Date: 8:53 AM 10/19/99 +0200

From: Sergio Briguglio

Subject: Rom; armonizzazione europea

Cari amici,

vi mando un messaggio inviatomi da Shani Rifati, esponente della comunita'

Rom. Vi mando anche, in allegato, lo schema di un intervento, preparato per

l'incontro annuale dell'Amman Process, sulle politiche europee di

immigrazione e asilo.

Cordiali saluti

sergio briguglio

-------------------------

Will the European and the world institutions keep their mouts shut about

the Roma refugees from Kosovo.

The life of the Roma is not giving any chance for progress and happiness

for them at the beginning of the third millenium. These days we are

witnesses of emigrations and discriminations in wany countries , building

walls between the Roma and non-Roma municipalities . But most of all these

days we are witnesse of the biggest exodus of 300.000 Roma people from

Kosovo. During the war in Kosovo and Yougoslavia Roma people were fleeing ,

either from the NATO bombings or the fights between the Serbs and Albanians

. Today Roma people from Kosovo are in Serbia, Macedonia , Hungary ,

Poland, Chech. Rep., accomodated in camps , living in very bad conditions.

The winters coming and the European and the world institutions dont have

any specific helping programmes up to now . When the problems of Roma are

disussed the process of making effective programes becomes very difficult.

Waiting for the decisions Roma people are dying (on boat on Adriatic Sea

-relation Montenegro - Italia, until today there is no official information

how the accident happened and the boat sank twice, the names of the victims

remained unknown and still the Italian gov. is speechless).

No talking about the Roma problems and troubles. The refugees in Macedonia

were visited by foreigh institutions these days. and single represen -

tatives too- Jasar Demirovski - Roma Organization from Stutgart, Germany,

Erik Gutheil - Duseldorf, Germany, and their opinions follow.

Tahir Kosovo Pole

All Roma are in bad situation today. But as for the Roma refuges

accomodated throughout the camps, if you listen to their troubles it will

make you cry, the suffering in the camp, without hearing the troubles they

had in Kosovo. We are here in the camp without our mother and father, the

European institutions are playing with our future. This is not a camp, this

is a prison, no entrance for foreign journalists and organizations. For

theree weeks UNHCR is not giving any possibility for 35 refuges in the camp

to be evidented as refuges no food and mattresses, we are helping them.

Asani - Pristina

Our Roma people in Kosovo are blocked, in the camp Obilic, there is small

number of Roma refugees now, they are attacked and bitten Albanian groups

very often. KFOR,UNHCR, are not reacting. From 300000 Roma living in Kosovo

there are only 5000 now. Those who stayed are terrorized, some of them are

dying without giving them the needed medicalprotection. In Kosovo people

talked four different languages in the past: Albanian, Roma, Serbian and

Turkish . Now only Albanian.

I dont want to see the Eiffel tower in Paris, New York. I have lived in

Kosovo, I ve had my own country, house and I will be back , that is my

countryforever. But now in this situation that' s impossible, at least for

one year. I thank Macedonia is very bad now, there's no living for the

Roma, there is no peace, we know the soul of the Albanians, it's very

uncertain whether the situation is going to stabilize or not.

I'm asking myself what was it for, after 600 years of living in Kosovo to

take the biggest holocaust and exodus in their history on Balkan. We were

living European civilized life with high level of affirmation 90 % of the

Roma from Kosovo are Muslims, 90%of the Albanians too, the same religion is

giving us similar names and surnames, mutual life, death too, and a large

part of our Roma citizens had Albanian as mother tongue. The claim that we

have made crime againgst the Albanians is nonsence, it produced another

lies that Roma raped and killed. KFOR, UNHCR and the administrator Kusner

are the quilty for the exodus of Roma people. For the past period they were

only on the Albanian side, nothing for the others.

Today Roma are discriminated, biten, killed 80% of the Roma houses are

burnt, 90% robbed and in 95% of the Roma houses somebody else is living. A

whole demographic structure of the cities and quarts is changed, did Europe

reward somebody, does Europe know what to do, closing the eyes to the truth

of a whole destroyed race, nation, civilization, and the Roma are

civilization. No European government or political group is reacting, maybe

they want to acquit with silence, looking in confusion, showing to

everybody that they are having lack of knowledge for Balkan. The German

soldiers know very well what kind of protection they gave to the Roma from

Prizren, of no kind almost. Europe is disappointing me, suck tradition and

political democracy and it's still quiet about the Roma question.

I appeal in the name of the Roma refugees from Kosovo to the German

government and nation for help in raising initiative for finding a solution

to the present situation.

There is no chance for the Roma to go back on Kosovo. Kosovo, Yougoslavia

is my country, Yougoslavia is 10 years under blockades, people are

protesting on the streets everyday, doing back there is impossible. We've

lost our houses, land, thanks to Europe and KFOR . There was a case when

people tried to extinguish the burning house of their neighbour we were

stopped by a KFOR soldier with these words: you are not firemen they will

do this , and the house burnt to ashes. Kusner as a representative of world

institution allowed our prosecution from our houses, he put authorities

without a law, court, police and jail, you can not find suck things in any

other constitution.

Regarding Macedonia we can be grateful but Macedonia is having its own

problems too, we don't want to cause additional problems to Macedonia ,

anyway we want to express our thankfulness for everything done for us. We

don't want any excuse from UNHCR , KFOR , USA, Europe, though the history

of Roma people is repeating, we want reception and accomodation in European

coutries, to give a hand for help, let peace back,work, freedom, peaceful

and calm life, and the rest we will get with decent and diligent work as we

always had but we lost it because of some other's interest.

These werw the statements of the refugees from Kosovo.

There is no time for waiting, , UNHCR with its work showed its political

intriguesagainst Roma, nonobjectively and not in proper time informing,

silence for the benefit of politics, the emigrations of Roma and their

troubles to stay unknow in the world. The biggest culprit for the present

situation of the Roma are not the Albanians, countries, it can be UNHCR

because of the following: from the moment of arriving of the refugees from

Kosovo and their accomodation in the camps, they were not visited not even

once by some high functioneer of the representatives of UNHCR , and

certainly not talking about with them.

The camps according to the decision of the gov. and the policy of UNHCR

should be closed in 13 days, where will the refugees go there are no

information , the request of the refugees are third country. If it's left

on the time to decide without reactions of world institutions with

solution that will mean Roma people will be sentenced to become victims of

wars as it was in the past.

The situation of the Roma in Stenkovec 2 (refugee camp) is very bad. That

means we had one sad case. One lady, 60 years old have died. The refugee

from the camp in Skopje organized the funeral. Mr. Kan (UNHCR

representative) he gives a support as he can.

In the same time there is a big infection in the camp. The infection was

caused of some type of animals, the refugee think that it was an infection

of lizard. Three of the refugee in the camp needed a medical support.

Otherwise some of the Bavarian, Norwegian and Finish TV and Mr. Helge

Valama (human rights officer) in OSCE- Kosovo mission have organized a

visit of the camp. They could have a chance to be informed about the cases

or the life of Roma in the camp in the last period.

The information are delivered to you in order to take over argent

interventions, your arriving and direct meeting with the refugees in the

camps throughout Macedonia (Stenkovec 2 refuges 2885,Dare Bombol- 184),

visit in Kosovo. (During the Kosovo orisis the Albanian camps were visited

by actors, well- known functioneers of states).

The new millenium is in front of us, all institutions, states are

proclaiming development of the human right, tolerance, but in reality it's

a dream, for the Roma people.

"Roma people exist and they are part of this world, don't let it happen

again, don't let Roma people to suffer again, and their development to be

stopeed"

Asmet Elezovski member of board RNC

Roma Community Center "DROM"Kumanovo

Tel:++38990127558

Tel.fax:++38990127558

Email:drom@soros.org.mk

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