COLD WINTER BETWEEN TIRANA AND PRISTINA

AIM Tirana, 30 November, 1997

While striving to melt the half-a-century old ice in relations between Tirana and Belgrade, the meeting on the island of Crete between Nano and Milosevuc threatened to freeze relations between Tirana and Pristina. The meeting caused discontent in Pristina and reactions in Tirana. Not even the visits of Kosovo politicians Bukoshi, Agani and Surroi, who met and talked with prime minister Nano, could lower the tone of the polemics.

It is clear that both the opposition headed by Berisha and some of the political parties in Kosovo which did not conceal discontent because the Socialists had come to power in Albania, will not miss the opportunity to criticize the meeting in Crete by using the vocabulary from the time of the Cold War and the Balkan legends, in which the key word is "national treason". Be that as it may, patriotic slogans are a shield for various stands which will not pass without serious consequences on the relations Tirana-Pristina.

If a gap was created between Berisha and Rugova in the end of last year because of Berisha's demand to intensify the political movement of the Albanians by joining the protests of the Serbian opposition in Belgrade, the new split between Nano and Rugova is connected with the rapprochement between Tirana and Belgrade, but especially the meeting in Crete.

In fact, during his last visit to Albania, Rugova did not seem to be opposed to opening of the dialogue between Tirana and Belgrade and normalization of relations between the two countries. However, after the meeting in Crete, the leader of Kosovo Albanians, although in somewhat more moderate terms, joined in the criticism of this meeting. The essence of this criticism is linked, first, with the fact that Tirana cannot speak in the name of Pristina, that is, that it cannot replace Pristina in any talks, and, second, with certain statements of the Albanian prime minister which are unacceptable for Pristina.

Even if Nano had not talked about Kosovo, as Milosevic had wished to the last minute, it is certain that the same critics would have pronounced the accusation that Kosovo was forgotten and that Nano had ignored this problem. In fact, the Albanian prime minister demanded what Kosovo Albanians themselves demand - direct talks between Rugova and Milosevic. In all his statements, Nano was clear about this demand, but it should be said that he was not clear about the fact whether Tirana was in favour of these talks taking place in the presence of a third party which would be a guarantor of a possible agreement.

"I cannot stir up illusions that our views were the same", was the comment of the Albanian prime minister of the meeting with the Yugoslav president. Various analysts in Tirana, but also outside Albania, criticized this meeting accusing the Albanian prime minister that by offering his hand to Milosevic, he had given him political capital and even weakened the position of Albania in resolving of the issue of Kosovo. Others however, replied that nothing had been lost by this meeting, because the loss has been there for the past 50 years.

It is hard to believe that the prime minister of Kosovo in exile, Bukoshi, is actually convinced that his own demand is justified that Kosovo should have been present at the round table in Crete. Crete has neither boought nor sold Kosovo. Crete was just an effort to lower tensions in the Balkans, and it was wrong to have too high expectations, but it is certain that it did no harm. Fear that the handshake with Nano will bring political capital to Milosevic seems unjustified. Unfortunately, at present Milosevic represents the Serb mentality, and if Rugova should be forced to talk about the resolution of the problem of Kosovo, for the time being it will have to be with him.

Criticism referring to Nano is also linked to the terminology he used during and after the meeting. A few times, Nano had referred to the question of Kosovo as to a question of "human rights", and he called the people of Kosovo "the Albanian community". Although Nano insisted that "the right to self-determination" be included in the Crete declaration, he omitted the word "independence" from his vocabulary. In fact, he does not differ from Berisha in this sense who talked about "an acceptable solution for all parties" while he was in power, and even talked about autonomy of Kosovo during his visit to Bonn. The concept of formalization of borders or Balkan Schengen proposed by Nano, essentially does not differ from the concept of a "democratic space for the Albanians" suggested by Berisha.

However, more than because of the confusing terminology used by Nano, a turmoil started because of an unexpected statement of Albanian president Mejdani in Trieste, in which Milosevic was assessed to be the least evil in Serbia, in comparison with Seselj, of course. Mejdani's declaration was sharply criticized by opposition leader Berisha who said that it "directly came as an effort to undermine the French-German initiative, just as Crete was a challenge for the German-American initiative". Vice-president of the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo Fehmi Agani, on the occasion of his visit to Tirana for the conference of the North-Atlantic Alliance, opposed Mejdani's stand by stating that "both Milosevic and Seselj are nationalists and that both are the same for the Albanians".

Political advisor of president Mejdani, Prec Zogaj, commenting on Agani's statement, said: "In politics, stands are taken in respect to programs. And Seselj's program is more aggressive than Milosevic's". According to Zogaj, quoted by daily Shekulli in Tirana, the vision of the Albanian president for solution of the problem of Kosovo has three stages: implementation of the agreement on education signed by Rugova and Milosevic; a broad autonomy for Kosovo; and as the last step: resolving of this issue according to the principle of self-determination of the people.

In his speech at the NATO conference in Tirana, having repeated that the only solution for Kosovo was its independence, Agani did not reject the possibility of an interim solution, under the condition that it did not imply denial of independence. Diplomats in Tirana commented on Agani's stand as realistic.

In the effort to soften the polemics, Nano proposed organization of a joint political round table between Tirana and Pristina. His initiative demanded from two main Kosovo leaders, Rugova and Bukoshi, to meet regularly in order to discuss coordination of strategy and moves concerning the national issue. Pristina responded in the negative, leaving relations at the deadlock.

The latest developments in Srbica in Kosovo, with no doubt have put diplomacy in Tirana in a difficult position, which had hoped that things would change for the better after Crete. At the moment, the elections scheduled for 7 December are more important for Milosevic than shadows of Crete. On the other hand, for the first time since the fall of communism. the topic of Kosovo has turned into a line of separation between political groups in Tirana and Pristina.

AIM Tirana

Remzi LANI