RUGOVA WARNS ABOUT DANGEROUS DEVELOPMENTS IN KOSOVO

( Editorial: --> 5669 ) PRISTINA, May 21 (Hina) - Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova warned on Thursday that the situation in the southern Yugoslav province was extremely difficult and dangerous. He appealed to the international community to step up pressure on Belgrade to suspend military operations in Kosovo and withdraw its troops from the attacked areas. In a meeting with Spanish Ambassador to Belgrade, Joaquin Perez Gomez, Rugova called for the establishment of an internationally sponsored dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. Speaking about the situation on the eve of a meeting between Albanians and Serbs, due to take place on Friday in Pristina, Rugova described it as very alarming. According to Albanian and Serbian sources in the Kosovo capital, four people, including three Albanians and one Serb, had been killed in clashes between Serbian security forces and Albanian guerrilla fighters. According to the Kosovo Information Centre, Serbian forces have resumed shelling five villages in the municipality of Klina and have sent strong military and police units there. The shelled villages, including Grabanica, Dolovo, Bokshiq, Kepuz and Ceskovo, have been sealed off by Serbian troops. The troops also resumed shelling the village of Ponosevac, in the Djakovica area, near the border with Albania. The Democratic Alliance of Kosovo has warned that Serbia had continued its economic blockade of Kosovo, which commenced a few days ago. The police have also seized humanitarian aid that was sent to Kosovo by the Mother Theresa charity. The pro-government Media Centre in Pristina reported that a group of armed Kosovo Albanians on Thursday afternoon flagged down several cars with journalists on the Pristina-Pec road near Komoran. The Albanians allegedly seized bullet-proof jackets from a crew of the British TV agency WTN and from a reporter of the Japanese Kyodo news agency and his local interpreter. According to the report, the group wore the insignia of the Kosovo Liberation Army. (Hina) lm mr /mb 212038 MET may 98