- Title: MACEDONIA: KOSOVO'S ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADERS ARRIVE IN SKOPJE
- Date: 20th March 1999
- Summary: SKOPJE, MACEDONIA (MARCH 20, 1999) (REUTERS) 1. WS EXTERIOR OF AIRPORT 0.04 2. VARIOUS ALBANIAN DELEGATION AT AIRPORT (5 SHOTS) 0.29 3. SV ALBANIAN DELEGATION LEADER IBRAHIM RUGOVA IN CAR 0.33 4. SV (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian with English translation) RUGOVA SAYING: "The situation on the ground is very grave, there are killings, the facet (???) is continuing, as far as the agreement is concerned we have done our part of the job. We have signed the agreement and now it is on the international community to decide what they will do with Belgrade. And NATO should activate, should apply it's order for activation if the other side fails to be cooperative. There is no time for wasting, people are getting killed every day." 1.23 5. MV CAR 1.27 6. SCU ALBANIAN DELEGATION MEMBER VENTON SURROI (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAYING: "The activation order should be not only on the political agreement but on humanitarian basis also. (Question: So you think that the Serbs will not bow under the pressure of threat, that there must be airstrikes?) I think they should, but the question of threat is now a question of imminent attacks on population, which are going on. Many people are moving today, thousands are moving from their houses, and this is a big crisis." 1.56 7. SV SURROI WALKS OF 1.59 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 4th April 1999 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: SKOPJE, MACEDONIA
- Country: Macedonia
- Reuters ID: LVA5D6YLR2SK86CN16W4A6O21CT5
- Story Text: Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders have arrived in
Macedonia after flying from the Albanian capital Tirana.
Albania's elected leader Ibrahim Rugova and other
non-KLA Kosovo politicians arrived by French military plane in
Skopje on Saturday (March 20) from Paris along with French
special envoy and ambassador to Macedonia Pierre Huntzinger.
On arrival at the airport Rugova urged the international
community to act on Kosovo immediately, "there is no time to
waste, people are getting killed every day", he said.
Another member of the negotiating team and publisher of
Albanian newspaper Koha Ditore, Venton Surroi said that the
ethnic Albanians had done their part and that now it was time
for the international community to do theirs.
"The activation order should be not only on the political
agreement but on humanitarian basis also," Surroi said.
Fighting flared in the Serbian province on Saturday as
NATO threatened to begin bombing Yugoslav targets within days
in retaliation for Belgrade's refusal to back the peace deal.
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