Zagreb, March 30, 1999 (IKA) – According to unofficial sources close to the Catholic Church, Catholic priests and nuns are being driven from the Kosovo parishes, monasteries and convents in the region of Đakovica, Uroševac and Glavičica. It was confirmed that a priest from Glavičica has arrived in Montenegro, while nuns from that region are on the road somewhere with refugee columns in Kosovo, and other priests have sought refuge in the surrounding parishes. It is not known whether any Church property in the Kosovo region has been destroyed by NATO air strikes or Serbian attacks.
At today#!s press conference in Zagreb, the Union of Albanian Communities in Croatia confirmed that the Albanian leaders Ibrahim Rugova and Veton Surroi are alive and not in Priština. According to the most recent reports from Kosovo, the situation is dramatic and there are 150 tanks on the Komoran-Klina-Đakovica road. At the press conference, the head of the Albanian Catholic Mission in Zagreb, Ndue Ballabani, said that Albanians are being urged to remain in 22 of the Catholic parishes, although they are in mortal danger and subject to violence. Gratitude was expressed to the Croatian people for the assistance provided. The board of directors of the Union invited al the Croatian charitable organizations to collect and donate assistance for Kosovo and for the Croatian Government to accept a certain number of Kosovar refugees. Croatian Caritas has already sent 18,500 DM in assistance to Kosovo. Appeals for the collection of humanitarian assistance have been issued by Bishop Antun Škvorčević of Požega and Bishop Franjo Komarica of Banja Luka.