South Serbia Albanian leader says best solution for area is to join Kosovo

BBCM, Jun 26, 2005, 19:00 GMT

Excerpt from interview with former UCPMB (Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac) commander and Movement for Democratic Progress chairman Orhan Rexhepi by Skender Latifi entitled "Presheve valley issue has not yet been resolved" published by the Macedonian Albanian-language newspaper Fakti on 22 June - subheadings as published

Orhan Rexhepi is one of the former commanders of the UCPMB [Liberation Army for Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac] who joined the Albanian political scene in the Presheve [Presevo] valley. Now he heads the Movement for Democratic Progress [LPD], which is based in Presheve. This party was formed in summer 2002 by former Albanian fighters in this region.

Not only among political circles here, but also more widely, Rexhepi is regarded as a politician at the "extreme end" of the political spectrum. [Passage omitted]

[Latifi] What is the situation in the Presheve valley?

[Rexhepi] At first glance, everything looks normal, but the reality is completely different, given the statement by [Serbia-Montenegro] Defence Minister Prvoslav Davinic saying that there is a possibility for an uprising in the Presheve valley, and [head of the Coordination Body for southern Serbia] Nebojsa Covic's calls for speeding up the work on the construction of the military base in Cepotin, an area between Bujanoc [Bujanovac] and Presheve. There are also daily provocations by the Serbian army and gendarmerie, especially against the mountainous village of Ranatoc [Ranatovce]. All this shows that the situation is fragile. [Passage omitted]

Time for talks has come

[Latifi] Talks between Prishtina [Pristina] and Belgrade are drawing closer. What is the position of the Presheve valley Albanians in this context?

[Rexhepi] For the time being, our position ahead of these talks is very weak and this has happened as a result of the failure to coordinate actions among the Albanian political spectrum. Since some of the political parties, such as Riza Halimi's PVD [Party for Democratic Action], Skender Destani's BDL [Democratic Union of the Valley], and one part of the LPD branch in Bujanoc, headed by Jonuz Musliu, have joined the Coordinating Body totally blindly and without preconditions, they have weakened the negotiating position of the Albanian side in the Presheve valley before the beginning of these talks. [Passage omitted]

[Latifi] How is the problem of the Presheve valley Albanians connected with the problems that the Albanians face, for example, in Macedonia or Kosova [Kosovo], or with the problems of other peoples living in this part of former Yugoslavia?

[Rexhepi] The views of the international community that have been expressed lately leave little room for any attempt to interconnect these problems. The problem of the Presheve valley is different because it is connected with the Serbian actions in Kosova. Be that as it may, the issue of the Albanians here should be resolved as part of the Albanian problem in the Balkans, not as a separate issue.

[Latifi] There have been reports that the LPD in Presheve is the most vociferous in its demands for special status for Albanians in this region.

[Rexhepi] If the international community insists on the inviolability of the existing borders and if we want to respect the referendum of 1992, as well as the platform of the Albanian Consensual Council with regard to the preparations for a new Serbian constitution, a special status with international guarantees for the Presheve valley would be entirely acceptable for the time being. [Passage omitted]

Situation sensitive

[Latifi] The situation is sensitive and it could escalate very quickly. Do you think that the danger of a new conflict in the Presheve valley is over?

[Rexhepi] If the Serbian government still has people that foster Milosevic's mentality and if they see Albanians with the same prejudices and, finally, if there is no willingness to resolve the Presheve valley problems, this means that all roads for political action are closed. Then it is clear that they want to destabilize the situation. But the difference between now and then is that, now, certain Albanian leaders will not be able to evade responsibility.

[Latifi] According to you, what would be the best solution for Presheve valley Albanians?

[Rexhepi] The best solution would be for this region to join Kosova, but if the circumstances impose a different solution, then we will have to face that. However, I hope that circumstances will change.

Source: Fakti, Skopje, in Albanian 22 Jun 05 p 12