Tense situation in Orahovac, Kosovo

PRISTINA, 1 March 1999 - On 1 March at 13,00 hours, the KLA handed over two missing Serb brothers to the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission. The two had been abducted from the village of Velika Hoca on 27 February. One of the men had been shot dead; the other had apparently been badly beaten. This incident followed the KVM's securing the release of another Serb civilian from the KLA on the evening of 27 February. The Yugoslav authorities have been co-operative and have shown restraint throughout this episode.

There was an increase of tension in the area of Orahovac over the past week. Three Albanian men were reported missing on 23 February. This was followed by reports on 27 February in which three Serbian men were abducted in the Prizren region. On 28 February the bodies of two Albanian males were discovered by KVM verifiers near the village of Tupec. The deceased might be two of the three who went missing from Orahovac on 23 February.

The KVM condemns all actions detrimental to efforts to maintain a peaceful environment during the run-up to the talks scheduled for 15 March. The KVM calls upon all sides to abstain from provocative actions which could lead to deterioration of an already tense situation.