Sir, - May I point out to Bernard Quinn (June 16th) that it is not the Serbs "only ambition" to "shore up Mr Milosevic's political position in Serbia". Indeed, in the last elections, his Socialist Party did not get a majority, and it is now in government in a coalition with several other parties.
While, possibly, 50 or 60thousand people have been displaced by the current fighting between the Yugoslav security forces and the Albanian separatist terrorists, there is no intention to ethnically cleanse the Albanians from Kosovo, nor would such a policy be acceptable to any decent Serbs. It must be remembered that the fighting in Kosovo is confined to the areas around major road and railway routes through the province and around a section near the Albanian border, the purpose being to eliminate the terrorist activities in these areas, and to prevent the inflow of arms and more terrorists from Albania. The Yugoslav authorities have stated, repeatedly, that the civilians not involved in terrorist activities are free to return to their homes, and no action, so far, suggests that the statement is anything but genuine.
While on the subject of ethnic cleansing, the following figures should be of interest: the 1981 census for Kosovo shows 1.22 million Albanians (78 per cent), 240,000 Serbs (16 per cent). Current figures being used in the West state: population 1.8 million, 90 per cent Albanians (1.8 million), 10 per cent Serbs (180,000), Thus, 60,000 Serbs have disappeared from Kosovo, ethnically cleansed in the period 1981-1989, when the Kosovo Albanians had their wide autonomy. And, yet, even though Serbs have "oppressed" them for the last nine years, the Albanian population has grown by almost 400,000 in the period 1981-1998! Who is really carrying out the ethnic cleansing?
Sanctions against Yugoslavia will not lead to a solution of the Kosovo problem. Nor can there be a military solution, whether NATO gets involved in the air, or on the ground, or not. The only long-term answer is by negotiation. However, as recently in Northern Ireland, certain conditions must apply: negotiations can only be conducted with elected representatives of the Albanian people, and they can only start when all terrorist activity ceases, at which point, Yugoslav security forces can stop their action also. - Yours, etc., Zivko Jaksic,
Serbian Information Bureau, Grange Road, Dublin 16.