FWD Alleged destruction of books in Serbian in Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica

[KXX4493553 at aol.com]

Carsten Frederiksen wrote:
> 
> IFLA/FAIFE Report:
> Alleged destruction of books in Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica
> 
> IFLA/FAIFE Report: Alleged destruction of books in Serbian in
> Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica
> (http://www.faife.dk/faife/mitrorep.htm)
> 
> On February 13 2001 Politika, a newspaper based in Belgrade, Serbia
> published an article "An Albanian burned eleven thousand of Serbian books"
> written by M. Laketic. The article is available in English at:
> http://www.serbia-info.com/news/2001-02/13/22385.html. The article makes
> the allegation that books in Serbian language and books related to Serbian
> culture of the Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica public library were sent for
> destruction at a waste paper factory in Vladicin Han, Serbia by the present
> director, who is an ethnic Albanian.
> 
> The FAIFE report, written by Carsten Frederiksen and Frode Bakken, attempts
> to present the facts and issues of this case as obtained during their
> meetings in March 2001 with the directly involved parties. These meetings
> were kindly arranged by UNMIK Department of Culture and carried out in
> connection with a business meeting and professional seminar of the Kosova
> Library Consortium in Pristina. Frederiksen and Bakken were present as the
> authors of "Libraries in Kosova/Kosovo", an IFLA/FAIFE report on the Joint
> Unesco, CoE and IFLA/FAIFE Kosova Library Mission.
> 
> The meetings in Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica with the parties directly
> involved in this case provides no basis for a decisive conclusion, but
> eliminated some elements in the article published in Politika. What still
> remains though is in short the claim of ethnic Serbian professionals that a
> considerable number of library books in Serbian language have been sent for
> destruction, while the ethnic Albanian professionals state that no such
> destruction has taken place.
> 
> The FAIFE recommendations forwarded to UNMIK include the establishment of a
> small and efficient body with high credibility, a commission, and a series
> of investigations following two directions. Furthermore the launch of a
> general initiative to develop stock management policies in the libraries of
> Kosova/Kosovo Metohia should be considered.
> 
> It must be made clear that neither the destruction of books nor unfounded
> allegations are acceptable to the international community. The aim of such
> investigations are not to apportion blame but rather to separate fact from
> rumour and to provide a foundation for confidence in the professionalism of
> all libraries and librarians in the region. It is quite evident that this
> case of the alleged destruction of books is poisoning the already highly
> tense political climate of Mitrovice/Kosovska Mitrovica and the region as
> such - and may be used by political forces to intensify confrontation
> rather than co-existence and reconciliation.
> 
> Carsten Frederiksen
> Deputy director
> 
> IFLA/FAIFE Office
> Islands Brygge 37
> DK-2300 Copenhagen
> Denmark
> Tel.: +45 33 66 46 27
> Fax: +45 33 66 70 64
> E-mail: carsten.frederiksen at ifla.org


Kurt-Werner Pörtner