Monday, June 05, 2006

Kosovo premier congratulates Montenegrins, thanks them for support

Text of report by Kosovo Albanian television KohaVision TV on 5 June

[Announcer] By saying Yes to independence, Montenegro, our neighbour in the West, has fulfilled its aspiration to break away from Serbian control and become an equal member of the family of sovereign and independent nations of the world, Kosova [Kosovo] Premier Agim Ceku said in his weekly radio address to the nation.

The birth of this new country in the Balkans, on the periphery of Europe is, according to the prime minister, the penultimate act of Yugoslavia's disintegration and also the final blow to the greater Serbia project. Our relations with Montenegro have shown signs of improvement since the Dayton accords [US-brokered 1995 Bosnian peace agreement] and gradually culminated in our liberation war from Milosevic's dictatorial regime. The Kosova people will never forget the hospitality the Montenegrin government and people showed during 1998-99 when they sheltered hundreds of thousands of Albanians who escaped Serbian repression in order to seek refuge in this small place, the Kosova prime minister said. As I have also said earlier, in a democratic Kosova, all citizens have a future regardless of their ethnicity, language and religion. It is time for the Montenegrin minority to come out openly and help strengthen our institutions, our common Kosova. Kosova is awaiting a definition of its status, independence and sovereignty. We will then move faster towards Europe. Until then we wish the Montenegrin government and the people a good journey, prosperity and peace, assuring them that we will soon meet in a united Europe, Kosova Premier Ceku underlined in his weekly address.

Source: KohaVision TV, Pristina, in Albanian 1700 gmt 5 Jun 06

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