The Albanian Army mobilizes in Kukës (Photo: Hektor Pustina)

How Albanians are responding after the tragedy of Drenica. “We are on alert along the entire border” “OUR NATION’S CRADLE, OR A CRADLE OF HATRED? They have lied about Kosovo” Serious crimes committed against people have more often been supported by propaganda and criminal doctrine. Politicians, diplomats, historians, writers and observers help portray people as a murderous mob. This is a form of assistance that often incites the crime at the outset and then justifies it afterward. The drama of Kosovo today is a typical example of this phenomenon. It is a tragedy planned long ago by inflamed chauvinism and supported by this auxiliary force. Without this assistance, it would not have happened. Television stations around the world have broadcast in recent days the sight of 70 corpses, accompanied by the Serbian government’s statement that they were the bodies of terrorists. But, as the newspapers themselves point out, among these bodies were those of about 30 women and children. After such a blatant lie, can the Serbian government be trusted at all? In Kosovo, before our eyes, a savage, intolerable medieval massacre was carried out. The extermination of 11 members of one family, from the parents down to the children, and even those who were in their mother’s womb and had not yet been born (a symbolic crime aimed at eradicating a rival ethnic group), outraged world opinion. It is truly astonishing that even after this massacre there are still voices here and there that try indirectly to present the power responsible for what happened as acting “within a historical, nostalgic framework and from the standpoint of the Orthodox faith.” In other words, there are still people who, in some way, try to justify the barbaric acts committed. To this end, these apologists for crime invoke the aggressor’s “nostalgia” and the massacres, but not the victim’s responsibility. This is precisely what happened a few days ago on Canal Plus, during a debate in which French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine took part. After the phrase “Kosovo, cradle of Serbia” was raised, Albanian students who were preparing to support a different view of the issue responded in clear terms. In this case, two different positions on the issue must not be accepted. Certainly, it is unpleasant to be forced to revisit history to clarify the current issue, but when criminality justifies new, hideous crimes by quickly invoking history, this distortion must be exposed and denounced once and for all. On 10 March, the newspaper “Le Monde” published an article by Henri Tincq, deeply pro-Orthodox in outlook, entitled “A holy land of Balkan Orthodoxy.” The arguments he supports are more or less versions favored by the Serbs: Kosovo, the cradle of Serbia; the Battle of Kosovo; the influx of Albanians into Kosovo after that battle. Tincq’s article nevertheless includes one very positive element: it clearly acknowledges that Albanians and their kin were present on the Balkan Peninsula before the 6th century. According to this statement (a thesis accepted by all serious historians worldwide), when the Serbs arrived, the Albanians were already there, on their own lands. Tincq’s assertion contradicts the rest of his article, where he claims that “with the blessing of the Turks, the Albanians moved to Serbia in the 15th century.” At this point a question arises: if it is accepted that Albanians were in Albania before the Serbs arrived, why were they not in Kosovo—in other words, why were they not already there? Tincq gives a figure of 600,000 Albanians at the beginning of the Second World War, which may be true. But the height of the grotesque is reached when he states that “the expansion continued during the period of Tito’s rule.” Thus, since we are supposed to accept that Albanians arrived in Kosovo from somewhere else, we must assume that they came during a period when communism ruled Albania. This raises a very simple question: Where did these Albanians come from? Did they fall from the sky, or did they arrive from Albania? Tincq must have heard that the border of communist Albania was so tightly and harshly sealed that of the two or three hundred people who tried to cross it, half were killed by border guards and the others were arrested. As for the claim that a large number of Serbs left Kosovo in recent years, that is true. But what they forget to say is that the Albanians who left our lands were ten times more numerous. In Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the United States alone, about half a million people who left this region because of Serbian oppression or poverty are now counted. As for the Battle of Kosovo, which forms the principal element of the myth, it is astonishing how blind those are who use it as an argument for the entirety of history. Here, too, the distortion is complete. The Battle of Kosovo was not a clash solely between Serbs and Turks, but a battle of all the Balkan peoples united against the invader. All historical works mention the names of the Balkan peoples who fought side by side against their common misfortune: the Turks. Serbs, Bosnians, Albanians and others were led by Prince Lazar (a Serb), King Tvrtko (a Bosnian), Voivode Mircea (a Romanian), and Counts Balshaj and Jonima (Albanians). Only criminals could turn this battle, which should remain a symbol of the thousands of people, including the Balkan peoples, who took part in it, into its opposite: a source of future crime. The tragedy unfolding today in Kosovo is a test of the conscience of many people. The world hopes that the crime will be brought to an end. Distorting history is unacceptable. Using it to whitewash a hideous crime is even worse. (From “La Stampa,” 15 March 1998) The Albanian Army mobilizes in Kukës (Photo: Hektor Pustina) It is bad that they indirectly repeat and present again what happened “in a historical, nostalgic framework and from the point of view of the Orthodox religion.” In other words, there are still people who, in one way or another, continue to justify the barbaric acts that were committed. To this end, these advocates of crime use old legends, myths created long ago, which discussions about Kosovo today begin with, using this cliché: “holy Serbian land,” “cradle of the Serbian nation,” “the Battle of Kosovo of 1389.” In short, the basis of the legend is this: once Serbs constituted the majority in Kosovo, the region was the center of Serbia, and Albanians arrived there only after the battle of 1389. This is nothing but a vulgar justification. The misfortune is that when a television debate begins with this deception, as soon as an Albanian starts presenting historical evidence, he is immediately interrupted. Another cliché is used: we should not go too far back in history. In other words, “historical memories” are accepted

“In all border crossing points we have established working groups. In Has, Kukës, Tropojë, Shkodër and Malësi e Madhe, our units are on guard.” KUKËS - The Albanian army and border police have drawn up a detailed plan to deal with as many possible moves by the Serbian army against Albanian lands as they can. Gëzim Goxhi, director general of the border police, told Gazeta Shqiptare in an interview that the secret plan is ready. He also confirmed that special groups have been set up in all the northern cities. According to him, working groups have been established in Has, Kukës, Tropojë, Shkodër and Malësi e Madhe, and they are ready at any moment. But he did not fail to stress that increased vigilance at the border has not meant neglecting the South and the Coast. “Our cooperation with the Italian forces has produced results. Soon we will establish a base on Sazan, which will put an end to every attempt to traffic weapons, drugs and refugees against their will. According to Goxhi, SHIK personnel have questioned and will continue to question refugees who cross the border and enter Kukës. ‘This is being done to find any terrorist element that the Serbs may have infiltrated among the refugees.’ All refugees arriving in Kukës after the serious events that have taken place, and may take place, in Kosovo are welcome. ‘Our doors are open, and they have always received a warm welcome from us.’ On page 5

Two factories reopen

Italian military personnel on trial over the victims of Otranto On page 7

A ray of hope for the people of Gjalliqca TIRANA - Gjalliqca is to resume operations. Besides the dental clinic in Tirana, which for more than a week has been run by a foreign agency appointed by the prosecutor’s office, the cement factory in Libohovë, Gjirokastër, and the brick factory in Durrës will also start operating. According to the chief supervisor of the transparency process, Farudin Arapi, the Albanian administrators have contacted the foreign companies that were supposed to deliver the machinery for these two factories. “Gjalliqca paid 5 million dollars for the machinery for these two factories, but the equipment has not been delivered complete.” At the end of the month, “Coppers & Lybrand’s,” the firm that won the tender to oversee the transparency process for the remaining Gjalliqca properties, will take charge. The firm won the tender to oversee the transparency process for 12 other pyramid schemes, including those of Sude, Populli, and Xhaferri. On page 8

PD: Without Gjatha, we leave Parliament TIRANA - PD is threatening to give up its parliamentary seats following the dismissal of Rustem Gjatha from his post as president of the Constitutional Court. The Democrats’ parliamentary group reacted sharply yesterday, three days after Gjatha was dismissed by a unanimous vote of Parliament, following the walkout of three PD deputies before the vote. Bëriisha warned that a police state more brutal than Hitler’s was being established, condemning the use of police violence against the president of the Constitutional Court. Genc Pollo, on behalf of the PD parliamentary group and the Union of the Centre Right, called for the unconstitutional decision to dismiss Gjatha to be repealed immediately. Otherwise, Pollo signaled that the opposition would take some of the most extreme positions it had ever taken. The decision consists of surrendering and declaring the parliamentary mandates invalid. Not only that, but Pollo also called for Bezhani to leave his post as head of the Commission for the Verification of Figures immediately, and even to face criminal prosecution. On page 3

IT HADN’T HAPPENED IN YEARS MAT - It seems the wonders among mammals never end. A woman has given birth to several twins at once; a mule has given birth to its foal in one of the villages of Librazhd, an event that occurs once every 400 years and is said to foretell a disaster for the whole village. But the strangest event, according to livestock specialists, has taken place in a village in Mat. A ewe has given birth to five lambs, and all of them are in good condition. The rare event took place in the village of Fullqet in the Mat district. The news was announced by livestock specialists from this district, who swear that the report is absolutely true. They also confirm that this is the first such occurrence in their entire district, and perhaps, for them, it may be unique in the whole country. The farmer, Elez Elezi, has had the great good fortune to have five lambs in his care and now has to think about what to do with them; of course, they cannot be kept in a museum. The specialists say that the newborns, born a few days ago, are in excellent health thanks to their farmer’s care, but from now on they will need particularly close attention. It is also confirmed that the last case of a ewe giving birth to more than two lambs at once occurred three years ago in the village of Zenisht, when four little ones were seen in the morning beside a ewe that had just given birth, though it is not known whether they lived long. In any case, the rarest event, which perhaps deserves a place in the Guinness Book of Records, is the one that occurred two years ago in a village in Librazhd, when a mule gave birth to its foal. According to prophets, this phenomenon, which recurs once every 400 years, foretells a disaster for the whole country, but it has not yet happened.

HEALTH On page 9

SHKODËR On page 6

TIRANË On page 5

ELBASAN On page 5

FOOTBALL / UEFA CUP TIRANË - The UEFA Cup has determined the semifinalists. Inter qualified by the skin of their teeth. For 120 minutes, the tenacious players saw only Paliuçi, who kept the ball out of the goal, reminding us of Helenio Herrera’s famous Catenaccio. Just one shot on target and they qualified. Ajax, who had been considered a contender, were eliminated by Spartak Moscow. On page 11 From the Schalke 04–Inter 1:1 match

“Did they kill deliberately?”

Yesterday, the opposition reacted