Ramush Haradinaj, former guerrilla leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and former prime minister of Kosovo, yesterday advised Albanian political representatives from the Presevo Valley to take part in the elections in Serbia on May 11.

Presevo Valley is a geographical region in the south of Central Serbia, which roughly includes municipalities of Bujanovac and Presevo, both municipalities bordering Kosovo.

Haradinaj, the president of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, after meeting the President of the Presevo Valley’s Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) Jonuz Musliu, said that participation in the May 11 elections was the only way for Albanians from the region to make their voices heard.

Haradinaj said, “I think that this is the way for Albanians to show their presence. I want the Albanians to be able to achieve the success they expect at the May 11 elections, firstly to help improve living conditions for the people there, but also to make their voice heard in the country they live in.”

Musliu reported that the meeting of political representatives from Albanian communities in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medve?e was expected to take decision on the May 11 election. “We still haven’t decided. Our demands as to how our problems should be solved are realistic. I believe that others will also confirm that our demands are justified,” said Musliu.

So far, the parties representing Albanians in the three municipalities of the Presevo Valley have been unable to adopt a common position on participation at the elections. After the last elections, the Albanians from this part of Serbia were left with only one seat in parliament.