American Council for Kosovo - Violence Against Christian Serbs and Their Holy Places

RSS Feeds

The American Council for Kosovo is an activity of Squire Sanders Public Advocacy, LLC, and Global Strategic Communications Group, which are registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as agents for the Serbian National Council of Kosovo and Metohija. Additional information with respect to this matter is on file with the Foreign Agents Registration Unit of the Department of Justice in Washington DC.

Important Notice Concerning Fraudulent “American Council for Kosova“ Website:
It has come to our attention at the American Council for Kosovo that there still may be some confusion about an unauthorized mirror site, created by persons styling themselves the "American Council for Kosova." This deceptive site closely patterns the appearance of the genuine American Council for Kosovo site (www.savekosovo.org) but with a pro-Albanian separatist, anti-Serbian, pro-Kosovo independence message. Indeed, suggestions even have been made that we at the American Council for Kosovo are also behind the mirror site in order to "work both sides of the street," on the pro-Albanian side as well as the pro-Serbian side.
Nothing could be further from the truth! The pro-Albanian "Kosova" site appeared within days of our creation of the genuine American Council for Kosovo site. Its purpose was clearly to detract from the effort we had launched on behalf of the Christian Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija under the guidance of Vladyka Artemije. It is characteristic of the pro-separation advocates that they are afraid to engage on the facts and international standards concerning Kosovo -- both of which favor the Serbian position -- and need to stoop to cheap tricks and deception in a feeble attempt to undermine our increasingly successful message. In that sense, we take their efforts -- which, given the activity of the fraudulent site, clearly are quite well-funded -- as a compliment to our work and evidence of increasing fear on the Muslim Albanian side that the the pro-separatist agenda is in deep trouble.
We at the American Council for Kosovo have been asked (1) why we did not preempt the available internet addresses for the fraudulent site, and (2) why we don't take legal action to shut them down. The short answer is that doing so would take away time and resources from our own activities, which given the formidable opposition we still face, we cannot afford to spare. Conversely, we are confident that intelligent readers, if they do chance across the fraudulent mirror site will soon see it for what it is: just more of the dishonest and misleading "Kosova" propaganda to which the world has been subject for the past decade and more. We ask the critical reader to make the appropriate comparisons and dismiss the fraulent mirror site to the oblivion it so richly deserves.
Media requesting further information about this matter may contact press@savekosovo.org

December 2006

Violence Against Christian Serbs and Their Holy Places

Monks refuse to remove Serbian flag from monastery

Printer friendly version

source: Blic daily

by Z.J.

Wednesday, 18 July 2007

The brotherhood of Zociste Monastery in Metohija has declined to remove the Serbian flag from their belltower after being asked to do so yesterday by international forces in Kosovo and Metohija. The request to remove the flag was made after Albanian threats that if the monks did not do this, the monastery would be attacked.

Bishop Artemije of Raska and Prizren said that "if someone is bothered by the flag, then they should intervene" but that the monks would not remove the flag. Members of Austrian KFOR which secures the monastery advised the monks early yesterday morning that the Albanians are threatening to attack the monastery, stating that it is KFOR's task to protect those who are threatened and to calm those who are creating disturbance in Kosovo. They then requested that the flag be removed. Yesterday the Kosovo Government had no comment regarding threats directed at the Serbian Orthodox Church, claiming that they had no knowledge of the matter.

"If the Kosovo Albanians have the right to display the flag of another country - Albania - on their homes and huts, why would Serbs not have the same right to do so on their monastery," said Bishop Artemije. He added that Zociste Monastery is located in its own country of Serbia.

Zociste Monastery was completely dynamited in 1999. However, three years ago the monastery elder, Father Petar (Ulemek), received the blessing of Bishop Artemije to begin rebuilding the holy shrine. The consecration of the renewed church and the return of the holy relics of Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian after eight years took place on Saturday, the monastery patron saint's day, and gathered some 3,000 Serbs from all parts of Kosovo and central Serbia. Five monks live in the monastery.

Zociste Monastery is currently unique in Kosovo and Metohija in that it is the only restored and consecrated holy shrine out of the approximately 150 that have been destroyed (since) 1999. As well, it was restored largely through individual donations, and unique in that since the first day of the brotherhood's return, it has also received visits from local Albanians who say that they "respect the Unmercenary Physicians".

Violence Against Christian Serbs and Their Holy Places

articles archive:

Saturday, 25 July 2009
KOSOVO & Systematic Persecution by KLA