CONTENTS:
ANOTHER RITUAL OF "HISTORIC
MEETINGS"
NATO DOES NOT GIVE GREEN LIGHT TO SERB FORCES
TALKS ABOUT
MEETINGS
ALBANIANS AS A MINORITY AND MAJORITY WAS SUCCESSFUL
ANOTHER RITUAL OF "HISTORIC MEETINGS
Koha Ditore carried a column by publisher Veton Surroi on the Athens conference.
1. For more than ten years meetings where
Albanians and Serbs participate are considered historic. Before the
meeting there is public speculation as to who is going to say what, what
is the importance of the meeting, which of the major powers stands behind
or does not like the meeting…..
The difference was not much bigger this
time in Athens, which was the continuation of the Budapest meeting in
April. This time too there was much speculation about the meeting and what
it will happen there. A novelty happened at Athens because conferences as
this one used to influence the inner politics of the host nation. The
Greek opposition questioned this meting, where "members of greater
Albania" were meeting with their neighbors.
2. This opposition, as many others for many years, made accusations in addressing Greater Albania that they did not understand a fundamental paradox. The fact that in Athens, and Budapest before, the gathering of Albanian political entities illustrates the political development of Albanians in the Balkans. In comparing Serbs and Croats, which formed an ethnic center from where they would conduct their national politics, among Albanians the opposite happened, they developed several autonomous centers that decide for the area they inhabit. Looking it from this aspect, there is no nation in the Balkans that is more for cooperation then the Albanians.
3. The waiters of the hotel where the conference
was held know of this. Most of them have arrived from Albania, they are
part of a new phenomenon that is an Albanian product "new minorities".
Looking at minorities which have disappeared by violence or assimilation,
or sometimes they were saved as proof of a multi-ethnic past, western
Europe is flooded with "new minorities". Albanians with their
presence in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Greece are in a position to
challenge the new political society. What rights should these now compact
nations have, for it to be possible to save its identity and the same time
live in another country?
There will be no problems for some, as
Switzerland that knows how to respect and recognize minority rights, to
recognize the new minorities. However, for some as Greece, which did not
know how to recognize minority rights in the past, the challenge will be
doubled to be an open democratic state, which at the same time rejects the
identity of the people who are a minority.
4. A Serb voice draws my attention during recess: "You Albanian ask for rights, ask for projects but you do not offer any, neither rights nor projects for others". A point very well made. Our thoughts have been fixed for years now in protecting the core of the Albanians in Kosovo, of our present and future. As present and future also have to deal with protecting minority rights. It is Albanian's obligation to offer minorities the best and most advanced project in minority rights. If for nothing else, then it is in their best interest. A tolerant society towards the minorities will be much more tolerant towards the Albanians.
5. In conferences as this one a part of the public opinion and some of the organizers an ambition is born that from this conference a spectacular results comes out of it. They insisted on the questions when would Kosovo-Serb negotiations start when will Kostunica and Rugova meet. The easiness of simplifying the problems does not let these ambitious men to see that Kosovo and Serbia are so deep in their own processes of forming democratic states. When these processes are formed then there will be who to talk and what to talk about.
6. I read the ordinary hysterical words, which follow a small part of the public opinion regarding meeting as this one. The main argument against this meeting was that it was held in Athens and this supports the thesis "The Balkans to people of Balkan" that it is so convenient for the mini Balkan powers. A conference as this one at the time when most of the Balkans are under a NATO security umbrella, only proves the opposite that the Balkans are part of southeast Europe when Europe says that is main part of globalization.
NATO DID NOT GIVE GREEN LIGHT TO
SERB OFFENSIVE
Zëri on page one carried a report on threats by new Serb leader Zoran Djindjic against NATO and their reluctance to allow Serb forces to expel UÇPMB forces from the five kilometer security zone between Kosovo and Serbia. NATO officials in Brussels say that NATO counts only what is being said by Kostunica in Belgrade. This is the second time that Djindjic has made strong public statements.
The first time was when he promised the Serbs that in December, 1200 Serb soldiers would return to Kosovo. At the time NATO officials rebuked Djindjic's statement saying that he was not authorized to take such decisions, the only authority is the KFOR commander.
FRY President Kostunica, in a counteraction toward Djindjic's latest threats said that the tensions in Presevo valley between UÇPMB and Serb forces must be solved with dialogue and political means. NATO officials, commenting on the threats for Zëri, said that the Kumanova technical agreement, from 9 June 1999 will remain untouched in the future as well. "The Kumanova technical agreement remains what it is, and the Yugoslav forces, apart from the local police do not have the right to enter it", said NATO officials, adding that the Serb side should respect this agreement as well.
Without wanting to give importance to Djindjic's threats, NATO officials have said that what counts for NATO is Kostunica's position, who personally promised NATO and its Secretary General George Robertson that he, respectively the Serb side, will respect this agreement.
"Kostunica in his letter exchanges has stated several times that he will respect the agreement, and this is important", stated NATO officials.
TALKS ABOUT MEETINGS
ZËRI on page one carried a column by Blerim Shala regarding the idea of finding a solution by arranging a meeting between Albanians and Serbs.
Can Kosovo's issue be solved with a meeting between the Albanian political representatives and the Serb ones, no matter who they are? If only Kosovo's issue could be solved this way, we would suggest meetings to be held each and every day. However, here quantity will not bring quality.
On the contrary, this approach makes us remember pleading for the rain not to fall where great floods are, or to plead for the rain to fall in the desert. The fact that political meetings were not successful brought NATO airplanes in action.
Naturally, Kosovo's issue cannot be solved otherwise than with political negotiations. However, now is not the time for them, when neither of the sides has established proper democratic institutions. Afterwards, the Albanians' hopes for a Serb De Gaul who would accept the unavoidable independence of Kosovo, or even the Serbs' for an Albanian Fikret Abdiq who would let go of Kosovo's independence are unrealistic or even naïve. Therefore, even after the democratization of Kosovo and Serbia, the successful Serb-Albanian negotiations, which by all means will be a long lasting and strenuous process, cannot be assured without an effective intercession of the west, above all Americans.
ALBANIANS AS A MINORITY AND MAJORITY WAS SUCCESSFUL
Allen Kassof director of the humanitarian organization Project for Ethnic Relations (PER) evaluated that the seminar "Albanians as a majority and minority" was very good and successful, reported Koha Ditore on page three.
The seminar organized by PER was held last Friday and Saturday where the Albanian representatives were from Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro, and representatives from Belgrade and the international Administration in Kosovo. Kassof stated that in the conference, which was full of contradictions, was agreed that the stability condition in the region was to establish democratic institutions and that absolute defense for the minorities must exist, in order for the regional cooperation to improve with the help of the international community, meanwhile ethnic violence must be interrupted, because it is not a solution for solving these problems.
As he goes on, the conference was a continuation of "the Albanians and their Neighbors" conference held in April in Budapest, meanwhile Greek Foreign Ministry only supported it. Kassof said that the fact that a conference like this was held, represents the beginning of reconciliation, adding, "It would be madness" to plan the future and to foresee that such issues would be solved in the near future.
"Principal reconciliation" exists between countries of the region upon the way of solving the Balkan crisis, said Kassof in response to the question if the Balkan issue can be solved with the solution of national issues.
Dusan Janjic director of the Forum for Ethnic Relations evaluated that "after the conference a greater space for dialogue has been opened than it has been concluded in the writings for several declarations", stressing that the approval of amnesty law has been "especially supported". According to Livia Plax executive director, PER is making efforts in Serbia to set a dialogue with the government and the representatives of the ethnic communities and to make possible the Serb-Albanian relations. As it is said, PER has international councils and personnel in the entire region that organizes dialogues of Central Europe and southeast countries.
Rada Trajkovic Deputy chairman of Serb Demo Christian party evaluated that the talks with the Albanian representatives from Kosovo and Macedonia in Athens were "difficult", adding that SRSG Bernard Kouchner, during the conference was presented "almost as a mentor" and supervisor of Rugova's decision to refuse to talk to the Yugoslav president Vojislav Kostunica.