Plans for 'Greater Albania' by 2015, South Serbia Leader Says

Plans are being drawn up for all Albanians in the Balkans to live in a "greater Albanian state" by 2015, Orhan Rexhepi, an ethnic Albanian official from south Serbia, told Balkan Insight.

Bojana Barlovac

"We [Albanians from south Serbia] are preparing to realise the idea of a greater Albania to be formed by 2013 or 2015 at the latest," Rexhepi, the vice president of the Presevo assembly, said on Tuesday. Talks on such a project were held over the weekend in Tirana, where the List for Natural Albania was presented for the first time. Rexhepi attended the meeting along with the mayor of Presevo, Ragmi Mustafa, and the leader of the Party for Democratic Progress, Jonuz Musliu.

"I was in Tirana over the weekend to support the project and announce that my party [Party for Democratic Progress, PDP] will become part of the List [For Natural Albania] and take part in the next elections in Presevo," Rexhepi said. The PDP is the largest and most influential ethnic Albanian party in south Serbia.

The List for Natural Albania includes the groups and individuals who support the idea of a "natural", or "greater" Albania of one state for all ethnic Albanians in the Balkans, which would include parts of the territories of Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece, and Serbia. According to the project, Albanians in these countries would hold a referendum to plead for the establishment of the state.

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/greater-albania-to-be-formed-by-2013-south-serbia-leader-say