CZECH AID BUS ATTACKED IN KOSOVO
BBC Monitoring International Reports - May 22, 2008 Thursday
Text of report in English by Serbian pro-western Belgrade-based Radio B92
website, on 22 May
Prague: A bus from the Czech Republic carrying humanitarian aid to the Kosovo
Serbs has been stoned near Decani, Czech radio reports.
An informal Czech group called the Petition Board Against Recognizing Kosovo's
Independence organized a visit by a group of 20 students to visit Kosovo and
bring aid to the Serbs living in Kosovo.
Czech radio confirmed that on their way to High Decani monastery, Albanian
youths threw stones at the bus bearing Czech license plates. It was also
confirmed that no-one was injured during the incident.
"The fact that the Czech government recognized Kosovo's independence, of which I
am deeply ashamed, has meant nothing to those `peace loving' and `democratic'
Albanians", said Jaroslav Foldina, regional leader of the Czech Social
Democrats, in a statement given to the online edition of daily Pravo. Foldina
was one of the passengers on the bus.
"We're talking a lot with people in Kosovo, and everyone kept asking about it
(yesterday's recognition of Kosovo by the Czech government). I kept repeating
the same answer: Serbia was not betrayed by the Czech people, but by the Czech
government. The people have always been the same", he insisted.
Following distribution of the humanitarian aid, the students and the Petition
Board intend to organize demonstrations in Kosovska Mitrovica in protest at the
Czech government's decision to recognize Kosovo's independence.
The Kosovo Police Service (KPS) has not received any information about any
attack on the bus. KPS spokesman Veton Elshani told the Beta News agency that
they had received no reports or information about a bus with Czech license
plates, nor any other bus for that matter, being attacked yesterday. "No one
reported any attack on a bus to the police", said Elshani.
He added that since the beginning of this year, four Serb families had been
living in Decani, and that, so far, they had reported no problems.
Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in
English 1205 gmt 22 May 08
Posted for Fair Use only.