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Kosovo, parts of Macedonia, Serbia should be annexed to Albania - Albanian leader November 3, 2005 -- Leader of an ethnic Albanian political party in Macedonia, Arben Xhaferi, said in an interview for an Albanian language newspaper Express, that Serbian province of Kosovo, along with parts of southern Serbia and parts of Macedonia should unite with Albania. Kosovo Albanian President Rugova posing with what he claims to be a flag of Dardania. Xhaferi was visiting political allies in Kosovo's capital Pristina where he made these comments. "The formation of economically unsustainable and non-functional states is on the rise, which causes an increasingly growing social discontent. Why should the unification of Kosovo and Albania therefore be prevented if their citizens are in favor of it? The unification would preclude future economic crises," Xhaferi said. Xhaferi, who leads the Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSh in Albanian, also said that Serbia and Macedonia are artificial states and that Kosovo should be renamed into Dardania because Kosovo is a Serbian name. "Kosovo is a Slavic place name and it would not be right for Kosovars to identify themselves with it," said Xhaferi. "He would not have invented the Dardanian origin of the Kosovar Albanians, when historical facts indicate something quite different," replied Skopje based newspaper, Dnevnik. Dardania was referred to in ancient Greek texts and was once a small province of Rome. Kosovo Albanian President Rugova expressed positive sentiments towards formation of this new Albanian identity and once posed with a flag he claimed was Dardanian for New York Times. November 3, 2005 06:14 (10:14 GMT)

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