Serbian gov't office: Pristina continues to fabricate facts regarding Racak case

BELGRADE - The Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija said on Thursday that, in an orchestrated campaign and verbal attacks on Belgrade, Pristina continued to systemically fabricate facts regarding the 1999 Racak case to blur the truth about the event as well as about the numerous unpunished crimes against the Serbs.

In a reaction to accusations levelled against Belgrade by Pristina earlier in the day, the Office said a detailed, expert, methodical and fact-based report on the case by investigative judge Danica Marinkovic unequivocally confirmed the truth about all manipulations, evidence and narratives about the Racak case that had been orchestrated by William Walker, and noted that the Kosovo-Metohija village of Racak had been the biggest stronghold of terrorists from the so-called "Kosovo Liberation Army."

"That truth will remain written forever and saved from oblivion in spite of Pristina's brazen efforts to portray those events in a different light," the Office said in a statement.

It noted that a campaign of lies had served as a brazen excuse and a pretext for the unlawful 1999 aggression on FR Yugoslavia by a part of the international community and the bombing of Serbia, contrary to international law and without a decision by the UN Security Council.

"We note that, to this day, no one has been held accountable for the crimes committed against the Serbs by 'KLA' terrorists, including the crimes in Staro Gracko and Livadice, the killing of Serb children on the Bistrica and numerous other crimes, and that proceedings are underway in The Hague against the leaders of that criminal organisation for monstrous murders, kidnappings and torture of Serbs," it said.

It added that more than 550 Serbs were still reported missing and that their families were still waiting for law and justice.

Earlier in the day, on the anniversary of the events in Racak, the president and the caretaker PM of Pristina's interim institutions again accused Belgrade of committing a war crime against ethnic Albanian civilians in the village.

In a statement to Tanjug, Marinkovic said Racak had been a stronghold of ethnic Albanian terrorists and that there was evidence that terrorists - and not civilians - had been killed in a January 15, 1999 clash with security forces.