EX-REBEL LEADER REPORTEDLY THREATENS WAR IN KOSOVO
BBC Monitoring International Reports - November 10, 2005

Excerpt from report by Montenegrin Mina news agency

Belgrade, 8 November: The former political leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army [KLA, UCK in Albanian], Adem Demaci, assessed today that any solution other than an independent Kosovo would lead directly to war and said that [ethnic] Albanians will, if necessary, defend their independence with arms.

According to him, should Kosovo remain having any kind of links with Serbia, there would be no peace, only bloodshed and an uprising, as the Albanian people have paid dearly for freedom and for this reason they will no longer allow the Serbian policeman on its territory.

"There is a consensus in the Albanian community in Kosovo on using arms, if necessary, to defend independence and that any solution other than an independent Kosovo leads to war," Demaci said.

Commenting on Serbian President Boris Tadic's remarks that "Serbia does not want war, but only a diplomatic solution for Kosovo", he said that the mention of a war with Albanians did not come as a surprise as "Serbia refuses to give up its domination over Kosovo".

"Serbia has committed atrocities, caused 100 wars in the Balkans and has the largest army. It even still produces and exports arms," Demaci told [Belgrade-based] TV Pink. [Passage omitted]

Source: Mina news agency, Podgorica, in Serbian 1733 gmt 8 Nov 05

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