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RESOLUTION 343

 
"Death to Fascism - freedom for the people!
 
The Official Gazette of Democratic Federative Yugoslavia
 
Resolutions of the National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia - 153
 
The temporary ban on the return of colonists to their former place of
residence
 
Recently it has been observed that, without the approval of the people`s
aauthorities, the families of colonists (settlers) have been returning to
and moving back to places where they were earlier settled, in Macedonia,
Kosovo, Metohia, Srem and Vojvodina.
 
Since this brings harm to the colonists themselves because it exposes them
to difficulties and unnecessary expense and since the conditions for their
return to their earlier place of residence are still not met, with regard
to all of the foregoing and in order to save the settlers a wasted journey
and unnecessary expense
 
I have resolved
 
1. that the return of colonists to their previous place of abode be
temporarily not permitted, that they stay where they are now and that the
National Liberation Committees will continue to offer them every assistance;
 
2. since the issue will be decided by special decree, those concerned will
be promptly informed as to who can move to whivh area and when.
 
No. 343, March 5th 1945, Belgrade
 
Commissar of Internal Affairs Vlada Zecevic"

These twenty or so lines are the complete text of the famous resolution no. 343 which had a crucial, even the most decisive, influence on much of what had happened in Kosovo after the end of World War II.

The decision talks of a temporary ban but in practice it had the effect of lasting and permanent ban.

Why mentioning Macedonia, Srem, Vojvodina? It was necessary to soften the decision to ban a return to Kosovo and Metohia using the excuse of the widespread and general needs of Yugoslavia as a whole.

With this Resolution, Kosovo was surrendered to then already nummerically superior Albanian national minority which was boosted by those Albanians whom the occupier had brought to Kosovo and who neither returned to Albania of their own accord nor by a decision or resolution of the Yugoslav authorities.

Hugo Roth, Kosovo Origins, Belgrade 1996.

Note: This resolution was never repealed.


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