Las Vegas - Serbian Unity Congress

WASHINGTON SCENE
During the riots, it was reported that Fried
was instrumental in securing a more robust
rules of engagement for the U.S. contingent
of KFOR that resulted in the failure of Albanians
to attack Serb Holy Sites within the
U.S. sector.
Most recently he has been senior
NSC director for European and Eurasian affairs
and a trusted adviser to Condoleezza
Rice when she was President Bush’s national
security adviser.
SOC Delegation presents reconstruction
and repatriation proposals to USAID Director,
Andrew Natsios on April 5
WASHINGTON – The SOC Delegation met
with Andrew Natsios, Administrator of the
United States Agency for Internatnational
Development (USAID). The meeting included
Sarah Farnsworth, USAID Balkans
Division, and several aids to Natsios. Mr.
Natsios listened to the presentations by the
members of the Delegation about the situation
in KiM and received concrete proposals
of how the USAID can assist the plans of
the Serbian Orthodox Church to establish a
buffer zone in which repatriated Serbs can
participate in reconstruction efforts of the
Church and the local economy.
During the meeting, Natsios asked
Sarah Farnsworth of the USAID Balkans Division
why aren’t programs already helping
the Serbs in Kosovo. Farnsworth noted that
previously Serbs have refused to cooperate.
However, the Delegation explained that the
Serbian Orthodox Church has established
a contact office at the Patriarchate in Belgrade
and they may contact the Church via
the Serbian Unity Congress Washington
office for any coordination of USAID projects.
Natsios instructed Farnsworth to begin
moving forward with establishing contact.
The groups also discussed the importance
of restitution of property and its importance
of solving many issues – including the proposals
of Floren Krasniqi to seize Church
property for his own business interests. Mr.
Natsios explained that this is a real problem
even with his own family – who are
Greeks who were land owners in present
day southern Albania. Natsios himself personally
visited his family’s land which contained
fertile vineyards and farm land but
because of Albanian discrimination against
Orthodox in Albania, his family still has not
been granted restitution to land he feels is
rigthfully his family’s.
NOTE: Andrew Natsios is an asso-
ciate of Fr. Irinej Dobrijevic who served together
on the board of directors of the International
Orthodox Church Charities (IOCC)
before he came to USAID.
The SUC Washington office hosts important
meetings for the Serbian Orthodox
WASHINGTON – In addition to facilitating
various press conferences and interviews
with members of the Serbian media,
the SUC Washington office hosted several
meetings of importance for the Delegation
of the Serbian Orthodox Church on April
6, 2005. Director for Southeast Europe of
the White House National Security Council,
Bertram Braun met the Delegation to
discuss the upcoming meeting at the White
House. Mr. Braun reported to the Delegation
what he believes will be the reality and
future for Kosovo.
Braun stated that a comprehenisve
review of standards in Kosovo will take place
this summer. The reason why the United
States wants to start the standards process
is because, the current situation is bad, explained
Braun. Following the review, there
will be a new resolution that will deal with
solving the issues and restitution and a detailed
plan will be submitted to members of
the International Community. This will lead
to a new U.N. resolution. However, Braun
doubts that the result will allow Kosovo to
become reintegrated back into Serbia under
Belgrade, but instead will most likely result
in some kind of unit of government that will
require International protection. Braun also
advised that the Serb community and the
Serbian Orthodox Church need to propose
concrete plans in details what they want
and what they need to make a Kosovo solution
work. Once they have a detailed plan,
the Serbs then will be able to engage the
team conducting
the review. He also
stated that Belgrade
must be involved
with this process
and work with it
and not try to derail
it. He also hopes
that Russia will also
not try to derail this
process.
Following the
meeting with the
NSC member Bert
Braun, Dean Triantafilou
from the
International Orthodox
Church
Charities (IOCC)
PHOTO: Andy Verich (SUC), Bertram Braun (NSC), Professor Sijakovic,
Bishop Teodosije, Bishop Grigorije, and Fr. Irinej Dobrijevic at the arrived to meet the
SUC Washington office
members of the
Church Delegation on April 6, 2005
Serbian Orthodox
Church Delegation. The Delegation briefed
Dean on the mission and aims of the recent
visits in New York and Washington including
details of the fruitful meeting with the
USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios, former
board member of the IOCC.
It was agreed that the IOCC will
work with the Serbian Orthodox Church to
assist with the facilitation of the proposed
plans of reconstruction of Serb Orthodox
Holy Sites and repatriation of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija.
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