Government: Firm 2K to be included in the transparency process Page 2

BY ANDI BEJTJA Yesterday, for the first time, the parliament elected on 22 March convened in Kosovo, and Rugova was sworn in as President of the Republic of Kosovo, in an effort to strengthen his position, which has slipped considerably since the KLA appeared on the scene and after the US gave the latter a “semi-official” legalization. With this step, Rugova and the party he leads have thought more about bringing the KLA under control and presenting it as the army of the republic than about the functioning of Kosovo’s institutions. This may be considered his last chance to wield effective power and, at the same time, his last chance for his words to carry weight in future talks with the Serbs. But the KLA has made it clear that it will not only refuse to accept Rugova as its leader, but also does not recognize the elections of 22 March. The KLA, which now controls almost half of Kosovo’s territory, has stressed that the first elections in Kosovo will be held only after Kosovo has been completely liberated. Despite this, it can be said that the KLA’s emergence on the scene has reactivated Rugova’s passive pacifism and turned it into active pacifism. It is quite possible that the Kosovo Government in exile will now conduct its activities in Pristina, and that Albanian taxpayers will pay their revenues into Kosovo’s coffers rather than Yugoslavia’s. But yesterday, from a “historic day,” could turn into a “day of trouble” if the KLA, Rugova and the other political elements in Kosovo’s public life do not reach an understanding and coordinate their actions with one another. After all, the key to peace or war in Kosovo is now held neither by Rugova nor by Milošević alone; the key to Kosovo seems to be in the hands of the KLA. It would be ridiculous for Kosovo’s parliament to carry on its daily business while the army controlling half the territory watched it through binoculars. On the other hand, reliable sources report that even within the KLA itself there are factions with differing political orientations. If these forces fail to cooperate, there is a strong possibility that Kosovo, even if liberated, could become a mini-Afghanistan where Albanians will kill one another. The best outcome would be harmony and a common policy, but if this cannot be achieved, one Albanian should make way for another. And this Albanian would undoubtedly also need to receive a blessing from abroad.

Ibrahim Rugova leaving the parliament headquarters in Pristina yesterday Photo REUTERS Ibrahim Rugova leaving the parliament headquarters in Pristina yesterday. Photo REUTERS

KLA like the committees against Berisha P. 5

Nano’s Mercedes in Montenegro P. 7

Here is how 100 million lekë were distributed P. 3

Berisha and the DP, on the boulevard P. 2

Counterfeit dollars coming from Switzerland P. 7

Teta contradicts the PS parliamentary group: “I have not received a single penny” Deputy Interior Minister details the rewards The heads of the Ministry of Public Order received the rewards, but everything was within the law. This was stated yesterday by Deputy Minister Ilir Çano, who reacted indignantly to the accusations by Socialist MPs that he and his colleagues had never broken the law. The very law those MPs themselves passed. “The rewards were distributed according to the criteria set out in a decision of the Council of Ministers,” Çano explained. P. 3