Police did not bring a prisoner from Kosovo into the courtroom ON PAGE 4

Empty cards that are recharged and put back on the market ON PAGE 5

The arrest of 20 Albanians from Kosovo is a service to Millosheviç ON PAGE 4

President Rugova’s appeal: “Save the people of Kosovo!” The President of Kosovo thanks Italy for his release. The Italian Prime Minister: Ibrahim Rugova is the symbol of the suffering of the Albanian people of Kosovo ON PAGE 2

By Astrit PATOZI The release of President Rugova and his arrival in Rome enthused the most important Western chanceries and stirred the forces of the Tirana community and their Marxist allies in Kosovo. Greetings for the “moderate Albanian leader of Kosovo” immediately arrived from Washington, London, Paris and Bonn, while the majority in Tirana either lowered their voices and swallowed their stifling silence, or struggled to express yet another defeat of their own. Rugova’s arrival in Italy, together with his family, was experienced by the USA and Europe as a victory more important than the many successes over Yugoslavia, demonstrating that the West had finally managed to stand by the principles it had failed to uphold toward the Albanians of Kosovo. The American President himself, Bill Klinton, described Rugova’s release as an important historic event, using superlatives in his assessment of Rugova. The Americans expressed greater enthusiasm for the liberation of the President of Kosovo than for the release of the seven-year-old UÇK member, held for years in Macedonia by Millosheviç’s Serbian commandos. Immediately after Klinton’s greeting, invitations for Rugova arrived from London and Paris, accompanied by the highest praise for Kosovo’s leader, showing that his captivity by Belgrade had become a major event for Western diplomacy. The profound contrast between the way the USA and Europe experienced Rugova’s release and the negative emotions of the Marxists in Tirana and the “Rogner” government, which claims to be directing the Albanians of Kosovo, is in fact the latter’s own drama. Now that Rugova is once again a great friend of the Americans, British, French, Germans and Italians, the wretched position of all those who rushed to anathematize and declare the President of Kosovo a traitor is plain to see. The senior officials in Tirana and their partners in the self-proclaimed government of Hashim Thaqi must now explain to the Albanians why they hurried to insult and threaten Ibrahim Rugova with punishment, while the person they had insulted was being held captive. If Minister Pandeli Majko now has to apologize for calling the President of Kosovo irresponsible, or stand by his words, this is at a time when the US President, Klinton, has spoken to the leader about his release, while in Tirana the leader is said to want to bring lists of terrorists, to be at the edge of his war and to complain as if [text unclear]. [Parts of the text are unclear in the image.] [Illegible/unclear text] His freedom and political activity have been restored; it is only right to hope that during this year—which did not begin long ago with his stigmatization and with Hamza being named as a witness—[text unclear] the announcement of Hashim Thaqi’s provisional government. Everyone, and all patriots of this kind of [unclear] are now being called upon, not only because they face a free Rugova, but also, together with him, the most important Western chanceries, which support the elected President of the Albanians of Kosovo. The present silence of Medain, Gjinushi, Majko or Milo, not to mention the “leaders” of the bus parties Ceka and Godo, cannot conceal their discredit before Albanian and international public opinion. Their entire success against Rugova was fully motivated by the fact that the President of Kosovo has been a symbol of anti-communism and of the independence line, which he defended over time with unparalleled consistency. The political adventurers who seek to monopolize the Kosovo Liberation Army’s war, while excluding its political authority, kept Rugova captive; they [unclear] and hope to displace and eliminate the political force that overturned Kosovo’s status quo under Serbia and communism. By treating Ibrahim Rugova as if he were already dead, the “Rogner” government officials and their inspectors in Tirana thought they could remove from Kosovo’s political scene the LDK, the first anti-communist party in all of Eastern Europe. But in all their attempts to cast a shadow over the President of Kosovo, they have been punished by the coldness of those who have consistently regarded Rugova as a captive in his own garden, first seen on television controlled by Milosheviçi in Belgrade. In their determination to attack Rugova’s image at all costs, Tirana’s communists and Kosovo’s Marxists have surpassed even the Serbs, who hated and despised him, since they were unable to celebrate a victory by exploiting their captive. Milosheviç surely decided to release Rugova after learning that all the tricks to discredit him among Albanians and internationally had failed. The only people whom the international community has found [text unclear] the Albanian government? [Parts of the text are unclear in the image.] This is a kind of rhetoric and, ultimately, an ephemeral question, while one thing is always clear: has the time come for the Albanians of Kosovo and their President to seek out the problems between the Albanians of Kosovo and their President, or has the time come to seek international cooperation with other countries?

Albanians from Kosovo will not be allowed to settle in the cities of southern Albania The Majko government submits to Athens ON PAGE 3 The US President welcomes the release of the President of Kosovo Klinton holds Rugova in high regard The State Department invites Rugova to Washington. Rugova is also invited by Cook and Verdinë ON PAGE 2 Ibrahim Rugova and Bill Klinton

Berisha: “I look forward to meeting President Rugova” Rugova, a dignified representative of the Albanians’ aspirations for independence ON PAGE 3

Kosovo’s Ministry of Defence welcomes the President’s release Rugova, symbol of the unity of the forces in Kosovo The Ministry of Defence expresses its determination to continue fulfilling its constitutional obligations under the legitimate leadership of President Rugova On the occasion of the release from house arrest of the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, and his departure for Italy, we express our congratulations and hope that the possibility will open up to reactivate the struggle for Kosovo’s liberation and independence. The Ministry of Defence of Kosovo wishes the President, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, good health and a long life in this political-institutional state of Kosovo, as well as respect for Kosovo’s legitimate institutions, which have been [unclear] an important part of the equation in various ways during the time President Rugova was a hostage of Millosheviç’s regime. The Ministry of Defence once again expresses its determination to continue its work in fulfilling its constitutional obligations under the legitimate leadership of President Rugova and the other institutions of the Republic of Kosovo.

Today, 237 days since the murder of the December Leader Every day that passes since the murder of Azem Hajdari, the symbol of democracy and pluralism, proves the involvement of Fatos Nano’s government and its failure to bring to light the crime that shook the entire Albanian world. The government of the former communists, which leaves free and unpunished the criminals who took the life of the December Leader, shows Albanians that it has been and remains on the side of the murderers, whose names are known but are not mentioned by those in power. Democrats and all Albanians who loved and honoured Azem Hajdari can in no way tolerate this crime. The government must either arrest the criminals and bring them to justice, or publicly declare that it itself committed the murder of Azem Hajdari.

If you wish to make a monetary contribution for the exhausted children of Kosovo, you may deposit your amount into 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 for accommodation, messages from arrivals from Kosovo to other members of their families, etc. You are welcome to visit the editorial office or contact us by calling the numbers made available: 303 29 and 323 55. THE EDITORIAL OFFICE