Re: <nettime> Letter from Pristina

["Petrit Selimi" <petrit@ipko.org>]

I am a Kosovar Albanian, currently living in Prishtina, the capital of
Kosova. I too feel sorry that grandpa Metodije and many other people has
been so brutally murdered in the time after the NATO and UN took things in
charge here. I am dissapointed with how some of my compatriots behave, and I
am terrified with some acts of violance that are commited by usually unknown
people. Acts of revenge, they explain to us - criminal acts done by cowards
is probably the truth.
I (and most of the other people living here) are simply tired of war. Tired
of violence, and tired of other people commiting violence in our name. I
will never support this violence. I want Kosova to be the society where
Serbs too, will be proud of.

However, what confuses me most in today's Kosova, is the fact that Serbs
themselves are behaving as if they don't want to be in Kosovo either. War
criminals Milosevic, Seselj and Arkan have all had a stronghold within the
Serbian community here. In any elections organized in Serbia, no democratic
or civil opposition party has ever won any deputies among the Serbs in
Kosovo. Serbs in Kosovo have WILLINGLY supported what Milosevic has done in
their names for years and years in Kosovo. Although Serbs from Kosovo have
always been the most radical elements of the Serbian nation (not unlike the
Boers in South Africa), I am infuriated with their unwillingness to face up
with their dark history and pains they have inflicted with their active
participation in appartheid system created by Milosevic.

Even today, while we're speaking, Kosovar Serbs are insisting that their
police and army should be back in streets of Kosovo. The very same police
and army responsible for the worst imaginable attrocities.
Even today Kosovar Serbs are not participating in UN administration and
giving a hand and rebuilding not only buildings but also souls of Kosova.
Even today, after 10 years of unpresedented oppression of our minds, and 2
years of savage war inflicted upon Kosova, Kosovar Serbs are not able to bow
their heads and simply utter ; "We are sorry". In order to forgive you have
to be asked for forgivness.

I see many bad things happening in Kosova today, from the petty details such
as disfunctional public transport system, to the scary stories about mafia
activities and the sad and frustrating situation of 2000 hostages (war
prisoners) still being held in Serbian prisoners.
However we are trying. God knows that we are trying to make Kosova a good
place to live. And the changes are overwhelming. Milosevic left Kosova all
bloody and ruined, and today anyone with open eyes can see the progress. In
today's Kosova, Albanian farmers, Canadian and Kenyan cops, NATO soldiers,
Austrian OSCE officials, British businessmen, UN governemnt officials are
trying to achieve a common goal - a safe and stabile Kosova. Only Serbs are
not participating in this process.

One year has past since Milosevic left Kosova. Sometimes it seems like
forever, but it's really not. It's too late for many people geting killed
every month, however we are working as hard as we can to enable that this
tragedy stops. He need help and we neet time. But first and foremost, we
need to know from our Serbian neighbours why on earth are they still
refusing to accept the fact that times have changed. It's brave new world
being build out there and they are not participating in it. For the sake of
thousands of people massacred last year and grandpa Metodije killed just
last week, we urge them to say "yes, we are with you".

Petrit Selimi
Web developer

----- Original Message -----
From: Blagovesta Doncheva <Vjara2810@excite.com>
To: <nettime-l@bbs.thing.net>
Sent: Friday, April 07, 2000 2:36 AM
Subject: <nettime> Letter from Pristina


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