DAILY: MACEDONIAN ALBANIAN LEADER AHMETI BACKS
IDEA OF KOSOVO-ALBANIA UNION
Fakti - March 10, 2003
BDI Democratic Union for Integration leader Ali Ahmeti - or Abaz Gjuka, as he
was known in Kosova Kosovo - returned to
Macedonia after many meetings with a reading primer. According to Epoka e Re, it
was given to him by LPK People's Movement of
Kosovo chairman Emrush Xhemajli as a gift for Macedonian Prime Minister
Branko Crvenkovski. "When you get back to Shkup Skopje , give this book to
Branko Crvenkovski and let him learn Albanian so that you can talk in the
Albanian language when you meet," Xhemajli told his closest associate for the
past 20 years. This took place on the first day of Ahmeti's three-day visit to
Kosova in the offices of the LPK, where Ahmeti had been given the blessing to
come to Macedonia and become political representative of the UCK National
Liberation Army . Despite his new role as BDI leader, it has been reported that
Ahmeti told Xhemajli that he still felt like a LPK member. Ahmeti also expressed
his support for the latest idea of this party for the creation of a union of the
states of Kosova and Albania.
"I feel at home here," the BDI leader said after the meeting with Xhemajli.
Xhemajli on the other hand told Ahmeti that he did not support the Oher Ohrid
Agreement because the Macedonian side was not willing to implement it.
Ali Ahmeti and his closest associates Ostreni, Aliti, Arifi, Dehari and Mehmeti
spent three days on a visit to Kosova, where they were received by the highest
international and local officials. On the first day of his visit, which had a
very tight schedule, Ahmeti met only with politicians and military men, starting
with chief UN administrator Steiner and down to General Ceku...
Prime Minister Rexhepi said that Ahmeti was a stabilizing factor in Macedonia
and that cooperation between the two countries has started through working
groups on the issues of identification documents and trade. "I think that the
Albanian factor in Macedonia will play a role as a link for cooperation with
Macedonia. We also want Macedonia to be a stable country," Rexhepi said. He also
expressed his regret for not being able to have a longer meeting with Ahmeti
because his day had been very busy.
Despite dilemmas and speculations among journalists about whether the meeting
between Ahmeti and Hashim Thaci would take place, they met in the end, and the
meeting took much longer than had been planned initially.
Of all official meetings that the BDI delegation held in Prishtina, the meeting
at the AAK Alliance for the Future of Kosovo headquarters was very special. Not
only did it last longer than expected, but also the entire AAK presidency
attended it and the reception was bigger than usual. A meeting at the TMK Kosovo
Protection Corps Headquarters was described by Gen Ceku as a brotherly
meeting...
The protocol had been carefully arranged in order to allow Ahmeti enough time to
attend some of the events of the UCK Kosovo Liberation Army Epopee to mark the
fifth anniversary of the fall of the Jasharis, which has been organized under
the prime minister's patronage this year.
Throughout this visit, Ahmeti was escorted by heavy security, which was provided
by the UNMIK police. The convoy was usually followed by an armoured vehicle. He
had been invited on this visit by chief administrator Steiner.
All of Ahmeti's activities were followed closely by the Kosova media. It was in
all the headlines of the daily press and the main news of the electronic media.
Source: Fakti, Skopje, in Albanian 7 Mar 03 p 4
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