINE FARMERS.
MIA
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Supply of the Republic of Macedonia provided Denar 100 million to contribute to the damages in the vine industry, caused by this year frost and low temperatures.
Individual farmers will receive 2 Denar for one kg. of vine grapes, handed in to the manufacturing capacities.
The stated means will be realized through the Agricultural Fond, while the payment criteria will be defined additionally.
This year, the Ministry of Agriculture, with financial aid from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), besides 120 tones of crops will also provide 550 tones of free potato seeds for 2,625 farmers from Berovo, Kriva Palanka and Demir Hisar.
Last year, 12,693 farmers from Sveti Nikole, Kumanovo, Skopje, Gostivar and Tetovo were distributed 1,904 tones of crop seeds and free fertilizers.
In the period between 1999 and 2001, the development of all agricultural branches was financially supported.
In the agriculture, for top quality crop seed and rice, an amount of Denar 924,978 was invested in 1999, i.e. Denar seven million in 2000. The Ministry of Agriculture invested Denar six million for crop ransom.
In 2001, around Denar 27 million was invested in the development of the vine industry.
The financial support for the development of the tobacco industry for the same year was realized by investing in the examination of the technological- chemical characteristics of the tobacco row materials.
Initiative measures in the field of cattle breeding are referring to financial support for a calf born by artificial insemination and increasing the number of sheep. In 1999 for this reason Denar 53,4 million, in 2000 102,4 million, and in 2001 - 110,3 million. The Ministry of Agriculture also invested in the identification and in the process of marking the animals in ten districts.
From September this year, after the entry in the World Trade Organization, Macedonia will start to use its right to make investments in the agriculture.
Retiring the subventions, it can invest in the agriculture department 16,7 million Euro, thus to support 5% from the value of the production of a certain agricultural product, as well as the value of the total agricultural production in reference to the non production elements, such as the oil, agricultural fertilizers, the transportation costs and for the other raw materials.
By signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU, Macedonia was granted full access for the Macedonian farmers for distribution of the products without customs fees at the markets of the EU member countries.
Within these frames, a Vine Protocol was signed which enabled to Macedonia to export 300,000 hectoliters, 285 000 - bulk and 15,000 liters - bottled vine.
LIBYA-BULGARIAN MEDICS.
BTA
Foreign Minister Passy: Bulgarian Medical Workers Handed Over to Criminal Court.
Damascus, August 26 (BTA spec. corr. Petko Azmanov) - The Bulgarian medical workers detained in Libya have been handed over for trial to the criminal justice, said Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, who is making an official visit to Syria at the moment. This is the decision made by the Arraignment Chamber in Benghazi which had a sitting on Monday.
The officers who tortured the Bulgarian medical workers were also handed over to the criminal justice system.
The Arraignment Chamber in Benghazi had a sitting on Case No. 213/2000 against Bulgarian nurses Kristiyana Vulcheva, Nassya Nenova, Valentina Siropoulo, Valya Chervenyashka and Snezhana Dimitrova and Dr Zdravko Georgiev. They and Palestinian Dr Ashraf al-Hadjudj are charged with intentionally infecting at least 393 Libyan children with AIDS in the hospital of Benghazi in 1998. The same charges are made against nine Libyan doctors, too.
BULGARIA - LIBYA - AIDS CASE COMMENTS.
BTA
National Assembly Chairman Gerdjikov "Not Surprised" by Benghazi Arraignment Chamber Ruling.
Sofia, August 26 (BTA) - "It is normal that the Arraignment Chamber in Benghazi should take its indictment to the criminal couirt, and it is up to the court to deliver a verdict: acquittal or conviction," National Assembly Chairman Ognyan Gerdjikov told BTA, reacting to Monday's ruling of the Arraignment Chamber to refer six Bulgarian medical professionals, charged with intentionally infecting 393 Libyan children with HIV, to the criminal court.
"This is something that was normal to expect, it isn't something extraordinary," Gerdjikov said. He explained that in Libya the prosecuting function is performed by the Arraignment Chamber, unlike Bulgarian criminal justice, where this function is performed by the prosecuting magistracy.
"Part of the charges may be dropped either in the phase of the proceeding that has been completed or at the court phase, which is decisive," Gerdjikov said.
He expressed the hope that the Libyan court will render judgment proceeding only from the evidence in the case, from what has been established incontestably.
Asked whether he is optimistic about the outcome of the case, Gerdjikov answered that nobody has the right to be an overoptimist but he hopes that the Libyan court will be impartial. "The fact that sufficiently authoritative people and institutions are monitoring the process largely guarantees that nothing will happen outside the information on the case, outside what we expect as a fair treatment by the court of the Bulgarian medics," the National Assembly Chairman said.
"The Ministry of Justice trusts the objectivity of the Libyan court and the transparency of the Libyan justice system," Justice Minister Spokesman Efrem Efremov told BTA. The Ministry will take an official stand after familiarizing itself with the position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
ROMANIA - FLOODS - BULGARIA - AID.
BTA
Sofia, August 26 (BTA) - Bulgarian relief supplies worth 70,500 leva (equivalent to 36,000 euros) were transported to Romania August 26.
The supplies, which consist of 5,000 family packs of staple foods, will be used to support 20,000 flood victims. They were provided by the national Red Cross organizations of Bulgaria and the US, the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) said in a press release.
Each pack contains flour, sunflower oil, sugar, haricot beans, rice, salt, noodles, yeast, and canned food. Transported in six trucks, the supplies are to be delivered to the Romanian Red Cross, which is expected to distribute them among those Romanians in the flood-stricken areas who are in the direst circumstances.
This aid comes as a response to an August 16 appeal by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for relief aid to flood victims in the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia, the BRC said.
Romania has incurred huge damage due to the disaster which has gone into a second month. The worst flood was that on August 13-14. Floods have killed eight persons, and tornados have taken three human lives in that country.
Seventy schools, kindergartens and medical facilities have been flooded and 5,000 houses have been seriously damaged. The disaster has affected 24 Romanian counties and forced the evacuation of 15,000 persons.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry reported a meeting of a relief aid coordination unit headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Petko Draganov.
Last week the Foreign Ministry opened a bank account for relief funds for European flood victims.
Defense Minister: Decision on Missiles Will be Taken in a Week.
Standartnews
The destruction of the engines under water is less dangerous, the defense minister thinks.
The destruction of the missiles will start in early September, Defense Minister Nikolay Svinarov said yesterday. He elaborated that after the experts from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences returned from Slovakia, the method of phased incineration of the missiles was eliminated categorically. To him, the engines could be destroyed both in Bulgaria or abroad. The defense minister said further that the so-called "water method", used to destroy the engines of SS-23 in Czechia and Slovakia, did not have any environmental or seismological consequences. The deadline will be met, Svinarov was flat. The rest of the details are being destroyed in the Terem armoury since August 12.
SYRIA - BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER.
BTA
Syrian President Receives Bulgarian Foreign Minister.
Damascus, August 26 (BTA special correspondent Petko Azmanov) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy described as "extremely positive" his discussion with Syrian President Bashar al-Asad on Monday.
Al-Asad received Passy and other members of the Bulgarian delegation at the presidential palace. The sides exchanged opinions on political issues, particularly the situation in the Middle East.
"There is no divergence between the views of Bulgaria and Syria, especially as regards the view that the Middle East peace process should be based on the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council," Passy told Bulgarian journalists after the meeting.
"Bulgaria believes that the UN, the EU, the United States and Russia play key roles in the Middle East peace process. The efforts of any institution or any collective body of institutions will be unsuccessful unless there is dialogue between the Arab countries and Israel," Passy said.
"We believe that the dialogue between Israel and Syria would be essential for the settlement of the Middle East conflict," the Foreign Minister said.
The Syrian President reportedly said Bulgaria has been absent from the Middle East scene for a decade. Expressing agreement, Passy noted that Bulgaria has been reconsidering its foreign policy priorities over that period.
"Now that our priorities have been reviewed and almost fulfilled, we believe we could come back to the Middle East scene," Passy said.
Looking back on the official two-day visit by the Bulgarian delegation to Damascus, Passy described it as "very successful." "We regard this visit as a breakthrough," he said.
"It is an extremely positive fact that the Syrian Prime Minister pledged to make arrangements for the opening of dialogue on the settlement of Syria's debt to Bulgaria. Bulgarian firms applying for participation in competitive biddings in Syria received additional encouragement as a result of this visit. I think we are setting a positive new beginning in our relations with Syria," the Foreign Minister said.
BULGARIA - CONTRACT MURDER RING - CRACKED.
BTA
Contract Murder Ring Cracked, Interior Ministry, Prosecutors Investigate Jointly.
Sofia, August 26 (BTA) - An organized contract murder ring has been cracked, and six of its members have been arrested, Colonel Roumen Milanov, Director of the National Service for Combating Organized Crime (NSCOC), told a news conference Monday.
The ring was busted by law-enforcers of the NSCOC, the Counterterrorism Commando and the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs, who acted under the personal supervision of Interior Minister Georgi Petkanov and Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Boiko Borisov, jointly with the Sofia Investigative Service and the Prosecutor General's Office.
The ring specialized in contract murders, abductions, explosions, racketeering and other terrorist activities. All six persons apprehended by the police are former special services commandoes.
The ring is mobile, strictly clandestine, with iron discipline and rigorous differentiation of functions and missions, said Colonel Venelin Velikov, Deputy Director of NSCOC.
The criminal structure is suspected of perpetrating a number of terrorist acts in the recent past, including the attacks over the last few weeks.
In over 20 searches conducted at the homes of the six detainees and elsewhere around Sofia and in the country, police found and seized some 50 kg of explosives, including plastic exlosives, some 30 hand grenades, clockwork explosive devices, electric fuzes, nine Molotov cocktails, nine SKS Simeonov sniper rifles with mufflers and optical sights, two make-shift rifles, also with silencers and optical sights, two Steyr and Kalashnikov assault rifles, a Scorpio submachine gun, and unlicensed PSM and Astra pistols.
A large quantity of ammunition, knives and house- and car-door opening devices have also been seized. The members of the ring had khaki jackets, face masks and gloves, fake police IDs, and written instructions on handling specific operations.
Proceedings have been initiated at the Sofia Investigative Service, and teams have been formed to work on each of them. Investigative work on the ring continues in Sofia and countrywide, Colonel Velikov said.
"We have finaly got hold of something which has been talked about for years: that Bulgaria, too, has rings handling contract murders," said Angel Iliev, Head of Department at the Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office.
"The Ex-Berets Association is a legitimate organization, known to everybody and with a positive place of its own in public life. Nobody has said that the criminal ring is a product of that Association," Colonel Milanov said, answering a reporter's question.
BULGARIA - YUGOSLAVIA - CROSS-BORDER COOP.
BTA
Vidin, Northwestern Bulgaria, August 26 (BTA) - The municipalities of Northwestern Bulgaria and Eastern Serbia are economically backward compared to the central parts of their respective countries, they have low population growth and are depopulating, and their infrastructure and communications are undeveloped. However, they hold a sizable potential which could assume strategic signficance for development of this part of Europe. This conclusion was shared by the participants in a two-day conference of the Balkan Citizens Coalition, held in the Sokobanja resort near Knjazevac between August 22 and 24, BTA learnt from Belogradchik Municipal Council Chairman Todor Tsekov. He specified that the conference singled out the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises, agriculture and toruism as a key potential for the strategic development of the municipalities in the region. A declaration addressed to the governments of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia was drafted at the meeting.
The declaration will be discussed at all participating municipalities before being sent. It insists on legislative revisions that would facilitate cross-border cooperation.
Taking part in the conference were the mayors of eight municipalities of Northwestern Bulgaria and Eastern Serbia, officials of the regional administrations in Vidin and Zajecar, and representatives of Bulgarian and Serbian non-governmental organizations. The event was organized by the Information Business Centre for Regional Development in Belogradchik and the Timok Club of Knjazevac.
The participants analyzed opportunities for expansion of cross-border cooperation between local and central government and NGOs. The Stability Pact and the cross-border project donors were presented at the conference which produced an analysis of the problems facing cross-border cooperation and a programme for further joint action in this direction.
It was decided to hold another meeting of representatives of the border areas of Northwestern Bulgaria, Eastern Serbia, Romania and Macedonia, also in Sokobanja, on August 29 and 30, 2002.
IMF-BULGARIA-LOAN.
BTA
Bulgaria Gets Third Tranche under 2-Year Agreement with IMF.
Sofia, August 26 (BTA) - The Ministry of Finance received the third tranche under Bulgaria's two-year agreement with the International Monetary Fund as a result of meeting the criteria stipulated therein by the end of June, the Finance Ministry press centre told BTA on Monday.
The tranche amounts to 26 million SDR, or about 34,168,000 US dollars.
BGL 55 m Poured into Wheat Market.
Standartnews
Stephan Kioutchukov
Pavlina Zhivkova
The government interferes to stop the profiteering, Finance Minister maintains.
Some 55 million levs will be allotted from the budget to ensure recovery of wheat market in this country, Ministers of Agriculture and Finance - Mehmed Dikme and Milen Velchev - said yesterday. 'Wheat' Fund will be established with 32 million levs from the budget, to finance buy-out of 200 million tons of wheat. Till end-year the grain will be re-sold to exporters after a tender, Velchev elaborated. We are aiming to curb jobbery. The export price of wheat exceeds $100 per ton, while it's bought from farmers at a twice lower price, Minister Velchev said further. 5 million levs of subsidies are envisaged for wheat export. The means will be allotted by 'Zemedelie' Fund directly to the producers of elite plant material and fertilizers. The credits provided by 'Zemedelie' Fund to wheat producers in northwestern Bulgaria will further be paid off in instalments within one year. The same applies to all other credits allocated to wheat producers.
Replica of Noah's Ark to be constructed in Bulgaria for tourists.
AP
SOFIA, Bulgaria - As scientists comb the Black Sea for the remains of Noah's Ark, a Bulgarian historian has launched an ambitious project to reconstruct the biblical vessel complete with pairs of animals as a tourist attraction.
The new ark will be built on the Black Sea coast near the Sunny Beach resort, some 400 kilometers (240 miles) east of Sofia, said Nikolai Kanchev, the historian heading the project.
"The wooden vessel will be 112 meters (368 feet) long, 26 meters (85 feet) wide and over 9 meters (30 feet) high, and a part of it will be under water," Kanchev said. "Of course, there will be pairs of the different animal species chosen once by Noah."
The site also will include an exposition of historical artifacts found in the region.
Visitors will be given a presentation of an expedition headed by National Geographic Society explorer Robert Ballard, who has been searching the inky depths of the Black Sea for the remains of the ark.
Under the supervision of Ballard, an American explorer who discovered the remains of the Titanic, a team of 19 scientists is searching for undersea evidence of human habitation in the Black Sea region before the biblical flood described in Genesis.
Some scientists theorize that an antediluvian society around the Black Sea, predating those of Egypt and Mesopotamia, was submerged by a massive flood 7,600 years ago. The flood, they theorize, transformed a stillwater lake into the saltwater sea.
Explorers have found ancient vessels in remarkable condition in the Black Sea, whose unique oxygen-free deep water preserves wrecks without the worm damage and deterioration that normally affects wooden vessels.
The museum exposition is scheduled to open its doors in March 2003.
"Troy has its Trojan Horse, Romania has Dracula we will have our Noah's Ark," Kanchev said.
We Don't Interfere With Sports and Totalizer.
INTERVIEW Standartnews: Margarita Pesheva
Antoinette Peteva
We cannot either stop or allow broadcasting of the game, says chairwoman of CEM Margarita Pesheva.
The Council for Electronic Media (CEM) has to decide today if the Bulgarian National TV (BNT) should go on broadcasting Toto Second Chance game. On Friday, the BNT asked the supervisory body CEM to rule if this was a game of fortune or an advertising one. Yesterday night the draw of the winning pools took place in the press club at the Vassil Levski stadium and was not broadcast on Channel 1.
- Mrs. Pesheva, what is the problem with the broadcasting of the fortune game "Toto, second chance" on the national TV?
- There is no problem. The Council for Electronic Media (CEM) as a supervisory body doesn't have the right to interfere into the program policy of any media. We cannot either ban from broadcasting a game like "Toto, second chance" or allow it to be shown. CEM exercises control under the Radio and TV Act. Its provisions do not ban games of fortune. Toto 1 and Toto 2 are broadcast on the BNT. If there is anything problematic, this is the fact that such a game is not supposed to use image advertising of individuals who provided funds for the awards.
(Abr) Medieval murder marks tragedy of Kosovo.
The Scotsman
CHRISTIAN JENNINGS IN VELIKA GODEN, KOSOVO
HAXJERE Sahiti was married on a Sunday, murdered on a Monday, and buried in the woods the same afternoon. Married life lasted less than 12 hours for her. It ended with the 20-year-old Kosovar Albanian woman lying dead on her familys living room carpet, with seven pistol bullets fired into her torso.
The killer was her elder brother, Ismet. The murder was witnessed by her mother and brother. Her crime was supposedly not being a virgin on her wedding night, thus bringing the honour of her family into disrepute.
Under an Albanian traditional law dating from the 15th century, laid out in a massive tome known as the Kanun of Leke Dukagjini, a husband may return his bride to her family if he should discover that "she is not as she should be" on her wedding night.
Alternatively, he may kill her himself, sometimes with a bullet traditionally given to him at the wedding by the brides father, just in case.
In 21st century Kosovo such practices are in conflict with the modern democratic systems being introduced by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the United Nations, who have administered the province since 1999.
The Kanun of Leke, which is known as the "code", says that if a woman is not a virgin on her wedding night, her husband may "cut her hair braids" and return her to her family. Any bride whose hair has been cut, says the code, may then be legitimately shot.
That is not how the United Nations Police Force in Kosovo sees it. Ismet Sahiti, who murdered his own sister in front of his mother and brother, and then tried to cover up the evidence by burying his sister in the woods, recently began serving a five-year sentence at a UN prison in western Kosovo.
A number of other related "honour-killings" are being investigated by UN police, as the provinces international administration tries to drag the socio-economics of the crime-sodden aspirant statelet out of the traditional absolutism of the 15th century and into the liberal democracy of the 21st.
The UN police post-morten examination carried out on the body of Haxjere showed that she had been indeed a virgin when she died, and that her brutish Albanian husband, Skender, to whom she had been wedded in an arranged marriage, didnt know any better.
Haxjere was a pretty Kosovar Albanian girl from the tiny farming community of Velika Goden, a beautiful hillside village set half-way up a mountain near Kosovos border with Macedonia.
The mound of stones and red earth that now make up her grave lie in a tiny cemetery on the fringes of an oak forest overlooking the village. The view is one of bucolic splendour. The air smells of wild thyme.
On Sunday, 7 October last year, Haxjere was picked up from her family home by her new husband, Skender Rrahimi, a 30-year-old man from the village of Zegra, which lies across the mountain.
Mr Rrahimi, described by the Kosovo Police Service officer who interviewed him as "really stupid", decided after a few hours in Haxjeres company that she was not a virgin.
Telling her that her mother was really sick and needed her at home, Mr Rrahimi delivered the terrified Haxjere back to her family house, despite her pleadings that she would stay with him and be a dutiful wife.
At 3am on the Monday morning, Haxjere was dumped at home. Her mother was woken by the noise, as was her eldest son Ismet, a short-tempered and traumatised former guerrilla fighter from the Kosovo Liberation Army.
"Haxjere was saying, Ive betrayed you, I can never look you in the eye, you know this is not true," says her mother, sitting crying last week under a row of damson trees in the family garden.
Versions of subsequent events then differ.
Haxjeres mother says that the irascible Ismet rushed into the kitchen, picked up a pistol and shot his sister in horror at the shame she had bought on the family, after which her mother says she passed out, conveniently not remembering anything for most of the following week.
David Peace, an experienced American criminal investigator from Louisville, Kentucky, working for the United Nations police in the town of Gnjilane told The Scotsman at the weekend that things happened differently. "By the time we were called in, Haxjere was already buried. At first we were told that she had drunk poison, then that she had been really sick and died. We spoke to her brother Ismet, the head of the household. He said that she had shot herself."
Haxjeres body was exhumed. There were eight 7.65mm bullet holes in it. Her bloodstained clothes were still in the house. It was clearly not suicide. Ismet then confessed to the crime, although Mr Peace estimates that the entire family was involved in the killing and that Haxjeres mother and brother were almost certainly in the living room watching it happen.
"He was a very polite boy," his mother says about Ismet.
"But after the fighting in Croatia and Kosovo he was not the same. Now he is in prison and I dont have the money to visit him."
"What happened was meant to be, it was ordained," says Haxjeres other brother, Ahmet, 20, sitting next to his mother on the grass. He says the family feels that their honour in the village has been redeemed.
"I can look the village in the eye," says his mother "and Im more worried about my son than my daughter."
Albanian Families Request Investigation Into KLA War Crimes.
UNMIK Release Date: August 26, 2002
UNMIK set up a hotline to incite potential witnesses to come forward:
On August 20, 2001, at approximately 11:17 pm, the following five people were brutally murdered during an attack on their car on the small dirt road leading from Baica, just outside of the town of Gllogovac:
Hamez Hajra (50 years of age)
Miradije Hajra(45 years of age)
Xhevdet Hajra (22 years of age)
Mimoza Hajra (14 years of age)
Adilina Hajra (9 years of age)
The surviving child was left for dead [to die?].
Recently, eleven men were arrested and charged with these five murders. They were detained based on information supplied by witnesses and evidence developed during the police investigation. The Investigative Judge supervising the case reviewed the information and confirmed the charges against the suspects.
Investigators believe there are still people who have information pertaining to these murders, and who want to provide this information to Investigators, but who do not know how to do so.
For this reason, a telephone number has been created so that people may call with additional information about this murder. The telephone number is 038 243 720. The telephone will be answered by voicemail after business hours.
Anyone calling this telephone number will not have to give their name or provide any information about their identity. They can choose to be interviewed only by an International Police Officer. If all the person wishes to do is provide anonymous information over the telephone, and nothing else, this is completely acceptable.
Bulletins with the telephone number have already been posted in the area where the murders occurred as well as in most municipal buildings and police stations.
For additional information, contact the UNMIK Police Pristina Region Press Office at telephone 038-504-604-5110.
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