Okay, all you Serbian history buffs, answer, "First, the Albanians are direct descendents of the ancient Illyrians." So many holes in this letter, you could drive a truck through it. This letter appeared right under Michael Pravica's letter at the same link as shown. Stella
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080202/EDITORIAL /929167765 <http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080202/EDITORIA L/929167765&template=nextpage> &template=nextpage The Washington Times 2 February 2008 Kosovo and Albanians In "Distorting the truth on Kosovo" (Letters, Jan. 23), Tika Jankovic is a typical example of many who are brainwashed by Serbian myths, who believe in the theory of invasions, who believe that Kosovo is the cradle of the Serbian civilization and that the Serbs were superior among other ethnicities that made up mosaic Yugoslavia. The Serbian national consciousness, deeply influenced by these myths, caused four wars in the Balkans during the 1990s: Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Kosovo. First, the Albanians are direct descendants of the ancient Illyrians. Albanians never occupied Serbian territories. It is the other way around. The Serbs migrated to the Balkans from the sixth century on. Second, no serious history book backs up the following assertions that Miss Jankovic lists: that more than 200,000 Serbs were expelled from Kosovo by German, Italian and Albanian fascists; that Albanians terrorized Serbs under Tito; and that Albanians practiced ethnic cleansing after World War II by allowing immigrants from Albania proper to take over Serbian territories. Third, historical sources confirm that after Serbia occupied Kosovo in 1912-1913, many Albanians were massacred and expelled to Turkey. Leo Freundlich (1875-1954), a Jewish publicist living in Vienna, wrote a book titled "Albania's Golgotha: Indictment of the Exterminators of the Albanian People." In 1937, Vaso Cubrilovic, a Serb nationalist, presented a memorandum in Belgrade titled "The Expulsion of the Albanians." I am appalled that a reporter continues to believe in myths and presents unsubstantiated statements to readers. MITHAT GASHI Lecturer Lehman College City University of New York New York City
