Interview with Veton Surroi
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Date: Tue, 2 Jun 1998 09:48:45 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: Interview with Veton Surroi
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Kosova Crisis Center <[email protected]>
Interview with Veton Surroi
KOSOVA (VOA interview with G-15 member, Veton Surroi)
"We have already entered the first phase of war"
"There will be no progress in the talks if serious steps are not taken
for stopping the war in Kosova. This must be done swiftly"
VOA: Mr. Surroi, in your opinion, how much did the talks held in the
White House contribute to finding new ideas for solving the issue of
Kosova?
Surroi: I think that the skeleton of the way in which the issue of
Kosova should be solved is being shaped. Essentially, this is a three
step process. The first step is ensuring an atmosphere, a climate of
security for all citizens in Kosova, stopping violence and beginning
the phase of establishing democratic institutions in Kosova. It has
been stressed during the meeting held in the White House, that it is
of essential importance to stop the first phase of war, which we
already entered.
VOA: You stated that the most important message, conveyed by President
Clinton, is that the United States will not allow a second Bosnia in
Kosova?
Surroi: Yes. This was said in the sense that the inclusion in the
process, which has an evident negative tendency, should not be
delayed, and as second, the escalation of violence, that would cause
an imposed mediation, will not be tolerated. This implies that both
sides, in a security framework, agree upon the future process of talks
without preconditions and with American mediation.
VOA: Who would sign the eventual truce, if an agreement on this is
reached?
Surroi: This has nothing to do with cease-fire, but with steps that
Yugoslav authorities must undertake for stopping police and military
operations. On the other hand, mutual confidence-building measures, in
which both sides would be involved, must be ensured. But, it has been
evaluated that the situation is deteriorating due to increased
"Yugoslav" army and Serb police operations.
VOA: How do you evaluate the communique issued after NATO held it's
meeting and do you think that the decision for military maneuvers in
Albania and Macedonia will contribute to a more reasonable and faster
solution to the issue of Kosova?
Surroi: I think the meeting that NATO held in Luxembourg is part of a
more sober NATO approach, meaning that there is no euphoria about how
far the process initiated by the meeting held between Milosevic and
Rugova could go. It is clear that the dynamic of violence on the
ground, requests a more sober approach when it comes to security. I
think NATO understands this and that it is still early to expect the
first political steps to affect the positive change of the situation.
Especially point seven of NATO's decisions, stresses that the measures
and aspects of NATO operating in the very territory of Kosova are
being contemplated, in a very implicit way.
VOA: One of the most puzzling questions this month has been: What is
the Kosova Liberation Army in fact? Rugova stated earlier that it is a
group of frustrated people. How do you view this matter this moment?
Surroi: It is evident that we are not dealing with a group of
frustrated people, but a movement that has two essential elements now.
One of them is that Belgrade's operations are not only de-stabilizing
the situation, but are also making the people feel insecure and this
directly affects the increase of KLA units. The second is the lack of
results in the political process, in fact the lack of a political
process, but also results -- the tolerance of these lacks in the west.
We have a very dangerous situation in which the process of violence is
feeding itself. Every police and military attack results not only with
armed resistance, but also with the it's expansion in the aspect of
territory and members. We now have a serious armed movement which has
it's own identity.
VOA: You presented your stand on the future judicial order of Kosova,
which should be independence in your view, to President Clinton. This
gives the impression of something unrealistic at the moment, since the
international community does not accept something like that. What
compromise would have to be achieved for the status of Kosova in this
aspect?
Surroi: I think that we should not deal with the status of Kosova. I
repeated this publicly several times. It is important to determine the
way to enlighten the democratic will of the people of Kosova for their
future. Such a democratic process could lead to a solution that would
be part of a new configuration in the Balkans and Europe, and part of
a process that, I hope, at the same time would initiate the process of
the democratization of Serbia, as a last bastion of Europe's
unreformed society along with Byelorussia.
VOA: You once again confirmed that the goal (of Kosova Albanians) is
the independence of Kosova? Is it possible to reach the independence
of Kosova by non-violent means, something that you are determined to
do and why did you receive recognition by President Clinton today?
Surroi: The process of Kosova's independence is irreversible.
VOA: Do you, Kosova Albanian leaders, have direct contacts with KLA?
Surroi: There are no direct contacts in the aspect considered abroad -
in the hierarchic military aspect. What is actually happening now is
that KLA is expanding as a self-defending force, and in this sense, of
course there are contacts, since self-defending acts of inhabitants of
the central and western part of Kosova, who are endangered by war, are
considered as KLA actions.
VOA: Do you try to take political control of this movement and how
much influence does KLA have among Albanians?
Surroi: If we consider the expansion of KLA as a self-defending
process, then I think that it is clear that there is a process of
expansion and political determination on local communities' level.
VOA: You sought increased American presence in Kosova and the
protection of Kosova Albanians from the violence of special Serb units
from President Clinton. Could you give us some more details about
that?
Surroi: We sought something similar in two aspects. In one aspect -
the war to end in this first phase. The second - it is absolutely
impossible to begin a successful process of dialogue if the state of
security in Kosova does not improve, if the citizens do not feel
secure. These are two elements of a same process, that is the
improvement of the situation in Kosova and moving to finding political
solution to the problem of Kosova.
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Kosova Crisis Center News http://www.alb-net.com/html/kcc.html
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