Mosque set alight in central Nis

[Vladimir]

NIS -- Wednesday – A mosque in the southern Serbian city of Nis has been set on fire as thousands of local Serbs protest against ethnic violence in Kosovo.

The blaze erupted at the mosque immediately after demonstrations in the city’s central square.

Protesters have gathered around the mosque watching it burn and shouting anti-Albanian slogans as locals photograph one another against the blazing mosque.

http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&order=priority

Following up on the last item... I hope I am wrong but tonight looks very bad indeed down there.

V

[Aidoneus]

1. look at the other headlines there..

seems to be steady in the bad-and-getting-worse range.. I guess NATO's occupation hasn't helped in such matters.

[Aidoneus]

3. for example,

Since I've liked your posts I'll trust that this is one of the good sources for such matters? haven't used it much before..

Journalists evacuated from UNMIK building
PRISTINA -- Wednesday – Journalists have been evacuated from the UNMIK police headquarters in Pristina after the international mission received information that about two thousand Albanians were marching towards the building.
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=&nav_id=27518&order=priority&style=headlines

Belgrade to demand urgent Security Council sitting | 19:43 -> 20:31 | Beta
BELGRADE -- Wednesday – Vojislav Kostunica said today that Belgrade would demand an urgent sitting of the UN Security Council to discuss today’s clashes in Kosovo.
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=&nav_id=27510&order=priority&style=headlines

Rugova calls for peace | 20:42 | Beta - PRISTINA -- Wednesday
Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova today called for peace in the province, warning that the escalation of violence in Mitrovica and other towns in the province could bring no good to anyone.
At a press conference in Pristina this evening, he also criticised the new Serbian government, warning that it risked destabilising Kosovo.
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=&nav_id=27512&order=priority&style=headlines

Emergency talks in Belgrade | 15:34 | SRNA
BELGRADE -- Wednesday – The Kosovo and Security committees of the Serbian parliament are to hold an emergency joint session in light of today’s clashes between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo.
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=&nav_id=27493&order=priority&style=headlines

Military law imposed in Mitrovica | 18:17 | B92
PRISTINA -- Wednesday – The UN administration in Kosovo has imposed a curfew in Kosovska Mitrovica, warning that anyone found on the streets after 7.00 p.m. will be arrested.
“We have established control over the bridges in Mitrovica; the situation in the northern part seems to be calming down, but there are still problems in the southern part where there are large groups of Albanians,” UNMIK spokesman Derek Chappell told B92.
Chappell admitted that UNMIK police had lost control over the escalating clashes throughout the province.
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=&nav_id=27500&order=priority&style=headlines

Five reported killed in Kosovo clashes | 14:36 | AP
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- Wednesday – Five people were reported killed and dozens of others were wounded Wednesday, as Serbs and ethnic Albanians clashed and peacekeepers fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to keep them apart.
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=&nav_id=27491&order=priority&style=headlines

Thousands protest in Belgrade | 00:00 | B92
BELGRADE -- Wednesday – Thousands of Belgraders have gathered in the Serbian capital’s central Knez Milos Street, protesting against ethnic attacks in Kosovo.
...The protesters are chanting, “Serbia arise!” and “We’re going to Kosovo!”.
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=&nav_id=27519&order=priority&style=headlines

and so on.. more headlines at the page.

[Vladimir]

4. Well, good is a relative term

but B92 is generally regarded as fiercely independant and seems to piss off Serb nationalists a lot (something to wear as a badge of honour IMO).

V

on edit: thanks for the compliment btw.

[Aidoneus]

7. hm..

'fiercely independent' 'pisses off nationalists'.. sounds fine to me. Into the bookmarks it goes.

[EdGy]

8. B-92 is an excellent source

very independent, throughout the conflict it has pulled no punches and is willing to take on all sides and political stripes.

I'd say these reports are a good indication of what's happening, unfortunately.

This is very bad news. But I also think we're not getting the whole picture (these are after all just very brief bits). Specifically, I would bet much money that extremists among the Albanians, and extremists on the Serb side, are behind fanning this. But I'd need to see local reports on what's going on to be sure.

[Vladimir]

9. Here is the latest:

VIENNA -- Wednesday – The violence in Kosovo today has obviously been planned in advance, UNMIK spokesman Derek Chappell told Austrian state television ORF this evening.

http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?nav_id=27524&style=headlines

I'm stuck in the office tonight so I am following this. The Belgrade mosque has been burned down too... I think you are right - someone wants war there again, and by the looks of it they'll get it.

V

[EdGy]

11. none of the violence over the past decade has been "spontaneous"

all of it has been planned out, as part of a wider strategy. Every case is set up to provoke a broader conflict.

And in every case, it is the extreme right wingers who are responsible.

They need conflict and fear to stay in power, or to get into power. In that, they are very similar to Bush and the current GOP in the USA.

Here's from tomorrow morning's Danas (Belgrade):

(my translation, original follows)
Sharp conflicts of Serbs and Albanians throughout Kosovo.

At least seven dead, more than 250 wounded

(Reporting from a number of places) -- in yesterday's organized armed attack of Albanians on the northern serbian part of Kosovska Mitrovica, at the time of publication at least seven people were killed while over 250 were wounded. Several thousand Kosovo Albanians yesterday before 2pm set up a blokade of the UNMIK police and in attacked in Cagalvica in the central part of the province, where the latest news is that at least five serbs are wounded....


Žestoki sukobi Srba i Albanaca širom Kosova i Metohije

Najmanje sedmoro mrtvih, više od 250 ranjenih

?aglavica, Kosovska Mitrovica, Gra?anica, Beograd - U ju?erašnjem organizovanom oružanom upadu Albanaca u severni srpski deo Kosovske Mitrovice do zatvaranja ovog izdanja najmanje je sedam osoba poginulo, dok je više od 250 ranjeno. Nekoliko hiljada kosovskih Albanaca ju?e je pre 14 sati probilo blokadu UNMIK policije u upalo u ?aglavicu u centralnom delu Pokrajine, gde je poslednjim vestima ranjeno najmanje pet Srba. <snip>

http://www.danas.co.yu/

Unfortunately my Albanian is quite bad and I'm not really able to provide info from Albanian sources.

[Vladimir]

14. Yeah, shame

Koha Ditore does not have an English edition.

You are right in your analysis... you from around there or (just wondering cos you speak Serbo-Croat)? I'm from Belgrade myself but I haven't lived there for a while now.

V

[EdGy]

15. Ne,

nisam iz bivse-Yu, iako jesam prosao neka vremena tamo, cak i pre rata.

[Vladimir]

16. Steta,

nadao sam se da nisam jedini ex-yu ovde! :)

Srpskohrvatski ti nije uopste los...

V

[EdGy]

17. nisi,

sigurno sam, mislim da ima jos jedan-dva iz bivse-Yu ovde negde...

i video sam Tyler-a Durden-a u Boardima B-92-a... (muzika)

[No Passaran]

19. ex-yu here

ja imam roots u Hercegovini ali sam rijetko bio. rodjen sam ovdje u US sada sam dio americke vojske i bio sam u Bosni i Kosovu a Irak takodj.

B92 always deserves a bookmark.
What is going on with Vesti? Are they now gone more mainstream or what?

By the way, my family always had close family ties with Vuk Draskovic and his family especially his father Vidak.

Vuk i moj otac su zajedno studirali High School.

My roots are Bosnian (muslim) + Montenegro (orthodox).

[Vladimir]

20. Zdravo!

:hi:

V

[keithyboy]

10. Why do the always say "ethnic Albanians" Is this a code word?

Methinks the word "ethnic" IDs one as other than white EU. Am I right?

[EdGy]

13. it's to distinguish them

from Albanians from Albania...

[bemildred]

2. Humans are a fine species, are we not? nt

[ConsAreLiars]

5. They're inspired to conflict

by the PNAC cabal's holy crusade against Islam and for plunder.

Both sides.

Fundies of the world, ignite.

[Vladimir]

6. What I am really worried about

is that a wider conflict in Kosovo could reignite Bosnia also. As long as the region remains in a UN-protectorate kind of limbo with noone really happy, its a disaster waiting to happen.

V

[Just Me]

12. What would ease the tension?

What is the "disease" that inflicts the region? How can the disaster be prevented?

[Vladimir]

18. I am not sure it can anymore

not easily anyway. Everyone seems to be gagging for a fight...

V

[DemBones DemBones]

21. I am confused about ethnic albanians

and when KeithyBoy (hope that's the right name) asked why they were "always called ethnic Albanians."

EdGy said

"it's to distinguish them
from Albanians from Albania..."

Will EdGy or someone please explain more? Thanks.

[Vladimir]

22. Its quite complicated

firstly, ethnic and racial is not the same, hence when KeithyBoy was talking about distinguishing them from white europeans that is wrong. Albanians and Serbs are both Caucasian to the best of my knowledge. Traditionally ethnicity has been a popular label in South-Eastern Europe, so you will hear people going on about ethnic-Albanians and ethnic-Serbs. The reason for this is two-fold:

1) The amount of intermixing between the various groups has meant that most Serbs, for example, are actually of mixed ethnicity. The term ethnic Serb would then be used to indicate those who regard themselves as Serbs. Also Serbs living in Croatia, for example, who still want to be primarily labelled as Serbs, would be called ethnic-Serbs.

2) Following up on EdGy's point, the Albanians in Albania and Albanians in Kosovo have generally been regarded as separate groups. Hence one talks about ethnic Albanians in Kosovo because they are Albanian by ethnicity but Yugoslav/Kosovar by nationality. As opposed to Albanians from Albania who are just Albanian.

I agree, its fucking confusing.

V

[DemBones DemBones]

23. Thanks, Vladimir, your explanation is quite helpful.

It is like the people called Scots-Irish. Many Americans are of Scots-Irish ancestry but so cut off from their own heritage that they think they are Scotch-Irish, not knowing what the correct terms are, and think that means they had both Scottish and Irish ancestors. They may have had both Scottish and Irish ancestors, but the term Scots-Irish refers to Scots who were resettled in Ireland (forcibly, by the Brits) but no matter how long they were there, they referred to themselves as Scots-Irish, emphasizing their ethnicity. We could just as well call them ethnic Scots in Ireland, as you explained the ethnic Serbs in Croatia and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

Back in the late 1980's I got to know a Yugoslavian woman who in fact was hired for my old position in the biology department of a local college. I was by then on the faculty of another local college. I remember how horrified and sad she was when ethnic tensions heated up and some of her longtime Yugoslavian immigrant friends here in the US, as well as some back home, stopped speaking to her because they are Croats and she's a Serb. Some of her Serb friends turned against Croats, too. This was, what, 15 years ago? 18? and I no longer remember if she had Muslim friends. But I remember her telling me that Croats are Catholic and Serbs, Orthodox, so that's a major issue between them. But since she and most of the people she knew didn't practice any religion, she thought it was insane that friends were turning against friends over their supposed ethnic/religious differences. Insanity seems to be an essential ingredient for any war, doesn't it?