The Kosovo Liberation Army arrives at Mejdani’s office. The head of the Albanian delegation at Rambouillet and, at the same time, one of the KLA’s most prominent voices, Hashim Thaçi, spent more than an hour at the office of the President of the Albanian state in a meeting which, judging by the way it was organized and what was said inside, cannot exactly be considered secret, but was in a way very mysterious. Yesterday evening the Presidency issued a reserved statement to the press while the meeting between Thaçi, Mejdani and Dokle was still under way, making known only a few episodes from the start of the conversation, which was mostly courtesies. Afterwards, none of the Presidency officials provided explanations about what had been discussed; Thaçi himself also remained very tight-lipped. It was learned late that Mejdani had insisted during the meeting that the Albanians of Kosovo should .... On page 3

EDITORIAL The continuing Serbian obstructionism in the negotiating process and the-

Many Americans, including people from Kosovo in Congress, were surprised that the Albanian leaders did not take the initiative to put Millosheviç in a corner. Secretary of State Medlin Ollbrajt repeatedly told the media that the Serbian delegation had taken a stubborn and obstructionist position in the talks and did not want to make any significant compromises. Most of the Albanian leaders in France understood that unless there was a compromise allowing NATO forces to implement the interim agreement, there was little room for compromise on the issue of the level of Serbian forces, including the language about a referendum in the agreement itself. Some extremists, whose motives are questionable, opposed any compromises and, by doing so, weakened international support for the Albanians and strengthened Millosheviç’s position. In fact, I have no doubt that their indecisiveness in the final days at Rambouillet stalled a process that seemed to be leading toward air strikes against Serbian military targets. But even in the situation we are in now, it cannot be said that everything is lost yet. Continued Serbian obstructionism in the negotiating process and the buildup of forces by Beograd in recent days around the border of Kosovo may again push the United States and its allies to the brink of carrying out air strikes, if Kosovo’s Albanian leaders quickly agree to the final agreement, according to the Contact Group’s plan. As a longtime friend of the Albanians, with decades of political experience, I want to stress that difficult decisions are never easy. True leaders are those who can decide what is best for their people when the situation is not black and white. And so I would tell those who are, and those who intend to become, leaders of Kosovo that great courage is needed to decide to sign a substantial, though imperfect, document that gives their people most of what they need, but not everything. It is not called compromise simply to reject such an agreement and leave your people to pay the price. I hope Kosovo’s leaders will put their people first, without thinking about their position, power or personal gain. The years ahead may not be easy, but they could gain a great deal of freedom and prosperity.

Sokol Bare joins his side. PETRO KOÇI GROWS STRONGER. [Photo 1]

GJIROKASTËR They said “yes” to each other at the age of 70. An elderly couple who had been living in a care home for years tied the knot at the civil registry office. Evangjela, 67, will no longer bear the surname Mak-shi, but will take that of her husband, Jaho Agos, 71. On page 17

TIRANE/ The damaged painting is kept in the basement It was the early years of the 20th century and, quite by chance, the painter who had been dead for around five centuries made his way to Albania. In fact, it was one of his paintings. “The Wandering Jew,” whose fate, like in the story of the Bible, seemed to be to wander the world. On pages 12–13

Rules 1. Keep this copy of the newspaper with your competition number. 2. The game numbers are published every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and this week also on Sunday. 3. On Monday, 8 March, the third draw will be held on TV KLAN for a trip for 2 people to ITALY and 2 SCHENGEN visas. • More information on the inside pages of the newspaper. Shqiptare is giving you ITALY Your competition number for today SERIES EF 133186

HASHIM THAÇI FROM PARIS TO TIRANA. OLLBRAJT: I AM WORKING FOR KOSOVO’S INDEPENDENCE

Former senator and former U.S. presidential candidate