Ex-Kosovo rebel army commander provoked Mitrovica incidents - Serbian daily
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - January 7, 2009 Wednesday

Text of report by Serbian privately-owned tabloid Glas javnosti, on 5 January

[Unattributed report: "Ismet Hoxha, Organizer of Incidents"]

Kosovska Mitrovica - The incidents in Kosovska Mitrovica have been provoked by Ismet Hoxha, chief of the Shiptar [Kosovo Albanian] intelligence organization unit for this city. Hoxha is a former commander of the 138 UCK [Kosovo Liberation Army] terrorist unit that had tried to reach Kosovo via Kosare [on Albanian border, site of battle between Yugoslav Army and KLA in 1999].

His associates in this business are Bekim Shyuti, a former commander of the 142 UCK special terrorist unit, who owns the Besa restaurant in southern Mitrovica, and Nedzad Cubreljija, an explosives expert who is rightly suspected of having organized the torching of an Albanian restaurant and throwing a bomb at firefighters.

The health condition of Marko Kisic and Bratislav Bozovic, the firefighters who were injured in the explosion in the Bosnjacka Mahala neighbourhood of Kosovska Mitrovica while extinguishing a fire in the restaurant, is still serious. Kisic and Bozovic are currently in the intensive care ward in the hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Doctors on the surgical ward told the Beta news agency that Kisic was in danger of contracting an infection because of a serious intestinal injury, while Bozovic's condition was stable after surgery. The rest of the injured, including Most TV reporter Mirjana Nedeljkovic, were receiving treatment in the orthopaedic ward and feeling better.

Let us remind you that seven firefighters were injured in an explosion in Bosnjacka Mahala in northern Kosovo during the night between Friday [2 January] and Saturday [ 3 January] while they were putting out a fire in a restaurant owned by an Albanian.

According to the Kosovo Police Service [KPS] spokesman Besim Hoti, the restaurant had been set on fire by a group of Serbs. He did not give any details about the explosion.

Strong [NATO-led] KFOR [Kosovo Force], KPS, and EULEX [EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo] forces were deployed in the above-mentioned neighbourhood, and they will not allow any violence, a statement carried by KIM Radio said.

"Both KFOR and EULEX are building up their presence in northern Kosovo to demonstrate their determination to act. In addition, EULEX will continue patrolling in the area, enhancing its mandate that includes mentoring, supervising, and advising local authorities," the statement said.

It also said that the KFOR troops and EULEX police units will continue providing support to the Kosovo police in maintaining public peace and order. The statement sent to KIM Radio called on all the citizens of Mitrovica and other parts of Kosovo to stay calm and end all violent actions.

"KFOR and EULEX will respond strongly to any threats against security, safety, and freedom of movement," the statement said.

The situation in Kosovska Mitrovica was calm yesterday and during the night.

Milan Ivanovic, chairman of the Serb National Council for Northern Kosovo-Metohija, said that Serbs had again requested KFOR to set up permanent control points in critical parts of Kosovska Mitrovica in order to avoid further incidents.

"We filed a request for KFOR control points to be set up on the ethnic dividing lines between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians in Bosnjacka Mahala and in the Three Skyscrapers area a long time ago, but it seems that they do not want to do that. That is why we doubt KFOR's and EULEX's good intentions," Ivanovic said.

In his words, there are indications that Albanians had planned the violence in the northern part of Mitrovica that is populated mostly by Serbs.

He recalled that before this latest incident a Serb had been stabbed, two Albanians arrested, and a KPS patrol attacked in the same neighbourhood.

Ivanovic said that a large number of Serbs had fled Bosnjacka Mahala in fear, while people suspected of stabbing the Serb and of attacking the police patrol were released on bail.

Source: Glas javnosti, Belgrade, in Serbian 5 Jan 09, pp 2-3
Posted for Fair Use only.