Press conference - MEDIA CENTER, Belgrade
Bishop Artemije and members of the POVRATAK Coalition
http://www.yumediacenter.com/srpski/dogadjaji/2002/7/d170702s.html
Events, July 17, 2002
NO CHANGES FOR THE BETTER
"After we served holy liturgy at the remains of the Monastery of Holy Anargyroi in Zociste, Albanian extremists finished what they had already begun and set what little of the monastery remained on fire," said Bishop Artemije, adding that during the liturgy itself, there was a series of provocations by the local Albanian population which had gathered. Although he personally had asked the commander of the German brigade responsible for the security of that region to secure the monastery because such incidents could be expected, this was not done.
Bishop Artemije said that KFOR also refused to guarantee personal security for three monks who were supposed to have begun to clear the site of the monastery fire on July 15 and to attempt to rebuild what could be rebuilt. This only shows that KFOR is continuing with its three year long practice of failing to respect the resolutions of the United Nations and that it is neither succeeding nor wants to succeed in providing security for the local Serb people, concluded Bishop Artemije.
Randjel Nojkic, a member of parliament from the Return Coalition, said that the situation is similar in the Kosovo parliament itself. The statements of Serb representatives are either omitted from official records altogether or they are falsified; therefore, the work of the parliament serves only as a façade for what the Albanians intend to achieve and what they probably will achieve unless the present situation changes.
Dragan Velic, the chairman of the executive board of the Serb National Council of Kosovo and Metohija, emphasized that an accurate and complete list of refugees and displaced persons has not been completed to this day. If this is not done, it may well happen that these people will not be permitted to return to Kosovo and Metohija at all.
On the other hand, added Rada Trajkovic, Albanians are coming from every corner of the world to register to vote in the upcoming local elections. Even Albanians from Macedonia who have never lived in Kosovo and Metohija are registering, so it may happen that the Albanians will be in the majority even in those places where none of them ever lived.
Information Service of the Diocese of Raska-Prizeren
Kosovo and Metohija,
erpkim@g...
Report from Zociste
http://www.decani.yunet.com/zoch.html
Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren
http://www.decani.yunet.com