ALBANIANS TURN UP EN MASSE AT PEACEFUL RALLIES THROUGHOUT KOSOVO

( Editorial: --> 8282 ) PRISTINA, March 9 (Hina) - The protest rallies staged throughout Kosovo on Monday were successful and passed without incidents, except in three or four municipalities, the organisers said. According to Fehmi Agani, one of the leaders of the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo, these were the biggest demonstrations ever organised in Kosovo as a protest against the Serbian regime. By attending the rallies, hundreds of thousands of Kosovo Albanians have proved their commitment to the peaceful resolution of the Kosovo issue, while at the same time rejecting the Serbian regime and its violence, Agani said. Xhemail Mustafa, spokesman for the Albanian leadership, told a Pristina press conference that over 60 Albanians had been killed in the Drenica area in the past four days. Among them were 14 women and 14 children, as well as several charred bodies which could not be identified. (hina) mm as/mrb 091819 MET mar 98