Kosovo: On the complicity of German KFOR troops in the March 2004
pogroms
1. Germany to send 600 extra troops to help quell Kosovo unrest (March
19) / Svilanovic: Germany is leading pro-independence policy for Kosovo
(March 26) / Germany rejects Svilanovic’s criticism (March 26) / KFOR
refuses to secure Orahovac Serbs (April 9)
2. Bishop Artemije sharply criticizes German KFOR / Remark by the ERP
KIM Info-Service regarding the complaint of Colonel Hintelmann / Total
failure of the German KFOR mission in Prizren
(ERP KiM Newsletter 12-04-04)
3. GERMANS PROHIBIT ARCHANGELS MONKS FROM RETURN / PRIZREN REFUGEES
FORCIBLY CONVERTED
(Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church, March 2004)
4. NATO in Kosovo, a place of divided goals
(Scott Taylor, 19/4/2004)
5. GERMAN ARMY READY TO FLY THE EU FLAG IN JUNGLE, PEAK AND DESERT
(german-foreign-policy.com - 28.05.2004)
# SEE ALSO:
German chief of UNMIK Police in Prizren - a modern example of Baron
Munchausen
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/81032
The Cowards of Kosovo (by David Binder)
http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2004/May_27/9.html?w=p
Der Spiegel: THE RABBITS OF KOSOVO / DIE HASEN VOM AMSELFELD / ZECEVI
SA KOSOVA
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3532
GERMAN WEEKLY LEVELS ACCUSATIONS
The Hamburg weekly "Der Spiegel" alleged on 3 May that
the German KFOR contingent stationed in the Kosovar
city of Prizren failed to protect Serbian civilians,
property, and cultural monuments during the recent
outbreak of violence. The German troops also failed to
support and protect German UNMIK police forces, the
weekly charged. The failure to protect Serbian houses,
churches, and monasteries was due in part to the
German soldiers' mandate, which reportedly does not
include such duties. Other shortcomings are of legal
nature, as German legislation bans the army to use
teargas or pepper spray because they are regarded as
"chemical weapons." In response to suggestions of
cowardice, German Lieutenant General Holger
Kammerhoff, who commands KFOR, warned that "whoever
attacks Serb enclaves or [Serbian] cultural monuments
in the future will face KFOR," according to "Der Spiegel." UB
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - May 4, 2004)
# IN GERMAN / AUF DEUTSCH:
BND-Mann an UCK-Spitze (19/11/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/4024
KFOR VERWEIGERT DEN MÖNCHEN IN PRIZREN LEBENSMITTEL, STROM UND
BEGLEITSCHUTZ (5/2/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3164
# MORE RELATED ARTICLES:
HELMUT KOHL SUCCESSORS CONTINUE WAR AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2004-04-06.htm
and: ERP KiM Newsletter 06-04-04d, History is repeating 60 years later:
Tragic events of March 17-18 evoke the painful memories of the past
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3403
GERMAN SOLDIERS - FORCED PROSTITUTION IN KOSOVO - AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
REPORT
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3853
German Defense Minister: NATO Needs to Stay in Kosovo Beyond 2006
http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_1148683_1_A,00.html
German soldier also stole
http://bgd.frvesti.com/vest.asp?t=300697&s=dnevnik.gif&e=#top
or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/81499
Pogrom Divides Kosovo Occupiers
(By Nebojsa Malic - Reality Macedonia, April 21, 2004)
http://www.realitymacedonia.org.mk/web/news_page.asp?nid=3161
Unpleasant incident between German soldiers and Serbian reporters
http://www.kosovo.net/node/view/151
German "Liberal" Foundation demands Kosovo surrender to EU
http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2004-05-17.html
German party wants Kosovo to be "Special Economic Zone"
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/article/1083874908.php
FAZ: German military still has much to do (by Peter Carstens)
http://www.balkanpeace.org/hed/archive/sep04/hed6663.shtml
FAZ: Germany learns lessons in Kosovo (by Aaron Kirchfeld)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/84164
Defense Minister: German armed forces doing a good job (sic) in Kosovo
http://www.bundesregierung.de/servlet/
init.cms.layout.LayoutServlet?global.naviknoten=10001&link=bpa_notiz_dru
ck&global.printview=2&link.docs=725651
BEHIND THE TURMOIL IN KOSOVO
By John Catalinotto and Heather Cottin (1 Apr 2004)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3385
The European Union and German influence in Eastern Europe
By Dr. Miroslav Polreich
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3512
AUF DEUTSCH:
Kosovo: Deutsche Soldaten bei Zwangsprostituierten
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3853
Treuhandgebiet Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3484
Deutsche Imperialisten wollen Serbien zerstueckeln
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3846
Vier Jahre danach, katastrophale Bilanz im Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3816
Interview mit Heinz Loquai
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3360
Deutschland, Albanien und der Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3346
Moderne Christenverfolgung (Feb 2004)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3232
Abschied auf Raten: Die serbische Provinz Kosovo auf ihrem Weg in die
Unabhängigkeit (Von R. Göbel, Juni 2003)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3164
### VEDI ANCHE:
Kosovo: la NATO e l'ONU responsabili del "boom" della prostituzione
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3525
BND-Mann an UCK-Spitze - introduzione (19/11/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/4024
=== 1 ===
Germany to send 600 extra troops to help quell Kosovo unrest
Source: Agence France-Presse English Wire Date: March 19, 2004
BERLIN, March 19 (AFP) - Germany is to send 600 extra soldiers to
Kosovo to help contain a bloody surge of inter-ethnic fighting in the
Serbian province, Defence Minister Peter Struck announced Friday.
Struck said the reinforcements had been requested by the German
commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping force already deployed in Kosovo.
Britain said 150 extra infantrymen had already arrived in the province,
riven by strife between its Serb and ethnic Albanian populations, and
another 600 would leave over the weekend.
France was also rushing reinforcements to Kosovo, Defence Minister
Michele Alliot-Marie said, announcing that some 400 were expected to
arrive later Friday.
Germany currently has some 3,200 troops serving in the Kosovo force
KFOR, but under its mandate from the German parliament the deployment
can be raised to a total of 8,500 if necessary. The extra troops from
an armoured battalion will begin deploying Saturday, the defence
ministry said. A spokesman for the ministry said their deployment sent
"a clear signal to the conflict parties to resolve their arguments
speedily."
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder vowed that Germany would continue to play
its part in helping stabilise southeast Europe.
"The current events show how important the role we are fulfilling there
is, and how important it remains for the stability of our continent,"
he said in a speech opening an academy on security policy.
He warned that the progress that had been achieved in the region in
recent years "is now being jeopardised."
Kosovo has been under UN administration since July 1999, when NATO
forced the Serbian army out in a campaign to end a crackdown on the
ethnic Albanian majority.
It is now patrolled by the 17,000-strong NATO force and 10,000 UN and
local police.
The violence, which has left 31 people dead, is the latest between the
Serb and Albanian communities since the province came under UN control.
KFOR troops have been authorized to use force to quash the unrest, in
which 35 of their soldiers have been wounded so far.
km/kjm
---
Svilanovic: Germany is leading pro-independence policy for Kosovo
(Vecernje Novosti/B92 , 26/3/04)
The SaM FM Goran Svilanovic stated that Germany was most resolutely
against passing a declaration in the UN SC that would clearly define
who was responsible for the violence against K-Serbs. In his statement
for B92, Svilanovic said that Germany was leading a pro-independence
Kosovo policy, adding that Germany was also articulating similar
views of some other countries. "In discussions that I have had with
their officials over the last couple of years, I could have noticed
their resolve in advocating an independent Kosovo. I know that this is
only my assessment of their policy, and that they perhaps will not
agree with it, and even consider it as dramatic," said Svilanovic.
He said that it has become clear that SaM and Germany have different
views and interests in Kosovo and singled out the main Political
Advisor to the German FM Joseph Fischer, Mr.Scheffer as the leading
advocate of such a policy. Svilanovic added that Germany is one of the
most respectable members of the EU and the international community and
opined that it was speaking on the behalf of a larger number of
countries in the SC. The SaM FM also pointed out that Germany was the
leading foreign trade partner of SaM, adding that efforts should
be made to maintain friendly relations with it. He expected that
Germany would change its stands on Kosovo, saying that certain
signals, like his last meeting with German FM Joschka Fisher,
indicate such an outcome. Svilanovic also expected that the
following weeks and months would bring a new Kosovo policy of the
international community, adding that the State bodies would take an
active role in this process.
---
Germany rejects Svilanovic’s criticism
(Balkan , 26/3/04)
Germany has rejected criticism by SaM Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic
regarding its policy towards Kosovo. Goran Svilanovic’s comments “do
not agree with the facts,” the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin said
in a statement. “The opinion of the majority of members of the United
Nations Security Council last week was that all sides should be called
to reason. That position was reflected in the declaration adopted on
March 19 in the Security Council,” said the statement issued in Berlin.
---
KFOR refuses to secure Orahovac Serbs
(Vecernje Novosti - SOURCE: Apis Group office, Belgrade Media
Highlights, 9 April 2004)
The command of the German KFOR has turned down the request by the
Women’s Organization from Orahovac to enable the Serbs from Prizren,
who had been left without homes in the latest wave of Albanian violence
and who are sheltered at the German base, to attend Easter liturgy in
the Serb part of Orahovac, as well as to visit Velika Hoca. The request
was turned down without an explanation, local Serb sources in Orahovac
claim. The Raska-Prizren Eparchy has on that occasion expressed a harsh
protest over such relationship towards Serb refugees from Prizren who
had been recently served un-Orthodox mass against their will.
=== 2 ===
Bishop Artemije sharply criticizes German KFOR
http://www.kosovo.net/node/view/129
ERP KiM Newsletter 12-04-04
Bishop Artemije sharply criticized German KFOR and requested immediate
return for Holy Archangels brotherhood
Bishop Artemije demanded that the brotherhood of the monastery of Holy
Archangels be permitted to return as soon as possible next to the ruins
of the monastery residence hall whose restoration will begin in the
near future. "The results of the March ethnic cleansing must not be
accepted as an accomplished fact and our holy shrines must be
restored," said Bishop Artemije at the end of the meeting.
[PHOTO: After burning the small church of St. George of Runjevac (14th
c) and scattering the bones in the tombs of Serb archbishops Kosovo
Albanians left the sign of Swastika on the church wall. Bundeswehr
signed an agreement in 1999 with Bishop Artemije promising that
Orthodox sites would be protected - one of many other failures and
false promises. (photo taken during Bishop Artemije's visit to Prizren,
ERP KIM)]
ERP KIM Info Service
Gracanica, April 11, 2004
Bishop Artemije met with the commander of German KFOR forces in Prizren
colonel Hintelmann on Saturday in Gracanica Monastery and expressed his
deep dissatisfaction and horror that almost 4,000 German soldiers and
police failed to preserve a single Orthodox Christian church on March
17-18, allowing thousands of Albanians to barbarically destroy the
entire old quarter of Prizren, including the Bishop's residence.
Colonel Hintelmann tried to explain that about 500 Albanian women and
children blocked the arrival of German reinforcements and complained to
Bishop Artemije that the ERP KIM Info Service reported that German KFOR
failed to do its job in the Prizren region. Col. Hintelmann accused the
Diocese of unrealistically depicting the situation in Kosovo and of
"pursuing a policy that will not yield any results".
Bishop Artemije responded to the colonel's accusations by saying that
"the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo doesn't have a policy except to
save its faithful people, and it speaks in the language of facts. The
churches that have been burned and destroyed say far more than our
words ever can. The photographs speak for themselves. These are facts,
they are still here, anyone can verify them. The photographs have been
distributed worldwide. There is a resolution on the basis of which you
are presently here in Kosovo. This resolution defines your mandate
here. There are facts that confirm that you did not fulfill your
obligations. Our view of what happened on March 17 does not correspond
to yours. For us, what happened here was a great tragedy! A pogrom!
Ethnic cleansing! Cultural genocide against the Serb people in Kosovo!
You would like me to speak in terms more acceptable to you? I will not,
sir; I say what I feel; you say what is more expedient to you."
Bishop Artemije also demanded that the brotherhood of the monastery of
Holy Archangels be permitted to return as soon as possible next to the
ruins of the monastery residence hall whose restoration will begin in
the near future. "The results of the March ethnic cleansing must not be
accepted as an accomplished fact and our holy shrines must be
restored," said Bishop Artemije at the end of the meeting which passed
in a very tense atmosphere.
---
Remark by the ERP KIM Info-Service regarding the complaint of Colonel
Hintelmann:
The Diocesan Information service regrets that Colonel Hintelmann
wrongly interpreted one of our previous Newsletters and accused the
Diocese in his discussion with the Bishop that he was referred by the
ERP KIM Info Service as "Hitlermann". In fact the ERP KIM Info-service
only reported that this was the nickname which the German Colonel has
already been given by many Serbs in Kosovo and some media (that is
exactly what in English words used in the Newsletter of March 27:
"Colonel Hintelman dubbed as Hitlermann" mean). In all ERP KIM
Info-Service official reports the German Colonel is referred by his
family name Hintelmann and the ERP KIM service strongly distances
itself from any association of the Colonel with any infamous
individuals from the German history. However, it is up to the Colonel
to think why he and his soldiers are so unpopular among the Serbian
people (and not only Serbian) and who are quite reasonably shocked by
what happened in Prizren! The Diocese, as Bishop Artemije clearly
explained, has every democratic right to criticize the work of German
KFOR and request responsibility of its leading officers for their
failures. This criticism is by no means addressed against German
people, many of which showed their solidarity and wrote to us
expressing their shock and disappointment with the role of Bundeswehr
and its failure in Kosovo "peace mission".
Photos speak louder than false justifications
For those who want to see what happened in Prizren on March 17 and
where was Bundeswehr please visit the grabbed Kosovo Albanian site
showing streets without a single German soldier or military vehicles.
Albanians were allowed to destroy Christian sites without any
resistance:
http://www.kosovo.com/www.besimi.com/prizreni/default.htm
How was it possible that after the riots began in Mitrovica and
Caglavica regions in the morning of March 17 German KFOR waited in
their base until the evening and did not reinforce their presence in
the town practically allowing gathering of several thousands of
Albanians in Prizren who torched all Orthodox Christian sites, brutally
beat elderly Serbs and burned their homes. Apparently according to the
words of the German Colonel Hintelmann 500 Albanian women and children
stopped his army of 4.000 troops, armored vehicles and helicopters. Not
quite convincing justification indeed!
[PHOTOS: Albanians gather in front of the Seminary, hoist their flag
and begin their barbaric festivities by torching the Seminary and
teachers' residences. On these photos no KFOR or UNMIK police personnel
can be seen in the streets. The rioters carried out their vandalous
attacks unimpeded. No German KFOR or police are visible in the photos.
A Serb man was burned alive in the Seminary building.]
Total failure of the German KFOR mission in Prizren
Five years after their deployment all Serb churches destroyed, all
Serbs expelled, all Serb homes torched. Is Church supposed to praise
their work or say the truth which can be seen on the photos taken by
Albanians themselves! Again no KFOR around the cathedral to protect it
from destruction!
Albanians destroy Cathedral of St. George in Prizren, March 17
[PHOTOS: Albanian mob sifts through the ruins of the Orthodox Cathedral
of the Holy Great Martyr George in Prizren - In the next three days the
church would be demolished even further with explosives. Although the
representative of the Bundeswehr (German Army) signed a contract with
Bishop Artemije in 1999 that the German KFOR will protect the Bishop's
residence and the Cathedral of St. George was proved to be one of many
unfulfilled promises. Compared to other KFOR contingents who fought to
protect the churches, German KFOR under the command of Colonel
Hintelmann did nothing to prevent the mob destroy Christian Orthodox
sites without any obstacle. All they did is that they evacuated the
monks and hid themselves in the KFOR base.]
=== 3 ===
GERMANS PROHIBIT ARCHANGELS MONKS FROM RETURN
The Diocese of Raska-Prizren received painful and shocking news today
from Abbot Herman Vucicevic and priest-monk Benedict Preradovic of Holy
Archangels Monastery who met today with the German military commander
in Prizren, Colonel Hintelmann. The monks asked Hintelman to enable
their return to the ruins of Holy Archangels as soon as possible,
saying they would stay under a tent at first and restore the monastery
itself over time. Colonel Hintelmann categorically stated that return
is impossible "for security reasons", adding that if the monks should
try to return on their own "before a political agreement is reached,
they will be stopped by force".
The Archangels monks informed the Diocese that the behavior of German
KFOR is unprecedented and that the ERP KIM Info Service will soon
publish a detailed report how German soldiers observed indifferently as
Albanian rioters set fire to Holy Archangels and danced on the very
tomb of the Holy King Dusan.
Serbian Orthodox Diocese is shocked by absence of any attempt on the
part of the German army to protect a single Orthodox Christian site in
Prizren. While their colleagues in other contingents were risking their
own lives Germans in Prizren let the mob burn the churches, destroy
frescoes and loot the Church valuables.
Regrettably, two Germans: KFOR Commander Holger Kammerhof and the chief
of UNMIK police Stephan Feller (nicknamed Mr. Fehler) are among the
most responsible international officials for such terrible outcome of
the last week's pogrom and the Church will insist on their resignation
and leaving of the German contingent from Kosovo completely.
"We hoped that Germans will show another face from the one in the World
War II. However, we can see that the same pattern of behavior continued
now", said one of the Serbs I. Jovanovic who lost his home in Prizren.
Under the Nazi Germany in the World War II Kosovo Albanian extremists
were organized within SS Skenderbey division and committed many crimes
against Serbs and Macedonians under the tacit approval of the Wehrmacht
and SS command.
PRIZREN REFUGEES FORCIBLY CONVERTED
Fr. Sava Janjic, personally spoke by phone today with Verica
Grigorijevic, one of the 35-odd Serbs evacuated from Potkaljaje, the
Serb quarter of Prizren completely burned by Albanian mob last week,
who are presently lodged in a building on the German military base in
Prizren. Mrs. Grigorijevic stated that many of the present Serbs are
shaken and in a deep state of shock as a result of the terror they
survived. Some of them were beaten by the Albanian crowd. Several of
them are in very serious psychological condition. The Germans are
giving them food and drink but people's minds are elsewhere, she said.
Mrs.Grigorijevic informed Fr. Sava that today at about 15:30 a Roman
Catholic priest arrived in the building where the Serbs are lodged
without any invitation by them and told them he would SERVE MASS. Some
Serbs asked why they did not allow their priests to come and serve them
an Orthodox Christian service, but the Germans insisted that the R.
Catholic mass should be served. The Serbs were asked to hold candles in
their hands and at the end of the service the Catholic priest gave
several of the elderly Serbs who are serious psychological condition
Roman Catholic communion (wafers). Some of the Serbs refused to take
this communion, horrified that they were being forcibly converted to a
different faith, even though Orthodox monks and priest-monks from Holy
Archangels are only five kilometers away from them but are being denied
the right to visit their faithful people even though they have asked to
do so. Weeping, Mrs. Grigorijevic reported this sad news with the
request that Bishop Artemije and the Patriarchate in Belgrade be
informed.
The Diocese most strongly condemns this scandalous action of BLATANT
PROSELYTISM on the part of the German military Roman Catholic priest
and appeals for the evacuation of all remaining Orthodox Serbs from the
base of the German soldiers whose behavior in the past and in this
latest provocation have evoked the most difficult memories from World
War II when Roman Catholic priests (in Croatia) took advantage of the
suffering of the Serbs and pulled them out from under Ustashe Nazi
knives in order to forcibly give their communion under the pretext of
saving their lives. Forcible communion represents one of the most
horrible examples of violence against religious freedom.
One of the Serbs present at this sad event said: "Not only are they
trying to kill us but they are trying to take our souls, too."
Mrs. Grigorijevic spoke personally to Fr. Sava, the author of this
article on the basis of her testimony and later related her story
directly to Hs Grace Bishop Artemije.
SOURCE:
The Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 2004
Copyright © 1999-2004 by
The Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
11000 Belgrade
Kralja Petra I no.5
+381 11 3282 596
e-mail <mailto:PPress@ spc.yu>
=== 4 ===
NATO in Kosovo, a place of divided goals
Scott Taylor ON TARGET
Prizren, Kosovo - "No photos!" yelled the German military policeman,
and when I did not immediately lower my camera, he and his colleague
moved toward me menacingly.
"Drop your camera - NOW!" they demanded.
What I had been trying to photograph was the charred ruins of an
11th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery in a steep ravine just south of
the town of Prizren.
On March 17, during widespread Albanian rioting throughout Kosovo,
German troops stationed at the monastery had evacuated the monks and
abandoned the entire compound. Once the NATO detachment fled, the mob
of Albanians broke into the site, destroying some buildings and setting
fire to the remainder.
Surveying the terrain, a single narrow approach road flanked by steep
cliffs on either side, I asked the Germans how it was possible their
detachment could not have protected the ancient monastery.
"You were not here, so you cannot judge the situation," replied the
military policeman. "There were only 20 of us stationed here and the
Albanian mob from Prizren numbered at least 200."
Incredulous, I questioned him further. 'How could you simply abandon
your post?" I asked.
Angered at my accusation of having failed in his duty, the German drew
himself to his full height and spat out the words slowly: "Sir, we do
not shoot women and children."
I laughed out loud and said: "So you retreated from the threat of
unarmed women and children, and the property you were charged with
protecting was destroyed. Would you not call that a complete military
failure?"
A German officer appeared on the scene and had overheard this last
exchange.
He exploded in rage at me and said: "It is not our mandate to harm
innocent civilians to protect an old church."
He stormed off before I could ask him what was innocent about a mob
wielding Molotov cocktails and sledgehammers, and why NATO would build
a guardhouse and station soldiers at a location they felt no obligation
to actually defend.
Later that day, when I visited the main German camp in Prizren, I
learned that I was not alone in questioning the failure of the NATO
detachment to protect the monastery.
"If Georgian troops were stationed there we would have defended this
holy site," said a young corporal from Tiblisi. "We understand the
importance of such things. The Germans, on the other hand, are only
intent on maintaining friendly relations with the local Albanians."
The German brigade in Prizren suffered no casualties during the 48
hours of chaos that occurred throughout Kosovo between March 17 and 19.
By contrast the other NATO contingents and police forces suffered a
collective 188 injuries. Besides the destroyed monastery, two Serbian
Orthodox churches and the rest of the Serb houses in the German sector
of Prizren were set ablaze during the riots. However, in the areas
where NATO troops actually clashed with Albanian protesters, the
current situation is a little more tense.
"My platoon suffered 14 wounded outside the village of Caglovica," said
Cpl. Anderson of the Swedish battalion. "While the incident took us by
complete surprise, we are now looking forward to Round 2 with these
Albanians - it will definitely be payback time."
At the NATO checkpoint on the administrative boundary between Serbia
and Kosovo, members of the Czech battalion now routinely flash Albanian
motorists the three extended fingers hand-sign that symbolize Serbian
nationalism. In response to these deliberate provocations, Albanian
drivers draw a finger across their throats at the Czech troops.
"At the height of the recent crisis, NATO reinforced Kosovo with 3,000
soldiers from Bosnia, and we are very glad that the majority of these
troops were British," said Stephen Moran, the head of Canada's liaison
office in Pristina. "While other contingents with Serbs and Albanians
(respectively), it seems that both factions respect the British."
While the martial ethos of the Brits can rarely be called into
question, and certainly commands respect, the impartiality of the
Kosovo reinforcements may not live up to expectations. On a fast patrol
through Pristina, Pte. McWilliams of the Gloucester Regiment expressed
his personal opinion on the March 17 crisis. "I don't know why the
Serbs don't get the message. They are not wanted here, so they should
go back to their own country," he said.
When it was explained to him that Kosovo still officially remains an
autonomous province of Serbia, the young British soldier replied: "You
can't claim what you can't defend."
http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2004/04/19/fWorld185.raw.html
=== 5 ===
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com//en/news/article/1085695200.php
GERMAN ARMY READY TO FLY THE EU FLAG IN JUNGLE,PEAK AND DESERT
28.05.2004
A Bloody World Market
BERLIN (Own report) - The Inspector-General of German Armed Forces
(Bundeswehr) has called for a state of continual preparedness for
military operations. German soldiers must be available for call-up
world-wide ,,with quick availability, without a long preparation
period, for frequent operations of long duration". Reservists should be
better ,,caught" in order to use their capabilities in these wars, said
General Schneiderhan. His call to arms came shortly before the meeting
of the German parliament which dealt with the continuing occupation of
Kosovo.
According to General Schneiderhan, the Bundeswehr is undergoing a
,,transformation process"1) to fit it for ,,peace enforcement"
operations in all corners of the world. For this ,,complete training in
classical warfare is necessary" because all arms will be involved.
Schneiderhan believes that reservists are combat-ready for basic
service as ,,supply line troops (...) for fighter/bomber squadrons" or
as ,,radar operators for fire-control groups" directing rocket attacks
on foreign towns.
Jungle, Peak and Desert
In the presence of the German Minister of Defence, Schneiderhan said
that forces should be prepared for ,,similar operations to those in the
Balkans, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa as well as on the streets of
Gibraltar or in Georgia". German special forces were presently training
for armed operations ,,in all climate zones of the earth"2). For this
purpose they were in training camps from French Guyana (Jungle) to
Norway (mountains) to Arizona (desert).
Human Rights
48 hours after the Inspector-General's3) speech, the Berlin parliament
decided to extend the occupation of Kosovo by German forces. This is
termed a ,,Security Presence". All parties agreed to the government
proposal without specifying a withdrawal date. The stationing of troops
is tied to decisions by the NATO council. NATO attacked Yugoslavia five
years ago on the pretext of punishing ,,human rights violations". Since
then occupation troops have not succeded in coming close to their
stated objectives (,,multi-ethnic society", ,,democracy" etc).
A Model
If the stationing of German troops was originally founded on
humanitarian concern for the Albanian people of Kosovo, today's
humanitarian concern is for the remaining Serbian inhabitants. This
exchange of altruistic pretexts belongs to the standard repertoire of
colonial and neo-colonial military policy. In fact, rabid nationalism
and oligarchy rule in Kosovo. German soldiers are also involved in
widespread criminality (including child prostitution and drug
dealing).4) According to General Schneiderhan their training rests on
,,a model which has shown itself day by day to be effective" and which
,,can stand comparison with anything on the world market".5)
1) ,,Sicherheit geht uns alle an: Zukunftsmodell Wehrpflicht". Vortrag
des Generalinspekteurs der Bundeswehr General Wolfgang Schneiderhan bei
der Wehrpflichttagung des Beirates Innere Fuehrung am 25. Mai 2004 in
Berlin; www.bmvg.de
2) Einfach Elite; Die Welt 27.05.2004
3) ,,Inspector General" is a sort of cover title. In earlier days the
General would have been designated Chief of the Great General Staff.
4) See also earlier article Soldiers
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/article/1085004000.php%5d
5) ,,Sicherheit geht uns alle an: Zukunftsmodell Wehrpflicht". Vortrag
des Generalinspekteurs der Bundeswehr General Wolfgang Schneiderhan bei
der Wehrpflichttagung des Beirates Innere Fuehrung am 25. Mai 2004 in
Berlin; www.bmvg.de
Informationen zur Deutschen Außenpolitik
© www.german-foreign-policy.com
pogroms
1. Germany to send 600 extra troops to help quell Kosovo unrest (March
19) / Svilanovic: Germany is leading pro-independence policy for Kosovo
(March 26) / Germany rejects Svilanovic’s criticism (March 26) / KFOR
refuses to secure Orahovac Serbs (April 9)
2. Bishop Artemije sharply criticizes German KFOR / Remark by the ERP
KIM Info-Service regarding the complaint of Colonel Hintelmann / Total
failure of the German KFOR mission in Prizren
(ERP KiM Newsletter 12-04-04)
3. GERMANS PROHIBIT ARCHANGELS MONKS FROM RETURN / PRIZREN REFUGEES
FORCIBLY CONVERTED
(Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church, March 2004)
4. NATO in Kosovo, a place of divided goals
(Scott Taylor, 19/4/2004)
5. GERMAN ARMY READY TO FLY THE EU FLAG IN JUNGLE, PEAK AND DESERT
(german-foreign-policy.com - 28.05.2004)
# SEE ALSO:
German chief of UNMIK Police in Prizren - a modern example of Baron
Munchausen
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/81032
The Cowards of Kosovo (by David Binder)
http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2004/May_27/9.html?w=p
Der Spiegel: THE RABBITS OF KOSOVO / DIE HASEN VOM AMSELFELD / ZECEVI
SA KOSOVA
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3532
GERMAN WEEKLY LEVELS ACCUSATIONS
The Hamburg weekly "Der Spiegel" alleged on 3 May that
the German KFOR contingent stationed in the Kosovar
city of Prizren failed to protect Serbian civilians,
property, and cultural monuments during the recent
outbreak of violence. The German troops also failed to
support and protect German UNMIK police forces, the
weekly charged. The failure to protect Serbian houses,
churches, and monasteries was due in part to the
German soldiers' mandate, which reportedly does not
include such duties. Other shortcomings are of legal
nature, as German legislation bans the army to use
teargas or pepper spray because they are regarded as
"chemical weapons." In response to suggestions of
cowardice, German Lieutenant General Holger
Kammerhoff, who commands KFOR, warned that "whoever
attacks Serb enclaves or [Serbian] cultural monuments
in the future will face KFOR," according to "Der Spiegel." UB
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - May 4, 2004)
# IN GERMAN / AUF DEUTSCH:
BND-Mann an UCK-Spitze (19/11/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/4024
KFOR VERWEIGERT DEN MÖNCHEN IN PRIZREN LEBENSMITTEL, STROM UND
BEGLEITSCHUTZ (5/2/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3164
# MORE RELATED ARTICLES:
HELMUT KOHL SUCCESSORS CONTINUE WAR AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2004-04-06.htm
and: ERP KiM Newsletter 06-04-04d, History is repeating 60 years later:
Tragic events of March 17-18 evoke the painful memories of the past
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3403
GERMAN SOLDIERS - FORCED PROSTITUTION IN KOSOVO - AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
REPORT
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3853
German Defense Minister: NATO Needs to Stay in Kosovo Beyond 2006
http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_1148683_1_A,00.html
German soldier also stole
http://bgd.frvesti.com/vest.asp?t=300697&s=dnevnik.gif&e=#top
or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/81499
Pogrom Divides Kosovo Occupiers
(By Nebojsa Malic - Reality Macedonia, April 21, 2004)
http://www.realitymacedonia.org.mk/web/news_page.asp?nid=3161
Unpleasant incident between German soldiers and Serbian reporters
http://www.kosovo.net/node/view/151
German "Liberal" Foundation demands Kosovo surrender to EU
http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2004-05-17.html
German party wants Kosovo to be "Special Economic Zone"
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/article/1083874908.php
FAZ: German military still has much to do (by Peter Carstens)
http://www.balkanpeace.org/hed/archive/sep04/hed6663.shtml
FAZ: Germany learns lessons in Kosovo (by Aaron Kirchfeld)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/84164
Defense Minister: German armed forces doing a good job (sic) in Kosovo
http://www.bundesregierung.de/servlet/
init.cms.layout.LayoutServlet?global.naviknoten=10001&link=bpa_notiz_dru
ck&global.printview=2&link.docs=725651
BEHIND THE TURMOIL IN KOSOVO
By John Catalinotto and Heather Cottin (1 Apr 2004)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3385
The European Union and German influence in Eastern Europe
By Dr. Miroslav Polreich
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3512
AUF DEUTSCH:
Kosovo: Deutsche Soldaten bei Zwangsprostituierten
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3853
Treuhandgebiet Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3484
Deutsche Imperialisten wollen Serbien zerstueckeln
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3846
Vier Jahre danach, katastrophale Bilanz im Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3816
Interview mit Heinz Loquai
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3360
Deutschland, Albanien und der Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3346
Moderne Christenverfolgung (Feb 2004)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3232
Abschied auf Raten: Die serbische Provinz Kosovo auf ihrem Weg in die
Unabhängigkeit (Von R. Göbel, Juni 2003)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3164
### VEDI ANCHE:
Kosovo: la NATO e l'ONU responsabili del "boom" della prostituzione
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3525
BND-Mann an UCK-Spitze - introduzione (19/11/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/4024
=== 1 ===
Germany to send 600 extra troops to help quell Kosovo unrest
Source: Agence France-Presse English Wire Date: March 19, 2004
BERLIN, March 19 (AFP) - Germany is to send 600 extra soldiers to
Kosovo to help contain a bloody surge of inter-ethnic fighting in the
Serbian province, Defence Minister Peter Struck announced Friday.
Struck said the reinforcements had been requested by the German
commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping force already deployed in Kosovo.
Britain said 150 extra infantrymen had already arrived in the province,
riven by strife between its Serb and ethnic Albanian populations, and
another 600 would leave over the weekend.
France was also rushing reinforcements to Kosovo, Defence Minister
Michele Alliot-Marie said, announcing that some 400 were expected to
arrive later Friday.
Germany currently has some 3,200 troops serving in the Kosovo force
KFOR, but under its mandate from the German parliament the deployment
can be raised to a total of 8,500 if necessary. The extra troops from
an armoured battalion will begin deploying Saturday, the defence
ministry said. A spokesman for the ministry said their deployment sent
"a clear signal to the conflict parties to resolve their arguments
speedily."
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder vowed that Germany would continue to play
its part in helping stabilise southeast Europe.
"The current events show how important the role we are fulfilling there
is, and how important it remains for the stability of our continent,"
he said in a speech opening an academy on security policy.
He warned that the progress that had been achieved in the region in
recent years "is now being jeopardised."
Kosovo has been under UN administration since July 1999, when NATO
forced the Serbian army out in a campaign to end a crackdown on the
ethnic Albanian majority.
It is now patrolled by the 17,000-strong NATO force and 10,000 UN and
local police.
The violence, which has left 31 people dead, is the latest between the
Serb and Albanian communities since the province came under UN control.
KFOR troops have been authorized to use force to quash the unrest, in
which 35 of their soldiers have been wounded so far.
km/kjm
---
Svilanovic: Germany is leading pro-independence policy for Kosovo
(Vecernje Novosti/B92 , 26/3/04)
The SaM FM Goran Svilanovic stated that Germany was most resolutely
against passing a declaration in the UN SC that would clearly define
who was responsible for the violence against K-Serbs. In his statement
for B92, Svilanovic said that Germany was leading a pro-independence
Kosovo policy, adding that Germany was also articulating similar
views of some other countries. "In discussions that I have had with
their officials over the last couple of years, I could have noticed
their resolve in advocating an independent Kosovo. I know that this is
only my assessment of their policy, and that they perhaps will not
agree with it, and even consider it as dramatic," said Svilanovic.
He said that it has become clear that SaM and Germany have different
views and interests in Kosovo and singled out the main Political
Advisor to the German FM Joseph Fischer, Mr.Scheffer as the leading
advocate of such a policy. Svilanovic added that Germany is one of the
most respectable members of the EU and the international community and
opined that it was speaking on the behalf of a larger number of
countries in the SC. The SaM FM also pointed out that Germany was the
leading foreign trade partner of SaM, adding that efforts should
be made to maintain friendly relations with it. He expected that
Germany would change its stands on Kosovo, saying that certain
signals, like his last meeting with German FM Joschka Fisher,
indicate such an outcome. Svilanovic also expected that the
following weeks and months would bring a new Kosovo policy of the
international community, adding that the State bodies would take an
active role in this process.
---
Germany rejects Svilanovic’s criticism
(Balkan , 26/3/04)
Germany has rejected criticism by SaM Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic
regarding its policy towards Kosovo. Goran Svilanovic’s comments “do
not agree with the facts,” the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin said
in a statement. “The opinion of the majority of members of the United
Nations Security Council last week was that all sides should be called
to reason. That position was reflected in the declaration adopted on
March 19 in the Security Council,” said the statement issued in Berlin.
---
KFOR refuses to secure Orahovac Serbs
(Vecernje Novosti - SOURCE: Apis Group office, Belgrade Media
Highlights, 9 April 2004)
The command of the German KFOR has turned down the request by the
Women’s Organization from Orahovac to enable the Serbs from Prizren,
who had been left without homes in the latest wave of Albanian violence
and who are sheltered at the German base, to attend Easter liturgy in
the Serb part of Orahovac, as well as to visit Velika Hoca. The request
was turned down without an explanation, local Serb sources in Orahovac
claim. The Raska-Prizren Eparchy has on that occasion expressed a harsh
protest over such relationship towards Serb refugees from Prizren who
had been recently served un-Orthodox mass against their will.
=== 2 ===
Bishop Artemije sharply criticizes German KFOR
http://www.kosovo.net/node/view/129
ERP KiM Newsletter 12-04-04
Bishop Artemije sharply criticized German KFOR and requested immediate
return for Holy Archangels brotherhood
Bishop Artemije demanded that the brotherhood of the monastery of Holy
Archangels be permitted to return as soon as possible next to the ruins
of the monastery residence hall whose restoration will begin in the
near future. "The results of the March ethnic cleansing must not be
accepted as an accomplished fact and our holy shrines must be
restored," said Bishop Artemije at the end of the meeting.
[PHOTO: After burning the small church of St. George of Runjevac (14th
c) and scattering the bones in the tombs of Serb archbishops Kosovo
Albanians left the sign of Swastika on the church wall. Bundeswehr
signed an agreement in 1999 with Bishop Artemije promising that
Orthodox sites would be protected - one of many other failures and
false promises. (photo taken during Bishop Artemije's visit to Prizren,
ERP KIM)]
ERP KIM Info Service
Gracanica, April 11, 2004
Bishop Artemije met with the commander of German KFOR forces in Prizren
colonel Hintelmann on Saturday in Gracanica Monastery and expressed his
deep dissatisfaction and horror that almost 4,000 German soldiers and
police failed to preserve a single Orthodox Christian church on March
17-18, allowing thousands of Albanians to barbarically destroy the
entire old quarter of Prizren, including the Bishop's residence.
Colonel Hintelmann tried to explain that about 500 Albanian women and
children blocked the arrival of German reinforcements and complained to
Bishop Artemije that the ERP KIM Info Service reported that German KFOR
failed to do its job in the Prizren region. Col. Hintelmann accused the
Diocese of unrealistically depicting the situation in Kosovo and of
"pursuing a policy that will not yield any results".
Bishop Artemije responded to the colonel's accusations by saying that
"the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo doesn't have a policy except to
save its faithful people, and it speaks in the language of facts. The
churches that have been burned and destroyed say far more than our
words ever can. The photographs speak for themselves. These are facts,
they are still here, anyone can verify them. The photographs have been
distributed worldwide. There is a resolution on the basis of which you
are presently here in Kosovo. This resolution defines your mandate
here. There are facts that confirm that you did not fulfill your
obligations. Our view of what happened on March 17 does not correspond
to yours. For us, what happened here was a great tragedy! A pogrom!
Ethnic cleansing! Cultural genocide against the Serb people in Kosovo!
You would like me to speak in terms more acceptable to you? I will not,
sir; I say what I feel; you say what is more expedient to you."
Bishop Artemije also demanded that the brotherhood of the monastery of
Holy Archangels be permitted to return as soon as possible next to the
ruins of the monastery residence hall whose restoration will begin in
the near future. "The results of the March ethnic cleansing must not be
accepted as an accomplished fact and our holy shrines must be
restored," said Bishop Artemije at the end of the meeting which passed
in a very tense atmosphere.
---
Remark by the ERP KIM Info-Service regarding the complaint of Colonel
Hintelmann:
The Diocesan Information service regrets that Colonel Hintelmann
wrongly interpreted one of our previous Newsletters and accused the
Diocese in his discussion with the Bishop that he was referred by the
ERP KIM Info Service as "Hitlermann". In fact the ERP KIM Info-service
only reported that this was the nickname which the German Colonel has
already been given by many Serbs in Kosovo and some media (that is
exactly what in English words used in the Newsletter of March 27:
"Colonel Hintelman dubbed as Hitlermann" mean). In all ERP KIM
Info-Service official reports the German Colonel is referred by his
family name Hintelmann and the ERP KIM service strongly distances
itself from any association of the Colonel with any infamous
individuals from the German history. However, it is up to the Colonel
to think why he and his soldiers are so unpopular among the Serbian
people (and not only Serbian) and who are quite reasonably shocked by
what happened in Prizren! The Diocese, as Bishop Artemije clearly
explained, has every democratic right to criticize the work of German
KFOR and request responsibility of its leading officers for their
failures. This criticism is by no means addressed against German
people, many of which showed their solidarity and wrote to us
expressing their shock and disappointment with the role of Bundeswehr
and its failure in Kosovo "peace mission".
Photos speak louder than false justifications
For those who want to see what happened in Prizren on March 17 and
where was Bundeswehr please visit the grabbed Kosovo Albanian site
showing streets without a single German soldier or military vehicles.
Albanians were allowed to destroy Christian sites without any
resistance:
http://www.kosovo.com/www.besimi.com/prizreni/default.htm
How was it possible that after the riots began in Mitrovica and
Caglavica regions in the morning of March 17 German KFOR waited in
their base until the evening and did not reinforce their presence in
the town practically allowing gathering of several thousands of
Albanians in Prizren who torched all Orthodox Christian sites, brutally
beat elderly Serbs and burned their homes. Apparently according to the
words of the German Colonel Hintelmann 500 Albanian women and children
stopped his army of 4.000 troops, armored vehicles and helicopters. Not
quite convincing justification indeed!
[PHOTOS: Albanians gather in front of the Seminary, hoist their flag
and begin their barbaric festivities by torching the Seminary and
teachers' residences. On these photos no KFOR or UNMIK police personnel
can be seen in the streets. The rioters carried out their vandalous
attacks unimpeded. No German KFOR or police are visible in the photos.
A Serb man was burned alive in the Seminary building.]
Total failure of the German KFOR mission in Prizren
Five years after their deployment all Serb churches destroyed, all
Serbs expelled, all Serb homes torched. Is Church supposed to praise
their work or say the truth which can be seen on the photos taken by
Albanians themselves! Again no KFOR around the cathedral to protect it
from destruction!
Albanians destroy Cathedral of St. George in Prizren, March 17
[PHOTOS: Albanian mob sifts through the ruins of the Orthodox Cathedral
of the Holy Great Martyr George in Prizren - In the next three days the
church would be demolished even further with explosives. Although the
representative of the Bundeswehr (German Army) signed a contract with
Bishop Artemije in 1999 that the German KFOR will protect the Bishop's
residence and the Cathedral of St. George was proved to be one of many
unfulfilled promises. Compared to other KFOR contingents who fought to
protect the churches, German KFOR under the command of Colonel
Hintelmann did nothing to prevent the mob destroy Christian Orthodox
sites without any obstacle. All they did is that they evacuated the
monks and hid themselves in the KFOR base.]
=== 3 ===
GERMANS PROHIBIT ARCHANGELS MONKS FROM RETURN
The Diocese of Raska-Prizren received painful and shocking news today
from Abbot Herman Vucicevic and priest-monk Benedict Preradovic of Holy
Archangels Monastery who met today with the German military commander
in Prizren, Colonel Hintelmann. The monks asked Hintelman to enable
their return to the ruins of Holy Archangels as soon as possible,
saying they would stay under a tent at first and restore the monastery
itself over time. Colonel Hintelmann categorically stated that return
is impossible "for security reasons", adding that if the monks should
try to return on their own "before a political agreement is reached,
they will be stopped by force".
The Archangels monks informed the Diocese that the behavior of German
KFOR is unprecedented and that the ERP KIM Info Service will soon
publish a detailed report how German soldiers observed indifferently as
Albanian rioters set fire to Holy Archangels and danced on the very
tomb of the Holy King Dusan.
Serbian Orthodox Diocese is shocked by absence of any attempt on the
part of the German army to protect a single Orthodox Christian site in
Prizren. While their colleagues in other contingents were risking their
own lives Germans in Prizren let the mob burn the churches, destroy
frescoes and loot the Church valuables.
Regrettably, two Germans: KFOR Commander Holger Kammerhof and the chief
of UNMIK police Stephan Feller (nicknamed Mr. Fehler) are among the
most responsible international officials for such terrible outcome of
the last week's pogrom and the Church will insist on their resignation
and leaving of the German contingent from Kosovo completely.
"We hoped that Germans will show another face from the one in the World
War II. However, we can see that the same pattern of behavior continued
now", said one of the Serbs I. Jovanovic who lost his home in Prizren.
Under the Nazi Germany in the World War II Kosovo Albanian extremists
were organized within SS Skenderbey division and committed many crimes
against Serbs and Macedonians under the tacit approval of the Wehrmacht
and SS command.
PRIZREN REFUGEES FORCIBLY CONVERTED
Fr. Sava Janjic, personally spoke by phone today with Verica
Grigorijevic, one of the 35-odd Serbs evacuated from Potkaljaje, the
Serb quarter of Prizren completely burned by Albanian mob last week,
who are presently lodged in a building on the German military base in
Prizren. Mrs. Grigorijevic stated that many of the present Serbs are
shaken and in a deep state of shock as a result of the terror they
survived. Some of them were beaten by the Albanian crowd. Several of
them are in very serious psychological condition. The Germans are
giving them food and drink but people's minds are elsewhere, she said.
Mrs.Grigorijevic informed Fr. Sava that today at about 15:30 a Roman
Catholic priest arrived in the building where the Serbs are lodged
without any invitation by them and told them he would SERVE MASS. Some
Serbs asked why they did not allow their priests to come and serve them
an Orthodox Christian service, but the Germans insisted that the R.
Catholic mass should be served. The Serbs were asked to hold candles in
their hands and at the end of the service the Catholic priest gave
several of the elderly Serbs who are serious psychological condition
Roman Catholic communion (wafers). Some of the Serbs refused to take
this communion, horrified that they were being forcibly converted to a
different faith, even though Orthodox monks and priest-monks from Holy
Archangels are only five kilometers away from them but are being denied
the right to visit their faithful people even though they have asked to
do so. Weeping, Mrs. Grigorijevic reported this sad news with the
request that Bishop Artemije and the Patriarchate in Belgrade be
informed.
The Diocese most strongly condemns this scandalous action of BLATANT
PROSELYTISM on the part of the German military Roman Catholic priest
and appeals for the evacuation of all remaining Orthodox Serbs from the
base of the German soldiers whose behavior in the past and in this
latest provocation have evoked the most difficult memories from World
War II when Roman Catholic priests (in Croatia) took advantage of the
suffering of the Serbs and pulled them out from under Ustashe Nazi
knives in order to forcibly give their communion under the pretext of
saving their lives. Forcible communion represents one of the most
horrible examples of violence against religious freedom.
One of the Serbs present at this sad event said: "Not only are they
trying to kill us but they are trying to take our souls, too."
Mrs. Grigorijevic spoke personally to Fr. Sava, the author of this
article on the basis of her testimony and later related her story
directly to Hs Grace Bishop Artemije.
SOURCE:
The Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 2004
Copyright © 1999-2004 by
The Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
11000 Belgrade
Kralja Petra I no.5
+381 11 3282 596
e-mail <mailto:PPress@ spc.yu>
=== 4 ===
NATO in Kosovo, a place of divided goals
Scott Taylor ON TARGET
Prizren, Kosovo - "No photos!" yelled the German military policeman,
and when I did not immediately lower my camera, he and his colleague
moved toward me menacingly.
"Drop your camera - NOW!" they demanded.
What I had been trying to photograph was the charred ruins of an
11th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery in a steep ravine just south of
the town of Prizren.
On March 17, during widespread Albanian rioting throughout Kosovo,
German troops stationed at the monastery had evacuated the monks and
abandoned the entire compound. Once the NATO detachment fled, the mob
of Albanians broke into the site, destroying some buildings and setting
fire to the remainder.
Surveying the terrain, a single narrow approach road flanked by steep
cliffs on either side, I asked the Germans how it was possible their
detachment could not have protected the ancient monastery.
"You were not here, so you cannot judge the situation," replied the
military policeman. "There were only 20 of us stationed here and the
Albanian mob from Prizren numbered at least 200."
Incredulous, I questioned him further. 'How could you simply abandon
your post?" I asked.
Angered at my accusation of having failed in his duty, the German drew
himself to his full height and spat out the words slowly: "Sir, we do
not shoot women and children."
I laughed out loud and said: "So you retreated from the threat of
unarmed women and children, and the property you were charged with
protecting was destroyed. Would you not call that a complete military
failure?"
A German officer appeared on the scene and had overheard this last
exchange.
He exploded in rage at me and said: "It is not our mandate to harm
innocent civilians to protect an old church."
He stormed off before I could ask him what was innocent about a mob
wielding Molotov cocktails and sledgehammers, and why NATO would build
a guardhouse and station soldiers at a location they felt no obligation
to actually defend.
Later that day, when I visited the main German camp in Prizren, I
learned that I was not alone in questioning the failure of the NATO
detachment to protect the monastery.
"If Georgian troops were stationed there we would have defended this
holy site," said a young corporal from Tiblisi. "We understand the
importance of such things. The Germans, on the other hand, are only
intent on maintaining friendly relations with the local Albanians."
The German brigade in Prizren suffered no casualties during the 48
hours of chaos that occurred throughout Kosovo between March 17 and 19.
By contrast the other NATO contingents and police forces suffered a
collective 188 injuries. Besides the destroyed monastery, two Serbian
Orthodox churches and the rest of the Serb houses in the German sector
of Prizren were set ablaze during the riots. However, in the areas
where NATO troops actually clashed with Albanian protesters, the
current situation is a little more tense.
"My platoon suffered 14 wounded outside the village of Caglovica," said
Cpl. Anderson of the Swedish battalion. "While the incident took us by
complete surprise, we are now looking forward to Round 2 with these
Albanians - it will definitely be payback time."
At the NATO checkpoint on the administrative boundary between Serbia
and Kosovo, members of the Czech battalion now routinely flash Albanian
motorists the three extended fingers hand-sign that symbolize Serbian
nationalism. In response to these deliberate provocations, Albanian
drivers draw a finger across their throats at the Czech troops.
"At the height of the recent crisis, NATO reinforced Kosovo with 3,000
soldiers from Bosnia, and we are very glad that the majority of these
troops were British," said Stephen Moran, the head of Canada's liaison
office in Pristina. "While other contingents with Serbs and Albanians
(respectively), it seems that both factions respect the British."
While the martial ethos of the Brits can rarely be called into
question, and certainly commands respect, the impartiality of the
Kosovo reinforcements may not live up to expectations. On a fast patrol
through Pristina, Pte. McWilliams of the Gloucester Regiment expressed
his personal opinion on the March 17 crisis. "I don't know why the
Serbs don't get the message. They are not wanted here, so they should
go back to their own country," he said.
When it was explained to him that Kosovo still officially remains an
autonomous province of Serbia, the young British soldier replied: "You
can't claim what you can't defend."
http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2004/04/19/fWorld185.raw.html
=== 5 ===
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com//en/news/article/1085695200.php
GERMAN ARMY READY TO FLY THE EU FLAG IN JUNGLE,PEAK AND DESERT
28.05.2004
A Bloody World Market
BERLIN (Own report) - The Inspector-General of German Armed Forces
(Bundeswehr) has called for a state of continual preparedness for
military operations. German soldiers must be available for call-up
world-wide ,,with quick availability, without a long preparation
period, for frequent operations of long duration". Reservists should be
better ,,caught" in order to use their capabilities in these wars, said
General Schneiderhan. His call to arms came shortly before the meeting
of the German parliament which dealt with the continuing occupation of
Kosovo.
According to General Schneiderhan, the Bundeswehr is undergoing a
,,transformation process"1) to fit it for ,,peace enforcement"
operations in all corners of the world. For this ,,complete training in
classical warfare is necessary" because all arms will be involved.
Schneiderhan believes that reservists are combat-ready for basic
service as ,,supply line troops (...) for fighter/bomber squadrons" or
as ,,radar operators for fire-control groups" directing rocket attacks
on foreign towns.
Jungle, Peak and Desert
In the presence of the German Minister of Defence, Schneiderhan said
that forces should be prepared for ,,similar operations to those in the
Balkans, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa as well as on the streets of
Gibraltar or in Georgia". German special forces were presently training
for armed operations ,,in all climate zones of the earth"2). For this
purpose they were in training camps from French Guyana (Jungle) to
Norway (mountains) to Arizona (desert).
Human Rights
48 hours after the Inspector-General's3) speech, the Berlin parliament
decided to extend the occupation of Kosovo by German forces. This is
termed a ,,Security Presence". All parties agreed to the government
proposal without specifying a withdrawal date. The stationing of troops
is tied to decisions by the NATO council. NATO attacked Yugoslavia five
years ago on the pretext of punishing ,,human rights violations". Since
then occupation troops have not succeded in coming close to their
stated objectives (,,multi-ethnic society", ,,democracy" etc).
A Model
If the stationing of German troops was originally founded on
humanitarian concern for the Albanian people of Kosovo, today's
humanitarian concern is for the remaining Serbian inhabitants. This
exchange of altruistic pretexts belongs to the standard repertoire of
colonial and neo-colonial military policy. In fact, rabid nationalism
and oligarchy rule in Kosovo. German soldiers are also involved in
widespread criminality (including child prostitution and drug
dealing).4) According to General Schneiderhan their training rests on
,,a model which has shown itself day by day to be effective" and which
,,can stand comparison with anything on the world market".5)
1) ,,Sicherheit geht uns alle an: Zukunftsmodell Wehrpflicht". Vortrag
des Generalinspekteurs der Bundeswehr General Wolfgang Schneiderhan bei
der Wehrpflichttagung des Beirates Innere Fuehrung am 25. Mai 2004 in
Berlin; www.bmvg.de
2) Einfach Elite; Die Welt 27.05.2004
3) ,,Inspector General" is a sort of cover title. In earlier days the
General would have been designated Chief of the Great General Staff.
4) See also earlier article Soldiers
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/article/1085004000.php%5d
5) ,,Sicherheit geht uns alle an: Zukunftsmodell Wehrpflicht". Vortrag
des Generalinspekteurs der Bundeswehr General Wolfgang Schneiderhan bei
der Wehrpflichttagung des Beirates Innere Fuehrung am 25. Mai 2004 in
Berlin; www.bmvg.de
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