Tirana-Belgrade, Difficulties of Making the First Step
AIM Tirana, December 19, 2000
After diplomatic relations were established between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Bosnia on December 15, there are no countries in the region or on the European continent with which Belgrade has no diplomatic relations except Albania. The question becomes even more interesting when one has in mind that direct mutual problems that exist between Bosnia and the FRY are linked to the war in the past decade and that they are much graver than those existing between Albania and the FRY. However, it is a fact that there are still no diplomatic relations between these two countries since March 25, 1999, when Belgrade broke off relations with four member states of NATO and Albania after the beginning of the NATO air strikes against Serbia.
The fact that Kostunica has managed to overcome internal difficulties linked to the establishment of diplomatic relations with four NATO member states, the USA, Great Britain, Germany and France, and then with Slovenia and Bosnia, but still has not surmounted the problems that prevent making this step towards Albania speaks of the climate of mistrust which exists between the two capitals and which appears to be the greatest obstacle to taking this first step. A review of the signals and statements between the two parties indicates that Yugoslav foreign minister Goran Svilanovic speaks of "re-establishment of full diplomatic relations" or "revival of diplomatic relations" without ever mentioning their interruption. On the other hand, officially and factually there are no diplomatic relations at all and Albanian officials clearly specify that this is a matter of new establishment of diplomatic relations.
Along with the readiness to establish diplomatic relations with the FRY, the leaders of Albania have expressed their stand that Yugoslav leadership should take the initiative since Belgrade was the one that had broken them off. The leaders from Belgrade also repeated their readiness to establish diplomatic relations with Albania and they have not expressed any complaint concerning the demand that the first step be made by them because that is how they have acted when the mentioned NATO member states were concerned. Yugoslav federal government has finally, in the end of November, reached the decision to open the Hani i Hotit (Bozaj) border crossing between Albania and Montenegro and stressed this decision as proof of its good will towards Albania. However, Tirana has not reacted to this welcomed decision which is indeed formal because the Hani and Hotit border crossing has not only already become a reality last spring thanks to the agreement between Albania and Montenegro, but so did free movement of the people between the two countries regardless of the fact that Milosevic was still in power.
Although officially no conditions have been imposed, it is a fact that both the parties have in one way or another stipulated certain conditions for re-establishment of diplomatic relations. President of Albania Rexhep Meidani insisted the most in this sense in his speech held at the summit conference of the countries of the region on October 25 in Skopje where president Kostunica participated for the first time, having stated a few requirements when Belgrade is concerned such as the release of political prisoners, tracking down the persons disappeared during the war in Kosovo, condemnation of Milosevic's policy of ethnic cleansing and extradition of the officials implicated in the crimes to the International Tribunal in the Hague, and even compensation for the damage inflicted by Serbian raids on the territory of Albania and mining of a part of it in the north of the country.
Later on, other high officials of Albania, the Prime Minister and the foreign minister, presented Albanian demands in a milder diplomatic form. During their visit to Pristina on December 6, prime minister Ilir Meta expressed his wish that the new president in Belgrade show that he would pursue a completely different policy than his predecessor and that there would be substantial changes in the internal and foreign policy in Belgrade. He linked the development of relations between Tirana and Belgrade to the progress of democratic development in Belgrade, but set no conditions.
New leaders of the FRY repeated their readiness for the establishment of relations but it was followed by a demand that Tirana use its influence on political protagonists in Kosovo. In his first statement addressed to Tirana on November 7, foreign minister Svilanovic declared that the establishment of relations was needed because of the influence Tirana had on Kosovo. This was interpreted in Tirana as a concealed condition, which was quite inappropriate. On several occasions official Tirana replied to Belgrade that the question of Kosovo was not an issue to be discussed by Serbia and Albania, but that it was a business of the Kosovars themselves. In a statement given to the Albanian news agency on December 3, Yugoslav foreign minister demanded "continuation of the discussion concerning diplomatic relations", which implies meeting of a condition before their re-establishment.
It is a fact that the question of Kosovo, regardless of the opposed stands of Tirana and Belgrade concerning its future is an extremely heavy burden on the relations between the two states and there are forecasts that they will very sharply clash in various international organisations and institutions concerning this problem in the future.
Albanian foreign minister Milo rejected the proposal of Yugoslav foreign minister Svilanovic that countries of the region - Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece - become the guarantors of the final status of Kosovo. Yugoslav foreign minister believes that this is "a regional approach which will lead to a definite solution".
"Kosovo is not a regional issue but an international one", Milo said. "The countries of the region have neither the possibilities nor the means to become the guarantors for such a delicate question".
If the circumstances of re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries are taken into account, one can say that Tirana has more difficulties concerning the internal public opinion. In Serbia there is no expressed public opposition to the establishment of diplomatic relations with Albania, but in Tirana political and public protagonists constantly demand that conditions be imposed on Belgrade before diplomatic elections are established. This was concluded in Albanian parliament, too, where there were special statements concerning this, but also by various parties especially from among the opposition. The fact that Albania has given its approval for reception of the FRY in the OSCE on November 10 caused a tumult among the Albanian opposition political parties which accused the government of what they called tolerance towards Serbia.
On the other hand Tirana must take into account the Albanian political protagonists in Kosovo. When an advisor of Ilir Meta traveled to Belgrade last months to the international conference of the Stability Pact where, it is said, there were contacts with Yugoslav diplomatic representatives, it raised a wave of sharp criticism. Belgrade has not made a single step that would alleviate the position of Tirana when diplomatic relations are concerned. On the contrary, stands stated by Kostunica, Djindjic and other leaders of Serbian opposition concerning Kosovo have not created confidence among Albanian political circles on both sides of the border.
Nevertheless, Tirana seems to be resolute and ready to disregard the unfavourable climate which prevails in certain circles in Tirana and Pristina when establishment of diplomatic relations, but under no conditions would it take the first step.
At an international conference organised in Athens in the beginning of December and Yugoslav minister of internal affairs Zoran Zivkovic and Albanian foreign minister Paskal Milo made it clear that re-establishment of relations would be a matter of weeks. It is clear that neither of the capitals is in a hurry and it is expected that it will all happen after the December elections in Serbia and after formation of Serbian government. The impression is created that re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Albania and the FRY is overshadowed by a big dilemma – whether the two states will be neighbouring countries.
AIM Tirana
Arjan LEKA