Albanian Politician Banned From Kosovo Trip

Sali Berisha, former Albanian president and now leader of the Albanian Democratic Party (ADP), was Wednesday denied entry into Yugoslavia's Kosovo province.

Berisha, together with some other senior ADP officials, was stopped at the Morina border point on his way to Pristina, capital of Kosovo.

The Kosovo Interim Executive Committee said the no-admittance order is made for security reasons.

Berisha had planned to hold talks with key ethnic Albanian leaders in Pristina and attend a rally which had not been authorized by U.N. peacekeepers.

The former Albanian president refused to cancel his plan on Tuesday even after receiving a letter from the Kosovo Interim Executive Committee, warning him to stay out of the region for security reasons.

On contrary to Berisha's strong protest after his return to Tirana, Albanian parliamentary leader Skender Gjinushi supported the move of the Kosovo Interim Executive Committee, saying it did the right thing.

Due to Berisha's pro-independence stance on the Kosovo issue, there is fear that his visit would aggravate tension in the region.



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