[ALBSA-Info] Albanian PM lashes ethnic Albanian militants

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Albanian PM lashes ethnic Albanian militants
 
PARIS, March 6 (Reuters) - Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta was quoted on 
Tuesday as describing alleged action by ethnic Albanian guerrillas in 
southern Serbia and Macedonia as totally unacceptable and detrimental to 
regional stability. 

"I hope the Albanians (of southern Serbia and Macedonia) will choose dialogue 
because otherwise they will become isolated and lose everyone's support," 
Meta, currently on a visit to France, told the daily newspaper Le Figaro. 

Gunmen widely believed to be ethnic Albanians have exchanged fire with 
Macedonian security forces around a border village in recent days and three 
Macedonian soldiers were killed on Sunday. 

The guerrillas appeared to have ties with the neighbouring Serbian province 
of Kosovo, where some 90 percent of the population is ethnic Albanian. 

There has also been violence in an area of nearby southern Serbia which also 
has a large ethnic Albanian population. 

Asked what his position was towards militants who sought to impose a "greater 
Albania" in the region, Meta replied: "We are not in favour of any border 
changes and we are absolutely against a resumption of violence. 

"The Albanians (of Serbia) must negotiate with Belgrade. As for Macedonia, 
the maintaining of its territorial integrity and sovereignty are as essential 
for us as they are for regional stability," he said. 

The Albanian prime minister added that the ethnic Albanian minority in 
Macedonia had seen its rights improve and there was "no reason to pursue the 
conflict." 

Meta said his country wanted good relations with the new Serbian authorities. 
He also said that he had asked ethnic Albanians in Kosovo to show more 
tolerance towards those Serbs who had remained in the province.