Rahman Pacrisi of the independent news pool AIM writes from Pristina in the August 14, 1997, issue of the Kragujevac by-weekly ?Nezavisna Svetlost? on the stance of Kosovo Albanians towards the forthcoming elections in Serbia.
As the day of the parliamentary elections in Serbia is drawing near, the pressure on the Kosovo Albanians that they take part in them. In that respect, quite a number of speculations is at hand, characteristic of such unclear stances and situations.
Very quickly, the vice president of the leading party of Kosovo Albanians Fehmi Agni said: ?The Socialist Party of Serbia can be at peace. The Albanians will not participate in Serbian elections. This has been confirmed only a few days later by Ibrahim Rugova, the party leader : ?We are not interested in the Serbian elections, because we have our own?. On that occasion, he has in a certain manner announced the elections to be held by Albanians here that will be held until December 24 of this year.
Commenting the still existing possibility of the Albanians entering the elections, the editor of the publication ?International Politics? , Ranko Petkovic is of the opinion that ? the leading Albanian parties in Kosovo, or some close to them, could leave the stance of total obstruction, and enter the state institutions of Serbia and Yugoslavia. If it would happen that the leading Albanian political forces would participate in the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Serbia, this would to a certain extent influence the change in balance of power in Serbia, and in the other towards the relief of the solution of the Kosovo question on the whole. But, at this moment, this is under question? , says Dr. Petkovic.
But, the co-ordinator for ethnic relations Dusan Janjic has a different opinion: ?It is unrealistic to expect that Kosovo Albanians will enter the elections. First of all, they have their own parliament and their own field of political activity, and they would be really crazy, when even the so called democratic opposition cannot establish the political rules, to enter the political game? , stresses Dusan Janjic.
But, there are still those who think it is the last moment that Kosovo Albanians help in bringing down Milosevic and his regime, because they would get in return ?the easier solution of the Kosovo problem? , and all this without guarantees that all this would be respected.
The political subjects in Kosovo have given an almost unanimous negative answer to all initiatives which came from the outside concerning the enetering of the elections by Kosovo Albanians. That is why it is hard to believe that any of the Serbian parties could count upon the votes of Albanians from Kosovo, who would otherwise represent a serious force which would many political parties in Serbia wish as a coalition partner. It is even harder to believe that some political force of Albanians from Kosovo would think about entering the forthcoming elections, when they discarded this possibility when the Federal parliamentary elections were held.
On the other hand, except verbal promises, it is a fact that not one concrete step has been taken in this area that would create confidence between the two confronted sides. Media, particularly the electronic ones, are under the control of the Serbian regime, while the state of human rights from day to day is on a lesser step. There is not even an indication that the signed agreement Milosevic - Rugova on education is yet to be implemented.
Source: Kragujevac by-weekly Nasa Svetlost, August 14, 1997
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