Mr. O'Reilly, your article is a fresh positive face in a sea of negativity that has overcome the international media with regards to articles on the progress in Kosova.

It should also be noted that the international community has stacked the odds against the Albanians, creating the "standards before status" nonsense in order to slow down the inevitable road to independence. It is no secret to the Albanians, that Europe along with Russia have conspired through the United Nations to derail their hopes, this is a common centuries-old practice after all. The illegally annexed lands of the Albanian people and their inhabitants will not be oppressed, and it is only a matter of time before this powder keg that Europe helped create, begins to erupt.

As for Ramush Haradinaj, he has a modern day hero to the Albanians, his family has bled and fought for the land the Albanian inhabit, and the political progress made in the past five years would be negated in a matter of minutes through his arrest.

The Serbian political machine is one that the West fails to understand. It is one of the most deceitful, manipulative in the world, ranging as far as falsifying history to enrage the masses, and even using the Orthodox Church to create alliances and influence inhabitants of other nations. The Serbians have falsified history, and created inaccurate perceptions of the reality on the ground.

Kosovo is not lost to the Serbs, for it was never really theirs, and the will of the people must be determined by the people. We are in the same position that the World Powers were during the Congress of Berlin in 1913. Hopefully, the world has learned from its mistakes and will avoid them, granting the Albanian people the land they illegally stripped away from them a century ago. They created the bomb in the Balkans, now it is time to see if they repeat the mistakes of 1913, or begin the 21st century anew, giving the oppressed Albanians of the Balkans their rightful position in their historical homeland. The Albanians want what was theirs, nothing more, nothing less.

Mr. O'Reilly, please tell us what is not true in the following article. :
Who is Ramush Haradinaj?

Ramush Haradinaj, born on July 3, 1968 in the village of Glodjane, municipality of Decani, is not only a criminal but a terrorist and perpetrator of war crimes!

Terrorism and crimes of Ramush Haradinaj

Namely, in 1996, under the watchful eye of Albanian officers, Haradinaj completed terrorist training and upon completion took part in the opening of logistical bases for terrorists in the cities of Kuks and Tropoi in Albania. From these bases he and a group of trustworthy associates continuously injected weapons into Kosovo and Metohija.

In mid-1997 he illegally entered the country [the Federal Republic of [Yugoslavia] and together with his brothers, Daut and Skeljzen, organized terrorist attacks on police departments in the villages of Rznic, municipality of Decani, and Ponosevac, municipality of Djakovica, as well as against refugee camps in Junik and Babalac. In the beginning of 1998 he formed a terrorist group in Glodjane which according to his orders conducted ambushes and harrassment of Serbs and Albanians loyal to the Republic of Serbia. In March 1998 this group carried out an attack on a police patrol in the village of Glodjane and on that occasion killed policeman Miodrag Otovic.

In April of the same year Haradinaj established the Metohija headquarters of the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army and a special unit called the Black Eagles, promoting Idriz Balaj aka Toger as its commander. Under the leadership of Ramush Haradinaj, the Black Eagles kidnapped and brutally murdered approximately forty Serbian civilians, including Slobodan Radojevic, Milos and Milica Radunovic, Darinka Kovac, Novica Vujsic, Zdravko Radunovic. Some of the bodies were recovered from Lake Radonjic (Radonjicko Jezero) and from water wells in the villages of the muncipality of Decani.

Crimes against compatriots

Terrorists under the command of Ramush Haradinaj did not kill only Serbs but also Albanians. Thus the aforementioned commander of the Black Eagles Idriz Balaj Toger killed Agim Ibrahimi, a taxi driver from Djakovica, at the end of 1998. At the end of 1999 the Black Eagles of Ramush Haradinaj abducted Vesel Mursij and four other ethnic Albanians who were thereafter kept imprisoned in the Dukadjini building in Pec. Vesel Murisi managed to escape and the other four men were killed. Their bodies were thrown into the Beli Drim River. Dzafer Djuka, a political official from Pec, was among the victims.

That the terrorists under Ramush Haradinaj's command killed and abused Albanian civilians, too, was proven in a trial conducted against Ramush Haradinaj's brother, Daut, who has already been sentenced by the UNMIK judiciary for crimes committed against Albanians in June 1999 and is currently serving a prison term. Since we know that Daut was the deputy of his brother Ramush in the Metohija headquarters of the terrorist KLA, if we follow the principle of command responsibility the line leads directly to Ramush Haradinaj. Unfortunately, the principle of command responsibility has not been respected in this instance, i.e. the international community has once again implemented its double standards, leaving Ramush Haradinaj untouched by justice.

German general Claus Reinhardt (KFOR commander Oct 1999-Apr 2000) and Ramush Haradinaj shaking hands in Prishtina. According to Dnevnik they have close cooperation.

Organizer of ethnic cleansing

Ramush Haradinaj is the organizer of ethnic cleansing of Serbs and other non-Albanians from the areas of Pec, Decani and Djakovica. The main perpetrators of these activities were members of the Black Eagles under the commander of Toger. For example, in order to intimidate the Serbs and destroy signs of Serb life and history on the territory of Metohija, the Black Eagles torched the Serbian Orthodox church in the village of Donji Ratis.

Ramush Haradinaj organized the murder of Zahir Zemaj

Haradinaj described his terrorist activities in an autobiographical book in which he of course hides the killing of Serbian civilians and his compatriots. He has gone so far as to organize, in June 2003, the murder of Tahir Zemaj who testified regarding his crimes before investigators of the Hague tribunal. The murder of Tahir Zemaj on January 4, 2004 on Ramush Haradinaj's orders was carried out by the Elsani brothers - Agim, Avni, Cerim, Adem and Ahmet - together with Sali Lajic and Florim Ejupi aka Mazul and Luli.

However, evidence against Haradinaj for his crimes did not disappear with the murder of Zemaj. It is in the possession of the Republic of Serbia, which is currently conducting a case against Haradinaj before the district court in Pristina, presently located in Nis, for terrorist activities, murder, ethnic cleansing and genocide. Evidence has also been provided to the Hague tribunal which has so far failed to issue an indictment against this proven criminal.

Organization and financing of terrorist activities in south central Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia

Haradinaj continued to conduct terrorist activities even after the arrival of itnernational forces in Kosovo and Metohija and is deeply involved in Albanian terrorist activities in south central Serbia. Thus, for example, Malic Ndrecaj was sent on his orders to the district of Vitina to organize the terrorist Albanian National Army. Today Haradinaj is also especially active in acquisition of weapons and secret training of Albanian terrorists from south central Serbia which is being conducted in the villages of Kosovo and Metohija near the administrative line.

Haradinaj is also involved in the operations of Albanian terrorists in the Republic of Macedonia and providing financial support to Nazim Haradinaj, who provided weapons for the Albanian terrorists in Macedonia. Following the orders of Ramush Haradinaj, until the moment of his arrest by Kfor in July 2002, his brother Daut was directly involved in organizing the terrorist Albanian Liberation Army and participated in clashes with security forces of the Republic of Macedonia.

Ramush Haradinaj acquires the financial means for terrorism through criminalactivities.

Murder and intimidation of political opponents

Ramush Haradinaj does not flinch from murdering his political opponents. Thus the Eslani brothers together with the notorious Toger followed his order on January 17, 2002 and liquidated DSK deputy Ismajl Haradnaj and attempted the murder of Ramiz and Sadik Murici from Pec, both DSK supporters. As well, the Elsani borthers in 2002 following Haradinaj's order liquidated his former bodyguard Avni Elezaj, who was supposed to testify regarding Haradinaj's conflict with the Musaj family and Tahir Zemaj.

Under the patronage (command) of the Haradinaj brothers, prison camps (detention centers) were formed which functioned from 1997-2003 in the following locations: Likovac, Orlate, Malisevska Banja, Jablanica, Smonica, Ozrim, Glamocer, Rakoc, and Kodralija. As an epilogue to this, left behind them were mass graves in the following locations: Brekovac, Ljubizda, Pec NN cemetery, Piskote, Radonjicko Jezero, Goden, Rakoc, etc.

It is estimated that the number of their victims (of all nationalities) may exceed three hundred people, largely civilizans.

It is estimated that Ramush Haradinaj is directly responsible for the abuction of over four hundred people (1998-2002) of all nationalities.

It is estimated that three groups for stalking and liquidation under his direct command are comprised of about 30 people specially trained for this type of task. The punishment for disloyalty or disobedience of members of the Kosovo Police Service or Kosovo Protection Corps is death and his groups are responsible for multiple murders of Albanian members of the KPS and translators.

Threats and intimidation of members of UNMIK (political and police organizations) as well as their "lobbying" (bribery) also fall under the domain of the work of Haradinaj's groups. All Albanian leaders in the Kosovo Police Service must obey Haradinaj. He is the logistical mastermind behind all Albanian National Army operations and an active participant in its organization and planning. His men have been appointed municipal mayors and, paradoxically, are also members of negotiating groups for displaced persons from Kosovo and Metohija (giving them access to Serbian and UNMIK plans).

In districts under his direct control, he has the most contact with members of Italian Kfor and also controls the entire UNMIK judicial system in Pec. He is behind attacks on Serb returnee villages near Klina (Bicha). His groups is also responsible for the hushed up murder of three members of UNMIK police in the village of Citak in 2003. Haradinaj also has the most developed and organized operative intelligence netweork in Kosovo, which also covers zones of interest in central Serbia and throughout the territory of Montenegro. His intelligence network also supports the increasingly strong illegal network of associates and sympathizers of the Party of Democratic Action (based in Pec with local branches in Rozaj, Plav and in the Sandzak.

Al Q'aida connection

As far as Ramush Haradinaj himself is concerned, it is well to keep in mind a fact presented before the U.S. Congress on December 13, 2000 by Ralph Machek, the deputy director of the Criminal Intelligence Administration of Interpol - that Muhamed al Zavahiri, the brother of Dr. Ajman Zavahiri, the leader of the terrorist organization Egyptian Jihad and ideologue of al-Q'aida, commanded an elite unit of the terrorist KLA during the time of the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija. What Machek failed to mention was that this unit was a part of the military policy of the terrorist KLA for the region of Metohija under the command of Daut Haradinaj, while the commander of all units of the terrorist KLA for the region of Metohija was Ramush Haradinaj.

Even after the arrival of international forces in Kosovo and Metohija the Haradinaj brothers continued to nurture their connections with Islamic terrorists. In October 2001 on orders of Ramush Haradinaj his brother Daut visited Sofia where he met with the aforementioned Muhamed al Zavahiriji and discussed further tactics and activities by Islamic terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija and the Republic of Macedonia.

It is not known whether al-Q'aida continues to count on the further services of the Haradinaj clan, first and foremost, on Ramush Haradinaj, a proven champion of the terrorist ideology of Islamic extremists.

Mr. O'Reilly may be right that Ramus Haradinaj is an intelligent and personable man, but this doesn't change the fact that he is a war criminal, as documented in the previous post by Ana.

Mr. O'Reilly claims that "Belgrade knows that Kosovo is lost", but didn't bother to explain that if Kosovo is lost, it's beacuse of the constant persecution and oppression of the Serbian population in Kosovo and Metohija, which dates back to Turkish and Nazi occupation, communist purge, illegal immigration from Albania, and NATO occupation nowadays.

I hope Mr. O'Reilly will not claim one day that Southern parts of the US are lost for US because Spanish speaking population is a majority there.

I would like to point out some basic fact's and not myths. First off, the article say's the Mr. O'Reily has visited Kosovo many times in recent years. Its obvious that the Albanians there have also filled his pocket's, for the purpose of articles like this. Let us not forget, the only reason the U.S. is there is because of the crude oil! This pipline will eventually come out of Albanian to the Adriatic. I guess it makes sense to take their side from a U.S. Gov't standpoint. Albanians of Kosovo have made NATO troop's there look the other way by providing them hooker's from Bulgaria, Romania, etc., and also drugs. Majority of these soldiers are not older than 23yrs old, and would love to have free drug's and hooker's, while the Albanian's keep smuggling their weapon's, drug's, and stolen car's. Let's us not forget how the U.S. sent the Virgina based MPRI (retired U.S. generals) to Croatia, to help organize the Croat Army before Operation Storm in Krajina. Let us also not forget how the U.S. turned the other cheek when Arabic terroists were secretly flown in via Saudia Arabia to the coast of Croatia, to help their 'brother' Bosnian Muslim's. Let's also not forget that Albanians from the U.S. helped smuggle weapons into Albania under the elias of some Hunting Club in Tirana. So, what do you expect a normal person to do? Stand back and watch their civilians and police get killed every other day? This article is pointless, since Mr. O'Reilly's pocket was filled with green. It is sad, but what goes around comes around. Kosovo is not a done deal, not by a long shoot.

Yes indeed Mr Haradinaj & co are very intelligent people, they managed to turn Kosovo into the most ethnically pure state/province in Europe all in the name of humanity, what im impressed most about is that these peace loving human rights fighters are so caring that they are even exporting their poison & hatred to traditionally peaceful multicultural regions in the Balkans, eg Macedonia, presevo just like their fascists grandfathers who also engaged in barbaric ethnic cleansing policies during world war II, the only differance between today and World War II is that these same human rights loving fascists were receving support from the lovely Nazis where as today they are receiving support from EU/NATO and the USA.....

As per this comment

"Haradinaj, in particular has long been the object of their attentions: He is widely known to have been an outstanding military strategist who inflicted very serious casualties on the Serb military and paramilitary machine."

The only casualties Mr Haradinaj was good at inflicting was blowing up lonely police patrols 15 meters in the air with land mines and murdering innocent village people in a brutal manner so that they can provoke the Serb Army into a brutal response and then cry foul and that someones human rights are being violeted....

Make no mistakes about it, Mr Haradinaj & co are drug dealing murderous thugs who have no respect for human rights or life itself,, I can see it in the country where I come from Macedonia, before we got invaded from Kosovo 2001 under the eyes of UN/NATO/USA/EU Macedonia was a relatively peaceful place a so called bastion of peace in the balkans.... but things have changed since the human rights fighting peace loving KLA Mr Haradinaj & thugs decided to export their love to Macedonia, since 2001 we now have had MACEDONIAN policemen being murdered and mutalated making sure a open casket funeral not viable, we've had 600 year old churches blown up and vandalised, we've had MACEDONIAN civillians tied together and blown up and for the ones that survived, they were previllaged enough to have the initials of the names of local UCK/KLA commanders carved in their bodies while being sober, we've also had dams turned off, people of the town of kumanavo had to go with out water for 50 days, we've had MACEDONIAN children blown up while playing with mines, we've had MACEDONIAN teenagers shot DEAD with Machine guns while playing Basketball, we have had many MACEDONIAN civillians gone missing to never be found by loved ones, for the ones who were found well... one Macedonian man of 80 years young had his head removed from his body, gotta love those peace loving KLA/UCK/NLA/ANA/KCP and what ever they like to call themselves, we also now have people walking around with kalishnikovs, women being kidnapped and forced into prostitution, we have children running ethnic pitched battles in schools, we have people being intimidated into leaving their homes...

We have absolute chaos and anarchy in Macedonia now, you even have ex KLA/UCK/NLA/ANA/KCP occupying villages and demanding some kind of compensation for inflicting horror on other people and demanding jobs in the Police force and army of Macedonia...

Could you imagine what would happen to me if I took up arms and occupied a town in Australia and demanded money and a job in the police force??

But in the Balkans its called fighting for HUMAN RIGHTS.... and if your lucky enough and you have engaged enough murderous activites, you too can become a prime mister of a ethnicall clean province

Perhaps Mr. Haradinaj's career move from a terrorist to Prime Minister offers a genuine solution in War On Terror- Osama Bin Laden should be offered a position of Prime Minister in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan.

Just like Mr. Haradinaj, Mr. Bin Laden also has cooperated closely with CIA in the past, and also has an impressive terrorist curriculum and international terrorist connections.

Since Mr. Bin Laden lacks Mr. Haradinaj's valuable work experience as a night club bouncer, he will have to enroll into The John F. Kennedy School of Government to upgrade his diplomatic skills.

If his ally could do it, Mr. Bin Laden can do it too.