By Krenar Gashi
14 11 2007 Pristina – Guerrillas of the Albanian National Army, ANA, said they will not interfere in the November 17 elections in Kosovo, and that they are not in principle opposed to the elections.
In an exclusive interview with Balkan Insight, conducted near Kosovo’s capital Pristina, an ANA member, known as Astriti, said: “our group is a military formation and as such will not deal with political processes.”
He added that the ANA is “not against democratic processes,” but is “here to act in case these processes fail.”
This statement contradicts a press release issued on 29 October and signed by Tirana-based ANA spokesman Gafurr Adili, calling on Kosovars to boycott this week’s municipal and parliamentary elections.
The statement noted that ANA members have been instructed “to agitate for the population to boycott the November 17 elections.”
Tensions in Kosovo are rising as the negotiating process over its future status comes to an end.
Weeks ago, film footage broadcast on Kosovo’s public TV station, RTK, showed masked ANA members patrolling one of the busiest highways in Kosovo.
Astriti, who appeared in that footage holding a sophisticated sniper rifle, told Balkan Insight that “the ANA doesn’t inhibit [political] processes, whether they succeed or not”. He insisted that the ANA has “never dealt with issues such as whether people should go out and vote or not.”
Commenting on the statement issued by Adili, Astriti said that “he can represent anybody else but the ANA,” and he added that “every soldier in the field has more of a reputation than Gafurr Adili.”
Adili on the other hand confirmed that Astriti is a member of the ANA operating in Kosovo. He praised Astriti’s group but noted that they are not supposed to give political statements.
The ANA, also known as the AKSH, has been branded as a terrorist organisation by the UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK. According to Adili, the ANA is the military wing of the so-called Front for Albanian National Unification, FBKSH. This, however, is not corroborated by other armed groups in Kosovo that claim no connection with Adili.
