Balkans: January 23, 2004

Archives

The Albanian National Army (ANA), which has plagued Serbia and Macedonia, now appears to have its sights on Montenegro. Or does it? Press reports say the ANA has threatened to launch attacks in Montenegro on behalf of Montenegros Albanian minority. About seven percent of Montenegros population is ethnic Albanian. Subsequent reports cast doubt on the claims that the threats were serious. There were apparently spelling and grammar errors in the threat message that an Albanian would not have made. Several Albanians in Montenegro dismissed the threats. The Montenegrin Albanians say their situation isnt at all comparable to Albanians who suffered in Kosovo under Serb rule and in Macedonia. In fact, the situation for Albanians in Montenegro may even be better than that of Albanians in Albania. So who made the threats if the ANA didnt make them? Serb or Slavic ultra-nationalists might think they would benefit from fomenting ethnic strife.