Messages From Kosovo

by Vreme Documentation Center

Milosevic's key visits to Kosovo began on April 20, 1987 when he visited the Assembly of residents of Kosovo Polje. At the time he claimed: "I can tell you that we have begun solving all problems, particularly those concerning Kosovo. Therefore, all those who say that the Union of Communists is not capable of solving the problems of Kosovo are badly mistaken. In the past the Union of Communists successfully solved even more difficult problems and will thus certainly manage to solve these ones as well". At the end of the assembly he made an appointment with the residents for their next meeting on Friday, April 24, 1987.

Milosevic spent the night between April 24-25, 1987 in Kosovo Polje. Before the assembly started he pronounced three sentences which enthroned Slobodan Milosevic, the president of the Union of Communists of Serbia, as the Serbian leader: "No one is allowed to beat you. No one is allowed to beat you people. No one will ever hit you again!". At the assembly he claimed that "All questions are on the agenda: rights, freedom, culture, language, the alphabet...We neither want or can divide people into Serbs and Albanians, but must make the distinction between those who are honest and progressive, who are for brotherhood, unity and national equality, and others who are nationalists and who support the counterrevolution. Comrades, unless we create this distinction and enforce it, there will be no Kosovo, no Serbia, no Yugoslavia".

"In order to solve the problems in Kosovo, as well as the other problems that we have, we need a united Union of Communists and this unity is the biggest task which the party currently faces".

"Serbs, Montenegrins, are not a minority in relation to Albanians in Kosovo, just as Albanians are not a minority in Yugoslavia, but a nationality which coexists with other nationalities in three of our socialist republics".

At the end of his speech, at dawn, Milosevic assured all present "Rest assured...the whole of Yugoslavia is with you. It does not mean that this is a Yugoslav problem, but that Yugoslavia is Kosovo. Yugoslavia does not exist without Kosovo! Yugoslavia would disintegrate without Kosovo! Yugoslavia and Serbia will not give Kosovo away!"

On the same day Milosevic visited a factory in Urosevac and said "Albanian mothers and fathers ought to take more care about the safety of all children".

Two years passed before Milosevic's next visit to Kosovo. It was in the time of the miners' strike in the Stari Trg pit. Slobodan Milosevic began his speech to the political section of the Kosovo Electricity Board (February 24, 1989) with the words: "Shok e Shoche, mir ditta"(Good day, Comrades). He then continued: " I wish to inform the Albanians that they will not lose any of their rights"..."Someone here says that he does not know how to act.. Those who do not know what to do and how to act must pack their bags and resign... Anybody who in any way brings into question the interests of Albanians, here in Serbia, in Yugoslavia, will be in disagreement with the Union of Communists of Serbia, with the leadership of Serbia."

Milosevic could not hide his conviction that "times of reason and friendly cooperation are before us. Serbs, Montenegrins and Albanians live in Yugoslavia together, they lived together before our time, and will continue to do so after we are gone. That is why the current generations of Serbs, Montenegrins and Albanians have a historical responsibility not only for the future of their own children, but also for the fate of the generations to come".

St. Vid's Day 1989- Slobodan Milosevic speaks at the commemoration of the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo. According to the "Politika" newspaper, "2,000,000 people from all parts of Yugoslavia, Europe, America, Australia and Canada arrived in Gazimestan". Slobodan Milosevic arrived by helicopter which landed at 12:10 p.m.

"At the time when this famous historical battle took place in Kosovo, people gazed at the stars, expecting help from them. Today, six centuries later, once again they gaze at the stars this time waiting to conquer them. The first time around tolerated disunity, hatred, betrayal because they lived in smaller, but connected worlds. Today, as citizens of this planet, disunited, they can not even conquer their planet not to mention other planets, unless there is unity and solidarity between them". As far as history is concerned, Milosevic foretold that many a battle stand before the Serbian people and that in all of them "Serbs always liberated themselves and when in a position to do so, helped others to free themselves".