ON THE EVE OF THE CRETAN SUMMIT: WILL NANO AND MILOSEVIC MEET?

AIM Tirana, 27 October, 1997

The Albanian Government still has not officially published on what level it will be represented at the Conference of Eastern European Countries to be held on Crete, Greece, on 3 and 4 November. Nevertheless, preparations for the first summit of the region have seriously begun in Albania. The Albanian foreign ministry has informed the Albanian press about a few data about the procedure for accreditation and accommodation in Crete. The summit in Crete is organized at the initiative of Greek prime minister Costas Simitis, who has recently made several attempts to stimulate regional cooperation with the intention to reinforce the role of Greece which does not even conceal its wish to take over the position of the leader in the Balkans.

The spokesman of the foreign ministry said that the Albanian party would participate at this gathering, but that there are still doubts about the level on which it would be represented. Simitis's invitation was addressed to heads of the states or governments of the Balkans, and it was also handed to Nano a few days ago, when he visited Tirana. In the meantime, it seems that the Albanian party is still waiting to learn the level on which the Serbian delegation will be formed, since there have been a lot of speculations about the possibility of a meeting between Nano and Milosevic.

The meeting of foreign ministers Mila and Milutinovic in New York, regardless of its mild tone, in Tirana is considered to have been a failure after forcible dispersion of peaceful students' protest in Kosovo. The spokesman of the foreign ministry added that Albania expects more from the Serbian party in the direction of implementation of the agreement on education and it conditions the meeting in Crete by concrete steps in this direction. Enthusiasm on the occasion of the New York meeting concerning establishment of some kind of contacts which had not existed between the two neighbours, quickly disappeared after the violence used against the students, which brought Albanian diplomacy into a difficult position. The meeting was commented on in different ways by Albanian nationalistic parties, among which the stand of the Democratic Party of former president Sali Berisha was the sharpest, who said that this meeting was harmful for the Kosovo Albanians. Following this logic, in the past few days and during the campaign for his re-election for the president of the party, Berisha even raised the tone of his voice, both in reference to Belgrade, and in reference to the official Tirana. The new Socialist government is not the one which can represent interests of Kosovo, says Berisha and demands increase of populist actions from the political parties in Kosovo.

Faced with the attack from the opposition, on the one hand, and the lack of tolerance from Belgrade, on the other, the Albanian foreign ministry is in a dilemma. As concerning the meeting in Crete, foreign minister Paskal Milo does not question participation of Albania, but doubts the possibility of a bilateral meeting Nano - Milosevic. According to him, if the agreement on education, signed by Ibrahim Rugova and Slobodan Milosevic a year ago, is not implemented, the meeting has no sense.

However, from sources close to the Yugoslav Embassy in Tirana, information arrived about negotiations with the Albanian party for realization of a new meeting, at least on the level from New York. In any case, the Albanian party is signalling that it does not intend to overcome long lasting barriers in contacts with the Serbs, but only wishes that this condition be met. Both prime minister Nano, and president Mejdani, during their visit to Rome last week, demanded mediation of religious communities in implementation of the said agreement. Fatos Nano demanded assistance from representatives of the Catholic community Sant Egidio, who had helped in reaching the agreement last year, while Mejdani demanded direct intervention of the Vatican at his meeting with the Pope.

However, according to the spokesman of the Albanian foreign ministry, it is possible that a meeting of Rugova and Milosevic may very soon be feasible, but he failed to specify whether this meeting would take place on Crete or in Serbia, because in view of the criteria for invitation, it is very difficult to assume that Ibrahim Rugova might be invited by Simitis. Also asked for details, sources in the Greek Embassy in Tirana said that they too expect confirmation of the level on which Serbia and Albanian would be represented in Crete.

In the meantime, the agenda for the meeting in Crete has not been published yet, but it is assumed that concrete ideas for reinforcemnent of economic cooperation will be offered, especially between Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Macedonia and former Yugoslavia. From this aspect, it is certain that the Balkan leaders who will sit down around a round table for the first time, will present their individual views and discontent with the neighbours, especially concerning interethnic relations.

Nevertheless, it is difficult to assume that the Albanian party will condition the level of its participation by that of the Serbian party, since the road to Crete does not pass via Belgrade. Albania, apart from many open questions it has with Serbia, must also regulate certain relations with the countries it borders with, especially Macedonia, and why not Greece as well. Since he has come to power, Fatis Nano strongly has advocated the idea of Balkan Schengen and the summit on a high level in Crete is a convenient opportunity to articulate the view about this idea. Of course, if the others are inclined to listen. At meetings of this kind Albania has always been in the position of the one who just listens. That is why it will be very interesting to see whether Nano will obey or change this tradition.

Last time, high representatives of the Balkan countries gathered in Tirana in 1990 on the level of foreign ministers. But, at the time, disintegration of former Yugoslavia had not yet begun, Macedonia and Bosnia did not exist as independent states, and communist ideology, still in power in half of the Balkan countries, considerably alleviated communication among neighbours. On the other hand, heads of states or governments of Albania and Yugoslavia have not met since 1948, when Enver Hoxha met Tito for the last time, if, of course, one disregards the short visit of a few hours of former imported Yugoslav prime minister Milan Panic to Tirana in summer 1992. The last attempt to sit down at the same table known to the public failed in 1993, when Greece demanded from Serbia, Albania and Bulgaria a joint meeting of heads of states concerning the problem of Macedonia. Just a few months later, after a visit to Sofia, Berisha made it known to the public that he had received an invitation and said that he thanked former Bulgarian president Zhelo Zhelev who had refused the invitation because at the time it was considered to be a plan for division of Macedonia.

But, will there be a meeting between Nano and Milosevic? In Athens, Pangalos declared to the journalists that Greece is engaged in the organization of such a meeting and that it is possible. Nobody has confirmed this in Tirana. Belgrade is also silent.

AIM Tirana

Ben BLUSHI