Kosova Albanians, Serbs Seek End To Violence - Sign a Joint Statement (Reuters)

By Michael Roddy

PRISHTINA, Kosova (Reuters) - Kosovar Albanian and Serb leaders negotiating for the first time since the end of NATO bombing of Yugoslavia issued a joint appeal Friday for an end to escalating violence in Kosova.

"We urge all Kosova inhabitants, whether of civilian or military status, to refrain and to actively discourage others from any acts of violence against their neighbors," the statement said. "Such actions are unacceptable...those responsible will be brought to justice."

The statement, signed by leaders of an Albanian rebel-led interim provisional government, the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Kosova Serb opposition Democratic Movement, also strongly condemned Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

"Both sides condemn the crimes of the Milosevic regime in Kosova," the statement said, adding that there was no such thing as a natural hatred between the peoples of Kosova.

The statement came as the result of what the United Nations special representative to Kosova, Sergio Vieira de Mello, said was an "extraordinary and emergency meeting" that he called to bring the two sides together to address the continuing arson, murder and harassment in the turbulent southern Serbian province.

After talks lasting some seven hours -- five more than expected -- the two sides agreed on a joint text which Vieira de Mello said would be aired on local radio and Albanian television "repeatedly" to try to scale down the violence.

Some of the flood of returning ethnic Albanian refugees have found friends and relatives murdered and their houses and businesses burned. Serbs have either left the province or are trying to carve out enclaves.

The statement also said that the identities of prisoners who had been transferred to jails outside Kosova should be made public immediately and the prisoners should be returned to Kosova.

Ethnic Albanians fear that an estimated 3,000 of the province's men arrested during the 11-week NATO bombing and believed to be held in Serbia could be subject to torture or be killed.

In addition, the statement called for an end to the exodus of Serbs and Montenegrins, thousands of whom have left fearing revenge attacks by ethnic Albanians, saying: "Peace can only be built on justice, not on revenge."

Archbishop Artemije, one of the signatories for the church, said the talks had taken longer than expected because of the upheaval in Kosova during the bombing.

"After everything that happened in Kosova, especially in the last three months, and with what is going on now it was not quite easy to reach a common text," Artemije said.

Hashim Thaqi, a Kosova Liberation Army (KLA) leader who is now the prime minister of a KLA-dominated provisional government, said the statement had sought to focus on Kosova's future and not to dwell on the crimes of the past.

"Today we did not deal very much with the past, as you can see we spoke more about the present and the future," he said.

"The fact itself that the regime of Milosevic is condemned by the people of Kosova, not only by Albanians, says quite a lot about this declaration," Thaqi said.

"And this means that he not only killed Albanians but he also brought crimes and genocide against other people. Let us see that more than 80,000 Serbian people have left Kosova not under pressure of Albanians but from the fear that has been created by Milosevic."

Thaqi, responding to questions after the meeting, said he thought there could be a place for Serbs in Kosova, though ethnic Albanians made up 90 percent of the population before the bombing and the Serb authority in the province has been largely dismantled.

"Albanians and Serbs have always lived together in Kosova," he said.

"They knew how to live together and they will know how to live again. They will have a prosperous future in Kosova but of course they will have to have an internal democratization, to fight revenge and hostilities and to come together and live together.

"This is the future of both Albanians and Serbs who live together in Kosova."

The text of the statement is as follows:

Today, we have met at the headquarters of the UN Mission in Kosova to urgently address a problem that affects all the people of Kosova: people who want to return to their homes here, people who want to stay here, people who have returned in the past few weeks, people who have remained here throughout recent tragic months.

We have met to discuss security and human rights; in order for the human rights of all people to be exercised they must be free of fear. They must feel safe staying in their homes, going to their jobs, going to their places of worship, visiting friends and family, taking their exams at university, and going about all the other tasks of everyday life.

We know that we have to urgently address this problem if we want to realise our joint goal of a civil society in Kosova, a society where no one has to have fear for his lie, his family, his job, or his home just because of his ethnicity or belief. We are determined not to look back but to look forward. In this respect we reach out to all national communities living in Kosova. In particular, we want to stop the exodus of Serb, Montenegrin and other civilians from Kosova and encourage the return of those who have already left.

We have a rich common heritage. We want to preserve it. We therefore call on everyone: stay in and come back to Kosova. KFOR and UNMIK have promised us that they would do their utmost to secure your safety and to guarantee your future in your homeland. We trust them and we urge you to do likewise.

Both sides condemn the crimes of the Milosevic regime in Kosova.

Persons suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity shall be brought to justice. We support the role of ICTY. Peace can only be built on justice, not on revenge.

We urge all Kosova inhabitants, whether of civilian or military status, to refrain and to actively discourage others from any acts of violence against their neighbours. Such actions are unacceptable. Those responsible will be brought to justice.

We insist that the identity of all prisoners that have been transferred to prisons outside Kosova be made public and that they are immediately returned to Kosova to be handed over to UNMIK to be tried or released as appropriate. We insist that political proceedings now being held in Serbian courts cease. We insist that all political prisoners be released immediately. We also insist that all People that are missing be also immediately handed over to UNMIK. We support the joint efforts already undertaken by human rights activists in the Albanian, Serb and other communities, together with UNMIK and other nternational organizations, to realise these demands.

The road to reconciliation will be long and difficult. There is no such thing as natural hatred among people in Kosova.

We have to work together. As first steps we have agreed today:

-to establish a joint immediate line of communication among ourselves, UNMIK and KFOR and to hold regular meetings such as today's;

-to issue joint messages of cooperation and reconciliation on TV and radio;

-to establish a joint crisis task force, together with UNMIK and KFOR, to be able to quickly address security problems whenever they occur including in and around historical and religious sites and to organize an early meeting among religious and spiritual leaders to call for tolerance and respect for religious sites;

-and to establish, with the help of UNMIK and KFOR, local joint committees involving different national communities to devise concrete pilot projects to promote the gradual return of all people to their homes, starting with Mitrovica and Gnijlane which can then be extended to other areas. end

The statement was signed on the Kosova Albanian side by Kol Berisha (L), Rexhep Qosja (LBD), Blerim Shala (Independent) and Hashim Thaci (UCK),

and for the Kosova Serbs by Bishop Artemije and Father Sava of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosova, along with Dushan Ristic and Momcilo Trajkovic for the Serbian Resistance Movement.