ALBANIANS IN ISTRIA HOLD PROTEST MEETING

PULA, Jan 31 (Hina) - The Istria County Association of Albanians on Sunday held a meeting in Pula, protesting against the grave situation in the southern Yugoslav province of Kosovo. "The Istria Association of Albanians most strongly condemns the massacres in Kosovo and calls on NATO to intervene and put an end to the genocide of the Albanian people in Kosovo", said a representative of the Association, Halil Avdiju. Avdiju called on all European states to take a realistic and objective stand regarding Kosovo. Martin Berisha of the Association of Albanians from Ljubljana said that "Albanians want an independent Kosovo within its borders". The autonomy of the province within Yugoslavia "under the Serbian dictate is out of the question", he said. The Union of Albanians in Croatia believes that Kosovo Albanians have the right to their own state and sovereignty, the Union's president Ton Marku said. "We expect from the Croatian Government and all political parties in Croatia to support Albanians and their stands. We expect the same from political factors in Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, because Kosovo Albanians are aware that what happened in Bosnia must not happen in Kosovo", Marku said. (hina) rml