Albanians cleaning their own

The bomb attack on Ethem Ceku, a minister in the Kosovo government and a member of Ramush Haradinaj's Alliance for Kosovo future, and the ministers associates, which happened four days ago, in the ethnically clean Pec municipality, is part of the most recent wave of violence that hit Kosovo and Metohija.

This incident is not to be mixed with the attacks on the Serbs. In this case the incident is not with the purpose of ethnic cleansing, but a clash between fellow countrymen. It is also obvious that the attack was not accidental but that the minister was the target of this attempted assassination. Haradinaj's political party believes the same thing and does not hide their concerns.

Ethem Ceku is known as a top member of the Albanian mafia, which does its criminal activities as part of the criminal organization of Ramush Haradinaj and Ekrem Luka. Luka is known as one of the main financers of Albanian terrorists in Kosovo. At the end of the nineties he gave the UCK almost 2 million euros. Today, Luka is one of the most financially powerful persons in the province. He owns a cigarette factory, brewery, TV station, bars and a basketball team among other things. He has under his control the Serb-Albanian mafia trade going on between Belgrade and Prishtina, and is also involved in drug, weapons, arms, oil, cars, and human trafficking.

Attack on Ceku is also being seem as a warning to Haradinaj and Luka, and is also brought in connection with the investigation the Hague tribunal is leading against a couple of ex UCK members. As a commander of the prison camp in the Junicki Mountains, he also controlled a prison camp Dragobilj near Malisevo, and is responsible for the murder of large number of Serbs who were previously forced to do heavy physical work in the Deva mine near Djakovica. Ceku could be prosecuted for this, but he could also be a very important witness.

Clashes between the political opponents started back in the nineties. FARK (Kosovo republic armed forces) leader Ahmet Krasnici was killed in Tirana in 1997. The organizer of this killing was Xhavit Haliti, one of the founders of UCK and the key man in its logistics, as well as a current vice president of the Kosovo government. Rugova's supporters are saying Haliti is also responsible for the killing of Tahir Zemaj, another FARK commander who was killed in January of 2003. Other victims of political murders are Shefki Popova, a news reporter for "Rilindija" who was killed in 1999, Ekrem Rexha, one of the UCK commanders, as well as Xhemajli Mustafa Ahmet Isufi, Enver Maloku, Besim Bujaru, Sali Cekaj, most of whom are Rugova's allies. For testifying against members of the UCK, in front of international court in Kosovo Azem Musaj, Sadri Rexhaj, Sedj Maloku, Rexhep Kelmendi, Iliria Berisha, were also killed. Hague main prosecutor Carla Del Ponte sadly stated that she was left without four witnesses.

Pristina does not hide its concerns that such incidents can continue in the upcoming months, especially in the pre-election campaigning, when we will see the surfacing of a fight for power between local Albanian leaders, but also for gaining of power among ten nark-mafia clans. Clashes between political opponents who believe that the solution for Kosovo final status in just days away is yet to be seen.

Although majority of Albanian political leaders share the same goal, which is an independent Kosovo, there are serious differences in the political moves and the profiling of their power. Inter-Albanian conflicts bear resemblance of clan conflicts with the use of violence and forms of urban crime. Very often we see clashes between mafia groups as well. Hashim Thaci, Ramush Haradinaj, and Agim Ceku, are sovereign parts of the mafia, so collisions between them can be expected. DSK leader and Kosovo president, Ibrahim Rugova, is also target of the mafia.

Last attack on the Minster confirms, as Milorad Todorovic, a co-minister in Kosovo government put it, the level of publish safety for normal citizens in Kosovo and Metohija is low.

Recent incidents also give an answer to the question "Has the international community four years after putting the southern Serbian province under its protection, managed to disarm Kosovo Albanians. Numerous actions for voluntary surrender of weapons, and large number of impounded weapons during searches and on check points, shows that civilians still have in their possession large number of bombs, rifles, and pistols.

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