CROATIA'S ROMANY FORWARD A PROTEST TO ITALIAN GOVERNMENT

RIJEKA, July 26 (Hina) - The Community of Romany (Gypsies) in Croatia on Monday handed over to Italian Consul-General in Rijeka, a protest for the Italian Goverment, condemning its decision to return forcibly 850 Romany from Italy to Kosovo frome where they had been expelled. The protest note read that the (ethnic Albanian) Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) has been harressing Romany since its establishment, and the situation has deteriorated much since the arrrival of NATO troops on Kosovo. #L# All houses and settlements of Romany, like 2,500 homes in the residential area called 'Mahala" in the town of Kosovska Mitrovica, have been looted and burnt down. Most of Romany had to flee to Montenegro and Serbia, it added. They blamed NATO member states for such a hopeless situation of Romany, as they have deployed unfit troops in Kosovo which are unable to protect Romany, thus letting KLA conduct the ethnic cleansing. We cannot understand that the Italian Government cannot face consequences of its wrong policy and that it does not want to accept innocent victims of such policy, closing doors in front of Romany, instead of offering them a hand of humanity, the protest read. "Romany do not ask for aid, but they seek to get back their lost existence, after they have lost their homeland in Kosovo. Neither a military force, nor economic might, nor a country stands behind them - as Romany do not have them. Behind our protest is only moral strength of an unfortunate people that needs a litle for happiness - just to be let live in peace," read the protest. (hina) ms