The United States and Europe now support the separation of the Albanians from Serbia Milošević is on the verge of capitulation, while the Albanians are close to their dream

Open letter addressed to the General Staff of the UÇK and its political representatives, Albanian leaders and the President of the Republic Now it remains for us to believe whether these people are killing, or whether the Serbs are killing and these people are killing them BY RAMIZ GJEBREA How am I to make sense of the truth amid the slanders and accusations against Mr. President of Kosovo, Mr. Bukoshi and Mr. Hadri! How am I to understand it, when Kosovars are still dying, when the Serbs are burning and killing and dragging our tragedy out in agony? Not a moment passes without the exhausting question leaving my mind: “Who are the enemies, starting with the Serbs and ending with some Albanian speakers from Kosovo?” Contradictory reports about President Ibrahim Rugova are spreading around the world. One loses the thread of Kosovo when Albanologists, Albanian scholars, journalists, opinion-makers and others speak and write. The Academy speaks and the radio network speaks, the serious press and the not-so-serious press speak, and on and on it goes. To Kosovo’s and Albanians’ great misfortune in general, our time is not the time of wolves, but of foxes and pen-pushers, of “analysts” and tongue-wielding heroes. The latter have taken Kosovo hostage, with words and with their posing as heroes. The Serbs cannot stop the spread of truth, but Albanians are helping to darken it. I am sorry to say it, but everything is being done to elevate slander to the skies and bury the truth. If you listen to certain voices and pens, the President of Kosovo is said to have betrayed the people, the government of Kosovo is said to lack legitimacy, and other such absurdities. But who benefits from this? Only Belgrade. Accusations without proof, insults without restraint, and a spirit of division serve the enemy. Instead of preserving political and national unity in a tragic moment, mud is being thrown at anyone who does not suit one group or another. This is historical irresponsibility. We do not have the luxury of quarreling over chairs, protagonism, political stalls, while the people of Kosovo are being massacred, expelled and exterminated before the eyes of the world. Whoever today attacks Kosovo’s representative figures with slander, even in the name of patriotism, must know that they are playing with the enemy’s fire. Kosovars need wisdom, discipline and responsibility. The UÇK needs support, not confusion. The President, the government, the political and military forces must have a common language in the face of Serbian barbarity. Every word that gives the enemy courage is a political and national sin. Therefore, tie the dogs that bark on behalf of Serbia. Stop the slanders, stop the intrigues, stop poisoning public opinion. Today Kosovo needs unity, not mudslinging. ON PAGE 2

The Municipality of Tirana shelters morals and deeds in the camping tents by the artificial lake ON PAGE 6

By Shtami PROSHI[?] The number of those expelled and those affected in the first days of the great exodus has thrown the Tirana government into disarray. In addition to the many forms of foreign aid, Albanians are trying to cope with the tragedy of Kosovo with their own strength. The government seems small in the face of the scale of the disaster and often behaves more like a distribution office than a state organizing a national rescue operation. In the hastily set up camps, at reception points, in transport and in the accommodation of families, the main burden is being borne by municipalities, associations, individuals and foreign aid. The central administration has lagged behind the pace of events. Coordination, information and rapid decision-making are lacking. In a situation like this, the government should have been the guiding nerve of the whole operation, not a structure that merely follows events. The people are showing admirable solidarity; the state must show responsibility and organization.

The prefects have appropriated the lists of arrivals in order to manipulate them Topalli no longer has the Pope’s special envoy Cordez The Holy See pr[?]ays for Kosovo ON PAGE 3

The Italian opposition is on the side of the Albanian nation Yesterday during the early hours of the morning, the Democratic Party, PDSI, whose central headquarters is in Rome, as well as the Popular Christian Democratic Party, held a telephone conversation with the former Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi. At the center of this telephone conversation were the recent dramatic developments in Kosovo, the just and heroic struggle of the Kosovars for freedom. Also discussed in this telephone conversation was the solidarity of the Italian opposition with the Albanian people and with the families expelled from Kosovo. Silvio Berlusconi said that the Italian opposition considers the Kosovo issue to be a matter of special importance for peace and security in the region and that it will contribute to the political and humanitarian support of the Albanians. ON PAGE 4

Kosovo is dividing the admiration of the Albanian nation The Albanian nation today stands at a crossroads. How can the unprotected be defended, how can the expelled be sheltered, how can one stand up to barbarism without losing reason? In this great trial, the weaknesses of Albanian politics are also coming to light. Instead of full solidarity, disputes, rivalries and petty party calculations are appearing on the scene. The tragedy of Kosovo should have united everyone; instead, it is also bringing to light the old divisions between the democrats and their opponents. Nevertheless, Albanian public opinion remains largely united on one point: the Kosovars must be saved and Serbia must be stopped. This is the standard by which every political force is judged.

The policy of Milošević’s government is being used as an argument in its anti-Albanian propaganda. 27 organizations such as “Azione per i bambini del Kosovo”, whose president is Marco Corradini, “Tavolo per la pace in Kosovo”, “Tavolo di coordinamento delle organizzazioni umanitarie del Trentino e dei Balcani”, etc., have sent an open letter to the Pope and to the Italian public opinion. The letter states that the campaign to destroy the Kosovo Albanians is not only military, but also moral, media-based and political. Many circles are trying to portray the tragedy of the Albanians as a vague war between equal sides, hiding the fact of ethnic cleansing. The letter from the Italian organizations condemns this attitude and calls for a more determined commitment from the Holy See in defense of the people of Kosovo. The authors ask that the Pope listen to the voice of the victims and not allow the evil that is happening in Kosovo to be relativized. They stress that the Albanian people are paying with blood and mass expulsion the price of their freedom and dignity.

Omnisists review the Albanian state, with “undesirable criticism and conflict” The article deals with the attitude of a minority association toward the Albanian state and with the way this association tries to present itself as the representative voice of a broader community. The author criticizes the language used, the exclusionary tone and the tendency to delegitimize Albanian institutions at an exceptional national moment. According to the article, part of public discourse is sliding toward stigmatization and division, precisely at a time when Albanian society should be showing maturity, self-restraint and unity. This is called a moral transformation, because it draws attention away from the tragedy of Kosovo and replaces it with narrow identity-based polemics. In the end it is emphasized that pluralism cannot be turned into a tool of division against the national interest and that criticism has value only when it is not made into a weapon in the hands of anti-Albanian propaganda. Sam NEZHA

Visit: www.albaniaonline.net (see p. 8)