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for Kosovo 10 years ago = make that 6 years ago although it feels like 10.

10 years ago was when we went into Bosnia for a year. Drove the Army planners nuts since everybody knew we'd be there for lots longer, but President Clinton said it would only be a year and we had no money requested or allocated to support the operation. Consequently when the deployment was inevitably extended, the Army had to raid its own training & maintenance accounts, thus shorting the rest of the units. I was in the 101st at the time and our training funds were curtailed and we were restricted to procuring only parts that fixed "deadline" deficiencies on our vehicles & weapons; one at a time and each signed off by a field grade officer. What a way to run things!

Preach it "Pristina-Mark"....!!!

Chief of KLA veterans threatening monks

August 17, 2005

Chief of KLA veterans in Decani and Pec, colonel Avdil Muskoljaj is making threats to the monks of Visoki Decani Monastery and members of Italian KFOR that are securing that monastery, Kosovo Information Service reported.

In a message published by 'Epoka i re' daily of Pristina, Muskoljaj wrote that he was addressing the 'criminals hiding behind black curtains of the monastery' as well as KFOR and UNMIK administration and requesting removal of the checkpoints 'because the rage of the people is increasing every day'.

Italian KFOR soldiers stopped Muskoljaj at a checkpoint near the monastery for a routine control. KFOR representatives rejected Muskoljaj's claims that he was maltreated.

International security bodies in Kosovo have evidence that Muskoljaj and his men are behind three so far attacks on the Visoki Decani Monastery, Kosovo Information Service reports. After violence in March last year and destruction of UNMIK vehicles in Decani, UNMIK Police arrested Muskoljaj. He was, however, soon released 'because of no witnesses'.

Ambassador Melady: “Independence of Kosovo would be ill-advised.”

August 17, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The SUC Washington office was invited to a press conference by Ambassador Thomas Patrick Melady were he reported his observations and recommendations for the ongoing process and status questions for Kosovo following his recent trip to the Balkans. The press conference, which was held in the Senate Russell Office Building on Capitol Hill was attended by Hill staffers from the offices of Congressman Trent Franks and Senator George Voinovich. The recommendations outline imperative policy changes that need to be made in order to protect the peace, ensure minority rights and participation in the governing process, and to promote the stability of the province and the region as a whole. Further comments were also made by Joseph Grieboski, President of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy which sponsored the event. During the Ambassador’s presentation, he compared the March 17, 2004 riots to the time when the Nazis burned down synagogues in Germany during the Kristallnacht. As was the Nazi Kristallnacht, the Albanian riots of March 2004 “was a manifestation of hate towards a minority group.” He also compared the response of Albanian authorities after the March riots and general lack of coverage in the media as being similar to the responses by the German authorities during Kristallnacht. The Ambassador also pointed out that since March 2004, there is still no full explanation how this happened. He then recommended that the UN should have a full commission to look into this.

Next day on August 12, 2005, Ivan. Djurovski made an additional presentation in the House Canon Building on Capitol Hill. Djurovski is a graduate student at St. John’s University in Rome and currently serving as an assistant to Ambassador Thomas Melady and interpreter during Melady’s visits to the Balkans. Mr. Djurovski presented a video presentation of the March 17 violence in Kosovo last year. The presentation emphasized that the Albanians were well organized during the riots and they knew how to react and where to attack.

NOTE: Dr. Thomas Patrick Melady has held four diplomatic posts including US Ambassador to Burundi, Uganda, and the Vatican as well as Senior Advisor to the US Delegation to the UN General Assembly.