PREŠEVO -- Ethnic Albanians from Serbia's southern regions intend to celebrate Kosovo's unilateral secession today.
Source: B92, Beta
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But local Albanians say the celebrations will be "particularly spectacular" in the large, ethnically pure Albanian villages along the administrative line with Kosovo.
For this reason, Albanian, U.S., and EU flags were in great demand in the area in the past days, reports say.
A delegation of Albanian political leaders from the Preševo Valley municipalities was in Priština Saturday, where they meet the province's president, Fatmir Sejdiu.
A statement after the meeting said Sejdiu advised them to "solve their problems and needs within the institutions of Serbia."
When they returned to Preševo, the Albanian leaders held a four-hour closed door meeting. From it, they sent a message to their compatriots "not to fall for provocations and not to make a single gesture that could lead to destabilization".
But most of the local Albanian officials, and several hundred citizens, have yesterday and today left for Priština and Gnjilane, expecting Kosovo Albanians' unilateral declaration of independence today.
The region along the administrative line with Kosovo is patrolled by the Serbian Army, VS, and MUP's Gendarmerie on one, and KFOR on the other side.
After the 1999 war, NATO made the area, known as the Ground Safety Zone, off-bounds to the Serbian forces.
But after an armed Albanian gang, the so-called Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac, UCPMB – an offshoot of the KLA – made the buffer zone their base for attacking Serbian policemen and civilians in the Valley, but also international officials in Kosovo, the army and MUP were asked to move back in.
An internationally brokered peace deal in 2001 disarmed the UCPMB, and established a series of trust building measures. But analysts believe that the area remains volatile and heavily influenced by the Kosovo situation.
Now it is time for Serbia to brace REAL PEACE. Kosova's independent was unavoidable and we have talked long about the roots of the problem. It is a reality that the Albanians have no ambitions of "Greater Albania". I really think it is an old fashioned way of thinking as it is "Velica Serbia".
"Balkan without borders" would be the first step towards the European Union and respect of minority rights in respective countries. As you might be aware in Macedonia the ethnic Albanians have signed a peace agreement with the Slavo-Macedonians. To my understanding co-existance there is going well there and of course there are many issues to address. Similar standards can be applied for the Serbian minority in the independent Kosova and Albanian minority in Preseva, Bujanov and Medvegja. So we have to great experiences in front of us. Firstly Ohri agreement and Ahtisari Plan for a supervised independent Kosova.
(EA, 17 February 2008 21:39)
These Albanians do not have to live behind barbed wire to survive and have not had most of their homes and property usurped. For these Albanians to have the same "rights" and treatement of Kosovo Serbs would mean ethnically cleansing half of them and and moving Serbs into their homes. Then finally it would mean surrounding them by guards and barbed wire. On paper they could have the same rights as Kosovo Serbs.
Kosovo Serbs are 1,000 times more repressed and without practiced rights than these Albanians who have it well.
(ida, 17 February 2008 18:02)
EA, on this issue I agree with you. I've been calling for strong - if not altogether separate - Serb institutions in Kosovo. But it would be hypocritical were the same policies in Kosovo not applied elsewhere.
In all actuality, an international conference on all of Southeastern Europe should have been held to discuss this. Ethnic problems are present in many places other than Kosovo, and while we're busy trying to figure out what to do there, other places are keenly watching and wondering "why not us too?" Both Albanians are Serbs are setting a dangerous precedent: Albanians for carving their own state around their ethnic demographics, and Serbs for creating political institutions around theirs.
In this regard, there should have been an region-wide agreement to deal with the "ethnic problem" in Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and Montengegro altogether. Our attempt at trying to put out a fire in Kosovo may only have moved the sparks elsewhere. Who wants to be back at the negotiating table a year from now trying to deal with another flare up? Everything should have been taken care of at once.
(Mike, 17 February 2008 17:55)
The Albanians living in Preseva, Bujanovc and Medvegja should have the same rights as the Kosova's Serbs will have as envisaged under President Ahtisari Package. There would be no problems in the Balkans after solving this very last paradox.
(EA, 17 February 2008 16:02)
These Albanians do not have to live behind barbed wire to survive and have not had most of their homes and property usurped. For these Albanians to have the same "rights" and treatement of Kosovo Serbs would mean ethnically cleansing half of them and and moving Serbs into their homes. Then finally it would mean surrounding them by guards and barbed wire. On paper they could have the same rights as Kosovo Serbs.
Kosovo Serbs are 1,000 times more repressed and without practiced rights than these Albanians who have it well.
(ida, 17 February 2008 18:02)
The Albanians living in Preseva, Bujanovc and Medvegja should have the same rights as the Kosova's Serbs will have as envisaged under President Ahtisari Package. There would be no problems in the Balkans after solving this very last paradox.
(EA, 17 February 2008 16:02)
EA, on this issue I agree with you. I've been calling for strong - if not altogether separate - Serb institutions in Kosovo. But it would be hypocritical were the same policies in Kosovo not applied elsewhere.
In all actuality, an international conference on all of Southeastern Europe should have been held to discuss this. Ethnic problems are present in many places other than Kosovo, and while we're busy trying to figure out what to do there, other places are keenly watching and wondering "why not us too?" Both Albanians are Serbs are setting a dangerous precedent: Albanians for carving their own state around their ethnic demographics, and Serbs for creating political institutions around theirs.
In this regard, there should have been an region-wide agreement to deal with the "ethnic problem" in Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and Montengegro altogether. Our attempt at trying to put out a fire in Kosovo may only have moved the sparks elsewhere. Who wants to be back at the negotiating table a year from now trying to deal with another flare up? Everything should have been taken care of at once.
(Mike, 17 February 2008 17:55)
Now it is time for Serbia to brace REAL PEACE. Kosova's independent was unavoidable and we have talked long about the roots of the problem. It is a reality that the Albanians have no ambitions of "Greater Albania". I really think it is an old fashioned way of thinking as it is "Velica Serbia".
"Balkan without borders" would be the first step towards the European Union and respect of minority rights in respective countries. As you might be aware in Macedonia the ethnic Albanians have signed a peace agreement with the Slavo-Macedonians. To my understanding co-existance there is going well there and of course there are many issues to address. Similar standards can be applied for the Serbian minority in the independent Kosova and Albanian minority in Preseva, Bujanov and Medvegja. So we have to great experiences in front of us. Firstly Ohri agreement and Ahtisari Plan for a supervised independent Kosova.
(EA, 17 February 2008 21:39)
The Albanians living in Preseva, Bujanovc and Medvegja should have the same rights as the Kosova's Serbs will have as envisaged under President Ahtisari Package. There would be no problems in the Balkans after solving this very last paradox.
(EA, 17 February 2008 16:02)
Now it is time for Serbia to brace REAL PEACE. Kosova's independent was unavoidable and we have talked long about the roots of the problem. It is a reality that the Albanians have no ambitions of "Greater Albania". I really think it is an old fashioned way of thinking as it is "Velica Serbia".
"Balkan without borders" would be the first step towards the European Union and respect of minority rights in respective countries. As you might be aware in Macedonia the ethnic Albanians have signed a peace agreement with the Slavo-Macedonians. To my understanding co-existance there is going well there and of course there are many issues to address. Similar standards can be applied for the Serbian minority in the independent Kosova and Albanian minority in Preseva, Bujanov and Medvegja. So we have to great experiences in front of us. Firstly Ohri agreement and Ahtisari Plan for a supervised independent Kosova.
(EA, 17 February 2008 21:39)
EA, on this issue I agree with you. I've been calling for strong - if not altogether separate - Serb institutions in Kosovo. But it would be hypocritical were the same policies in Kosovo not applied elsewhere.
In all actuality, an international conference on all of Southeastern Europe should have been held to discuss this. Ethnic problems are present in many places other than Kosovo, and while we're busy trying to figure out what to do there, other places are keenly watching and wondering "why not us too?" Both Albanians are Serbs are setting a dangerous precedent: Albanians for carving their own state around their ethnic demographics, and Serbs for creating political institutions around theirs.
In this regard, there should have been an region-wide agreement to deal with the "ethnic problem" in Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and Montengegro altogether. Our attempt at trying to put out a fire in Kosovo may only have moved the sparks elsewhere. Who wants to be back at the negotiating table a year from now trying to deal with another flare up? Everything should have been taken care of at once.
(Mike, 17 February 2008 17:55)
These Albanians do not have to live behind barbed wire to survive and have not had most of their homes and property usurped. For these Albanians to have the same "rights" and treatement of Kosovo Serbs would mean ethnically cleansing half of them and and moving Serbs into their homes. Then finally it would mean surrounding them by guards and barbed wire. On paper they could have the same rights as Kosovo Serbs.
Kosovo Serbs are 1,000 times more repressed and without practiced rights than these Albanians who have it well.
(ida, 17 February 2008 18:02)