MACEDONIAN PARTIES REACT TO GROUP'S INITIATIVE FOR KOSOVO-ALBANIA UNION
Nova Makedonija - March 26, 2003

The People's Movement of Kosovo LPK in Albanian , represented by Emrush Xhemaili, Gafurr Elshani and several other party leaders in Tetovo, has recently promoted its initiative for creating a union between Albania and Kosovo. Such a union would also entail the establishment of a joint government and ministers of the two members of this association. According to their idea, such a proposal should be submitted to the Kosovo Assembly as an amendment. The Assembly groups in the Albanian Assembly have already been informed about this.

Before promoting this idea, representatives of the LPK talked with and consulted the representatives of the Albanian political parties in Macedonia.

DPA Democratic Party of Albanians - PDSh in Albanian spokesman Demush Bajrami confirmed that representatives of the LPK had recently met DPA secretary general Ruzhdi Matoshi and said, "When a chariot breaks down, many roads open." In his view, this indicates the prospective realization of the initiative for a union between Albania and Kosovo. Bajrami believes that "the developments in the region to date" have indicated that anything is possible in the Balkans.

Representatives of the LPK also met DUI Democratic Union for Integration - BDI in Albanian chairman Ali Ahmeti, to whom they presented the proposal for forming a union between Albania and Kosovo. Nevertheless, the DUI's view indicates that it "still aspires with its party determination to be part of the great European 'castle', rather than enter a 'small cottage'".

SDSM Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia officials had no information about such an idea between Albania and Kosovo, which is why, as SDSM spokesman Igor Ivanovski stressed, they had no comment.

Source: Nova Makedonija, Skopje, in Macedonian 25 Mar 03 p 2

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