23/04/1999
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Republika

23 April 1999

Kosovo, a showcase of massacres and barbaric horrors

Apparently carved out of a kind of chaos unprecedented in its years, the act of genocide carried out in Kosovo shows that there every kind of massacre has already been turned into a product that will later serve a global market of killers. The long sequence of massacres that have been laid out there has entered under its casual yet always cutting expression. In every case, there is a victim and an executioner. And here, if no one is even capable of understanding the words written in their blood, they will still remain in oblivion. When the rules of an especially turbulent and confused century spread through such environments, death preserves for a moment its simple and untainted nature. Often, it becomes stained, snatched away, or erased by everything that keeps watch over everything; things cannibalize themselves. If we consider that in Kosovo the Yugoslav government has long been killing passive people and the ethnic groups living there, and has set out a series of ethnic and selective killings, and when we now list the numbers of the crimes, it is not hard to conclude that we are facing one of the most terrible atrocities of the century. In no case are the value of their blood given in numbers, because the recognized number of civilized nations is itself the measure. Is this world no longer protected with the same careful fortification as before? No, this can have no meaning for a kind that feeds itself on deceptions and on an imagination that brings people into a world of madness. We will not have progress if we are not able to recognize the terrible massacres pursued deliberately. And we must also not forget that the right to punishment, which is so necessary in Serbia, must be worthy. This is the only way to include a sense of justice and our shared duty for peace. It must be so, because all who belong to Europe will have to feel ashamed for every event that has happened in Kosovo. Thus, we must hasten, come into the light, and defend the right of people to live freely, not allowing the extermination of the Albanian people or any accepted form of change, so that no kind of massacre will ever again become a common mirror of the future.

Kosovo, the great challenge of the end of the century

By Javier Solana In June 1998, the North Atlantic Alliance Defense Treaty marked its 50th anniversary. We had devoted time to it, because defenders of democracy and security — and not only them — must cooperate with their opponents, the dictators and fanatics, to prevent Europe from disintegrating. At that time, we emphasized that nothing was more important than an external forward line to be put in defense of nations or against terrorism. Today, that emphasis is clearer than ever, as the forewarning that the other side is condemnable and illegal has spread around the world. This is very true in Kosovo, where for months the international community has repeatedly told Belgrade that it must stop its campaign of terrorism, otherwise it will face consequences. That is what makes Kosovo such a great challenge not only for us, but for all Europe. The way we respond to the crimes there — in fact, the way Europe responds — will have a major impact on global developments for many years to come.

The red badges, the terror of Kosovars. They slaughtered a baby because it was crying. An 8-year-old girl testifies to the terror she experienced. Police crushed people with a car

UCK destroys the Serbs near Junik. The Danes request a ground intervention

Fino: Ruqi is right. Nano gave Ceka the post of head of SHIK.

Godo: This is how the Albanian crisis can be dealt with. Berisha: I do not accept, and he pulls the NATO members back

Inside:

• The police of the Kosovo Force in Port "goes crazy", stretched out in broad daylight by force, a tragic scene, being driven around by the others and carrying other weapons. Page 7 • Kosovo under a protectorate Page 3 • Kosovars are looking for each other Page 15