Date: Fri 16-Apr-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Behluli-Kosovo

Full Text:

Behlulis Still Wait For Word On Loved Ones In Kosovo

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Newtown resident Nasser Behluli recently spotted an old friend on the evening

news. The man's face was full of fear and confusion as he looked out across a

massive crowd of ethnic Albanians.

"He was at one of the refugee camps and it looked like he was looking for his

wife and daughters," Mr Behluli explained. "I'm very happy that I am here, but

when I saw him I felt that I should be there."

Although their family remains safe here in the United States, these are

agonizing times for Nasser and Hidajete Behluli, both ethnic Albanians who

moved their family out of war-torn Kosovo in 1992. The Behluli's, who were

featured in a front page article in The Bee two weeks ago, are finding that

information about loved ones is still hard to come by. The whereabouts of the

family members they left behind is still unknown. The telephones do not work

as Yugoslavia's Serbs continue to push ethnic Albanians from the Behluli's

native Kosovo.

"I stay up late -- until one or two o'clock in the morning -- to try to call

them or just in case they try to call here, but nothing," Mr Behluli said

Tuesday.

Mr Behluli has been in touch with his brother-in-law who lives in Serbia near

the Kosovo border. He said he tried to flee to Macedonia with his family, but

was turned back at the border. For now, they are staying inside their homes

for fear of what awaits them outside.

A year ago, Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic, the former head of the

Serbian Communist Party, launched a crack down on Kosovo in an effort to rout

the Muslim Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and disperse its population of ethnic

Albanians. President Milosevic has resisted international efforts to bring

peace to the region, and his government's "ethnic cleansing" policy has

brought death or displacement to hundreds of thousands of Kosovars.

Mr Behluli believes it is time that NATO bring in ground troops to protect

those ethnic Albanians who remain in danger.

The Behlulis talk to a nephew in Macedonia almost everyday. However, he has

not heard any news, either. Two weeks ago, Mr Behluli's family was still at

home. However, a lot has happened since then, and Nasser lies awake at night

wondering how they are doing.

At night, Nasser and Hidajete gather around the television with their children

Kaltrina and Besmir, both middle school students. It is hard for them to watch

and there is little they can do. They can only pray for the safety of their

friends and loved ones.

"I am just worried for over there," Mr Behluli said. "All the time I am

thinking of that. Thinking and wondering."