KOSOVO ALBANIANS VIEW SERBIAN FLAG ON MONASTERIES AS "PROVOCATION"
BBC Monitoring International Reports - August 4, 2007 Saturday

Text of report by Kosovo Albanian newspaper Express on 30 July

[Report by Jeton Musliu: "Flag Like Politics", pp 8, 9]

Prizren, Rahovec [Orahovac], 29 Jul -- The monks of Serb monasteries have been flying the Serbian flag on the bell towers of Serb monasteries in Prizren and the Zoqishte [Zociste] village in Rahovec for a few weeks now.

While the Serbian symbol on the Monastery of Prizren was only placed there a few days ago, the one in the Monastery of Zoqishte has been hanging from the highest point of the bell tower for almost two weeks.

Orthodox monks said that their flag does not provoke anyone, because it is located on the territory of the Serbian Orthodox Church Autocephaly and, at the same time, on the territory of Kosova [Kosovo] and Metohija.

But Albanian residents, especially those of the Zoqishte village, insist that the three-coloured Serbian flag with the white eagle in the middle is severe provocation for them.

Peacekeeping forces of German and Austrian [NATO-led] KFOR [Kosovo Force] are located near the two monasteries. In the meantime, the Orthodox monks mind their own business, which is more often political than religious.

Cleric Benedikt is one of the leaders of the Holy Archangel Monastery in Prizren who did not want to talk much about the hoisting of the flag on the bell tower of this church. Behind the bars and barbwire placed by KFOR soldiers, the Serb cleric said that the placement of the Serbian symbol is not provocation.

"This is the territory of the Orthodox Church. Our flag has been placed there and will be placed in all churches on the territory of Kosova and Metohija," Benedikt told Express.

According to him, this flag was there even earlier, therefore there should not be much concern over this.

But Sadik, a taxi driver who works in the centre of Prizren, said that he passed through the street that is located close to this monastery four days ago. "There was no flag there. They placed this flag only a few days ago," he said.

In the meantime, officials of the Municipality of Prizren said that the display of this flag is severe provocation.

"With this gesture, they are simply aiming to destabilize the situation, especially in a town that has done so much for the integration of minorities," Fatmir Pireci, a spokesperson of the Prizren Municipal Assembly, said.

Even if the flag in the monastery of Prizren was only placed there a few days ago, the one in Zoqishte has been flying since 14 July this year.

Officially, in the absence of the highest leader of the church, other monks do not want to say a word. Nevertheless, unofficially, one of them told Express that the flag was hoisted on this date (14 July), which was a holy day for this church.

"In the presence of dozens of people here, they decided that, as of that day, the Serbian flag should fly on the still unfinished bell tower of this church," one of the clerics said.

"This happened spontaneously. We have nothing to do with the monastery of Prizren. But according to [UNSC] Resolution 1244, Kosova is a part of Serbia; therefore this should be no surprise," this orthodox priest said.

According to him, the display of the Serbian flag on the Orthodox Church is no greater provocation than the placement of the Albanian flag on a mosque or any other building.

But Bujar, a young man from the Zoqishte village, believes the opposite. According to him, the position of the church itself that is located on the hill near the village and the Serbian flag on its bell tower are a symbol that suffocates.

"Certainly, this is provocation. To tell you the truth, we do not feel happy about this. I do not know what the village will do, but this will not remain so," he warned, not wanting to comment any further.

In this village the houses of displaced Serbs have been rebuilt for some time now, although their return has not been facilitated.

Regardless of this, police and KFOR officials do not give any explanations of what action they would take. According to them, these are political problems that require political solutions; therefore they cannot interfere.

Source: Express, Pristina, in Albanian 30 Jul 07

Serbian monastery in Kosovo stands on right to raise state flag in 'own country'
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - July 19, 2007 Thursday

Text of report by Serbian newspaper Danas on 18 July

[Report by J. Tasic: "Flag Stays Until Further Notice"]

Zociste, Prizren, Beograd - Just two days after the celebration of the monastery's patron saints' day, when the rebuilt Church of Sts Kozma and Damjan was consecrated and the saints' relics returned home after an absence of eight years, the brotherhood of the medieval Zociste Monastery again has problems with the local Albanian community.

At the request of the Albanians, Kfor [Kosovo Force] and UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] are asking the monks to remove the Serbian flag from the bell tower with the explanation that "it is irritating the Albanian extremists." The monks do not have the blessing of their diocesan, Bishop Artemije of Raska and Prizren, to remove the flag; Kfor members, although they claim, quoting reliable sources, that the monastery and the Serbs in nearby Orahovac and Velika Hoca are at risk because of the flag, are nevertheless reluctant to remove the flag themselves because, according to speculation, they do not want to be caught on camera doing so.

"We will not remove the flag, because we have every right to display the state flag in our own country. If the Albanians are allowed to put up the flag of another country on every shack and nobody is stopping them and nobody is irritated, then we, too, have the right to put up our flag in our country. Kosovo-Metohija is in Serbia. We will not give in to blackmail. If there are threats, Kfor and UNMIK are there to protect those at risk and pacify those that commit crimes," Bishop Artemije told Danas.

Sources close to the international mission in Kosovo-Metohija speculate that Kfor has been given an ultimatum of 48 hours, which reportedly started running on Monday [16 July] afternoon, to remove the Serbian flag from the monastery bell tower. At the Kfor base, which guards the monastery, they have raised the level of alert and the guards around the monastery have been strengthened although, according to information given to Danas, the situation in the village is peaceful. Kfor Major Rene [as transliterated] said that "there are no problems about the flag at Zociste," but he nevertheless refused to discuss the matter by mobile phone to our newspaper. Danas has learned unofficially that the Serbian flag will stay on the bell tower until further notice.

After the deployment of the UN mission in Kosovo-Metohija, Zociste Monastery (dating back to the 12th century) was first plundered and then dynamited in September 1999; it was set on fire several times subsequently. On 14 July 2002, when the Eparchy of Raska and Prizren launched a drive at the monastery for "Restoring by Prayer Our Desecrated Holy Places," Serbs that attended the liturgy at the devastated monastery barely escaped with their lives from the attacking Albanians, although the German Kfor battalion was securing the monastery. Liturgy has been celebrated on the monastery's patron saints' day in the years that followed and, in late 2004, after three years of negotiations with Kfor and the local authorities, three monks, headed by Protosyngellos [Episcopal Vicar] Petar, returned to the monastery and began the restoration of Zociste.

[Box] Roof and Bells

Before the flag problem, the monks had a problem with the local community because of what the local Albanians perceived as too swift a restoration of the monastery living quarters, as a result of which, in the middle of winter two years ago, the monks had to dismantle a newly built roof; they also had problems with the use of the church bells. Protosyngellos Petar, the prior of Zociste Monastery, explains for Danas that Kfor had first forbidden the monks to ring the church bells in order that their "daily use should not aggravate interethnic relations in the village." Last summer and only after the municipal authorities had given their consent and undertaken to prepare the local population beforehand, Kfor allowed the monastery to ring the bells twice a day - morning and evening.

"We used to raise the flag also in the past and this time, it was put on the bell tower on the eve of the celebration. In view of the problems that we have had with the roof and the bells and now with the flag as well, I have to wonder what kind of conditions we live in. They dictate our living conditions to us," Prior Petar says.

Source: Danas, Belgrade, in Serbian 18 Jul 07
 

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