NEWS

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 21, 2004

OPERATION "MATCHSTICK" HAS BEEN CAREFULLY PLANNED AND EXECUTED - WESTERN DIPLOMATS AGREE

Kosovo Albanian drive for independence leaves at least 31 dead, 600 wounded, over 3600 displaced and at least 25 Christian shrines destroyed. Noted Kosovo Albanian political analyst Veton Surroi said yesterday that the current wave of violence in Kosovo had been organized by Albanians with the aim of expelling the Serb population. Surroi, who published Pristina daily Koha Ditore, said that the violence had entered a second phase which is obviously organized and orchestrated. "The aim is to intimidate the Serb population and expel them from central Kosovo by destroying their homes and churches."

Canada News Wire
March 21, 2004

TORONTO, March 20 /CNW/ - Noted Kosovo Albanian political analyst Veton Surroi said yesterday that the current wave of violence in Kosovo had been organized by Albanians with the aim of expelling the Serb population. Surroi,who published Pristina daily Koha Ditore, said that the violence had entered a second phase which is obviously organized and orchestrated. "The aim is to intimidate the Serb population and expel them from central Kosovo by destroying their homes and churches."

Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, Erhard Busek believes that the Albanian politicians stood behind the organizing of these violent events in the past few days. The commander of NATO forces in southern Europe, Admiral Gregory Johnson, has also said he believes that the trouble has been orchestrated.

The operation dubbed 'Matchstick' had three main objectives:

1. Expulsion of the non-Albanian civilian population from Kosovo
2. Prevention of the non-Albanian civilian population from returning to their homes
3. Destruction of Christian religious shrines

Western diplomats and analysts said the latest operation is an effort to settle the final status of the province. Some said the scale and coordination of the Albanian attacks suggested they were part of the drive for independence. "Albanians are trying to cleanse the Serbs and create a fait accompli before any talks," said a Western source on condition of anonymity. "Anyone with political experience can see that."

More than 2000 non-Albanians have been either killed or kidnapped since 1999. Over 200,000 Serbs have fled the province due to a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing while the few remaining Serbs live in enclaves and ghettos protected by heavily armed international peacekeepers.

The Centre for Peace in the Balkans is a non-profit, Toronto-based NGO involved in the collection and sharing of information related to the Balkan region.