Kosovo veterans' leader rejects changes to law on protection of war values

BBC Monitoring, May 22, 2006

Text of report in English by independent internet news agency KosovaLive

Prishtina [Pristina], 19 May: The Kosova [Kosovo] Liberation Army [UCK] war associations said during a meeting with the minister of labour and social welfare, Ibrahim Selmanaj, that they will not allow amendment to the law on status and rights of war veterans approved by the parliament.

The head of the UCK War Veterans' Associations [ShVL], Sherif Krasniqi, said that the changes damage substantially Kosova's political cause and the status.

He called on Minister Ibrahim Selmanaj and other institutions to be united in rejection of changes of terminology, "because it is not changed just the terminology, but also the policy for resolving the status".

Minister Selmanaj stressed importance of the law approved by the parliament, adding that it has harmonized the policy of the government and opposition institutional recognition of war values.

Source: KosovaLive website, Pristina, in English 19 May 06