July 4, 1999.
22:15 On July 4, U.S. officials said that air blockades issued over the
weekend by Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary prevented several hundred Russian
troops from entering Kosovo. Russian press agency Interfax quoted military
sources as saying that the peacekeepers would not leave Russian Ivanovo airport
until Monday. Russian television NTV showed pictures of two military planes
grounded with 120 paratroopers on board at the airport in Ivanovo, hours after
their scheduled departure. Dutch KFOR spokesman Maj. Jan Joosten said July 4
that the issue of Russian flights was under "high level discussion"
between NATO and Russian officials.
19:45 According to the infor from Zagreb`s police, last night around 22:30
the owner of the Promdei Bank, Ibrahim Dedic (52) was killed in front of the
building in Ivekoviceva st. in Zagreb. The murder was done by an unknown
assassin.
19:20 Serbian Orthodox Church issued today a statemen t, signed by Episcope
Atanasije Rakita. The statement reads: Inspite of the presence of KFOR soldiers,
Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are still unprotected, Albanians are still killing,
expelling and kidnapping them. Last night in pristina Albanians attacked 3
Djordjevic brothers from Gnjilanska street: Tomislav, Miroslav and Ratko.
Tomislav was heavily injured, he went through a surgery lasting 3 hours and
survived. Ratko was beaten and wounded in the leg. In Pristina Serbs were
expelled from their flats this morning, and smoke was rising from serbian
houses. His Holyness Serbian Patriarch Pavle served a lithurgy this morning in
the monastery of Pec Archbishopry. Monte Negro-Coastal Bishop Amfilohije served
a lithurgy in the village Gorazdevac, episcope Artemije in Gracanica monastery,
episcope Atanasije in Gnjilane.
19:05 Today a NATO delegation unexpectedly arrived to Moscow, for talks about
technical details of the cooperation between Russia and NATO regarding the peace
in Kosovo and overcoming of the problems arisen because Hungary, Romania and
Bulgaria would not allow Russian planes to fly over their territories.
18:40 Citizens of Kosovska Mitrovica, whose houses and flats have been robbed,
and are now occupied by third persons, from today can submit claims to the
French civilian police. Up to now cca 100 Serbs, from the southern part of
Kosovska Mitrovica, submitted claims.
18:30 Former US senator Bob Dole arrived to Pristina today. He is to talk to the
provisional chief of the UN mission, Sergio de Melo, in the afternoon.
18:25 Decision of the Federal Government, stating that foreign-trade companies,
enterprises other legal persons and enterpreneurs, depending on the type of job,
are to pay to National Bank of Yugoslavia 5 to 50 percent of their hard currency
income, becomes effective from July 1st.
18:20 Zoran Djindjic, President of Democratic Party, who is returning tonigt
from his 15-day tour around European countries, is to hold a press conference
today at 18:30 at Surcin airport.
17:07 Last night a group of 70 refugees from Kosovo passed the checkpoint near
Rozaje, where they spent the night, today they continued their trip to
Podgorica.
15:35 In the period from July 7 till July 10, a series of humanitarian concerts
will be held, organized by the Fund for helping the young of the Serbian
republic in Banja Luka; the funds raised are intended for the Centre for
cchildren without parental care in Zvecanska St., Belgrade.
15:05 Attempts of the British peacekeepers to secure a better peace in Pristina
have been augmented yesterday by setting watchers position on the highest
buildings in the town, and introducing a telephone line via which citizens could
ask for protection.
14:40 Operation of transporting Russian peacekeepers is planned to be performed
with 5 large assault ships, which will be loaded with military technique on July
8, and then leave for Greece.
14:15 As Russian agencies report today, 1 regiment of the Ivanov division,
waiting for 2 weeks now to be sent to Kosovo, has withdrawn from the airport
into the barracks, to await further orders.
13:55 Institution for Health Insurance of Serbia submitted a request to the
international arbitrage with the Economic Chamber of Yugoslavia, for
reimbursement of the damage against the company ICN USA.
13:45 Naval and Traffic Ministry of Monte Negro and the Economic Chamber of the
Republic suggested Montenegrin transport companies should ask compensation for
the damages occured during mobilization of their means from the YU Army.
13:40 Agreement on establishing of peace was signed last night in Gora, Kosovo.
The agreement specifies the distribution of KFOR forces on the border of Gora
with Albania and Macedonia. It was signed by KFOR general Johnatan Bailey and by
Orhan Dragas, president of the Executive board of Gorans association.
13:30 Several hundred reservists from Raska rasied their road blockade last
night. Military authorities have promised to pay them for the time they were
mobilized.
13:12 Monte Negro accepts to participate in the reconstruction of the
Federal Government under one condition - that Monte Negro gets the mandate for
the new composition of the Federal Government - said the Montenegrin Prime
Minister Filip Vujanovic, adding that "As long as the representative of the
leading coalition in Monte Negro does not get the mandate for the composition of
the Federal Government, we will not take part in all this`.
12:06 Last night at 23:15 earthquake was felt in Trstenik. The intensity
in the epicentre was 3.5 degrees of the Richter scale.
11:20 Beograd - RTV Serbia accused Saturday leaders of the opposition Alliance
for Changes, Zoran Djindjic and Milan Panic, for "betrayal of
interests" of Serbia, because in a recent gathering in Vienna they
asked "foreign mentors" for help in winning the power in Serbia.
11:15 Moscow - The secret underground airport in Pristina was the real goal of
the Russian HQ when deciding on 200 Russian soldiers leave Bosnia for Kosovo
without NATO`s knowledge, reports "Komersant" Saturday.
11:00 Beograd - 11,718 citizens signed Friday in Novi Sad the request for FRY
President Milosevic`s resignation, at the meeting organized by the League of
Social democrats of Vojvodina and the Reform-Democratic Party of Vojvodina
(RDPV), stated RDPV Saturday.
10:30 NATO is ready to block the transport of Russian troops in Kosovo. The
reason for this NATO step is the still not defined role of Russian troops in the
peacekeeping forces.
09:05 Podgorica - Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini, after the talks with
Milo Djukanovic, President of Monte Negro, in Rome, stated that EU will provide
all economic aid to Monte Negro for reconstruction of tis economy and
infrastructure; he also said they appreciate very much the role of President
Djukanovic, in relation to the regime in Belgrade and stabilization of the
situation in the region.
08:50 Skopje - Turkish KFOR military convoy arrived to Kumanovo (Macedonia),
from where it will continue its trip to Prizren - stated NATO representatives.
The first group of cca 60 vehicles, including 50 trucks and 8 transporters with
135 soldiers who arrived from Bulgaria will spend the night in the NATO base in
Kumanovo, and will continue its trip to Kosovo tomorrow.
08:44 Bonn - German Interior Minister Otto Schili stated Germany will begin
organized return of Albanian refugees next Wednesday. "We wish to ensure a
safe and speedy return of the refugees to their homes". The refugees will
receive 450 DEM each from the German government, which will pay their travel
expenses.
02:00 "There was not a war in which I was not present during the last 30
years", said Bernard Kouchner recently, the newly appointed chief of the UN
civilian mission in Kosovo.
01:50 As stated from the cabinet Svetozar Marovic, President of the Monte Negro
Assembly, second session of the first regular meeting of the Montenegrin
Parliament has been set for July 8. Several law projects from the field of
system and legal functioning of the Republic Monte Negro will be on the agenda,
as well as a series of other issues from the competency of the Assembly.
01:30 Russian Defence Ministry stated that soldiers from the Russian KFOR
contingent would go to Kosovo, instead of planes, by 5 ships, which would sail
off to Greece at the beginning of next week. Commander of the convoy,
Admiral Vladimir Vasiukov, said Turkey gave permission for passing of the
Russian ships through Bosfor and Dardanele on July 10 and 11.
01:08 CNN has just shown one of the Albanians, Isak Berisha (wounded in pristina
yesterday by the British KFOR soldiers) who said `they were not terrorists`.
01:02 A small correction of the info about power outage in new belgrade. I live
near Sava Centre, and there was no outage here. Probably only a part of New
Belgrade suffered the power outage, not the whole New Belgrade....
00:55 Bogdan Tanjevic, selector of the new European champion - Italy - arrived
to the press conference completely wet, explaining the players `threw him in the
shower` About the game he said: "We played excellently, we were in better
and better form from the game to game, and in the best in the 3 most important
games. We had some luck too, no player was injured, while some rivals, like
Yugoslavia, had many problems, sport problems and those not connected to
sport".
00:50 British Foreign Ministry issued an official statement yesterday stating
that British experts exhumed 12 bodies, of which 7 children, from a grave near
the village Bela Crkva. British Government states they were all killed by a hit
in the back of the head.
00:45 Four persons, among whom 1 German soldier, were wounded in an explosions
near Prizren, from the remaining ammunition.
00:40 German Interior Minister Otto Schili announced in the interview to the
newspaper "Fokus" the voluntary return of Albanians to Kosovo from
Germany will begin Wednesday.
00:35 Life in Kosovska Mitrovica is being normalized today. Bus
transportation from K.Mitrovica to leposavic, Raska, Kraljevo, Kragujevac and
Novi Pazar is functioning normally.
00:25 The first 9 Kosovo judges appointed by UN at the beginning of this week
started to work, investigationg murders. KFOR command announced the judges obey
the "modified Criminal Law of Yugoslavia from 1976", while members of
the international forces in Kosovo obey regulations of their own countries
during arrests and interventions.