Serbian analyst says "Albanian separatists" behind Kosovo explosion
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - November 28, 2008 Friday

Text of report by Serbian public broadcaster RTS Radio Belgrade, on 28 November

[Announcer] The obscure Kosovo Republic Army claimed responsibility for the bomb attack on the EU office in Pristina on 14 November and threatened the Kosovo authorities, international officials, and Kosovo Serbs with new attacks if the UN plan on the deployment of EULEX [European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo] is implemented. Security analyst Zoran Dragisic told Radio Beograd that the threat should be taken seriously.

[Dragisic] The threat is very realistic, these people are serious and dangerous. First let me emphasize that this is not a new organization. This is a well-known model by which Albanian separatists operate. For every new operation, whether it is an attack, in time or in place, they assume a new name. So this is not a new organization. We have unfortunately witnessed the way they operate since 1997, many times, and I think their threats should be taken seriously, especially as things are not going well for them politically just now, I think they have very strong political reasons to resort to violence.

[Announcer] Meanwhile, the German Government confirmed that the three Germans arrested in connection with the blast were members of the BND [Federal Intelligence Service]. They should be released in the course of the day for lack of evidence. The Merkel government confirmed they were members of the BND, as did Thomas Oppermann, chairman of the German Parliamentary Control Commission.

Dragisic said that even though important points of the case had been clarified, a few unknowns remained that could affect future circumstances in the province.

[Dragisic] What remains unknown is why were they arrested and on whose orders. Clearly someone in the Kosovo police, or high up in political circles, needed to accuse the BND for that attack. It is definite, though, that the entire incident corresponds closely with the plan for the deployment of the EU mission in six points which, as we know, was not welcomed by Kosovo, and obviously this group, the same UCK [Kosovo Liberation Army - UCK in Albanian], which is what it was called in 1997 and 1998, which only changes its name, and so merely assumed a new name and claimed responsibility for the attack. Therefore, in big political and intelligence games, I foresee sparks flying between Pristina and Berlin, as the German Government will definitely want an explanation from Pristina as to why their agents were arrested and blamed for something they were clearly not responsible for.

Source: Radio Belgrade in Serbian 1400 gmt 28 Nov 08
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