: SERBIAN FORCES VIOLATE FRAGILE TRUCE- KOSOVO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE

PRISTINA, Dec 29 (Hina) - Serbian violence and terror in Kosovo are on the increase, jeopardising the fragile truce, the Kosovo Committee for the Protection of Human Rights in Pristina said in a report on Tuesday. Despite the October agreement between US mediator Richard Holbrooke and Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and appeals by the international community, the violence is not ceasing but rather increasing, especially in the area of Podujevo (northern Kosovo). Thirty-six murders were reported last week in the province, some of them committed earlier, the Committee says, reporting the death of a five-month-old baby, who died because of a lack of medicines. The destiny of 15 Albanians, abducted during last week's Serbian offensive, is still unknown. The Serbian authorities last week sentenced 22 Albanians to a total of 122 years in prison for "terrorism". At least 14 Albanians, including a woman and a six-year-old child, have been killed since the beginning of clashes in Lapa (Podujevo municipality). The latest Serbian offensive has forced several thousand Albanians to flee their homes in villages in north-west parts of the municipality and their fate is uncertain because of very harsh winter conditions, the report concluded. Serbian sources reported that two Serb civilians were killed while another was wounded during last week's clashes in the area of Podujevo. They also reported the wounding of three police officers and two soldiers. Sources also report that the situation in the Podujevo area is peaceful although tense. (hina) rml