From vsherifi at naac.org Tue Aug 5 11:24:05 2003 From: vsherifi at naac.org (Valbona Sherifi) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 11:24:05 -0400 Subject: [Prishtina-E] Reminder: August 5 and August 7, 2003 -- Free Seminars on Business Basics In-Reply-To: Message-ID: > National Albanian American Council - NAAC > Business Outreach Center Network - BOC Network > Banco Popular & GreenPoint Bank > Present > Business Basics I & II > (Free Seminars) > If you are an aspiring entrepreneur or business > owner who wants > to start or grow your business then these free > seminars are for you! > Come Meet: > ? NAAC Representatives > ? BOC Network Representatives > ? Corporate Tax Lawyer/Corporate Accountant > ? Banco Popular/GreenPoint Bank Representatives > Tuesday, August 5, 2003 at 6 P.M. - 8 P.M. > Banco Popular North America > 918 Seneca Avenue > Ridgewood, NY 11385 > Thursday, August 7, 2003 at 6 P.M. - 8 P.M. > GreenPoint Bank > 67-09 Fresh Pond Road > Ridgewood, NY 11385 > To register for these free seminars, please contact NAAC at (212) > 239-6807. The seminars will be translated into Albanian. > Refreshments and snacks will be served. > > K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan - KKSHA > Qendra e Rrjetit t? Biznesit > Bankat "Popular" dhe "GreenPoint" > Paraqesin > Bazat e Biznesit I & II > (Seminare Falas) > N?se d?shironi t? nisni nj? biznes apo jeni t? > interesuar t? rrisni biznesin tuaj, at?her? k?to seminare falas jan? p?r > ju! > Ejani t? Takoni: > ? P?rfaq?sues t? KKSHA-s? > ? P?rfaq?sues t? Qendr?s s? Biznesit > ? Avokat korporate/Llogaritar taksash > ? P?rfaq?sues t? bankave "Popular" dhe "GreenPoint" > E mart?, 5 gusht, 2003 ne 6 P.M. - 8 P.M. > Banco Popular North America > 918 Seneca Avenue > Ridgewood, NY 11385 > E enjte, 7 gusht, 2003 ne 6 P.M. - 8 P.M. > GreenPoint Bank > 67-09 Fresh Pond Road > Ridgewood, NY 11385 > Q? t? regjistroheni n? k?to seminare falas, luteni t? kontaktoni KKSHA-n? > n? (212) 239-6807. Seminaret do t? p?rkthehen n? shqip. > Serviren pije freskuese dhe ushqime t? lehta. > > -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: winmail.dat Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 2940 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.alb-net.com/pipermail/prishtina-e/attachments/20030805/4517f32b/attachment.bin From mentor at alb-net.com Tue Aug 5 19:31:34 2003 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 19:31:34 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Prishtina-E] [Kcc-News] 1) Kosovo: KLA Trial Backlash; 2) Comment: Kosovars Must Confront Their Demons Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kosova Crisis Center (KCC) News: http://www.alb-net.com/index.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Kosovo: KLA Trial Backlash, By Arben Qirezi 2. Comment: Kosovars Must Confront Their Demons, By Natasa Kandic ### 1 ### http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/bcr3/bcr3_200307_449_1_eng.txt Kosovo: KLA Trial Backlash International officials in Kosovo are feeling the heat following the jailing of former KLA rebels. By Arben Qirezi in Pristina (BCR No 449, 31-Jul-03) The first war crimes trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army members threatens to inflict a serious blow to international efforts to establish the rule of law in Kosovo. Following the sentencing of the Llap/Lap group of ex-KLA fighters on July 16, the international police and judiciary stationed in the region have been subjected to a wave of violence. There were two synchronized bomb attacks in Pristina on July 20. A rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the district court building, causing significant damage. One minute later, an explosion outside a police station damaged a UN police vehicle. There were no casualties. Earlier, on July 17, a hand grenade exploded outside the police station in Podujeva/Podujevo, northeast of Pristina, the birthplace of the four convicted persons. Two days later, KFOR disposed of a grenade found on the street just behind the capital's district court. On the same day, 15 UN police vehicles were vandalized overnight in Pristina and Peja/Pec, in western Kosovo - those in the latter daubed with the word "occupier" in Albanian. Local political leaders in Kosovo condemned the incidents, saying they jeopardised the rule of law. Although no organisation has admitted responsibility for the incidents, they are widely believed to be connected to the outcome of the Llap/Lap group trial. The five-month judicial process under the British judge Timothy Clayson resulted in four ex-KLA men being jailed for 45 years. Rrustem Mustafa-Remi, former commander of the KLA in northeastern Kosovo, was sentenced to 17 years, Nazim Mehmeti to 13, Latif Gashi to 10 and Naim Kadriu to seven, for torture, kidnapping and inhuman treatment of civilians during the Kosovo conflict in 1998 and 1999. They were found guilty of illegally detaining and torturing 11 ethnic Albanians and one Serb, and of executing six Albanians suspected of collaborating with the Serb regime. UNMIK police chief Stephan Feller said at the press conference that the wave of attacks was clearly connected to the trial verdict, adding that the aim was to disrupt police work and justice in Kosovo. He said UNMIK was lucky there had been no casualties. Another UNMIK official told IWPR they were probably warning attacks, suggesting that there may be more if further trials were staged. After Serb forces withdrew from Kosovo, UNMIK filled the security and administrative vacuum, bringing in international police, foreign judges and prosecutors to deal with issues such as organised crime, ethnic violence and war crimes. There are now 4,472 international police officers there, working with 6,000 local police officers trained in an OSCE-run police training facility in Vushtri/Vucitrn. The justice system is served by 14 international judges and 12 international prosecutors who deal exclusively with tough cases from which local judicial personnel have been excluded on grounds of potential bias. Despite widespread public criticism for allegedly holding politically-motivated trials that have "criminalised" the struggle against Serb rule, UNMIK insists it will continue to prosecute perpetrators of atrocities and other crimes involving former KLA members. Just before he finished his mission in early July, UNMIK chief Michael Steiner promulgated a new criminal code for the region, giving more powers to international prosecutors to investigate atrocities and other serious crimes. The code also provides for more effective witness-protection, which is one of the biggest obstacles currently hampering prosecutions. This, however, might bring more trouble for the international authorities in Kosovo. Reflecting the general mood amongst Albanians, Kreshnik Gashi, a student from Pristina, told IWPR, "No one disputes UNMIK's authority to stage war crimes trials. However, the length of the sentence given to Remi and his group shows its bias, because no Serb has ever been sentenced for such a long term by international judges, even though they have been tried for crimes which have exceeded the allegations against Remi and his group, both in the number of people killed, and the means used to do those killings." There are suggestions that the motives for the attacks on the internationals are not only connected to the outcome of the trial, but also reflect deeper dissatisfaction with the overall policy of the international community in Kosovo. Sahit Berisha, a history teacher in a secondary school in Pristina, expressed the view held in some circles that the trials of the former KLA men are just an indication of the UNMIK policy to return Kosovo to Serbia. "These bombs are an initial reaction for something bigger which might erupt if the international community doesn't stop pushing Kosovo towards Serbia," he said. UNMIK says the spate of recent attacks will not deflect the force from its stated policy of zero tolerance against crime. The police "will not be intimidated by such criminal acts", Feller said. However, UNMIK may be more vulnerable than its top officials care to admit. The justice system relies on international personnel leant by various governments for its work. They may prove reluctant to contribute more staff in the future, if attacks against them persist. Arben Qirezi is an IWPR contributor in Pristina. ### 2 ### Comment: Kosovars Must Confront Their Demons Facing up to the past cannot be confined to demanding justice for crimes committed by others. By Natasa Kandic in Belgrade (BCR No 449, 31-Jul-03) Albanian public opinion overwhelmingly sees the recent sentencing of the "Lap group" of former Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, members for war crimes against Albanian civilians as unjust. They believe it is politically motivated and will harm the prospects of reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians. A panel of international judges jailed the former KLA commander Rrustem Mustafa to 17 years for ordering the murder of five Kosovo Albanians he believed had collaborated with the Serbs, and for "failing to prevent illegal detention" in the Lap region of northern Kosovo during the 1998-99 conflict. Naziv Mehmeti was sentenced to 13 years, Latif Gashi to 10 and Naim Kadriu to five. The oldest Albanian human rights NGO, the Council for Human Rights and Freedom, damned the sentences as an " UNMIK attempt to criminalise the KLA's fight for freedom and equalise the liberalisation war and the struggle for self-defence of Kosovo Albanians with Serbia's genocidal, destructive war of occupation". Several actions by extremists in Pristina and Podujevo since the judgment have contributed to an impression that the international courts in Kosovo are not accepted as guarantees of justice and rule of law. The question is why no one in Kosovo supports the international judges' actions and why the majority rallies behind critics of trials of former KLA members guilty of war crimes. Before engaging with this issue, it is important to restate that Serb forces committed massive, brutal war crimes in the Kosovo conflict as a result of which the Hague tribunal has indicted several top Serbian officials. The former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, was the first, followed by the Yugoslav army ex-chief of staff, General Dragoljub Ojdanic, the former federal deputy prime minister, Nikola Sainovic, and the former Serbian president, Milan Milutinovic. All were indicted for individual and command responsibility. Serb crimes committed in Kosovo have also been raised during the Milosevic trial, though it would take years to document all such atrocities. Albanians do not object when the tribunal stages trials for war crimes committed against Albanians. They are also right to think that justice will not be served only through the court. When the members of the special police and army units who perpetrated war crimes in Kosovo are tried in Serbia, it will show the rule of law exists here, and that Belgrade accepts responsibility for the atrocities committed under Milosevic. The truth is that no such trials have taken place in Serbia, although those who are said to have ordered and perpetrated these crimes rank lower than the Hague indictees and are accessible to the local courts. In Kosovo, on the other hand, although there are trials of Serbs alleged to have committed war crimes in the places previously mentioned, Albanian public opinion remains dissatisfied with the way international judges are dispensing justice. At the root of Albanian dissatisfaction lies a widespread belief that Albanians were victims and that no such status belongs to Serbian civilians, or to Albanian and Roma civilians whom the KLA suspected of collaboration with the Serbs. No one in Kosovo talks about the murder and disappearances of Serb and Roma civilians and of alleged Albanian traitors in 1998 and after the international forces arrived. Everybody knows that on the very day the Serbian police and the army pulled out of Kosovo and international forces, KFOR, entered, the hunt began for those Serbs who remained behind. But nobody is prepared to talk about it. The remaining Serbs were seen as war criminals. It was easy to arrest and accuse them of genocide, or of war crimes. Every Serb murder was justified by the explanation that the victim was a paramilitary, guilty of genocide. Serbs under arrest were convicted before their trials started. When UNMIK nominated its international judges, many Albanians naturally expected them to sentence every accused Serb on behalf of the murders committed by the Serb forces. Trouble began when the international prosecutors started changing the indictments of the local Albanian prosecutors, as they did with Milos Jokic. Charged with genocide by local prosecutors, he was released by international judges. When Sava Matic, another Kosovo Serb, was acquitted, Albanians protested outside the court in Prizren. They saw the freeing of a Serb as a denial of the fact that crimes had even taken place, not as a judicial decision relating solely to whether this man was guilty or not. Similarly, they perceive other acquittals of Serbs by international judges as failed justice, as another sign that the international community is not on their side. At heart, there is a deeply-rooted belief that all Serbs are guilty of war crimes. This is why they feel an injustice every time one is freed by the courts, regardless of whether there is any evidence that he committed a crime. Albanian antipathy towards the international judges presiding over the Lap group trial mirrors their belief that war crimes were committed only by Serbs, not by Albanians. This is why no one in Kosovo recognised the trial as an important legal and moral lecture to Albanian society. Their sentencing, in fact, showed no one has the right to take the law into his own hands, not even former KLA men, such as Mustafa, Gashi, Mehmeti and Kadriu. Their trial saw the first public mention of the crimes that everyone in Kosovo knows about but prefers not to talk about, either from fear of revenge or because they believe the KLA men were right to kill former Serb collaborators. The guilty verdict of the international court under Judge Timothy Clayson has opened a window of opportunity for Kosovo Albanians to reconcile themselves to their recent past. Facing up to the past cannot be limited to seeking justice for crimes committed by Serbs. Just as Serbian society must face up to the crimes committed by the Serbian police, army, paramilitary units and armed civilians, Albanian society must confront its own history. Their past was also marked by crimes, committed against Serbian and Roma civilians, as well as by murders and disappearances of Albanians accused of cooperation with the Serbs. Reconciliation between nations only starts when they acknowledge their own responsibility, thus reinstating the human dignity of the victims of political and ethnic murders. That is the reason why the sentencing of the Lap group should be seen as a contribution to Kosovo Albanian society as it faces up to its own past, not as an obstacle to ethnic reconciliation. Natasa Kandic is executive director of the Humanitarian Law Centre in Belgrade. This is the second article in a series of pieces on the war crimes debate in Kosovo. ______________________________________________________________ If you wish to unsubscribe, send a blank message to: kcc-news-unsubscribe at alb-net.com , or visit KCC-NEWS's page at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/kcc-news From vsherifi at naac.org Thu Aug 7 11:52:38 2003 From: vsherifi at naac.org (Valbona Sherifi) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 11:52:38 -0400 Subject: [Prishtina-E] Reminder: August 7, 2003 -- Free Seminars on Business Basics In-Reply-To: Message-ID: > National Albanian American Council - NAAC > Business Outreach Center Network - BOC Network > Banco Popular & GreenPoint Bank > Present > Business Basics I & II > (Free Seminars) > If you are an aspiring entrepreneur or business > owner who wants > to start or grow your business then these free > seminars are for you! > Come Meet: > ? NAAC Representatives > ? BOC Network Representatives > ? Corporate Tax Lawyer/Corporate Accountant > ? Banco Popular/GreenPoint Bank Representatives > Thursday, August 7, 2003 at 6 P.M. - 8 P.M. > GreenPoint Bank > 67-09 Fresh Pond Road > Ridgewood, NY 11385 > To register for these free seminars, please contact NAAC at (212) > 239-6807. The seminars will be translated into Albanian. > Refreshments and snacks will be served. > > K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan - KKSHA > Qendra e Rrjetit t? Biznesit > Bankat "Popular" dhe "GreenPoint" > Paraqesin > Bazat e Biznesit I & II > (Seminare Falas) > N?se d?shironi t? nisni nj? biznes apo jeni t? > interesuar t? rrisni biznesin tuaj, at?her? k?to seminare falas jan? p?r > ju! > Ejani t? Takoni: > ? P?rfaq?sues t? KKSHA-s? > ? P?rfaq?sues t? Qendr?s s? Biznesit > ? Avokat korporate/Llogaritar taksash > ? P?rfaq?sues t? bankave "Popular" dhe "GreenPoint" > E enjte, 7 gusht, 2003 ne 6 P.M. - 8 P.M. > GreenPoint Bank > 67-09 Fresh Pond Road > Ridgewood, NY 11385 > Q? t? regjistroheni n? k?to seminare falas, luteni t? kontaktoni > KKSHA-n? n? (212) 239-6807. Seminaret do t? p?rkthehen n? shqip. > Serviren pije freskuese dhe ushqime t? lehta. > > -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: winmail.dat Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 2848 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.alb-net.com/pipermail/prishtina-e/attachments/20030807/16f19636/attachment.bin From vsherifi at naac.org Fri Aug 8 19:22:54 2003 From: vsherifi at naac.org (Valbona Sherifi) Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2003 19:22:54 -0400 Subject: [Prishtina-E] English/Albanian: NAAC Writes to New York Times -- Mother Theresa is Albanian Message-ID: National Albanian American Council 2021 L Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036 481 8th Avenue, Suite 922, New York, NY 10001 Brigada e Krajishtes, No. 8, 38000 Prishtina, Kosova Telephone: (202) 466-6900 Fax: (202) 466-5593 Web: www.naac.org Email: naac at naac.org For Immediate Release: August 8, 2003 Contact: Valbona Sherifi (202) 466-6900 PRESS RELEASE Editorial Letter to the New York Times: Mother Theresa is Albanian Washington, DC, August 8, 2003: The National Albanian American Council (NAAC) issued the following editorial letter to the New York Times regarding the ethnicity of Mother Teresa. Dear Editor of the New York Times, In his article, "Saintly Spirit Remembered, in a Truly Balkan Way," dated August 6, 2003, Ian Fisher reports on an argument regarding Mother Theresa's ethnic identity. But the argument has no merit. Mr. Fisher's article adopts a Balkan tendency to gloss over inconvenient facts. Not only does the author not mention the fact that Mother Teresa openly identified herself as Albanian, he also cites a bogus Macedonian claim that Mother Teresa did not speak Albanian and, therefore, was not of Albanian heritage. Mother Teresa repeatedly throughout her life stated very clearly that she was Albanian and, in fact, when she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she wrote from Oslo, "I always have my people, the Albanians, in my heart. I pray for you." The world's most popular Catholic nun admitted the same almost a decade later while on a visit to the United Nations. During a mass held in her honor by the Albanian community in the Bronx on July 17, 1988, Mother Teresa spoke in Albanian and recited the Act of Contrition. There are plenty other acknowledgements of Mother Teresa's Albanian ethnicity. For instance, the official website of Mother Teresa's Cause of Canonization (), states the following: "Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, the future Mother Teresa, was born on 26 August 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, to Albanian heritage." Recently, in addition, former United States President Bill Clinton received the National Albanian American Council's "Hands of Hope Award." During his acceptance speech on June 19, 2003, President Clinton paid special attribute to this revered woman, stating, "I also want to say a word of thanks to a great Albanian who is no longer living on this earth. I want to say a little more about Mother Teresa, whom I've had the honor to know. Hillary [Clinton] worked with her [Mother Teresa] to establish her hospice center in Washington, D.C..." In his recent article Mr. Fisher also states that the matter at hand is complicated further by the fact that Mother Teresa was Roman Catholic, "while most Albanians are Muslim, and this has opened a crack for speculation about Mother Teresa's actual ethnic roots." The above statement demonstrates that Mr. Fisher has not done enough research before writing the article. He fails to point out that Albania has historically been known to be a secular country where all of the major religions have co-existed peacefully for centuries and inter-faith marriages have been and continue to be very common. Albania is home to all of the world's main religions - including Islam, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox and Jewish. Indeed Christian believers comprise more than 30 per cent of the country's population. The author's approach gives voice to another Balkan tendency: religion is the basis to determine one's ethnicity. This method has been repeatedly used by some of Albania's neighboring states to unjustly question the ethnicity of non-Muslim Albanians. Thus, Mr. Fisher's remarks are insulting to all Albanians, no matter their religious beliefs, as they imply that only those individuals of the Muslim faith are Albanian. Further evidence of Albania's unique approach to religion comes through clearly also in a statement issued by Cardinal O'Connor on July 28, 1999 in support of the canonization of Mother Teresa. Recalling his visit to Albania in the early 90's, Cardinal O'Connor states, "When it was my great privilege to visit Albania with our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta after the many years of that country's being totally closed to the West, I saw Mother Teresa greeted by Muslim and Christian alike with most heartwarming enthusiasm." Despite international reports that Albania is planning to mark the beatification of Mother Teresa with several conferences and national symposiums, publication of books and albums concerning her life, and the promotion of new documentary films and several concerts, Mr. Fisher makes no mention of any of these important events in his recent article. Nor does he points out that Albania's only international airport bears the name of this revered saint, as does the capital's central hospital, and a huge square in the heart of Tirana where soon the government will unveil a statue in honor of this Albanian daughter. Finally, the lack of objectivity in Mr. Fisher's article fails to pay any respect whatsoever to Mother Teresa's self-identification as an Albanian, and by doing so fuels a debate that she ended herself years ago. NAAC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advocating for Albanians and promoting peace and economic development in the Balkans by fostering democratic policy, promoting respect for human rights, and conducting educational and developmental programs. For more information on the National Albanian American Council please visit us on the web at www.naac.org ### You are receiving this message because you have requested information about our organization directly from us or through an internet listserv. If you no longer wish to receive such information and would like to be removed, please notify us at naac at naac.org or the listserv that has distributed this information to you. Keshilli Kombetar Shqiptaro Amerikan 2021 L Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036 481 8th Avenue, Suite 922, New York, NY 10001 Brigada e Krajishtes, No. 8, 38000 Prishtina, Kosova Telephone: (202) 466-6900 Fax: (202) 466-5593 Web: www.naac.org Email: naac at naac.org ________________________________________________________________________ P?r Shtyp: 8 gusht 2003 Kontakt: Valbona Sherifi (202) 466-6900 Deklarat? p?r Shtyp KKSHA i shkruan New York Times: N?n? Tereza ?sht? shqiptare Washington, DC, 8 gusht 2003: K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan nxorri k?t? njoftim p?r shtyp n? lidhje me letr?n q? i ?sht? derguar sot gazet?s New York Times rreth komb?sis? s? N?n? Terez?s. I nderuar redaktor i gazet?s "New York Times", N? artikullin e tij "Shpirti shenjtor kujtohet, ne nj? m?nyr? v?rtet? ballkanike", botuar m? 6 gusht 2003, Ian Fisher raporton mbi nj? argument n? lidhje me identitin etnik t? N?n? Terez?s. Por ky argumet nuk ka asnj? merit?. Artikulli i z. Fisher adopton nj? tendenc? t? re ballkanike q? faktet e pavolitshme i cek tep?r kalimthi. Jo vet?m q? autori nuk p?rmend faktin se N?n? Tereza e ka identifikuar veten haptazi si shqiptare, por ai citon nj? deklarat? maqedone t? pav?rtet? se kinse N?n? Tereza nuk ka folur shqip dhe si rrjedhoj? nuk ka patur prejardhje shqiptare. N?n? Tereza gjat? gjith? jet?s s? saj e ka shprehur qart? se ajo ka qen? shqiptare dhe, n? fakt, kur morri ?mimin Nobel t? Paqes n? vitin 1979, ajo shkroi prej Oslos, "Un? gjithmon? e kam n? zem?r popullin tem shqiptar. Un? lutem p?r juve." Murgesha katolike m? e njohur n? bot? pohoi t? nj?jt?n gj? rreth nj? dekade m? von? gjat? nj? vizite n? Organizat?n e Kombeve t? Bashkuara (OKB). Gjat? nj? meshe q? komuniteti shqiptar n? Bronx (New York) mbajti n? nder t? saj m? 17 qershor 1988, N?n? Tereza foli n? shqip dhe recitoi n? gjuh?n amtare "Pun?n e Pendimit". Ka shum? fakte t? tjera q? pohojn? etnicitetin shqiptar t? N?n? Terez?s. P?r shembull, n? faqen zyrtare t? ??shtjes s? Shenjt?rimit t? N?n? Terez?s (<<>>) sh?nohet se "Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, e njohur si N?n? Tereza, ka lindur m? 26 gusht 1910, n? Shkup, Maqedoni, me prejardhje shqiptare." P?r m? tep?r, koh?t e fundit K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan (KKSHA) i akordoi ish-Presidentit t? Shteteve t? Bashkuara t? Amerik?s, Bill Clinton, ?mimin "Duart e Shpres?s". Gjat? fjalimit t? tij m? 19 qershor 2003, Presidenti Clinton i kushtoi r?nd?si t? ve?ant? figur?s s? nderuar t? N?n? Terez?s, duke th?n?, "D?shiroj t? them nj? fjal? fal?nderimi p?r nj? shqiptare madh?shtore e cila nuk jeton m? n? k?t? tok?. Do t? doja t? flas m? shum? p?r N?n? Terez?n, t? cil?n un? kam pasur nderin ta njoh personalisht. Hillary [Clinton] ka punuar me t? [ N?n? Terezen] p?r t? nd?rtuar nj? qend?r spitali n? Washington, D.C...." N? artikullin e tij t? fundit z. Fisher gjithashtu shkruan se ??shtja n? fjal? komplikohet edhe m? nga fakti se N?n? Tereza i p?rkiste fes? katolike, "nd?rkoh? q? shumica e shqiptar?ve jan? musliman?, gj? q? ka hapur nj? shteg p?r spekulim rreth rr?nj?ve etnike t? v?rteta t? N?n? Terez?s." Fjalia e m?sip?rme demonstron q? z. Fisher nuk ka hulumtuar aq sa duhet para shkrimit t? artikullit. Autori nuk merr mundimin t? tregoj? se Shqip?ria historikisht ?sht? njohur si nj? vend laik ku t? gjitha besimet fetare kryesore kan? bashk?-ekzistuar paq?sisht p?r shekuj me rradh? dhe martesat nd?r-fetare kan? qen? dhe vazhdojn? t? jen? m?se t? zakonshme. Shqip?ria ?sht? vendi i t? gjith? besimeve kryesore t? bot?s - duke p?rfshir? fen? islame, katolicizmin, besimin ortodoks dhe at? hebre. N? t? v?rtet? besimtar?t kristian? p?rb?jn? m? shum? se 30 p?r qind t? popullsis? s? Shqip?ris?. P?rqasja e autorit i b?n jehon? nj? tendence tjet?r ballkanike: besimi fetar ?sht? baza n?p?rmjet t? cil?s caktohet etniciteti i dikujt. Kjo metod? ?sht? p?rdorur her? pas here prej shteteve fqinje t? Shqip?ris? p?r t? v?n? n? pik?pyetje n? m?nyr? t? padrejt? etnicitetin e atyre shqiptar?ve q? nuk i p?rkasin fes? muslimane. Prandaj, v?rejtjet e z. Fisher jan? ofenduese ndaj t? gjith? shqiptar?ve - pavar?sisht nga besimet e tyre fetare - p?rderisa ato n?nkuptojn? se vet?m ata individ? q? i p?rkasin besimit musliman jan? shqiptar?. Evidenc? e m?tejshme q? d?shmon p?r toleranc?n fetare t? shqiptar?ve ?sht? parashtruar qart? edhe n? deklarat?n q? Kardinali O'Connor dha m? 28 korrik 1999 n? mb?shtetje t? nisjes s? procesit t? shenjt?rimit t? N?n? Terez?s. Duke rikujtuar vizit?n e tij n? Shqip?ri n? fillim t? viteve 90, Kardinali O'Connor thot? se, "kur pata privilegjin e madh q? t? vizitoj Shqip?rin? me Atin Ton? t? Shenjt?, Papa Gjon Palin II dhe N?n? Terez?n e Kalkut?s, pas kaq shum? vitesh q? ky vend ka qen? krejt i izoluar prej Per?ndimit, un? pash? se si musliman? e t? krishter? bashk? e p?rshendet?n N?n? Terez?n me t? nj?jtin entuziaz?m dhe p?rzem?rsi". Pavar?sisht se koh?t e fundit kan? nisur t? qarkullojn? nj? s?r? raportesh nd?rkomb?tare q? b?jn? t? ditur se Shqip?ria po planifikon t? sh?noj? shenjt?rimin e N?n? Terez?s me nj? s?r? konferencash dhe simpoziumesh komb?tare, me publikimin e librave dhe albumeve rreth jet?s s? saj, dhe me inagurimin e nj? filimi t? ri dokumentar si dhe nj? s?r? koncertesh, z. Fisher as q? nuk e merr mundimin t? p?rmend? ndonj? prej k?tyre ngjarjeve t? r?nd?sishme n? artikullin e tij t? fundit. Ai l? jasht faktin se i vetmi aeroport nd?rkomb?tar i Shqip?ris? mban emrin e hir?sis? s? saj t? nderuar, t? nj?jtin em?r q? ka edhe Spitali Qendror i kryeqytetit t? Shqip?ris?, si dhe nj? shesh i madh n? zem?r t? Tiran?s ku qeveria shqiptare s? shpejti do t? ngrej? nj? p?rmendore n? nder t? k?saj bije shqiptare. S? fundi, mungesa e objektivitetit n? artikullin e z. Fisher nuk tregon asnj? pik? respekti ndaj vet?-identifikimit t? N?n? Terez?s si shqiptare, dhe duke d?shtuar t? respektoj? k?t? ai p?rpiqet t? ndez? nj? debat t? cilin vet? N?n? Tereza i dha fund shum? vite m? par?. K?shilli Komb?tar Shqiptaro Amerikan (KKSHA) ?sht? nj? organizat? jo p?rfituese dhe jo qeveritare e dedikuar ndaj p?rkrahjes s? ??shtjeve shqiptare, promovimit t? paqes dhe zhvillimit ekonomik n? Ballkan p?r t? forcuar politikat demokratike, p?r t? inkurajuar respektin p?r t? drejtat e njeriut n?p?rmjet ofrimit t? programeve t? zhvillimit dhe edukative. P?r m? shum? informacion mbi KKSHA-n? luteni t? vizitoni k?t? faqe Interneti: www.naac.org. ### -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: winmail.dat Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 9480 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.alb-net.com/pipermail/prishtina-e/attachments/20030808/8b8cafba/attachment.bin From mentor at alb-net.com Sun Aug 17 18:02:33 2003 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana) Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2003 18:02:33 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Prishtina-E] Cultural and Scientific Conference in memory of Professor Mirash Ivanaj Message-ID: The Martin and Mirash Ivanaj Foundations * PRESS RELEASE Cultural and Scientific Conference in memory of Professor Mirash Ivanaj ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When: Tirana - September 22, 2003 Where: National Museum of Art in Skanderbeg Square For Immediate Release Contact: Drita Ivanaj at: info at ivanaj.org August 14, 2003 URL: http://www.ivanaj.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Ivanaj Foundations , headquartered in both New York and Tirana, are co-sponsoring a conference in Tirana on Monday, September 22nd ,2003 at 6 pm. The event is a Cultural and Scientific Conference in memory of Professor Mirash Ivanaj on the 50th anniversary of his death. The evening is a collaboration of the Ivanaj Foundations with Albania?s Ministry of Higher Education, the Academy of Science, the Archives of State and the National Library. The conference in Tirana will be held at the National Museum of Art in Skanderbeg Square. Participants are: Dr. Gudar Beqiraj, executive director of the Ivanaj Foundation in Albania and Pertefe Leka, an Ivanaj Foundation vice president, while the guests include Professor Luan Memushi, Albanian Minister of Education, and Professor Ylli Popa, Chairman of the Academy of Science. Program speakers will address perspectives on Professor Ivanaj?s contributions. Speakers include: Professor Uran Butka, Professor Iljaz Gogaj, Professor Jorgo Bulo, Dr. Shaban Sinani and Dr. Kaliopi Naska. Closing remarks will be made by Drita Ivanaj, of New York City, President and Treasurer of the Ivanaj Foundations. The evening will conclude with cocktails and the official opening of the Archives of State exhibit of Ivanaj artifacts. For further information email the Ivanaj Foundations at info at ivanaj.org * The Martin and Mirash Ivanaj Foundation of New York and the M.& M. Ivanaj Foundation Institute of Tirana are not-for-profit and charitable organizations dedicated to educational programs for Albanian youth. From mentor at alb-net.com Fri Aug 22 11:09:06 2003 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Albanians in Macedonia Crisis Center News & Information) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2003 11:09:06 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Prishtina-E] [AMCC-News] Torture of two Kosovars in Macedonian Prison (fwd) Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMCC http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- URGENT ACTION - ALERT (please distribute further) KOSOVA ACTION NETWORK (KAN) Alice Mead- intl. coordinator amead(at)maine.rr.com AUGUST 22, 2003 BRUTAL TORTURE OF TWO KOSOVAR ALBANIAN PRISONERS IN SUTKA PRISON, SKOPJE, MACEDONIA, ONE ATTEMPTS SUICIDE KOSOVA ACTION NETWORK (KAN) has received information from a human rights activist and lawyer, Ms. Bella Murati, that two Kosova prisoners have been severely and systematically tortured in a Macedonian prison. Ms. Murati was contacted by one of their brothers, Xhevdet Ramaj. The two men, Nexhat and Bedri Ramaj, are accused of terrorism for allegedly failing to stop at a police checkpoint and then allegedly firing at the police in Tetovo, 2002. UNMIK human rights officials should appoint a lawyer to investigate these charges and should demand access to the two prisoners to determine the extent of the torture they have suffered. Human Rights organizations should supervise the conditions of the detention, the nature of the charges, whether there have been forced confessions, and what rights have been violated in this case. The perpetrators of the torture should be arrested and tried. These men are innocent until proven guilty and their human and civil rights must be protected by Macedonia, UNMIK, and the EU. Macedonia is now an EU country and, as such, there should be immediate and direct consequences for this kind of abusive treatment. Nexhet and Bedri Ramaj are now in the Sutka prison near Skopje. They were arrested on September 19, 2003 in Tetove. During the arrest, Nexhat Ramaj was severely injured. He has been denied medical treatment, although he has been visited by the ICRC. The prisoners say they were on their way back to Kosova after doing farm work in Macedonia. Another man was killed at the time of their arrest. They have been accused of planning terrorist attacks, but deny these allegations. They have received no sentence. Because of the severe torture, Bedri Ramaj tried to commit suicide on July 25, 2003. We urge Kosova Action members, government officials, and human rights monitors to press for an immediate investigation of this situation. ______________________________________________________________ If you wish to unsubscribe, send a blank message to: amcc-news-unsubscribe at alb-net.com , or visit AMCC-NEWS's page at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/amcc-news From mentor at alb-net.com Wed Aug 20 01:14:00 2003 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana) Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2003 01:14:00 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Prishtina-E] [AMCC-News] News: MACEDONIA: OHRID TWO YEARS ON (IWPR) Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMCC http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/bcr3/bcr3_200308_454_2_eng.txt MACEDONIA: OHRID TWO YEARS ON Progress has been made but doubts remain over the future of the republic's two ethnic groups. By Ana Petruseva in Skopje (BCR No 454, 19-Aug-03) Macedonia is still facing numerous challenges to its fragile peace two years after the Ohrid peace agreement brought an end to ethnic conflict. Splinter guerrilla groups, an impoverished economy, weak state institutions, crime, corruption and a wide social gap between ethnic communities are still threatening to destablise the region. In 2001, ethnic Albanian guerrillas launched an insurgency in the name of greater civil rights. The fighting ended with the signing of the western-brokered peace accord, the Ohrid agreement, on August 13, 2001. In the following year's elections, voters ousted the ruling nationalists and brought a new coalition to power, featuring Social Democrats and the Democratic Party of Albanians, formed by many former National Liberation Army fighters. Ex-NLA leader Ali Ahmeti laid down his weapons to become a parliamentary deputy, and his party now has four ministers and a vice-premier in government. Since then, the Ohrid accord, designed to lay a foundation for a unitary, multiethnic state, has been seen as a basis for future stability and its implementation a pre-requisite for integration into the European Union and NATO. The deal has been implemented gradually, with most of its elements - apart from decentralisation - being adopted. Decentralisation is the only component of the agreement that has real benefits for Macedonians as well as Albanians, but the process of drawing up new municipal boundaries and the financing of local authorities has not even begun yet due to lack of compromise on both sides, and further talks have been delayed until next month. However, progress has been made in other areas. Albanian deputies can now use their language in parliament. Personal documents are issued in Albanian, and a controversial illegal Albanian university in Tetovo is being legalised and will soon be state-funded. The process of equal representation of Albanians in state institutions is also underway. Two years ago, most ethnic Macedonians viewed the agreement as a defeat, claiming that the majority had been "taken hostage" by the Albanian minority, but today the peace deal is viewed as being necessary, if unloved. Marking the second anniversary of the deal, Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski said, "There is no need for any party to view the framework agreement as a defeat. "Time has given proof to our expectations [of] a truly European agreement - one that would end possibilities for territorial solutions to ethnic questions. The agreement guarantees Macedonia's authentic multi-cultural identity and offers no potential for federalisation or division along ethnic lines." However, Macedonian and Albanian opposition parties do not share his view and take every opportunity to undermine the deal, claiming that it has produced no results. Many have even suggested partition of the country into separate ethnic entities. The biggest Macedonian opposition party VMRO-DPMNE and their former coalition partner the Democratic Party of Albanians have heavily criticised the deal, saying it has done nothing to improve security as numerous violent incidents still happen on daily basis. But this view was refuted by Macedonia premier Branko Crvenkovski, who said, "Many criticise it from different positions, but nobody has offered any other serious alternative. As of itself, it does not impose limits, but the opportunities it offers depends upon our abilities to make use of it. "The return to complete peace, security and restoration of multi-ethnic trust is a difficult process with many obstacles and obstructions. But it is worth investing in the fulfilment of the framework agreement's goals.'' But on the ground, both communities are still living in parallel societies, nurturing damaging prejudices, and few attempts to bridge this gap have been successful. However, there has been an improvement in the general security situation over the past two years, and the EU military mission, Concordia, is expected to leave the country by the end of the year. Nonetheless, the persistence of ethnic violence shows that Macedonia is not out of the woods yet. A shadowy guerrilla group called the Albanian National Army, ANA - which has taken responsibility for most incidents in Macedonia, southern Serbia and Kosovo - repeatedly threatens to start a war to unite all Albanian territories. Diplomats in Skopje say the group is made up of criminals and does not pose a serious threat to peace, while the same group has been described as "terrorists" in Kosovo. Edward Joseph, a former director of the International Crisis Group in the region, told IWPR that the jury was still out on whether the days of conflict were over, "We don't know whether the calm that we see now in Macedonia is a momentary lull or in fact the first steps of establishing true stability. "There are still too many open questions about the capacity of the state, police, courts, government and political leaders to say for sure that Macedonia is on a road of peace and can never turn to conflict." Anna Petruseva is IWPR project manager in Skopje. ______________________________________________________________ If you wish to unsubscribe, send a blank message to: amcc-news-unsubscribe at alb-net.com , or visit AMCC-NEWS's page at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/amcc-news