Italian journalist: The Serbs show immense spiritual strength to remain in Kosovo

Independent researcher and journalist from Rome, Dr. Maria Lina Veca, whose books focus on the suffering of the Serbs in Kosovo, assessed in an interview for Kosovo Online that even after 24 years, the situation in Kosovo could be described as "warlike", but that the Serbs showed immense spiritual strength to remain there.

"The Serbs are torn, literally, between two words - massive corruption and a lot of violence. Enclaves demonstrate immense spiritual strength to be there, to resist, and to bear witness to all these crimes. The Serbs today are like 'walking dead people'. But they endure," Veca notes, who is presenting her books on the suffering of the Serbs in Kosovo at this year's Book Fair.

She points out that the recent incident, the desecration of a 19th-century Orthodox cemetery, is also a consequence of the fact that "the war in Kosovo still continues".

"The war that NATO declared against Yugoslavia was never truly ended. Kosovo and Metohija are still in a state of war, and that's why the situation can only get worse. The problem is that Kosovo is a part of Serbia. Northern Kosovo is in a ludicrous situation because it is Serbia, and yet it is not Serbia. Therefore, the only expectation is new violence and not the calming of the situation," she emphasized.

She says that the international community is aware of this fact.

"It knows that the situation in Kosovo is a permanent state of war," Veca added.

As for the claims made by Kosovo's president, Vjose Osmani, that reports of the suffering of the Serbs are "Serbian propaganda", Veca sees it as motivated by money.

"Kosovo receives a significant amount of money from the international community that is almost impossible to describe. Kosovo could be covered in gold, but that money is not for the people of Kosovo, especially not for the Serbs. It is money only for criminals, for the continuation of illegal trade. Kosovo is a black hole where there is no life or future. But this doesn't just apply to the Serbs. It's the same for the Albanians," Veca pointed out.

In that regard, when asked why the West didn't want to hear about what was happening to the Serbs in Kosovo, she responded - it was because they had orchestrated the situation of chaos for their business-political interests and organizations in the Balkans.

"They don't want to tell the truth. It's impossible because they base their policy on lies. Imagine someone among them saying that there was never a humanitarian catastrophe for Albanians, their mistreatment... So why did NATO then attack Yugoslavia without any reason? Why? Is that a crime against humanity? Therefore, they cannot face the fact that all European countries, including Italy, were involved in crimes against humanity. They will never admit that," Veca explains.

When asked if she expected progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, she responded clearly:

"No, because Kosovo is a part of Serbia".

She observes that everyone is trying to bypass that, and that's precisely the essence.

"Resolution 1244 is a binding document. That's why the current situation is not internationally legal. Therefore, the dialogue can only begin if it is accepted that Kosovo is Serbia, an autonomous province of Serbia. Without this essence, what would the dialogue be about?" Veca wonders.

She notes that it seems to her that there has been no progress in the recognition of Kosovo, quite the opposite.

"Many countries have not recognized it. Five countries in Europe, and especially in the world. Major countries such as India, China, Russia, and all of Central and South America. Most African countries have not recognized independence. That's why I believe there is no progress in recognition. There has been no unity in that regard. For the world powers, it's a trap because they haven't achieved anything by that recognition," she believes.

Among the books she will present at the fair is her most famous one, "Wolf’s Heart", which deals with kidnappings and organ trafficking. When it is mentioned that it seems like nobody is addressing this issue anymore, she acknowledges that "nobody cares about it".

"On the 2nd of May, Serbia and the so-called authorities in Pristina signed an agreement on missing persons. It's ridiculous. It was agreed that each side could participate in finding the missing, graves, etc. But Serbia cannot investigate anything in Kosovo. That's a joke. I know it's a symbolic agreement, but it's not realistic because Albanian authorities will never allow Serbian officials to investigate graves," Veca assures.

When asked how interested Italians were in the truth about the suffering of the Serbs, she said that they didn't care about what was happening in Kosovo.

"They are not interested in what's happening in the world. Italians are ignorant. They don't know what's going on. They know some of what mainstream media says. That's why it's very difficult for me to explain the situation to them. That's why my work is to see and bear witness, to be a witness. That's why I'm not interested in what people in Italy think. I do what I must and speak about what I see. I've been doing this continuously for 25 years. And I managed to change that image. It's a very patient and constant job," Veca said.