Tirana pledges to help Kosovo Serbs

TIRANA, Dec 23 – A delegation of minority Kosovo Serbs, headed by Slobodan Petrovic, visited Albania to meet with Prime Minister Sali Berisha and also Foreign Minister Ilir Meta.
Minister of Communities and Return, Sasha Rashic, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Nenad Rashic, and the Chairman elected from Gra袮ica municipality, Bojan Stojanovic, were part of the delegation.
Albanian officials vowed to help Serbs in Kosovo integrate into the territory, which is dominated by ethnic Albanians, saying the move would help democracy.
Calling the visit as ‘historic’ Berisha said the government had allocated 400,000 Euros for different projects for the Gracanica commune in Kosovo. They have to propose projects to get the money.
The premier also urged pairing of the Serb-dominated communities with Albanian ones.
Berisha said there was good will from Tirana and Belgrade to take further the cooperation between the two countries and open a new chapter.
The premier also said there were efforts made for a visit in the future of the Serb President, Boris Tadic.
Petrovic, a lawmaker in the Kosovo parliament and head of the Liberal Party, welcomed the Albanian assistance and highly appreciated the good will expressed by Berisha and Meta since their visits to Kosovo earlier this year.
“We highly evaluate such a symbolic gesture at a time when we are aware that your economic situation in the country is not the best and under such a situation you are ready to help those in need,” said Petrovic at a news conference after meeting with Berisha.
He added that regional countries should turn their eyes to Albania’s role and model in the area and, “I am sure that our friends in Brussels and Washington will very positively evaluate our joint project.”
Meta praised the very important value of the Serb community for a democratic Kosovo, welcomed the increased participation of this community in the recent local elections in Kosovo as a clear expression of their awareness that only in this way will they take their destiny in their hands and become part of the European integration processes.
While considering this as a contribution to their further integration into local and central governmental institutions, Meta expressed his conviction that the climate of calm and peace will also make possible the return of displaced persons of the Serb community.
“The Serb community in Kosovo brings very important values for a democratic Kosovo and Albania will assist in its integration,” said Meta. “The Albanian government will contribute to the construction of houses for Serbs who have fled KosovoŢ since the end of 1998-1999 war there, as well as, “ƣultural and community centers in the municipalities with Serb majorities.”
Relations are still strained between the Serbs and the ethnic Albanians in the territory after the conflict between separatist Kosovo fighters and forces loyal to late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic.
The fighting left around 10,000 people dead, the majority ethnic Albanians.
Some 120,000 Serbs have fled Kosovo since 1999, following the withdrawal of Belgrade’s forces from the breakaway territory.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and to date 64 countries have recognized its independence, including the United States and most nations of the European Union.
Serbia does not recognize the territory’s independence.