“Two Sides of the Coin”

The incident in Klecka and all its subsequent media and political exploitation indicate that all Balkan nationalisms are alike.  Let us take the Albanian reactions to this incident.  The Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) initially reacted with a statement issued to the Albanian section of the BBC: “This is a sheer lie by the genocidal Serbian regime... The shown bones belong to Albanian citizens who have been murdered by Serbian military and para-military forces which cover up their ill deeds in this way.”  As to the Mazreku cousins, the witnesses who were heard in front of TV cameras by Investigating Judge, Danica Marinkovic, the UCK states that “they are petty criminals, smugglers and collaborators of the Serbian regime.”  Then the political representative of the UCK, Adem Demaqi, stated at a press conference that he is in possession of evidence that indicates that the incident in Klecka is “invented and orchestrated by the Serbian regime.”

The position of Adem Demaqi as political representative of the UCK is far from easy.  “We are two sides of the same coin,” he says.  “I am their political representative, and not military commander, and I cannot issue orders to anyone, just as they cannot give me any orders.”  It is unfortunate that we were unable to hear what UCK commanders had to say on this subject...  Namely, it is one thing to be Gerry Adams and Sean Fein, the leader of the political wing of Irish nationalism embodied in a powerful political party.  That nationalism has its own military extension, the Irish Republican Army, which is an entity in and of itself — as the expression goes in the Balkans.  On the political scene, Adem Demaqi has only himself, and he is looking ever more like an Albanian Vuk Draskovic.  Demaqi claims that “UCK Headquarters have issued an order some time ago that civilians must be treated according to the Geneva Convention”, and that the UCK “has no civilian prisoners,” and will examine every individual case, and “will punish individuals severely, freeing their prisoners.”  Adem Demaqi states that “we wish to win this war, and killing women and children does not lead to victory” — where he is probably right.  However, even if Demaqi is telling the truth, a question remains, one which has imposed itself from the beginning of armed conflicts in Kosovo, and which is ever more topical: how many Albanians on the ground are actually controlled by “UCK Headquarters”?  In all wars in the Balkans up to now there were local heroes, wild gangs and freelancers; it is known that in Kosovo there were conflicts of the sort: “are you maybe more of an Albanian than me, and that’s why you want to order me around!?”  However, be that as it may, the UCK will have to take over the moral and political responsibility for what armed Albanians are doing on ground; otherwise they will find themselves in a very difficult political situation, and they already stand at the political edge.

Political personalities and organizations of Kosovo’s Albanians reacted differently to the incident in Klecka, but with one common demand: everyone of them is demanding the participation of foreign experts in the further investigation in Klecka, which — in any case — reasonable people on the Serbian side are also demanding, such as Dr. Zoran Stankovic, forensic doctor at the Military Medical Academy (VMA).  However, the question remains: are they all demanding international expert help because they are certain that foreign experts will be refused Yugoslav visas?  The Council for the Protection of Human Rights in Pristina and its President, Pajazit Nushi, are also demanding international expertise “before this atrocity is a priori blamed on members of the UCK.”  The Council goes on to say this: “In the event that the truth in this incident is established, the Council severely condemns the perpetrators of this awful crime, regardless of the nationality of the victims and the criminals.”

Azem Vlasi, former Kosovo politician and presently a lawyer in Pristina states: “As a lawyer, with full authority I can say that the only yardstick for the truth cannot be the confession of accused people in an investigation, who give statements with handcuffs on their hands in front of an investigating judge and select TV cameras.  Regardless of who the perpetrators and the victims of this crime in Klecka are, as in every other instance of murder and bestiality over innocent civilians, regardless of their nationality, this is deserving of every condemnation; it must be subject to a criminal investigation; all of us must react with horror to this.”