source: CNW Group

TORONTO, March 13 /CNW/ - Agim Ceku, who is alleged to have led an unprovoked 1993 military attack on Canadian Peacekeepers in the Medak Pocket region of Croatia, has been chosen by Albanians to replace the outgoing prime minister of the U.N.-administered southern Serbian province of Kosovo. The Medak offensive, allegedly planned by Ceku, is also known as the "Medak massacre". This name is entrenched in the minds of many Canadian Armed Forces personnel as Canada's largest military battle since the Korean War. Four Canadians were wounded in the clash that left nearly 30 Croatian soldiers dead.

According to reputable sources, Agim Ceku was instrumental in the 1993 Croatian military offensive at Medak, and was one of the key planners of the 1995 ethnic cleansing operation 'Storm'. Both of these operations involved the deliberate shelling of civilians, rape, torture, systematic arson, and the permanent expulsion of Serbs from the Krajina region of Croatia. It is an insult to Canada, and in particular the honourable and respected personnel of the Canadian Armed Forces, that Agim Ceku is not behind bars. This recent appointment raises concern that a man who helped plan and execute two campaigns of ethnic cleansing has become the Prime Minister of Kosovo, a province where intolerance towards non-Albanians continues unchecked and unabated.

Over 200,000 Serbs, Jews, and Roma have fled the province of Kosovo due to a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing, while the few who remain live in enclaves and ghettos protected by heavily armed international peacekeepers. More than 2000 non-Albanians have either been killed or kidnapped since 1999.

Established in 1999, The Centre for Peace in the Balkans is a non-profit, Toronto-based NGO involved in the collection and sharing of information related to the Balkan region.