RENEA also handcuffs Zef Gjoni: PD: “Political act” Page 7

BY ANDI BEJTJA The Serbian government recently invited representatives of Kosovo’s Albanians to an open and unconditional dialogue to find a solution to the Kosovo issue. But Serbia also stressed that the dialogue must be based on the country’s Constitution, the Constitution that deprived Kosovo in 1989 of the autonomy it had enjoyed since 1974. The Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova has still not responded to the Serbian appeal, while he has called for the dialogue to be held in the presence of an authoritative third party, which could be the US or the Contact Group. Serbia also announced that it would not accept third-party mediation and rejected the planned mission of former Spanish Prime Minister Filipe Gonzales as the OSCE’s envoy. Milošević is exploiting every small opening left by the indecision and divergences of the international community to wash away the bloodshed with diplomacy, avoid a further tightening of sanctions, and continue holding the keys to the Balkans. The Serbian invitation, despite the refusal to accept mediation and dialogue based on the Constitution, has placed Kosovo’s Albanian leaders in a difficult position on both sides. If they do not respond positively to the invitation, this will not be well received by international public opinion and would give Serbia a strong hand in advancing its claim that it is the Albanians who do not want dialogue. This move could complicate the Contact Group’s future positions in support of the Albanian cause. On the other hand, Rugova’s participation in dialogue with the Serbs would create great discontent among the Albanian population, which at every rally has shouted more for the KLA than for Rugova. And the KLA’s latest statement, published in the press, itself “condemns the destructive and extremely harmful, demobilizing and intimidating policy of the legal political leaders in Kosovo and calls on them, as well as the political groups, the government, etc., to immediately join the side of the armed struggle being waged by the KLA.” At present Rugova and all of Kosovo’s official political leadership are between two fires: on one side the Serbian invitation and on the other the KLA’s call. Dialogue with the Serbs is, in principle, welcome, but given the conditions they have set, the only issue that could be resolved is Albanian-language education for Albanians—a solution that would not satisfy the Albanians, especially now after the Serbian massacre in Drenica and the other villages. It is quite possible that if Rugova takes this step, his people will misunderstand him, also calling his future as a politician into question. But Rugova cannot support the KLA either. Two paths remain for Rugova: either he will lose his people and win the applause of the international community, which he has never lacked, or he will win his people and lose the support of the international community. The card of the status quo, which he has played so well in recent years, can no longer be played.

NATO, intervention in the event of a crisis P. 3

Kosovo: No to Serbia’s game P. 5

Appeal shows mercy to Mazreku P. 6 Indictment for former prison director Eight years behind bars for Zani’s brother P. 7 Analyses from Tirana reveal the deadly virus AIDS reaches Gramsh too P. 10

Page 32 The demonstration outside the Yugoslav Embassy in Tirana, when the diplomats’ fear began. Photo G. SHKULLAKU

Democrats’ phone calls to reinstate the PLL leader PD, a “friend” to the king over Durollari After the dismissal of the legalists’ chairman, Berisha’s party leaders begin negotiations. Leka I does not accept the demands The Democrats are trying at all costs to keep the “dethroned” chairman of the PLL, Guri Durollari, on the “throne.” The legalists’ steering committee, also making use of a fax sent by King Leka, decided a few days ago to remove Durollari from his post for good and to convene an extraordinary congress on April 12. P. 2