Posted on 12/29/2006 2:42:28 PM PST by Decombobulator
Amid signs that the Bush administration may be backing away from unequivocal support for independence for Kosovo, the head of the Albanian American Civic League is appealing to the American Jewish community to advocate on behalf of Kosovo, a region of the former Yugoslavia that is predominantly inhabited by ethnic Albanians.
“When Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic was massacring Albanians in Kosovo in 1998-99, the American Jewish community took the lead in pressing President [Bill] Clinton to bomb Serbia, because they instinctively understood the nature of genocide and were determined to keep it from being repeated,” said Joseph DioGuardi, a onetime Republican congressman from Westchester County who has become a passionate advocate for the rights of Kosovo Albanians since leaving Congress in 1990.
“Today, with the international community seemingly backing away from prompt implementation of independence [for Kosovo] out of a misguided inclination to appease Serbia,” DioGuardi continued, “we need the American Jewish community to get involved in this issue again because genuine independence is not only just and right, but is also the only way to secure stability in the Balkans.”
In his effort, DioGuardi is reminding Jewish Americans of the little-known fact that Albania was the only nation in Europe that refused to turn over even one Jew to the Nazis during World War II, saving about 2,000 during the German occupation of that Balkan country.
DioGuardi, who served in Congress from 1984-‘88, learned during that time that his father, who emigrated to the U.S. from a village in southern Italy, was not really of Italian ancestry, but was actually descended from Albanian Christians who moved to Italy in the 15th century to escape a takeover of that country by the Ottoman Turks.
Embracing his newfound Albanian identity with vigor, DioGuardi was responsible for the first congressional hearing on the situation in Kosovo (or Kosova, as the region is known in Albanian and as DioGuardi always refers to it).
After losing his congressional seat in 1988 to Nita Lowey, DioGuardi founded the Albanian American Civic League, the only registered grassroots lobby representing the 700,000 strong Albanian American community. And in 1990, he visited Kosovo and Albania with Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), the only Holocaust survivor in Congress. When the two met with then-Albanian President Ramiz Alia, the Albanian leader handed Lantos a thick file from the nation’s archives with evidence—since authenticated by Yad Vashem—that hundreds of Albanian families rescued Jews during the 18 months in 1943-44 that the Nazis occupied Albania.
Lantos and two Jewish congressmen from New York, Jerrold Nadler and former Rep. Ben Gilman, were instrumental in getting the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to add Albania added to its section listing the “Righteous Among the Nations.” Lantos has consistently been a strong advocate of the rights of the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo, repeatedly expressing support for full Kosovo independence from Serbia in years since that province was placed under United Nations control in 1999.
While the United Nations originally promised to decide Kosovo’s final status by the end of 2006, that decision has now been delayed until after Serbia holds its elections on Jan. 21, and it is not clear when the issue might be resolved after that. While the U.S. has expressed rhetorical support for independence for Kosovo, the European Union has been more tepid and conditional in its support, whereas Russia, a traditional ally of Serbia, has threatened to veto a Security Council resolution backing Kosovo independence.
DioGuardi’s wife and fellow advocate on behalf of Kosovo, Shirley Cloyes-DioGuardi, believes that European ambivalence and Russian opposition to Kosovo independence have caused the Bush administration to search for an accommodation. That, she worries, might put Kosovo independence on hold, or give it a form that will be “more than autonomy and less than independence.” In such a case, “Kosovo would not have a Foreign Ministry or an army, and an EU-led ‘International Civilian Office’ would control much of its political life.”
Longtime Jewish supporters of Kosovo independence remain on board but are less avid in pushing for a rapid consummation of the process than are the DioGuardis.
Bob King, a spokesman for Lantos, who next month is to become chairman of the U.S. House Committee on International Relations, told The Jewish Week, “Congressman Lantos is convinced that independence for Kosovo, something he has been advocating for years, will become a fact after the Serbian elections…and has been pressing the Bush Administration to move more decisively on the issue.”
Still, King predicted, “Independence will not come precipitously,” since work still needs to be done to convince the Serbian minority in Kosovo their rights will be protected.
King’s point was seconded by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, President of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, and another longtime supporter of the rights of Kosovar Albanians, who remarked, “Kosovo independence is a foregone conclusion, but a lot still has to be done to implement confidence building measures for the Serb minority.”
For his part, DioGuardi believes that a decision by the international community to delay granting genuine independence for Kosovo “will destabilize a country where there is 70 percent unemployment for people under 30.”
He said that while Kosovars, like other Albanians a predominantly Muslim people, have spurned the blandishments of Islamic fundamentalism so far, that might possibly change if they come to feel abandoned by the West or if the Serbs elect ultra-nationalist parties dedicated to renewing the violence in Kosovo.
According to DioGuardi, “We need the support of the Jewish community again because the Kosovars are still in peril. We hope American Jews remember the heroic actions of the Albanian people on behalf of Jews during the Holocaust, and stand with us today in support of independence for Kosova.”
Correct me if I'm wrong but Albania was never even occupied by the Germans. The Italians controlled Albania, and they didn't search for Jews with quite the same vigor as Germans did, so no wonder Jews in Albania had a high survival rate.
DioGuardi(fakename) backs the KLA islamic terrorists, taking over Kosovo, just as the Ottoman turks/islamic terrorist attempted to take over Kosovo in the 15th Century.
Makes me glad he's not in congress any longer.
The Germans invaded Albania in September of 1943, and were there until January of '45.
In the hopes of setting up an "independent" Albania, the Germans didn't prosecute their war on the Jews there, which makes Albania something of an anomaly in German occupied territories.
And here I was thinking this was just going to be so much wasted information.
I'm sorry but I don't know how to link web pages , it's a very informative webpage on Albania.
It woud go right over Mr. DioGuardi's head, since he is apparently on the wrongside of the jihad.
You're Italian..
If DioGuardi is too stupid to figure that out, I too, am glad he's not in congress any longer...
That Jewish community in the US mught want to check what happened to the Jewish community in Kosovo at the hands of Albanians first: http://emperors-clothes.com/interviews/prlincevic.htm They were driven out!
The facts:
1. Kosovo and Albania are different territories. What happened to Jews in Albania during WWII is not relevant to what happened to Jews in Kosovo. During WWII, Kosovo Albanians provided one Waffen SS division to Hilter (1st Albanian Waffen SS Division Skanderbeg) and prosecuted Kosovo Jews. Saying that Kosovo Albaninans have protected Jews in their midst is a vicious Nazi revisionist lie. The only reason why Jews in Albania were not rounded up is the hasty withdrawal of the Nazi troops from Albania at the end of the war.
See Raul Hilberg’s seminal Holocaust book, The Destruction of the European Jews, where it is documented that Albanians played a key and fundamental role in The Holocaust.
2. The fact that some liberal Jews in their support to BJ Clinton resorted even to slick Holocaust denial schemes should not be taken lightly. It is good opportunity to address this. The fact that Kosovo is JUDENREIN today owing to the very same Islamic terrorists liberal Jews supported is the most telling.
Being silent about vile Holocaust revisionism is becoming part of it.
In the hopes of setting up an "independent" Albania, the Germans didn't prosecute their war on the Jews there, which makes Albania something of an anomaly in German occupied territories.
And here I was thinking this was just going to be so much wasted information.
Why not tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
While the Jews of "Old Albania" were spared, nearly 300 Jews in Fascist Albania were arrested and likely transported into the Reich.
-- Kuhmel, Deutsch and Albanien p.504
P.S. While Germany did not invade Albania until September, after the surrender of Italy, they had begun occupying key facilities as early as July.
Heroic actions of Albanian people during The Holocaust was sending Jews to concentration camps. Jerusalem Mufti Hosseini persuaded Himmler to create Albanian and Bosnian Muslim Waffen SS divisions.
Dioguardi's revisionist lie is no different than saying "We need the support of the Jewish community again because the Palestinians are still in peril. We hope American Jews remember the heroic actions of the Palestinian people on behalf of Jews during the Holocaust, and stand with us today in support of independence for Palestine."
The Albanian role in The Holocaust is undeniable fact and that makes Dioguardi Holocaust diminisher.
The fact that this holocaust diminisher is Republican makes this even worse.
The Jews who are helping him are voluntary Sonderkommando.
This POS is a paid lobbyist for Albanian Muzzies! In Washington DC nobody rides for free!!Seems to me, if your family has lived in southern italy for the last 500 years, you're not really "albanian" any more..
You're Italian..
With lots of intermarriage with Italians
If DioGuardi is too stupid to figure that out, I too, am glad he's not in congress any longer...
How right you are. This guy is a salesman and a good salesman will tell a great story about his products and himself.
|And this guy sells Muslim irredentism
Even including the depredations of the Skanderbeg in Kosovo and the fate of the Jewish community there, Albania remained the only country in occupied Europe to see an increase in its Jewish population.
For all the work the Serbs have put in attempting to equate themselves with the Jews recently, their actions in Bosnia, and subsequent inability to repudiate the action of their kin there, have put too high of a hurdle in the way of that scheme ever bearing any worthwhile fruit.
And that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Time change and you are just a dumb tool of Islamic expansionism. How many mosques have adopted you? As far as Jews go, Jihad is their enemy no matter whether it's Jihad in Gaza, Kosovo, France or India.
JIHAD NEWS IN THAILAND:
The real perps were, believe it or not, Islamic jihadists, although the Bangkok Post doesn't deem that fact worthy of notice. "Insurgents kill, burn Buddhist teachers," from the Bangkok Post, with thanks to LS:
Southern violence continues, as two teachers were gunned down by insurgents in Yala while a village defense guard was killed in Narathiwat.
Extremists shot two male teachers in Muang district Friday morning as they were travelling to their school to teach. After shooting the two men, the insurgents dragged their bodies out of the pick-up and set them on fire. As the last act before fleeing, they set fire to the vehicle.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/014607.php#comments
Part of that was due to the Italian influence. As you point out, the Skanderbeg had no qualms, but that did not occur until after the Italians were no longer in control.
In addition, the Italian occupied area of Croatia saw an even larger increase in its Jewish population than did Albania!
The U.S> assasult on the Serbs - another grave error in American foreign policy.
ALL Mulsims should be driven rom the Balkans back into Anatolia and then back into the wastes of the Saudi Desert which spaned them.
You wouldn't know the truth even if Soros continued to pay you more blood money than you are earning now........
:) I had to throw something in there; "for the moment".
["I had to throw something in there; "for the moment"."]
As I did. The reason I did is because I'm getting sick and tired of his childish antics.
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