Letter to the Editor, International Herald Tribune

Sir,

In his opinion piece about Kosovo dated 13 February 2008 and entitled "Cohen: Here comes Kosovo", Roger Cohen states:

"Slobodan Milosevic, the late dictator, set Serbia's murderous nationalist tide in motion on April 24, 1987, when he went to Kosovo to declare that Serbian
"ancestors would be defiled" if ethnic Albanians had their way."

I would be grateful if Roger Cohen could give his source for this as Diana Johnstone states categorically:

"I don't know where Roger Cohen got that quotation, but it is not to be found in the speech Milosevic made that day in Kosovo. And certainly, Milosevic did not go to Kosovo to declare any such thing, but to consult with local Communist League officials in the town of Kosovo Polje about the province's serious economic and social problems."

Considering US newsapers have had problems in the recent past with their reporters making up stories with false sources, Roger Cohen needs to provide his source for this statement.

Yours Sincerely