Serbian TV marks anniversary of NATO bombing, details plight of Kosovo Serbs
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - March 24, 2006, Friday

Text of report by Serbian TV on 24 March

[Presenter] The NATO bombing of our country started on 24 March seven years ago. In an operation which the representatives of 19 NATO countries called Merciful Angel, over 2,000 civilians and 1,002 members of the Yugoslav Army and police were killed during the 78 days of the bombing.

[Reporter] The humanitarian disaster in Kosovo-Metohija and protection of ethnic Albanians were cited as reasons for the aggression while the immediate trigger was a clash between members the police and OVK [Kosovo Liberation Army, UCK in Albanian] in Racak village.

The bombing was preceded by Belgrade's refusal to sign an agreement in Rambouillet whose articles envisaged the arrival of NATO troops. The first missiles fell on Pristina on 24 March at 1945 [1845 gmt], and then the airport, radar installations but also civilian targets were also hit. The attacks lasted over 11 weeks. There is almost no town in Serbia which has not been targeted by bombs or rockets on several occasions.

Bombs hit downtown areas of Aleksinac, Nis and Cuprija, a hospital and a house for the elderly in Surdulica, but also Novi Pazar, bridges in Varvarin, Grdelicka Gorge, and coaches in Luzane village and Savine Vode. An RTS [state-owned Radio-Television Serbia] building and Dragisa Misovic Hospital were also hit in Belgrade. On 23 April at 0206 past midnight, two missiles hit the Radio-Television Serbia building in Aberdareva Street [central Belgrade], killing 16 employees and wounding several others. Two refugee columns in Kosovo - on a road near Djakovica and in Korisa village - were also bombed. NATO officials most often used the term collateral damage to describe the death of civilians.

The bombing ended on 10 June, which was preceded by the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement and withdrawal of Serbian forces from Kosmet [Kosovo-Metohija], whom 250,000 Serbs followed.

The UN civilian mission and Kfor [NATO-led Kosovo Force] troops took control over Kosovo-Metohija after the [UN] Security Council passed Resolution 1244. Since the arrival of Kfor, attacks, murder and the abduction of the Serb and other non-Albanian population have continued throughout Kosovo. During the ethnic clashes on 17 March 2004, according to UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo], 19 persons were killed and more than 900 were wounded. During those incidents, several thousand Serbs left their homes and 1,500 refugees have not yet returned.

Source: RTS 1 TV, Belgrade, in Serbian 1100 gmt 24 Mar 06

Copyright 2006 British Broadcasting Corporation
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