Former President Berisha called on NATO to intervene with troops in Kosovo to prevent Milosheviç from exterminating the Albanians The battle to defend the values for which the West committed itself cannot be won from the air; that battle can be won only by combining air power with ground troops ON PAGE 3

By Astrit PATOZI The Serbs appear to have fabricated a meeting between Rugova and Milosheviç and some statements by the President of Kosovo against NATO’s attacks, in order to deal a blow to the Albanians’ efforts for independence at a time when the noose is tightening around the Belgrade regime because of the attacks by the Atlantic allies. A few seconds of film footage, a photograph, and a film of a document said to have been signed by Milosheviç and Rugova were all the “evidence” served up by the Yugoslav services to make the “betrayal” of the President of Kosovo seem credible. The sensational news that dominated the world media yesterday, although it created a major stir in Albanian and international public opinion, was generally dismissed as untrue, somewhat upsetting Milosheviç’s calculations. The leader of the Albanian opposition, Sali Berisha, declared yesterday at noon that he believed Rugova was a prisoner of Milosheviç and that he considered the President of Kosovo a political prisoner. A few hours later, NATO Secretary General Havier Solana said he did not believe Rugova had said what he himself believed, implying that the Serbs had taken him hostage. Solana said that if Rugova had anything to say, he would have said it to him personally. Germany’s Defence Minister, Sharping, took the same position, denying all reports about a meeting between the President of Kosovo and Milosheviç and his statements against NATO’s bombings. A little later, and more firmly, State Department spokesman Rubin reacted, saying that nothing should be considered true as long as there had been no direct contact with Rugova himself. The American official said no judgment should be made about Rugova’s statements while his condition and status remained unknown. A thousand reasons not to believe There are a thousand reasons and dozens of facts that make Belgrade’s latest fabrication entirely unbelievable, while Ibrahim Rugova’s fate remains in question.

The Rugova-Millosheviç meeting, a fabrication by the Serbian secret services. Western diplomacy is unconvinced by the trick NATO Secretary General Solana, German Defence Minister Sharping, State Department spokesman Rubin and Western diplomats in Shkup express deep doubts about such a meeting. It is a Serbian fabrication. Only Moscow welcomes the “staging”.

Statement by the chairman of the PD, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, concerning the Rugova-Millosheviç meeting I consider President Rugova a hostage of the Balkan Pol Pot, and I do not believe we are dealing with another Krete Statement by the chairman of the PD, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, concerning the Rugova-Millosheviç meeting A UDB fabrication I consider President Rugova a hostage of the Balkan Pol Pot, and I do not believe we are dealing with another Krete First, I would like to repeat what I emphasized today at the press conference: based on the information available to me so far, I consider Mr. Rugova a politician who has been imprisoned, arrested by the Serbs, a leader held hostage; personally, I cannot accept as true any statement made by prisoners unless all the conditions and circumstances in which the statements were made have necessarily been clarified. I must recall once again that Mr. Rugova calls for «the Alliance to send as soon as possible the 12 thousand soldiers stationed in Macedonia, as well as another 20 thousand to Kosovo, to undertake the fighting»; he even goes so far as to say that it should “threaten the complete destruction of Serbia.” Under these circumstances, without confirmation from reliable Western sources about President Rugova’s state of health, it is difficult to believe that we are not dealing with a fabrication by Millosheviç and the police of

There are a thousand reasons and dozens of facts that make Belgrade’s latest fabrication entirely unbelievable, while Ibrahim Rugova’s fate remains in question. since there has been no direct contact with Vele Kllogova. Rugova’s statements while his condition and status remain First, it is unthinkable that the most consistent figure in the movement against Millosheviç would turn against the allies fighting for Kosovo’s future. For years, indeed becoming proverbial among journalists because he held a press conference every Friday, Rugova had continuously called for NATO forces to intervene in Kosovo. Meanwhile, just three days ago, the German magazine “Shpigel” interviewed him; in it, not only were the bombings welcomed, but urgent ground intervention by the troops of the Atlantic Alliance in Kosovo was also called for. On the other hand, the German magazine itself acknowledges that it has lost all contact with him, openly stating that Rugova has been arrested by the Serbs. On Wednesday morning, Pentagon sources announced that the President of Kosovo had been wounded and was in Serbian hands. Then, quite unexpectedly, in the evening an announcement appeared from Serbian sources claiming that Rugova was in his house, under the protection of Serbian police. Yugoslav state television showed footage of Rugova appearing calm before some journalists, while, according to hundreds of witnesses who had left Prishtina to escape the reprisals of Millosheviç’s army, his house had been shelled and destroyed on the third day of NATO’s attacks. So which house was presented as Rugova’s, and which journalists claimed that he had spoken English to the French news agency, when he speaks French perfectly and uses it to communicate with foreigners? As if to correct one mistake in their game, Belgrade’s media trans-/?januan një gabim në lojën e tyre, më në të e Rugovës më të fëngjisht, ku fliste atë herë anglisht. one mistake in their game, Belgrade’s media trans-?uan a më të fëngjisht, ku fliste atë herë anglisht. The first piece of evidence is that the footage presented by Serbian state television may be from last year, when Rugova and Millosheviç met in Belgrade, or, at best, may be a sophisticated montage by professionals. The suspicions were reinforced by the fact that only a few seconds were shown; if the meeting had been real, Serbian television would have broadcast lengthy footage across the world’s screens to make the news entirely credible. As for the signatures of Rugova and Millosheviç side by side, they are not at all proof; forgeries can be found, since dozens of serious document forgeries can be found in Tirana alone, and producing something similar would pose no problem. There is also another, slight possibility: that Rugova, taken hostage by Millosheviç’s security forces, was held before the propaganda cameras for a few moments. Bearing in mind the arrest of Qelali, who, as soon as he was mentioned, publicly declared that he “was ready to serve Turkey,” one can believe that every means was used against President Rugova to force him to act against his own Kosovo. Considering that the Serbs have also created major problems for NATO itself by exposing its services on the Internet, it is plausible that this whole affair, at the centre of which the President of Kosovo has been placed, is a sophisticated game by Millosheviç. (Continued on page 2)

“We knew this would happen soon. Millosheviç had been planning this for a long time. Imagine how we would feel if this happened and we did not act.” ON PAGE 4

Thousands expelled by the Serbian genocide are waiting to be evacuated from Kukës to other districts of the country People arriving from Kosovo have been left “stranded” in the district of Kukës. The government has taken no measures to distribute them among the other districts, while Prefect Çeço says: “I don’t even want to know what’s happening to the Kosovars.” ON PAGE 7

British Foreign Secretary Robin Kuk said on Thursday that, according to reports, a division has begun in the Serbian army over President Slobodan Millosheviç’s campaign against Albanians in Kosovo. Kuk emphasized at a press conference that Serbian forces in Kosovo are running out of ON PAGE 4

The Tirana municipality appeals to the Government to make a serious commitment to cope with the large influx of arrivals from Kosovo ON PAGE 7

It will take weeks to bring the bombings to an end ON PAGE 4

Thousands of Albanians demonstrate in Bern and Zurich ON PAGE 7

If you wish to contribute money for the exhausted children of Kosovo, you may send your donation to account number 34220/00/0376 at “Dardania Bank” in the name of the association: “Children of Kosovo, our children”.

To help those expelled from Kosovo, the newspaper “Rilindja Demokratike” is making its pages available free of charge for various notices, such as requests and offers concerning accommodation, messages from arrivals from Kosovo to other members of their families, etc. You are welcome to visit the editorial office or contact us using the telephone numbers provided: 303 29 and 323 55. THE EDITORIAL OFFICE