Byzantine Blog

Maria Lina Veca: Western Kosovo Story is a Lie

"Spending time with Kosovo Serbs who live in the ghettos, I realized the facts were inverted and that those who are considered to be the culprits are in fact the victims, while the designated victims are the culprits", said Italian reporter in the interview given to Glas Javnosti.

Maria Lina Veca is an Italian journalist, reporter and author who visited Kosovo province Serbs 27 times during the last eight years. She has written three books and made two documentaries about the life of Kosovo Serbs after US-led NATO seized the southern Serbian province in 1999. Veca is the President of the humanitarian organization RinascereOnlus which provides aid for the Serbian children walled off in the Kosovo-Metohija enclaves.

During the NATO aggression on Serbia, Maria Lina Veca was one of the handful of reporters who dared to say that the so-called "humanitarian war" of the Western military alliance has instigated the ethnic cleansing of the Serbs in Kosovo province which, as shown at the beginning of this year, was one of the preconditions for the creation of a phantom "state of Kosovo" on Serbia's territory.

Q: How were your views about the events in Kosovo-Metohija received in Italy?

MLV: This is a taboo subject, even today. Back then, my colleagues told me that those who speak like I ought to be sent to the Hague.

Q: Has Italy violated its own Constitution by the recognition of Kosovo independence?

MLV: By recognizing Kosovo Italy has first and foremost violated the international law. Our Parliament did not recognize Kosovo independence, and at the moment our government recognized Kosovo it was only a technical government, so it could in no way reach a decision on such an issue as recognition of the state.

Q: Why did Italy recognize Kosovo?

MLV: Because it is a United States' colony.

A Killer Like Thaci Can't Possibly be the Head of a State

Q: You stated on several occasions that the recognition of Kosovo independence is a recognition of the mafia state...

MLV: Testimony of the Italian General Fabio Mini, who was a Commander of the International KFOR troops in 2002/2003 in Kosovo-Metohija is the best evidence for that. A day after the secession of Kosovo, he said that the mafia state is being created in Kosovo and Metohija. He revealed to Corriere della Sera that Hashim Thaci had killed by his own hands 28 Albanians from the late Ibrahim Rugova's party and many Serbs, and said that such a man cannot possibly be the head of a state. And General Mini is undoubtedly someone who knows the situation in Kosovo-Metohija exceptionally well. Creation of this "state" has given a blessing to the establishing of the mafia state in the midst of Europe. And the Europe is yet to learn what it had done.

Kosovo Province Serbs Live in Deplorable Ghettos

Q: Why did you decide to dedicate so much time to Kosovo-Metohija, or rather to Serbs?

MLV: As a journalist, I visited Kosovo-Metohija—the town of Pec, for the first time in December 1999. I realized everything is there, except for the Serbs. When I asked where are the Serbs, I was told they live in the enclaves and that they can't take me there because it is too dangerous. I requested from the Pristina Carabinieri Command to be taken to the enclaves. They were surprised I was interested in the Serbs, but they took me first to Vitina, then to Partes, Cernica, Strpce...

I have seen the inhumane living conditions, that Serbs live like in concentration camps. I found it incredible that the Western media—actually no-one—talks about this. I realized the facts were inverted and that those who are considered to be the culprits are, in fact, the victims, while the designated victims are the culprits. This is something I simply couldn't be silent about, and that's when I wrote the first book "Has Kosovo been Lost?". I would've done the same for any nation on earth.

Serbian Children Have No Freedom in Kosovo-Metohija

Q: You also have a humanitarian organization which helps Serbian children from Kosovo-Metohija?

MLV: It was established four years ago and the initial idea was to help the Kosovo-Metohija enclaves. In 2005 we also begun a project of solidarity with Cuba, or rather with Havana. Through our organization, the school from Cernica [Kosovo-Metohija province] and Rome were twinned, and the fraternization was helped by the Italian Ministry of Education. In September last year we brought 32 children from Cernica and three from Partes to Rome, which your ambassador to Rome helped us with. This year, we plan to bring to Italy Serbian children from Orahovac. I think my work is rather small, but I believe in the small projects because I think they are the best way to accomplish something concrete. I have seen many who are crying over Kosovo-Metohija while doing nothing. I am not like that.

Q: How is this work of yours received in Italy? Did it help make ordinary Italians better understand what is happening with the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija?

MLV: They understood that very well from the contacts with children and they are extremely worried, they are now following the events in Kosovo-Metohija with fear. All the families that received the children had no prior knowledge about their life in Kosovo-Metohija. They took them in as if they were the children from Africa, and it took time to explain those children are not lacking in anything except for freedom—this is what they don't have. I consider a greatest success the fact that these families understood this and that now each of the families carries the information which spreads mouth-to-mouth. The visit of these children was well covered by the Italian media, because it is regarded as a humanitarian work.

But I have to say that before they came, 50 Albanian children from Pristina were brought to Rome upon the invitation of the city's municipal president. So, when they asked me why am I helping only the Serbian children, I said that I have nothing against the Albanians, but since everybody is helping Kosovo Albanians, I have decided to help Kosovo-Metohija Serbs.

Recommended: Pristina separatists' declaration of independence is illegal, David Jacobs, Human Rights and International Law expert interviewed by the RealNews (YouTube); Devotion of Italian Soldiers guarding Decani Monastery in Kosovo Province (YouTube); Liturgical Chanting of Decani Monastery Monks (YouTube); Liturgical Chanting of Decani Monastery Monks (YouTube); Agios o Theos—Holy God, Serbian Orthodox 15th century chant sang by the Church chanter Dragoslav Pavle Aksentijevic (YouTube)