Europe News
Kosovo calls on ethnic Serb refugees to return
May 4, 2009, 15:44 GMT
Pristina - Kosovo authorities on Monday made an open call to ethnic Serb residents who fled the territory to come back, amid accusations by Belgrade that Pristina was obstructing their return.
'All the conditions have been met to build a multiethnic society,' Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci told journalists in Pristina.
'On behalf of the Kosovo government I call upon the Serbian government, the Belgrade authorities, to help the process of return of the refugees to their homes and property. Belgrade should not manipulate the process of the return of refugees,' he added.
For several days now Kosovo Serbs have clashed with the international peacekeepers over the rebuilding of houses by ethnic Albanians in the divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica. Kosovo Serbs are demanding that their houses be rebuild as well and see the rebuilding of Albanians' homes as a threat.
International forces, including the new European Union law enforcing mission in Kosovo (Eulex), used tear gas and water cannons to disperse angry ethnic Serbs who tried to stop the rebuilding of houses.
Belgrade says Kosovo Serbs are not returning because they fear for they safety and that the rebuilding of the Albanian houses in the northern mostly Serbian part of Mitrovica as another sign that ethnic Albanians do not want Serbs to return.
'The return is related to an agreement. So far Serbs returned only when Kosovo Albanians gave them the 'green light.' This is the first time that international forces have assisted someone who decided to return without previously reaching an agreement with the other side,' Oliver Ivanovic, a Kosovo Serb leader, told Belgrade media.
'Serbs are afraid for their safety because in the return of the Albanians they see their safety endangered,' he added.
In 1999 NATO bombed then Serbia to stop the brutal crackdown by Serbian forces on Albanian insurgents in Kosovo. After the bombing and the arrival of international forces in Kosovo thousands of Serbs fled Kosovo. Since then only a few hundred have returned.
In February 2008 Kosovo declared independence and was recognized by most of the European Union and the United States. Serbia, backed by Russia, opposes it.
Kosovo's minister in charge of returning refugees, Nenad Rasic, said that some 180 Kosovo Serb families returned to their homes last year.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Kosovo will always be Serbian, shame on the NATO, USA en EU for colaborating with terrorists like the KLA, SHAME on you.
There is for sure many good Kosovo serbs but I think that those who are afraid to return, are afraid for the reason that they have killed women and children and risk prosecution.
And those who stayed, in my mind must bee those who dont have something to hide and have clean hands. Or at least they didn,t kill civilians. Then there is those serbs from Kosovo who even helped albanians in different cases under the war.
It is nice of the Kosovo government to ask Serbs to come back, but is everything ready for there return. If Serbs return to Albanian areas of Kosovo, where will their children go to school? Or does the government expects Serbs to attend Albanian schools and be taught in Albanian. The OSCE just published an interesting report on the divide between the Kosovo Albanians and Serb education systems on its website which is well worth a read.
KLA = Khomeini & Laden's Army
Serbs will come back, when the ICJ rules in favour of Serbia, because Kosovo is Serbia.
Arian,
what are you talking about?
There are 80 % of Serbs expelled from their homes.
The KLA has been doing the killings.
Who would want to live in a country where terrorists make the rules?
Listen here everybodey. The biggest problem proves time and time again to be serbs from serbia. If you carrefully follow their comment thrugh the net you see that the most comon thing they say is Kosovo is Serbia.
Serbs seem to mee as a people unable to comunicate with. The only thig they ansver to every question is Kosovo is Serbia. That wil newe solve a thing.
Kosovo goverment asks you to come back and you only answer with Kosovo is Serbia. The question is do you vant to live in the state of kosovo as a Kosovo citizen or not?
You need to bee able to see the reality. example that Thaqi is Kosovos primeminister, Kosovo is an state and the sky is blue, that meanas that you cant do a thing to change that and need to start from there.
Albanians are a people worth counting with so a god relation with albanians should bee a to priority for Serbia, like albanians know that Serbia is our neighbour and wee cant progress as fast as wee want if we dont have good relations with all our neighbours including serbia.
Thats just the reality.
We have to adopt us to that even if ve tont alvays like it.
This was just a piece of REALITY LESSON for Serbia. Part 1
Arian,
nobody needs your lessons, it's easy to hide behind the USA and then try to change history.
Thaci, is a terrorist that once was on the terrorist list of the UN with the the KLA, whom bye the way killed their own people who didn't obey.
The fact is that only 57 of the 197 countries of the UN have recognized Kosovo as a indenpendent state, that means that it will never be a member of the UN, never be a member of the EU they're not even allowed to join FIFA in Gods name, so what lesson are you giving us, may I ask?
Are you giving us a lesson how 80% of the European heroin comes through Kosovo, organ trading, human smuggling, weapon smuggling a so-called state with no control what so ever over their mob? Burning ancient old Orthodox churches, expelling Serbs from their homes?
I could go on, but still;
Kosovo is Serbia
Kosovo from holyland to criminal state.
What lesson was that Arian?
As an American of German decent, I feel great shame in my country's recognition of Kosovo. Some sort of compromise could have and should have been reached where both sides could walk away with their heads held high. When Albanians took to the streets in mass and burned churches and terrorized the unarmed unprotected serb minority they lost all respect in my book. The EU and NATO forces just stood there and watched ! One can not tell a people that today, you belong to a different county!
page: 1
proud_SerbianMay 5th, 2009 - 07:17:58
Serbs WILL retake Kosovo and Metohija when the Forth Reich stormtroopers leave as all other occupiers have done in the past.
Anglo-American Nazi alliance can not and will not be able to enslave humanity, human desire to be FREE is stronger than all the technology and mercenaries credits from China can buy.
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