RUGOVA CALLS FOR URGENT INTERVENTION ON KOSOVO

( Editorial: --> 4965 ) PRISTINA, Oct 2 (Hina) - The leader of the Kosovo Albanians Ibrahim Rugova on Friday welcomed the UN Security Council statement which condemned the newest crimes in Kosovo and called for an emergency international intervention. Rugova said that the Serbian offensive was continuing throughout Kosovo, stressing that the Serbian forces had not withdrawn from Kosovo, but were just changing the tactic. Rugova called on the international community, particularly the United States, the European Union and NATO, to urgently intervene to protect the people of Kosovo. He pointed out that several dozen Albanians were killed during the last Serbian offensive, while several thousand were in stranded in the open. Rugova condemned the newest massacres by Serbian forces in Gornje Obrinje in the Drenica area and in Vranic near Suva Reka, stressing they were obvious proofs of ethnic cleansing. (hina) it/ha 021324 MET oct 98