Explosion Injures Moderate Kosovo Politicians

Published November 6th, 2000 - 02:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

Two moderate Kosovo Albanian politicians were injured in an explosion one week after their party won the province's first post war election, a UN spokeswoman said Monday. 

The pair, members of Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) were hurt in a blast which destroyed one house and damaged another in the southern Kosovo town of Dragas on Sunday, Susan Manuel told reporters. 

"Two people suffered minor injuries, both are LDK members," Manuel said, "We are currently trying to confirm whether they were members of the previous municipal council and whether they were elected to the new assembly in Dragas." 

"We are not yet able to confirm this as a politically motivated attack, but we are seriously concerned," she added. 

The pacifist LDK won a landslide victory in Kosovo's first fully democratic municipal elections on October 28, triggering fears of a violent backlash from supporters of the rival parties that sprung from the disarmed Kosovo Liberation Army. 

"The cell on political violence which was established four months ago to analyze and prevent possible political violence is still active and has been intensifying its work," Manuel said. 

"The municipal elections were largely peaceful but we are maintaining our vigilance during this post-election period of transition." 

Full official election results to be released late Monday are expected to confirm that the LDK had taken control of 21 of Kosovo's 30 municipalities. The new administrations will take office Saturday. 

According to official partial results, the LDK won 43 percent of the vote in Dragas, ahead of Hasim Thaci's ex-guerrilla Democratic Party of Kosovo on 28 percent. 

UN administrator Bernard Kouchner said the election had taken place on "the most peaceful day since we (Kosovo's UN Mission) came here 16 months ago."  

Kosovo has been run as a UN protectorate since June last year, when a NATO air war forced Yugoslav troops to break off their attempt to put down an armed ethnic Albanian uprising.  

Since then the murder rate has fallen significantly, but the region is still wracked by ethnic and political violence and organized crime -- PRISTINA (AFP)  

 

© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

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