UNHCR SAID CHECKING OUT SOUTH SERBIA FOR SERB EVACUATION FROM KOSOVO - PAPER
BBC Monitoring International Reports - July 6, 2006, Thursday

Text of report by B. Ristic entitled "Big Evacuation of Serbs being prepared"? published by the Serbian newspaper Glas javnosti on 30 June

Belgrade: For more than a month now, UNHCR members from Kosovo-Metohija have been informally touring municipalities in southern Serbia along the administrative boundary line with Kosmet [Kosovo-Metohija], checking out accommodation capacities for a swift evacuation of Serbs from Kosmet if the southern province should become independent or - which is another possibility that is being considered - if the Albanian side should be dissatisfied with Kosmet's status settlement. This has been confirmed for Glas javnosti in informal contacts by Serb councilmen in the Medvedja Municipal Council, whom UNHCR members have recently contacted, as well as - again informally - by sources in the civilian segment of UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] and Albanian members of the KPS [Kosovo Police Service] in Kosmet. Kfor [Kosovo Force] troops in Kosmet also say that their internal level of alert has been raised, but they could not say whether this has anything to do with the above.

Serbs living in enclaves in the south of Kosmet say that an unofficial population census has recently been taken in the villages, that is, representatives of local international forces asked "village elders" to submit an approximate list of people permanently living in the area.

One of the main problems about this "operation of sheltering the Serb population" comes from the fact that the Serb enclaves are small and tucked away deep in the territory of Kosmet, among the Albanian population; according to KPC representatives, again speaking informally, these areas are predominantly populated by Albanians that have come from Albania and settled here since 1999 and who are regarded as "extremists" even by their indigenous ethnic kin in Kosmet. Glas javnosti's source says that it has been recommended to Serbs in this area to try to "group themselves" somehow, that is, to organize themselves in a way that would enable international troops to evacuate them swiftly in case of a crisis.

In Medvedja they say that Serbs in southern Serbia have some fear also from Albanians, whose numbers they estimate at about 250,000 at any time and who practically "live" on both sides of the administrative line with Kosmet. In their view, depending on the Kosmet status solution, these Albanians could make problems in this part of Serbia. They say that Serbs have discussed this matter with UNHCR officials who, the Serbs were told, are also aware of the problem but "do not have a solution" for the moment. Although Glas javnosti tried on Wednesday [28 June] to obtain official confirmation of this report on the ground, from local UNHCR officials in Kosmet, none of them were willing to comment, but the fact that they did not deny it speaks for itself.

Albanians in Kosmet say that parallel with these plans, there are also plans being made for the evacuation from Kosmet of international civilian and military forces, who are apparently becoming less and less popular with Albanians in Kosmet.

Source: Glas javnosti, Belgrade, in Serbian 30 Jun 06

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