Yugoslav aircraft enter 15 kilometers into Albania After meeting with Yeltsin, Milošević declares: I will not withdraw the army from Kosovo Pages 5–6

BY BLENDI FEVZIU The Kremlin has once again dashed the international community’s hopes for a diplomatic solution to the Kosovo crisis. Milošević and Yeltsin, leaders with similar political beginnings, have signed a bilateral agreement which, as expected, but contrary to what had been hoped, has only further complicated the explosive situation in the southern Balkans. According to the Kremlin document, Milošević undertakes to meet most of the international community’s demands, but leaves the main one unresolved. The Yugoslav Army will not withdraw from Kosovo, and the special police units will not limit their operations. In other words, the massacre in Kosovo will continue, and the region will remain constantly threatened by a conflict… by rockets and tank barrels. Yesterday’s agreement appears to have shaken Euro-Atlantic policy. Instead of applying pressure for a real solution, Russia has given Milošević the chance to lightly touch up his policy, making it more appealing to a nostalgic Europe. In truth, things could hardly have gone otherwise, considering that the political delegitimization of the Serbs in Kosovo could create a series of problems for Russia on its own territory, including Chechnya. But Milošević’s crude maneuver, repeated for four years in Bosnia, has not been met with praise. Yesterday, the United States was the harshest in its criticism of him. From Albright through to Clinton, official Washington has declared the agreement insufficient and set the withdrawal of troops as an unquestionable objective. After the Yeltsin illusion, the US position may be closer than ever to the British one, according to which creating a security belt along the Albanian-Yugoslav border is a failed undertaking. This security belt is useful only at the outset, while the violence is still localized. Its massive outbreak and the intensification of the policy of ethnic cleansing will undoubtedly force Albania to enter the war, regardless of the allied tanks that will be warming up on a hot day in the mountains of Tropoja. Albania’s involvement would mean war following Macedonia, recreating the terrifying picture of the 1913 Balkan War. The only solution proposed by Prime Minister Blair is military intervention in Kosovo and the establishment of peace precisely at the heart of the fire. Likewise, yesterday’s meeting and Milošević’s statement have harmed Rugova’s policy more than anyone else’s. Kosovars are convinced that the peaceful path is dead and that the only chance left is armed confrontation. Indeed, the extent to which the attacks intensify will determine whether there is outside intervention. In this case, assistance from the US and Western Europe will help preserve Kosovo on its path to independence and will produce casualty figures like those in Croatia and Bosnia.

Attack at sea on Lebanese smuggling ship International network; caught after a month-long pursuit. The goods are worth 5 million dollars Customs police forces intercepted yesterday in the early morning, when it had entered 2 miles into our national waters, the Lebanese ship “Lucky Mar,” owned by the company of the same name. It was sailing under the Cambodian flag and carrying around 150 tons of smuggled cigarettes in its holds. The entire quantity of cigarettes is worth around USD 5 million. Prizren, a Serbian soldier shows journalists a KLA uniform. Photo REUTERS

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The second case in three weeks; a network is suspected Page 6

They are on Milan’s lists; they have dealt in arms Page 7

Here is Albania’s strength Page 3 Three arrested; they had customs, ministry, and other seals Super-forgers uncovered Page 7