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Albanians from Montenegro arrive in Shkodër

Arben ILIAZI At the ceremony honoring former German Chancellor Kohl with the “Medal of Freedom,” President Clinton said, among other things, that “NATO’s engagement in Kosovo is in the interest of a united democratic Europe.” This is absolutely true. For as long as religions and ideologies have exerted their influence, fundamentalist tendencies have been quite evident in many European countries. Even after the cults of Hitler and Stalin collapsed, Europe’s political landscape was dominated by a series of forms of rhetoric oriented toward intolerance and doctrinal or ethnic prejudice. The defeat of the totalitarian challenge did not bring about a new consensus, based on an updated line of democratic ideas articulated during the French and American Revolutions. On the contrary, new and dangerous polarizations emerged, arising from various ethnic, cultural and economic conflicts. These polarizations turned into conflicts and widened differences concerning perspectives and aspirations. But, prompted by concerns over the conflict in Kosovo, European issues came back into focus, making it possible to rationalize differences, ethnocentrism and nationalism—not as a means of warfare, but as a process of mediation. This makes it possible, through these conflicts, to resolve [partly illegible?]... Continued on page 3

• Alarm in the US: 500,000 missing in Kosovo • China distances itself from Belgrade Page 4 • “Patriot” missiles arrive in Kukës Tuzi is being emptied Page 2

It is now known that behind the horrific exodus of more than one million Kosovars driven from their homes—otherwise described as terrorist ethnic cleansing in the “perfect” SS style—lies the terror of physical genocide. This is revealed by the horrific photographs and footage that have filled television screens and the international press, and they are Page 16

Report by Feride Papleka: Page 11

• Vinca: “Rugova, an unfortunate figure” Sabri Hamiti: Now, autonomy from the Serbs is not enough Pages 13, 16 • Kosovars are looking for one another Pages 7, 15