KOSOVO: US ENVOY HILL MEETS IBRAHIM RUGOVA

(3 Nov 1998) Albanian/Serbo-Croat

U-S envoy Christopher Hill toured a war-torn area of the Serbian province of Kosovo together with ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova on Tuesday.

The area only became safe enough to visit following the draft agreement between Serbia and ethnic Albanians on the region's future.

Also on Tuesday a K-L-A spokesman said two Serbian journalists kidnapped by the group were in good health.

It's a sign that calmer times are on the way. Just a few weeks ago it would have been too dangerous for U-S envoy Christopher Hill and ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova to visit this village outside the Kosovo capital of Pristina.

Rugova was greeted enthusiastically by ethnic Albanians, even though his popularity has dropped off as more and more of his support has switched to the hardline K-L-A.

Hill, the U-S ambassador to Macedonia, has led international efforts to bring the two sides closer to a political solution for the secessionist Serbian province.

Hundreds of people have been killed and an estimated 300,000 others have been forced from their homes since Serb authorities launched a crackdown on Albanian militants in February.

The party's reception in the nearby town of Orahovac, where the population is split between Serbs and Albanians, was rather more mixed.

One Serbian boy complained to Rugova that his father was missing because of the turmoil.

Speaking in Serbian Rugova tried to reassure the boy.

Earlier Rugova and Hill had met in the provincial capital Pristina for discussions on the draft agreement with the Serbs on Kosovo's future.

Hill was positive about the prospects for peace.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"What we have to do now is to make sure that people can stay in their homes, that they're never driven from their homes again and to do that we need a lasting settlement, and Dr Rugova and I have had extensive talks today on the political settlement and we are going to get a political settlement"
SUPER CAPTION: Christopher Hill, U.S. Envoy

Rugova sounded a less optimistic note.

SOUNDBITE: (Albanian with English translation)
"I still haven't seen a beginning of the returned people to their homes. Of course we have to give people a deeper sense of security for them to get back home"
SUPER CAPTION: Ibrahim Rugova, Ethnic Albanian leader

Also on Tuesday the general political representative of the K-L-A gave a press conference where he spoke about two Serbian journalists kidnapped by the group.

He said he had been given information that the two are unharmed.

SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
"You know that I am the general political representative of the KLA but not even I have permission to visit them (the prisoners). I wanted to go and see them but they didn't let me, so you can imagine how difficult it is for the Red Cross and others. These are the rules of war, it's a luxury to go and see these people. I do have information that they have received food and basic comforts from the Red Cross."
SUPER CAPTION: Adam Domaci, KLA Spokesman

Western powers led by the United States threatened NATO airstrikes to force Serbia to agree to the peace deal.

It which calls for a withdrawal of police and military forces to levels before the February crackdown.

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