Return to Serbia

After a few months of negotiations between the German and the Yugoslav administration about the return of 120,000 refugees, amongst them mostly Albanians (whose number is estimated to over 90,000), the action has been announced for the beginning of October this year. The organized return (or, as some like to call it "experimental return") of the first group of 2000 Albanians that did not obtain documents for permanent residence in Germany is planned for that month. The signing of the agreement has been delayed due to the illness of the Yugoslav Minister of Internal Affairs Vukasin Jokanovic, but as the well informed sources claim, this would be done soon.

However, 350,000 Albanians from Kosovo emigrated to the West European countries in the last six years. For the greatest number of them the "golden era" of easily found accommodation and acceptance in other states, first of all in the traditional "land of work" Germany, seems to be over. "The pressure of the German public and more and more difficult social and economic circumstances, the consequence of big investments in the territory of the former East Germany, forced the Germans to undertake action for the return of foreign citizens who number currently around 8 million people," Skender Kastrati, responsible for the Emigration Sector of the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo explains the pressure of the German government. He stresses that the Albanian party presented its views on the problem of the return of the Albanians from Kosovo in discussions with the representatives of diplomacy in Belgrade. "The German party was asked that their return should be organized, safe and dignified, constantly monitored by them or a humanitarian organization that would take on the monitoring. Further, that their return should be done only through the airport in Pristina and that the lists of the returnees are forwarded in advance to the government of Kosovo and the appointed monitoring humanitarian organization. It was also insisted that the government in Kosovo should be considered as a signatory of the agreement, as it protects the interests of the Albanian refugees. The return of the refugees should be gradual, selective and in conformity with the creation of favorable economic and political conditions in Kosovo. It was especially stressed that without the solution to the problem of Kosovo the conditions that influenced the emigration from Kosovo will not be canceled," says Kastrati.

On the other hand, the new German ambassador in Belgrade Volfrid Gruber stated that "the federal government of Germany evaluates the results of the German-Yugoslav negotiations on the return of the persons that are under obligation to leave the territory of the other country and the signing of the agreement as an important step in the development of bilateral relations..."

The leader of the delegation of the Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Pristina Sel Anderson, confirms that the return of the Albanian refugees will have social consequences. He believes that "the return of great number of people from Germany to Kosovo, under the circumstances of high unemployment rate, underdeveloped infrastructure and backward industry, does not represent the humane treatment of people."

On the other hand, Albanian sources warn that Kosovo has over 120,000 families that are using assistance of humanitarian organizations. The massive return of Albanian refugees may also have political consequences. The leader of the Albanians from Kosovo Ibrahim Rugova expressed his fear that it "could cause inter-ethnical conflicts," but did not go into further elaboration of how and in what way. There are also different opinions on political consequences. Mr. Bljaku reminds that "the latest actions (like the agreement about education and about the return of refugees) peacefully and elegantly resolves the political problems of Albanians, because it demonstrates that the conditions for the gradual return of refugees have been truly created in Kosovo, but by criteria, standards and selective measures of Belgrade."

The Albanians from Kosovo are very concerned about the announcement of the return of the young men who emigrated in order to avoid the draft. Since no guarantee for the safe return of this category of refugees has been given, the anxiety is even greater. This feeling has also been expressed by Bujar Bukosi, the president of the Kosovo government in exile. Rifat Blaku is also concerned: "Our experience with the regime of Milosevic shows that no matter how cooperative their promises ‘that they will be treated in civilized and humane way’ are, we can not trust them. We are certain that those who avoided the Army service will have to fulfill this obligation until the age of 37 as the law stipulates, although charges might not be brought against them." However, Germany supports its decision about the return of this category of refugees by the Amnesty Act which has been accepted in the Parliament. Regardless to this argument, the circumstances for those young men have not changed, because the Amnesty Act does not provide safety. The recent statement of the president of the Serbian branch of Helsinki Committee Sonja Biserko proves this: "The Amnesty Act covers one particular category of population, but not each category, because the Act does not explain what is the attitude towards the Albanian party." This is why Germany was asked to put pressure on the government in Belgrade to accept moratorium on the obligations of the Albanian population towards the armies of Serbia and Montenegro until the political status of Kosovo is resolved, stresses Skender Kastrati.