Bishop Teodosije: Long-term protection for Serbian churches and monasteries is necessary

KiM-Info Newsletter 23-08-05

Danas daily, Belgrade, August 18, 2005

Visoki Decani, Belgrade - Only days after KFOR publicly advised of its decision to retain security checkpoints near the monasteries of the Pec Patriarchate and Visoki Decani, and announced a new strategy for the protection of cultural and historical monuments in Kosovo and Metohija, the head of a Kosovo Liberation Army veterans' organization in the Decani and Pec region, Avdyl Mushkolaj, directed an open threat to the monks of Visoki Decani and the members of Italian KFOR guarding this monastery on the pages of the Pristina Albanian language daily "Epoka e Re".

"Mushkolaj has made negative statements earlier with regard to our monastery, even though he is well aware that our brotherhood helped the Albanian population during the war, and that it has done nothing to harm the local population. I think that the purpose of his most recent statement is to contribute to the removal of checkpoints around the monastery. I'm happy that KFOR holds the very firm position that the checkpoints need to stay," said Bishop Teodosije (Sibalic) of Lipljan, the vicar bishop of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren and the abbot of Visoki Decani, in a statement for "Danas".

Bishop Teodosije emphasized that the Decani brotherhood "is very frequently exposed to verbal attacks from the Albanians passing by the monastery, and both KFOR and UNMIK representatives have been informed of this".

"It would be highly significant if the issue of long-term protection for our holy shrines was addressed more by international institutions such as UNESCO, as well as by our own diplomatic contacts and the Belgrade government," emphasized Bishop Teodosije. Since the middle of last year Visoki Decani Monastery has been included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites.

In an article published by "Epoka e Re" Mushkolaj called the Decani monks "criminals who killed innocent Albanians, and now together with KFOR and the UNMIK administration are harassing the people who pass there without reason."

"We are addressing the criminals who hide behind the black drapes of the monastery, as well as both KFOR and the UNMIK administration, to remove the control checkpoints because the anger of the people is increasing with each day and they will no longer tolerate this. What happened to the head of the war veterans organization Avdyl Mushkolaj must not be repeated; otherwise, war invalids, the families of martyrs and KLA veterans will react strongly, using our well-known methods," says the article published in "Epoka e Re".

A KIM Info Service communiqué explains that "the immediate cause of Mushkolaj's public address in the press was a recent incident at a control checkpoint not far from Visoki Decani Monastery, where the former KLA member was stopped by Italian KFOR soldiers who carried out routine controls."

Avdyl Mushkolaj is a former member of the officially disbanded KLA who is also claimed to have Swiss citizenship. He heads one of the more radical wings of former KLA members who, according to well informed Kosovo sources, does not shrink from an eventual conflict with international military forces, and is referred to in the media as "colonel Mushkolaj".

Journalistic sources in Pristina unofficially claim that the daily "Epoka e Re" is close to the radical wing of the disbanded KLA and that it frequently has problems with the law because of the content of the articles it publishes. By J. Tasic