ALBANIAN NATIONAL UNION FRONT (ANUF)
CENTRAL PRESIDENCY
Prot.Nr.65-11-04-04/AKTI
Tirana, Prishtina, Shkup, Ulqin, Preveza
11 April 2004

MEMORANDUM

Directed to:
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP (ICG)
For notification to:
UN SECURITY COUNCIL,
US STATE DEPARTMENT,
COUNCIL OF THE EUROPIAN UNION,
NATO SECURITY COUNCIL.

Respected ladies and gentlemen,

With the highest national seriousity and responsibility, the Central Presidency of the Albanian National Union Front, in its regular meeting, held in Prishtina, on 04 April 2004, discussed and analyzed the Report Nr. 152 and 153 of the International Crisis Group (ICG), date 25 February, titled: "Pan-Albanianism: How Big a Threat to Balkan Stability?" In principle, the leading political structure of Albanian National Army, that ICG, de jure, have recognized through the 25 February's Report, the Albanian National Union Front (ANUF) is very grateful to every initiative and attempt, not only of the International Crisis Group, but of every other international structure, that the unresolved interethnic issues in Balkans to attempt being resolved in peaceful and democratic way, stimulating the dialogue between Balkan nations. With courage we remember you that this desire still not coincides with the terrain's reality. In this appreciation, the Albanian National Union Front (ANUF) and his military structure, the Albanian National Army (ANA) are by no means ready to accept the ICG's last report, because this report is inaccurate, destructive and destabilizing. It intends to sabotage the historical, geopolitical and legal arguments of the Albanians' rights in Balkan. Moreover, we are judging that the treatment of the Albanian issue by ICG is under the false Slavic-Greek (Serbia, Montenegro, Greece and FYROM) history, politics and propaganda, that Balkans are endangered by Albanian "terrorists and extremists groups", attempting to underestimate all Liberation Movements for national liberation, from 1878 to 2004. But we remember you that the lack of historical reason of the ICG 's members will not make us, the Albanians to do the same thing, on the contrary, we will remind you that this historical reason will make us to ask with an unfatigable insistence our rights until abnegation. We will let you the rethorics, while we will follow the rightist way to win with all costs our denied rights. The political international factor insufficient for understanding that the Albanians will never feel quiet how long the treatment of security issues and future of Balkans will exist privileged nations and states and oppressed ones, like we really feel us, the Albanians.

Respected ladies and gentlemen,

We desire to stress the fact that the Albanian league of Prizren (1878) was founded at its time to oppose to the Ottoman Empire, but its union with other nationalities was destroyed by the military intervention of Russia against the Ottomans and Albanians. This made possible that in the Congress of Berlin in 1878, held by Great Powers t give the possibility to Serbia, Montenegro and Greece for taking Albanian territories, committing genocide on Albanian people. To this partition and genocide, the Albanians opposed themselves and they will oppose in every time. "The Albanian Question" appealed for settlement in 1878, as a result of the Turk-Russian war and in the London Conference in 1913, as a result of the consequences of the Balkan war. The debate over the reunification of Albanian lands is being denied nowadays, as it was in 1878 and 1913. The Albanian attempts for liberation from the Serb and Greek domination and colonization have failed, due to the Great Powers' interests and interventions. Being the prey of those unfair resolutions and decisions approved on the Berlin Congress in 1878 and of the London Conference (December 1912- August 1913), more than 50% of Albanian people and of his territory were awarded to Serbia, Montenegro and Greece. Today, in the twenty-first century, while Europe and other parts of the world are trying to integrate and globalize their precious values, like freedom, security, order, democracy, justice and welfare, these territories remained at the colonial status of Serbia, Montenegro, FYROM and Greece.

ICG made the error (with or without intention) to see every settlement to Balkan problems outside the negative values' frame of the European decisions of time. This opened the way to the lack of reason and as a result we believe that GNK wants in Southeastern Europe to exist "heaven"- superstates at the Albanian nation expense. Unfortunately, we, the Albanians, remember you that these kinds of desires will remain only a post-apocalyptic utopia of the ICG's representatives, revealing their destabilizing role in Balkans. They can not live "in peace" with the Slavic and Greek aggressors neither Albanians, nor Bosnians, Croats, and in general all "non-Serbs" which have been felt on their back the severe outcomes and the destructive genocides of the Serb and Greek states. The representatives of this international organism, in order to understand what have been felt Albanians because of the colonization and because of the century-aged crimes of Serb aggressors, should be living at least 50 years in Balkans. Those who have been felt the murders, the occupation, the deportation and many inhuman crimes exerted by Serbia, Montenegro, FYROM and Greece on the back of Albanian people, we are sure that would not be speaking with this kind of language. It can't be created "multi-ethnicity" in a place where never existed! This is the simple reason, that only Kosova have never been piece of Serbia, but it was occupied and colonized by this country, as well as how other Albanian lands are occupied by Montenegro, FYROM and Greece. Therefore, Albanians that are living in these lands neither can not accept, nor will never accept to live under the barbarian Slavic and Greek domination. This points out the fact that the ICG's constraint with violence of multi-ethnic society's concept on Albanian lands in inhuman, anti-democratic, and discriminatory. It encourages openly the interests of the neighbor countries, ruled by aggressive nationalism and in the same time shows the disdain, the racism and the aggressivity of Europe-s big states with Albanian nation.

These kind of tendencies in the ICG report with Nr. 153, are emerging openly where is said: "In the long term, Albanian nationalism will be tamed by full implementation of internationally-brokered agreements and respect for Albanians' place in Macedonian, Serbian, and Montenegrin society, together with consistent pressure on Albanian extremists and politicians who appeal to them. (...) Decentralising power in Macedonia, and giving Kosovo conditional independence in return for an assurance from all the Albanian entities in the Balkans that the present borders of south-eastern Europe will remain unchanged, would also help stabilise the situation". With this assertion, ICG is officially supporting the occupation of Albanian lands by Slavic and Greek neighbours and suggests that it would be desirable for Albanians to remain further under the Slavic and Greek domination. The aggressive Slavic-Greek nationaliswill do everything for a total asimilation of Albanians through a long process, that excepting the murders and the expulsions has for result the Albanians' assimilation and their "convertion" into "Serbs", "Montenegrins" "Slavic Muslims", ... so on. We remember to the ICG, the situation of Montenegro- " the democratic multi-ethnic oasis" - where at least 30 % of the "Montenegrin" people , were Albanians- like the family of Kuci, Bjellopavliq, that were converted in "Montenegrins", and this trend is still a reality nowadays. In Montenegro it is not accepted the opening of any university, while for the Serb minority from the North of Mitrovica it exists one of this kind which, without the aprovement of Kosova's organs, is financed from the budget of Kosova. For Albanians it is out of disscution the idea of an university in Eastern Kosova and in Tetova in permited only a half of university, with five faculties. Where could be found the equality in rights of nations for their education?

ICG is fully ignoring the right of self-determination guaranteed by many international conventions. Really, from what it can be understood from the report, ICG desires to deny this right only for Albanian people. Every request or movement for Albanians' self-determination, which is finding its expression in the ANUF's activity, attempts to be quickly compared, fabricating requests of a "Greater Albania", how are existing teories of a "Greater Serbia" . This "strong weapon" of ICG have a lack of proves and arguments. This devilish paralelism it seems to conditionate the fact that in the report is quoted " Is there a real potential for a future conflict in Balkans, stretched by an agend of a "Greater Albania", similas with the agends for a "Greater Serbia" pr "Greater Croatia", that caused the war in Bosnia between 1992-1995?" ICG has not why to ask this, because for Albanians there is not a "Greater Albania" or a "Smaller Albania", there is only ALBANIA.

With this kind of common teories it attempts to cheat the International Community, temting to scare it with the "pan-albanianism's ogre", which, according to that organism, claims to create one "Greater Albania"! The reality is that the lands, which Albanians want "to take", are constitutive parts of Albania, and 100 years before were inside Albania. The opposite is manipulated with intention by the ICG's report. Further more, on all reports, aproximately every time, ICG, with much desire, have been used the term "Greater Albania", declaring so a unreal thing, fabricating the fact that the Albanian National Movements (the Albanian National Union Front and the military wing of ANUF - the Albanian National Army) are requesting the creation of a "Greater Albania". There is not even a document in which ANUF and ANA have used the term "Greater Albania", but every time rightly were declared for the Albanian national reunification of Albanian lands, which are continuing to be conquered and colonized by Serb, Montenegrin, Slavic-macedonian and Greek conquerers and colonizers. With this report, ANUF is semnalizing the fact that, ICG has openly sided with Serbian colonial propaganda and its politics against historical and legal tight of colonized Albanians to be free, united, independent in their national state, with the name, Albania.

Respected ladies and gentlemen,

It is surprising the fact tht ICG's report failed to mention any causes, consequences, or an eventual threat of Serbian extremism. Which after committing three consecutive genocides in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosova, is still dangerous for Balkan's peace and stability. The ICG's assertion that: the population's support for KLA and NLA started to gain in kosova and Macedonia only when those publicly moved away from the "Greater Albania" agenda and oriented to the request of Kosova's independence , respectively for constitutional reform in Macedonia" is a propagandistic, a wrong and a devilish finding. With this goal, this organism attempts to do an unnecessary paralelism, expressing that : "In the contrast, how much the Albanian National Army was using the pan - Albanian rethorics, so little it had military successes". Really, we don't know from where ICG took those informations, but what we know with exactness and with convition is the undoubtly fact that Albanians had beed fought precisely for liberation and national union and that the leadership of KLA and NLA was criticized precisely for fading away from liberation's and unification's goal. So, the support for National Liberation Army, even diminished, when it renounced from its agenda for national unification. At least, as far as it concernes the National Liberation Army, it is not praised even a case when Albanians themselves to declare that they join into this army because : "We are going to fight in the NLA for constitutional rights in Macedonia". At the same time, unfortunately, ICG is avoiding data of Albanian inquired population, by which results, that their support for Albanian national reunification is much more than 80%/ The last inquiry have been organized in February - March 2004 by the independent Albanian magazine ILIRIA, where from 7895 inquired from all urban structures and in all social structures of the population on age from all Albania's lands, were declared as follows: PRO national unification - 82,5 %, AGAINST national unification - 6% and WITHOUT CONCRETE ANSWER - 11%. A independent television of the Republic of Albania (GJELI VIZION), in the evening of the date when the trial of Gafurr Adili and Taip Mustafaj had begun, made an inquest too, where 99,8% of the investigated persons were declared PRO NATIONAL UNIFICATION. So, with what right expresses ICG that Albanians were supporting KLA and NLA only when those had renounced at the program for national unification?! With what right ICG is ignoring that much more than 80% of Albanians, from all Albania's lands are pro national unification?! The way in which ICG attempts by all means to impose the multi - ethnicity, not only that is not giving the desired results to the Albanian people (sympathy for multi - ethnicity) but, on the contrary, precisely this constraint and this pression is giving to the Albanian people a frustration of big sizes. Albanians, simply are brought into such a positon that they truly are creating the conviction that ICG type's organisations are doing everything against the Albanians' rights. If some years before, ICG had had a enough positive image, particulary at the Albanian people, the last years, the sympathy of Albanians for ICG and for similar organisations, registred a drastic fall. The causes for this have to be found precisely in the subjective content of ICG's report, where this organisation with his whole "intelectual" potential attempts to influence Albanians, their governments, foreign governments for establishing a wrong political and territorial model that is "punished" to fail.

In the European experience, we would desire to remind to ICG, why it not denounced (even "posthumous") the reunification of the both Germanys, according to the model of "unchanging of the borders"? Where are the same ICG reports in which it are criticized the governments of the Germanys, od USA, of Russia, that "had not prevented by all means the reunification of both Germanys and the neccessar elimination of "terrorists" and "militants" who had been requiring a "Greater Germany", for example Helmut Kohl?! In which ICG's archive are reports in which is denounced the desintegration of Czekoslovakia and the desire of both people ( Czeks and Slovaks) each to have their own state? ICG with pamflets of type Nr. 152 and 153 has changed in an International Group of Crises - thus who is producing crises and not who is preventing them.

Ladies and ladies and Gentlemen,

We are reminding you that ICG himself have had scare that, mabye will not arrive to influence the minds of Albanians with the advices for "multiethnic society", following this, in report Nr. 153 is used a "very efficient" weapon for the "pan - Albanianism" fight, weapon that have been used before by Serbia, Montenegro, FYROM amd Greece. It is about the attempts for creating the inter- Albanian partitions, using terms like : " Southern Albanians", "Northern Albanians", "Ghegs", "Tosks", "Tosk domination", "language differences", so on.

Really, the report Nr. 153 of ICG is filled with unaccurate informtions, garblings, contradictory terms, with openly cunning and distruction. ICG, with premeditation in manipulating the data from terrain, for adapting them to its interior concept, thate forsees "the solving" of the Albanian problem within accepting the frame of a "multi - ethnic society", of " a integration" into the constitutionality of yhr occuping states.

So, at the page "2" of this report aproximately in a perfidous mode, ICG gives "signal" to the international community and shows so its real face of what it desires to achieve: " The Albanians in Balkans are divided into two principal groups with different dialects and social structures. Those who are living in former Yugoslavia and in the mountainous regions of the mountain part of Albania are known like Ghegs. Those who are living in the southern part of Shkumbin river are known like Tosks. So, the divisions inside the Albanians are very important and must be taken into consideration. It is very important how the international community will coordinate those different perspectives for the Albanian aspirations" You are very far away in understanding what are feeling Albanians for themselves and one for another.

ICG is recommending the Greek government "to take measures for improvement of the human rights for all Albanians in Greece and ... to open fast discussions for the compensation of the rights of the Chams proprieties". Once again the ICG members should know that there are no "Chams", but there is an "Albanian population of Cameria". Second, we must understand with a deep indignation that there recommendations encroached upon the knavisht mode by the Greek government, immediately after the ICG members had taken air that they had made their work. The shameful pressions of the racist Greek government has nothing to do with the will and the desire to solve the Cameria question, then the punishment of the Greek government will be droped on the back of the Albanian refugees. With much worry we want to ask and we are demandind a public answer: "Where has the bases the Greek democracy, in racism, in encroaching of human rights, in mixing into interior works of the Albanian state's institutions or in a rusty mentality and in the hypocrisy of the old Greek politics, that has nothing to do with the western democracy's values of modern times?" This is a shame for European and for world democracies about what is caused by states that are benefitting very much because of the presence of the Albanian refugees there, and that are unscrupoulos in their views and appreciatons concerning the rights of a population that until today have been enduring much more than the borders of a endure. But for this reaction of the Greek government what will say ICG to us, the Albanians?!! Lower down ICG expressed the fact that the majority of the Albanians from Albania re not "loving" the Albanians from other ethnic lands and they have "scare" about the national unification, fot the reason that then the Tosks would be "occupied" by Ghegs, which with the integration of Kosova, Ilirida, Malesia e Madhe within Albania would form the majority. On the other hand, the Gheg minority of the Northern Slbania will be endangered, because the Ghege og Kosovo would exceed the number. Those analyses in the outlook of Albanians are very old. Like a "proof" for the upper affirmations, thinking that the political leadership in Albania is against national unification and pan- Albanianism, ICG reminds the arrest's case of the Leader of the Albanian National Union Front by Albanian authorities. But ICG reminds not the fact that the Albanian authorities, exactly for this case, were in the critic's center of the whole Albanian opinion. The albanian authorities had been obliged not only to free the leader of ANUF, but the Albanian law gave him the unguiltyness. The people in the Republic of Albania, in year 1998, firstly in the popular Referendum, more than 87% had said "YES" for the Constitution Project, which on 21 October 1998 was aproved by the Albania's Parliament. On the preambul of this Constitution is said: " With the secular aspiration for the identity and national unification". In that year the Albanian people opened their own houses for much more than 800 tausend Kosova's Albanians, which had been opressed by Serb genocide. "The facts" of ICG have no base and have nothing to do with the reality. There is not true that Albanians don't want the national unification, because they "are scared" by the domination of this other that "tribe". Albanians, in their absolute majority are considering entire Albania like a "MOTHER" and are feeling not "differences" one to another. During the war in Kosovo, KLA soldiers were based in Albania and KLA members had been from all Albanian lands, from Tirana to Prishtina, from Tetova to Presheva, from Plava to Janina. If it had been real what is said by ICG, then, in KLA would have participated only Albanians of Kosova. But the reality is something else: when the war for liberation and national unification begun in Kosova and Ilirida, the Albanians from all their ethnic territories and from Albanian Diaspora, not only from Europe, but also beyond the Atlantic rushed, being united in one flag and in one goal.

Respected ladies and gentlemen,

There is not the first time when we attempt to attract your attention through different appeals and communiques, by which we come out your deafness. Those positions are stimulating, in essence, the unfairness that the history had been made to us. This position provokes the sentiments of Albanians and their quiteness, with whom they wait with patience, in values of international factor. But through this we are remembering you that our patience has an end. Albanians can not endure without am end until will be fulfilled the privileges of their criminals and inquisitors, embraced for many years by the dirty international politics.

We remember you that this report is an open provokation made to Albanians and their national feelings. There are many things to say, which are let with intention beyond your attention. We have the task yo remind you that, we will never remain under the dirty politics' influention dominated by the aggressive nationalism of our traditional opponents. Albanians, on the beginning of the new century have found their way. Them, united under the ideas and under the Platform of the National Unification of ANUF, will fight though all the means for realizing the reunification of the Albanian lands into a single state, Albania.

We remember to you that will never be quiteness in Balkans if the national question of the Albanian people can not find, at once and good, her solving. This is not issue of individuals or leaderships. This is an Albanian people's right, historicaly denied, which must find the attention of the international factor, in the mode that the Albanians to go united straight to the European integration. Only like this we will be an unquestionable factor of the stability in the region. Every other "solution" is unacceptable and can not eliminate the Albanian factor in Balkans.