TIRANA CLOSER TO PRISTINA THAN TO THE WEST

AIM Tirana, January 21, 1999

The statement the Yugoslav Foreign Minister, Vladimir Jovanovic issued in Madrid in which he accused Albania as a center of international terrorism and announced harsh Serbian reaction, was interpreted in Tirana as the declaration of war. "The Yugoslav Army has no other alternative but to exercise its constitutional right to defend the state borders", said Jovanovic.

Jovanovic's statement brought back to Albania a nightmare of possible and pending war with Serbia. The reaction of Tirana was more determined than usual. And while the papers called citizens to be prepared for war with Serbia, information network all over the world carried appalling scenes from the village of Racak where dozens of Kosovo civilians were killed and massacred by Milosevic's security forces.

Under the unusual pressure from the West demanding the application of a moderate policy on the one hand, and threats of the Yugoslav Minister on the other, it seems that Tirana decided to reactivate nationalism. The massacre in Racak caused a tide of indignation and rage all over the country, but also increased criticism of the Western policy.

It seems that the new Maiko's Cabinet has unanimously and together with the opposition decided to become closer with Pristina than with the West on whose account heated criticism has been addressed regarding its inertia and use of double standards.

Nationalistic tones have been raised in Tirana, but, what is more important, the rhetorics used in statements is accompanied by the movement of troops and fortification of the northern border. After massacre in Racak Albania demanded an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council. In a separate statement the Parliament asked for NATO's immediate military action. Prime Minister Pandeli Maiko and opposition leader Sali Berisha once again shook each other's hand in a meeting that lasted over an hour and was dedicated to the problem of national security and finding a common language regarding Kosovo. This was the second time in less than a month that the head of government and the president of the opposition Democratic Party have met after a freeze in the relations between the authorities and the opposition in Albania. On both occasions they talked about Kosovo.

During his visit to Italy, Prime Minister Maiko disregarded Italian criticism about his government abandoning a moderate policy. On the other hand, in an article carried by the daily "Albania" opposition leader Berisha wrote that the Albanians should offer NATO all possible facilities, but also "be prepared to start their own mortal war and to win it".

An unusual round table of parliamentary political parties expressed its open support to "political and military factors in Kosovo". The statement which was signed by an entire range of political parties asked that Milosevic be brought before the Hague Tribunal.

The Parliament, Government, armed forces, political parties and the press in Tirana have now turned their eyes towards the North where the Kosovo Albanians are being massacred in cold blood and winds of war are blowing. As never before, Kosovo has become the centre of media attention in Tirana.

**Infrastructure before the Racak Massacre

Jovanovic' statement that Serbia could attack Albania because it was a base of Islamic terrorism, was taken very seriously in Tirana. Politicians of all colours have hurriedly taken radical positions and there were even enthusiastic calls on people to take up arms or form ranks in an army which would finally defeat Serbia. It seems that Albania was much surprised by Belgrade's courage to declare a country terroristic at a time when Serbia is the only country in Europe which has resorted to and is still using all forms of terrorism and crimes against humanity vis-a-vis the Albanians and other nations. However, while on the one hand there was a kind of uniformity in this anti-Serbian reaction, on the other Belgrade interpreted these sources quite differently in order to corroborate its thesis.

The opposition accused some circles in power and the Albanian secret service of creating a "scare" of Islamic fundamentalism in Albania. In fact for two years now a part of the Albanian press is filled with news which have originated in the Secret Police, on the roots of Islamic terrorism and bases of Osama bin Laden in Albania. police.

This campaign, which is without precedent, did not lack statement of the former Prime Minister Fatos Nano and chief of Secret Police Fatos Klosi, who not only formalised the phenomenon that did not exist, but also motivated the press to blow out of all proportions the danger from Islamic terrorism in Albania.

Now when the attention is again turned to Kosovo, Jovanovic's statement which blew up like a bomb in Tirana is increasingly treated as a false alarm used to divert attention from Milosevic's plans before the smoke dispersed. It is not so hard now to understand that by announcing a possible aggression against Albania, Milosevic thought that he had a free hand in Kosovo. According to Belgrade's logic, all those who saw the possible Serbian attack on Albania as a beginning of a disaster of a Balkan war or even wider one, would find it easier to swallow a new massacre in Kosovo.

In this context, all the energy released in Tirana or more important offices all over the continent by Jovanovic's statement in a way followed the pace of Milosevic's plan.

**Why did Racak Happen Now?

It seems that all that Milosevic has done in Kosovo in the past blood-soaked year was well calculated and not a work of uncontrolled instinct of some new Chetniks. There is also an explanation for the massacre in Racak. It seems that Racak is a product of Belgrade's reaction to efforts of political and military factors in Kosovo at reshaping and unifying their stands. It is by no means a coincidence that Jovanovic's announcement and after that, the Racak massacre happened, at the time when the Albanian political and military protagonists in Kosovo were so close to achieving a historic agreement on a joint stand for the resolution of the Kosovo problem.

In the first days of this year Albania was visited by Adem Demaci, Bujar Bukosi, Redzep Cosja, Mahmut Bakali while, on the other side, Rugova accepted the invitation to visit Tirana after his long absence from the Albanian capital. During their meetings with the state officials and the opposition leader Sali Berisha, the Kosovo politicians agreed about the ways to achieve a long-awaited consensus and to speak in one voice, which was one of the constant demands of the international community.

Milosevic reacted nervously. In the beginning Jovanovic's statement did no manage to mask his nervousness vis-a-vis Tirana, which unexpectedly assumed the leading role in uniting the Albanian factors. Later on, this nervousness was evident regarding the Kosovo Albanians so that he once again turned to Drenica. And then it was the same old story.

Spoiling of Pre-War Games

Irrespective of the euphoric statement of politicians and comments of the Albanian press these days, what Tirana is expecting and waiting for in the hope of avoiding the war danger, is NATO's military intervention. On the other side of the moralising pathetic phrases of the press, which writes about the movement of armoured vehicles and tanks in Kosovo and citizens waiting in ranks for the victorious army, Tirana still believes that every attempt of Serbia to extend its arm towards Albania will be most severely punished by the international community.

Despite skepticism caused by the dilemma of the North Atlantic allies whether to punish Milosevic, after repeated massacres in Kosovo everyone agrees that in case of attack on Albania NATO would not sit on its hands. Implicating Albania in a possible war with Serbia would not spare either Macedonia, which has a significant number of Albanians, or Greece which would be faced with a such a number of refugees which it would not be able to accept.

However, such a situation of fragile trust in NATO could easily change because of a number of unexpected turns of events as Albania is growing tired both of the Serbian massacres in Kosovo, as well as of border incidents or serious provocations of the "Jovanovic" type. If NATO continues to wait and Milosevic continues to kill, a possibility should not be ruled out for the Albanians on both sides of the border to conclude that it is up to them to resolve their problem.

AIM Tirana

Astrit PATOZI